Interviews

[Marcus_Aurelius]

Hi all, do most Philosophy programs interview (in person or online)? I figured not because I haven't really seen any mention of it, but I just found out that many Classics programs do, so now I'm not sure.

[The_Last_Thylacine]

2 minutes ago, Marcus_Aurelius said:

Hi all, do most Philosophy programs interview (in person or online)? I figured not because I haven't really seen any mention of it, but I just found out that many Classics programs do, so now I'm not sure.

I have never heard of a ranked program doing interviews, except maybe U. Chicago.

[Moose#@1%$]

16 minutes ago, Marcus_Aurelius said:

Hi all, do most Philosophy programs interview (in person or online)? I figured not because I haven't really seen any mention of it, but I just found out that many Classics programs do, so now I'm not sure.

No I dont think so. U of Cincinnati has a "video essay" question but after talking to the department and reading on their website, they don't even look at it. It's just a Grad school thing.

[MtnDuck]

A few places are starting to if last year is any indication:

Baylor University (has a preview weekend), Cambridge University (HPS), Central European University, DePaul University, Pennsylvania State University, University of California, Irvine (LPS),  University of Iowa, and Villanova University look like they've down Skype interviews in the past. 

[maxhgns]

 Some of the more major continental programs do, but that's it. Almost no programs do, overall.

Edited January 17, 2019 by maxhgns

[Marcus_Aurelius]

Thanks, all!

[DontFly]

Not useful for OP but might be useful for others:

UC-Irvine LPS will continue to have interviews. This is a requirement coming from the School of Social Sciences, and so will not go away.

UC-Irvine Philosophy, however, belongs to the School of Humanities and consequently does not have this requirement. My best knowledge is that they are not considering doing interviews in the near future.

[practically_mi]

Chicago started doing interviews last year 

[HomoLudens]

Asked to interview for DePaul. Does anyone have an idea what will be discussed during the interviews/ what the adcoms are looking for?

[directingdirections]

3 hours ago, HomoLudens said:

Asked to interview for DePaul. Does anyone have an idea what will be discussed during the interviews/ what the adcoms are looking for?

I'd imagine that the interviews are generally relaxed (though, not in a completely informal way), and are meant for you to get a sense of what the department is looking for at the same time that they are seeing if you seem like you'd fit in their dept. well. I had two interviews last year and in both I was asked briefly about my writing sample (why I chose the topic, if it was a specific issue that I wanted to pursue further, etc.) and about the broader philosophical questions/issues I was currently thinking about. Also, I was interviewed by faculty that I was specifically interested in working with (which may or may not always be the case) so I came prepared to ask them about their current work, because I was curious about the direction they were heading in and I wanted to see if their vision meshed with my own hopes. My two cents (however helpful they may be?): Just remember that they are very interested in the possibility of working with you—why else would they want to have an interview? So, I doubt it is bad to go in some degree of confidence: show an interest and be prepared to ask questions of them as well (this is your chance to interview them, too!)

On that note, here is a a list of potential questions to ask at visits and interviews. I recalled that this was posted to the forum last year (and the person who had posted it then had reposted it from someone from the year before..) so I thought (like them) i'd copy/paste it in case someones find it helpful...

Topics to ask grad schools:
(1) What is the climate for women/minorities like?
(2) Teacher accessibility
(3) Opportunities to teach (TA vs. teaching)
(4) Are grad students happy?
(5) Placement / prep for job market?
(6) Guaranteed 6th year of funding?
(7) How long does it take people to complete program?
(8) Teaching workload (how many students; grading help if a lot)
(9) Summer opportunities
(10) Transition from coursework to dissertation
(11) Opportunities to do Phil outside classroom
(12) Course selection

Questions to ask professors:
1. Are there opportunities to teach or only TA?
2. How does [school] prepare students for the job market?
3. What is financial support like beyond the fifth year?
4. How long does it take people to complete the program?
5. What is the teaching workload like? (How many students? Is there grading help (if a lot)? / How onerous is the teaching + grading load?)
6. What summer opportunities are available to students? What do students typically do over the summer?
7. How does [school] handle the transition from coursework to dissertation?
8. What opportunities are there to do philosophy outside f the classroom on campus? (E.g. reading groups, talks, philosophy society, school-sponsored philosophy conference, etc.)
9. How is the collection of the department library? How often is it updated?
10. Do all grad students /TAs get office space?
11. Links of the dept with professors in, e.g., linguistics, cognitive science, rhetoric, classics, etc.?
12. What do people typically do in winter and summer vacations?
13. People retiring in the next 2-3 years? New hirings planned in the next 1-2 years?
14. How many students is [professor] planning to take in the next few years?
15. Proto seminar- what is it like and what will it look like this fall semester?
16. Support for publishing in the initial years at _______ university?
17. Department fellowships which one can apply for later which can give time off teaching?
18. Your (professor's) current research interests and upcoming projects?
19. How often do the professors meet with students especially during the coursework stage?
20. Do professors come to reading groups and other department activity apart from colloquia?
21. What is the level of support available from the Department to attend conferences, workshops and seminars? How far does the stipend go in that area?
22. Is the funding 9 month or 12 month? What are the avenues for summer funding?

