Interview questions to ask admissions committee?

[iamsotired]

Hey everyone! I've been glossing over some interview threads that you all have posted, and I was wondering of what questions can I ask the admissions committee? I've read the handbook throughly and it ... seemed to answer everything. Additionally, the admissions + outcomes data is extremely in-depth to the point where I don't have any questions. 

[Jung&Psyched]

I struggled with this during interviews! I did ask for more descriptions of practicum opportunities in the community, as well as funding (like is health insurance included, is there tuition waivers for summer).  Other people asked questions like what the overall environment is (competitive or collaborative), how often faculty mentors meet with students, and opportunities to take part in other research.  

It was tough coming up with questions though, and it feels like they ask "Do you have any questions?" about 20 times throughout interview day!! 

[ResilientDreams]

Yes. They ask if you have any questions at least 20 times throughout the day and honestly by the time I was interviewed by the grad admissions person I didn't have any left. She then told me that usually people have more questions for her and then proceeded to ask me more interview questions. 

[iamsotired]

2 hours ago, liznlex said:

I struggled with this during interviews! I did ask for more descriptions of practicum opportunities in the community, as well as funding (like is health insurance included, is there tuition waivers for summer).  Other people asked questions like what the overall environment is (competitive or collaborative), how often faculty mentors meet with students, and opportunities to take part in other research.  

It was tough coming up with questions though, and it feels like they ask "Do you have any questions?" about 20 times throughout interview day!! 

Oh ok, I'll write some of them down. A good portion of questions I have had were already answered by the handbook, so I guess I can explicitly tell them that. 

[iamsotired]

2 hours ago, ResilientDreams said:

Yes. They ask if you have any questions at least 20 times throughout the day and honestly by the time I was interviewed by the grad admissions person I didn't have any left. She then told me that usually people have more questions for her and then proceeded to ask me more interview questions. 

"people usually have more" oh gosh, is it a bad sign if you don't have any questions to ask? 

[ResilientDreams]

1 hour ago, iamsotired said:

"people usually have more" oh gosh, is it a bad sign if you don't have any questions to ask? 

You know...if I don't get into the program because of that, then it obviously wasn't the program for me. I wouldn't stress about it...my take is that if you don't have questions, you don't have questions. I think they like to ask that because then they don't have to think of their own questions to ask you.

[PsyDuck90]

A good tip I've heard is to ask some of the same questions to different people because the pattern of answers can always be telling. I always try to have at least 2-3 questions in my mind just to show interest. If you don't ask questions, it can sometimes come off as disinterest. 

[TheEternalGrad]

17 hours ago, iamsotired said:

"people usually have more" oh gosh, is it a bad sign if you don't have any questions to ask? 

I wouldn't say it is a bad sign, but I think my POIs appreciated me having questions to ask. One in particular noted he was impressed how prepared I was (had a notebook with some questions written down) and he usually doesn't get such "good questions." I ended up being accepted to the program! I don't think that's what got me in, but at the very least the POI took notice and I think it made me stand out a little more. My advice is just think of a few good questions for each person interviewing you. ?

[kaimcc22520]

Here's a few I asked

-What question would you ask if you were me? What do you think is something that I should know about the program that hasn't already been said?

-Why did you personally chose to work at this university?

-What was the hardest part about adjusting to this area? (if it's out of state and they also came from a different state)

-What are some expectations you have for your graduate students that might differ from your colleagues?

-Who is your favorite faculty member to collaborate with? (if you're applying to more than one POI and the faculty has stated that they collaborate frequently)

-Are there any programs in place to help the transition into graduate school? (i.e. some mentioned assigning peer mentors or having plenty of new student services)

[paraent]

Having questions makes interviews a lot easier and helps keep quality conversation flowing, which should be the main goal of an interview (adcoms have already seen your CV). Maybe clinical is a different culture even on this, though.

[iamsotired]

3 hours ago, kaimcc22520 said:

Here's a few I asked

-What question would you ask if you were me? What do you think is something that I should know about the program that hasn't already been said?

-Why did you personally chose to work at this university?

-What was the hardest part about adjusting to this area? (if it's out of state and they also came from a different state)

-What are some expectations you have for your graduate students that might differ from your colleagues?

-Who is your favorite faculty member to collaborate with? (if you're applying to more than one POI and the faculty has stated that they collaborate frequently)

-Are there any programs in place to help the transition into graduate school? (i.e. some mentioned assigning peer mentors or having plenty of new student services)

 

5 minutes ago, paraent said:

Having questions makes interviews a lot easier and helps keep quality conversation flowing, which should be the main goal of an interview (adcoms have already seen your CV). Maybe clinical is a different culture even on this, though.

 

6 hours ago, TheEternalGrad said:

I wouldn't say it is a bad sign, but I think my POIs appreciated me having questions to ask. One in particular noted he was impressed how prepared I was (had a notebook with some questions written down) and he usually doesn't get such "good questions." I ended up being accepted to the program! I don't think that's what got me in, but at the very least the POI took notice and I think it made me stand out a little more. My advice is just think of a few good questions for each person interviewing you. ?

Hey everyone! I already have questions for my POIs, it's just the admissions committee. They're a different group I also have to interview with. I'm interviewing with my POIs separately. 

[paraent]

A group interview, how strange. No idea what the norms are there. All mine so far have been 1 on 1 with different professors in the department.

Edited February 26, 2019 by paraent

[TheEternalGrad]

17 hours ago, iamsotired said:

 

 

Hey everyone! I already have questions for my POIs, it's just the admissions committee. They're a different group I also have to interview with. I'm interviewing with my POIs separately. 

Right! I was just replying in the sense that it is always good to have a few good questions for anyone. I think they're appreciated and could make you stand out/show how serious you are. ?

I wish I had some good specific questions for an admissions committee. I've only interviewed with POIs/grad students/alumni. You can maybe ask what they thing is the most distinguishing feature their program has that makes them stand out from others, what students do after graduation (like employment), financial aid questions, etc. What advice they might have for you in order to best succeed in the program.

 

 

[kaimcc22520]

19 hours ago, iamsotired said:

 

 

Hey everyone! I already have questions for my POIs, it's just the admissions committee. They're a different group I also have to interview with. I'm interviewing with my POIs separately. 

Ah, for all the programs I applied to the faculty were the admissions committee. You could always ask more about the duties of a typical GA/RA/TA assistantship or just more specifics about something that interested you in the handbook (summer classes, certificates, minors, etc.). Or as someone else mentioned, re-use questions you have already asked because you might receive different answers depending on the person you ask.