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hi folks,

so i've somehow managed to receive two interview invitations, one from duke and the other from johns hopkins humanities center. the former is an interview weekend, and the latter is a skype interview; i'm nervous as hell about both, for johns hopkins and duke are my 1st and 2nd choices, respectively. so i suppose i have two questions: (1) has anyone interviewed with either school in the past, and if so, is there any specific advice you can offer? (2) can someone offer some general advice about these kinds of interviews?

for what it's worth, i've applied to duke's literature program, and to the comparative literature track at the humanities center. i'm an undergraduate, in my final semester, working on my thesis, etc.

perhaps this can be a place to talk about interview stuff in general; i imagine many us have received interview invitations, or will in the near future.

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Thanks for creating this thread! I'm also incredibly nervous about the interview at Duke. I can't really tell what the format will be from the itinerary they sent out. Will we be interviewed individually in front of the admissions panel or one-on-one with our POIs? I'll be e-mailing them soon to get some sense of the process. In the mean time, I will pick my mentors' brains for ideas and schedule some kind of mock interview with them. I'll come back to this thread soon with more ideas...

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I've spent a bit of time at Duke this past semester, and from what I've gathered from conversations with current grad students, there will be a one-on-one interview at one point in the weekend. However, I'm also under the impression that the weekend isn't too strenuous and therefore shouldn't the cause of too much anxiety. After all, we've already made it through the most difficult part of the application process (for Duke, that is).

Let me know what they tell you after you send the email. I'm also very curious how many people they invited this year...I guess we'll see.

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Thanks for the info; it all sounds reassuring. It's just that Duke has been my dream school for quite a while. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would make it to this round.

Anyway, you might also want to check out these threads in the meantime:

Edited by takethiswaltz
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Vordhosbntwin and takethiswaltz, congrats!

I just came back from the Emory interviews. One thing that I'd say is: you should certainly prepare to speak about yourself! I imagine that sounds super obvious, but it took me by surprise: having been out of an academic environment for a while, it has been a few years since people in my daily life have asked me detailed, pressing questions about my projects and papers. (Since I graduated in 2008, the vast majority of my academic correspondence has been over email, where one has the chance to sit back, do a little more background reading, and formulate a response; conversation is different, and I was surprised by how out-of-practice I felt!) I prepared much too much for potential questions about the work of the professors I was interviewing with and prepared too little for being asked to speak about myself, my past/current work, and my goals.

In retrospect, I would advise preparing as if you were presenting at a conference and were faced with the possibility of a panel Q&A. Read your writing sample and statement of purpose, consider any possible questions that you can think of, and research possible answers. Definitely don't neglect to reread or read the work of the professors you will interviewed with (I didn't get any questions from them about their work, but it did give me more confidence to have thoroughly done that background reading), but make your own documents your priority. Although, as always, YMMV.

Finally, since you mentioned that Duke's interview consists of an on-campus visit, remember throughout the entire thing that it gets better. I felt woefully underprepared for my first interview, but I think I got my sea legs by my second. As you go through the visit, make sure you remember the "lather, rinse" part of "lather, rinse, repeat": no matter how you think the first one went, remember that the next one is a brand-new experience. Had I not mentally refreshed after the first, I fear I would have been a puddle at the second!

(Edited for typos.)

Edited by pinkrobot
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Hi all. I just returned from an interview, though not from any of the programs listed in this forum. The program I interviewed for was an interdisciplinary humanities program. Before going on my interview, I talked to my mentor professor, and his advice (I thought) was solid. He told me to re-read my statement of purpose, and pull out 3-4 main "nodes" from the statement (in relation to your research, your preparation, your career goals, and your life experiences). Then, he suggested creating 3-4 talking points from those nodes and familiarizing myself with them a lot. This way, I had something solid to talk about easily that was a great conversation starter. Doing this calmed my nerves tremendously, and helped me to focus when I was struck with a little "OMG I can't believe this is happening" fear.

For my interview weekend, they hosted a dinner with the adcomm, and then we had a day (full day!) of interviews which were about 1/2 hour apiece. We interviewed with both the adcomm and with the POIs we listed on our applications. While they didn't tell us necessarily what the dress code was, I chose to dress up instead of casually (some folks chose casual) and I was glad that I did because it really helped my confidence and it helped me put my game face on. After our interviews we went out with the grad students already in the program and talked (and drank!), which was nice. Everyone in the group interviewing was actually really nice and cordial, so I encourage you to treat people there kindly (you never know who you might attend with, and I got the sense that we were watched for how we were interacting with people).

The other thing I did was review articles/books from the professors that I wanted to work with and that I was interviewing with so that I could talk to them about their research. I also encourage you to put together some questions of your own, including what their advising style is (for the ones you want to work with), and anything else that matters to you. While you are certainly competing for a spot, this is also your opportunity to get a sense for how the program feels, and whether it's a place you want to be. Make sure you find some current graduate students and take note of how they seem. Are they stressed? Angry? Competitive? Focused? Balanced? Friendly? The school I interviewed with went up in my rankings because the students there really seemed balanced (though very hard-working and focused) and the people were genuinely kind. My mentor professor reminded me that while the interview is indeed an opportunity for the program to choose applicants, it's also an opportunity for me to decide if it's a place I want to be for the next 5-7 years of my life.