Questions to ask grad students:
1. How often do you meet with professors?
2. How often do you talk about philosophy with professors when you're not in meetings/classes? (To develop as a philosopher, it is very important to develop your in-person philosophy skills--thinking on your feet, asking good questions, responding to objections, etc.)
3. Do professors come to reading groups? (Or any departmental events that aren't colloquia?)
4. Do grad students ask questions at colloquia?
5. Do you feel comfortable talking in group settings? Have you felt comfortable talking in group settings since you first came? If not, when did you start feeling comfortable?
6. Do grad students share their work with one another/give feedback with one another?
7. How often are people around the department?
8. What do you like most about being here?
9. What do you like least about being here?
10. Do older grad students spend time around the department?
11. What kind of guidance do you get from your professors/advisor? (very important- you want faculty who really read your stuff carefully and make your papers better. if the faculty are mia or not very careful when they read your papers, you may not get this.)
12. Does the culture feel combative or one-up-y? Do you feel like you have to be "on" when you're in a philosophical setting?
13. Are the students here happy?
14. What are faculty and student working on in [area]? What is doing [area, e.g. metaphysics] like here?

Questions about climate:
1. Is there a MAP chapter? (You can usually find this out yourself)
1. If so, contact MAP coordinator
2. What is the climate like at [school]?
3. What has [school] done for women and minorities in philosophy?
4. What percentage of grad students are women?
5. Sexual harassment issues? [prob best to ask a grad student discretely]

[charliekkk]

11 hours ago, HomoLudens said:

Asked to interview for DePaul. Does anyone have an idea what will be discussed during the interviews/ what the adcoms are looking for?

Hey, me too! Quite nervous about it though...gonna PM you if that's okay so we can share some notes

[Aesthetics Always]

do people know if Depaul has sent out all interview requests? if I didn't hear back from them yesterday should I assume being rejected? also if anyone knows if u chicago is still sending out interview requests, I've heard nothing from them

[antianticlimacus]

33 minutes ago, Aesthetics Always said:

do people know if Depaul has sent out all interview requests? if I didn't hear back from them yesterday should I assume being rejected? also if anyone knows if u chicago is still sending out interview requests, I've heard nothing from them

Chicago interview requests went out more than a week ago, I think. I haven't heard so I've just been assuming it's a rejection. 

[Nothingtown]

As @MtnDuck mentioned, Baylor does a "preview weekend." I got an email that I'm a finalist, and from what I can tell they invite 2x the number of people they plan to admit to the preview weekend, and decide from there. I expect it to be somewhat more informal than an interview, but still something where they're gauging if you're a good fit or not. I know a grad student at Baylor and if it would help anyone, I can ask them about the weekend and post here. 

[Alex1995]

2 hours ago, Aesthetics Always said:

also if anyone knows if u chicago is still sending out interview requests, I've heard nothing from them

I don't think they are. I had my interview with them last week, and they said acceptances would be out in early February. 

[Monk_Fudge]

Just received an interview request from Boston College. Scheduled for next Monday. 

[BetweenBars]

3 minutes ago, Monk_Fudge said:

Just received an interview request from Boston College. Scheduled for next Monday. 

Congrats!! Did you get the request via email?

[Monk_Fudge]

5 minutes ago, BetweenBars said:

Congrats!! Did you get the request via email?

Thanks! Yes I did. They CCed one of the members of the faculty, so I assume they will be the one interviewing me..  

[Fontanabush]

3 hours ago, Monk_Fudge said:

Just received an interview request from Boston College. Scheduled for next Monday. 

Congratulations! 

It is nice to see some movement on the programs I applied to as well for two reasons. One I wish you the best and two,selfishly, it takes away some of my anxiety. 

Edited February 11, 2019 by Fontanabush

[directingdirections]

deleted [wrong thread]

Edited February 4, 2021 by directingdirections

[PolPhil]

1 hour ago, directingdirections said:

the waitlist&admits (combined) list at berkeley can have upwards of 20+ people on it

What does this have to do with this thread?