Interview by Director of PhD Program

[garibaldi]

Hi there,

For an upcoming phone interview, I will be speaking to the Director of PhD Program. None of the professors whose name I had mentioned in the SOP have contacted me and the Director's research interests are very different to mine. Does the fact that they have scheduled a phone interview indicate they have found potential advisors for me? Should I raise this issue on the call, in case they dont?

Thanks for your help/insights/guesses here!

Edited January 26, 2011 by garibaldi

[esoryma]

I'm assuming that you've already had the interview, but if not:

I have done 3 phone interviews, and the first one was with the director of the program. Her research interests are not even in the same subfield as mine, but it was more of an introductory interview and less research-focused. She talked to me about my research interests, yes, but it definitely wasn't with the intent of recruiting me into her own lab. I got the feeling that she was checking to see if I would be a good match for any of the other professors, and to give me the opportunity to ask any questions I had. That interview was followed-up with two further phone calls: one from my POI, and one from another admissions committee member.