And then, just be yourself. :) I know it's hard because you're super nervous, but it's important to relax as much as possible. Good luck with your interviews!!! :)

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I also have an interview with Duke via Skype on Monday, and am similarly in a place of deep, deep despair. I've even considered withdrawing because of dread/insomnia/panic attacks, and because I know the whole experience is just going to be humiliating/certainly end in rejection. I can't even prepare because every time I sit down to do so I have a total meltdown and need to watch bad television for the following five hours to calm down. Why, why are they doing this to us?

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I also have an interview with Duke via Skype on Monday, and am similarly in a place of deep, deep despair. I've even considered withdrawing because of dread/insomnia/panic attacks, and because I know the whole experience is just going to be humiliating/certainly end in rejection. I can't even prepare because every time I sit down to do so I have a total meltdown and need to watch bad television for the following five hours to calm down. Why, why are they doing this to us?

You are going to be okay!! Deep breaths. Remember that they chose you because they see promise in your work, and that you totally deserve this.

Here's a (slightly modified) list of preparations that my wonderful supervisor sent me when I was freaked out about my Brown interview. I found that going through the list one point at a time helped to focus my energy and calm me down, and when I finally got to the interview (also over Skype) I felt well prepared.

Research their website; familiarize yourself with their faculty and their

course offerings, and try to put together a sense of why you would be a

good fit for what they do.

Prepare a few little blurbs to have on hand about your work now, where you

see it going, and how it relates to broader questions in the field (issues

in your field, etc).

Prepare questions to ask them--this is one of the most important

things--get them talking about the program, the students, you are

interviewing them as well.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything in your file that would

jump out as a problem that you need to explain or address, but if you can

think of such a thing, prep a bit on how to answer any questions that you

might get.

Lastly, think about what you want out of grad school and how X can

help you get it.

Also, since your interview is over Skype, I would add that you should think about where to do the interview (make sure that the background is tidy and not too busy, that there is no strong light source behind you putting your face into shadow, etc). Another prof suggested that I move the window that shows my own image just below the camera, since we tend to look at ourselves when we chat anyway. This way it looks more like you're making eye contact. :)

Best of luck! You're going to do great!

Edited by Aubergine
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I'm from the Northeast. I arrived to my first day of the Emory interviews in no less than the following: wool blazer, scarf, cardigan, collared shirt, tank top. (And pants, obviously, but those were unoffending.) I figured I would be fine--I mean, here where I live, it's been minus a gazillion degrees for a long time, so I figured, "Yes! I have made a concession to warm weather! See: no overcoat!" I was melting through the entire first day, which also happened to involve four interviews. I cannot count the number of times I went to the ladies' to dry off and stuff yet another layer of clothing into my purse. Amusingly, I also didn't take the "wear comfortable shoes" thing anywhere near seriously enough, and by the end of the day had developed a stride that much resembled a lame pigeon's. All the while, I was falling madly in love with the place, and wondering over and over how an individual could possibly have gotten to her mid-twenties with absolutely no social graces or ability to dress herself in a weather-appropriate manner. When I received the call that I've been accepted, I was so shocked that I could basically only stammer "Thank you." Over and over and over again.

All this is to say: it may feel terrible, but it probably went much better than that. I promise. And I do think I'd've been worse at Skype interviews than in person (where am I supposed to put my eyes and my face??), but at least keep this in mind: you escape the possibility of having to disrobe multiple times in a department bathroom.

Edited by pinkrobot
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You are going to be okay!! Deep breaths. Remember that they chose you because they see promise in your work, and that you totally deserve this.

Here's a (slightly modified) list of preparations that my wonderful supervisor sent me when I was freaked out about my Brown interview. I found that going through the list one point at a time helped to focus my energy and calm me down, and when I finally got to the interview (also over Skype) I felt well prepared.

Research their website; familiarize yourself with their faculty and their

course offerings, and try to put together a sense of why you would be a

good fit for what they do.

Prepare a few little blurbs to have on hand about your work now, where you

see it going, and how it relates to broader questions in the field (issues

in your field, etc).

Prepare questions to ask them--this is one of the most important

things--get them talking about the program, the students, you are

interviewing them as well.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything in your file that would

jump out as a problem that you need to explain or address, but if you can

think of such a thing, prep a bit on how to answer any questions that you

might get.

Lastly, think about what you want out of grad school and how X can

help you get it.

Also, since your interview is over Skype, I would add that you should think about where to do the interview (make sure that the background is tidy and not too busy, that there is no strong light source behind you putting your face into shadow, etc). Another prof suggested that I move the window that shows my own image just below the camera, since we tend to look at ourselves when we chat anyway. This way it looks more like you're making eye contact. :)

Best of luck! You're going to do great!

I'm a bit of a lurker on this forum, as I've only applied to one Comp Lit-ish program, but I just wanted to say that this is great advice! These are all the things that were recommended to me, and which I did. The one interview that I had resulted in an acceptance. So, follow this and you should be good!

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