Rice 2013

[amlobo]

I got an invite to interview at Rice and saw at least one other person did as well.  Thought I'd start a thread so we can discuss, since it's one of the only programs interviewing... and it's so new!  Anyone want to claim some Rice invites?  

[blogstarphd]

Surprisingly, I have one the invitations. I did not, however, report it. It's on the 22nd of February, so I'm still trying to figure out if I can make the plans to attend. Congratulations to all of those who got the invitation.

[amlobo]

Yeah, I have an interview that conflicts, but I'm going to try to work out to attend both.  

 

What are your research interests?

[blogstarphd]

PM me. I'm trying to keep private.

[soc3269]

I got a rice invite as well, I'm curious to know how many people are asked to interview. Anyone have any idea?

[amlobo]

I checked last year's Rice thread, and it said 17 people were at the interview.  I know they look for a cohort of 5 or so.

[djaelee]

Any idea about what to wear???

[amlobo]

Any idea about what to wear???

 

I am hoping the schedule of activities will kind of help me figure out how to dress.  But, most people say for visits, you want to be comfortable but put-together.  In other words, a suit is overdoing it, but something like nice khakis/slacks and a button-down shirt is probably about right.  "Business casual," in other words.  My office is business casual, so I'm just planning to wear what I would normally wear to work at this point.

[jacib]

Any idea about what to wear???

Check out the thread and

[happy I'm here]

I heard that students at Rice are having some problems with the new PhD program (most grad classes crosslisted with undergrad classes, advisors who are too busy to work with students, etc.). Has anyone heard anything? I'd love to have more information in order to questions good questions during the recruitment visit . . .

[habitus]

My friend from undergrad goes to Rice for grad in sociology. They seem to love it and said they have a great advisor. I've heard no info about having too busy advisors from them. I asked, they said to wear business casual for interviews!  I didn't interview at Rice, but when I did interviews last year, I wore business casual to every one of them. Hope this helps! 

[amlobo]

Thanks to you both for the info! I am a bit hesitant of Rice because they are so new, so I hope students are forthcoming about the program thus far. I hope they send more info on the visit soon...

[happy I'm here]

I'm a bit hesitant about Rice, too. I contacted some of the grad students there, and I thought everyone might want to know what I found out. Some were really positive, but others were not. They indicated that since the department is quite small, the grad students take most of their courses with undergrads and that the department doesn't offer advanced statistical and methodological courses (they have two basic stats classes and a qualitative class, but that's about it). They also said that since the program is so new, they haven't finalized or even developed processes for area exams, and other requirements. It sounded like the faculty are making stuff up as they go along. Maybe that's what is to be expected from a new program. One student indicated that the offical program documentation states that students should finish the degree in 5 years, but that adequate time for area exam preparation, masters thesis defense, etc., isn't figured in. I guess it's a joke among the grad students that anyone could actually finish in 5 years. I guess they keep adding new requirements to the program as well--probably because it's new and no one really knows what they are doing yet. For some grad students, the ever evolving program is fine, but it really bothered others who were trying to plan out their futures. Overall, I got the sense that attending such a new program would be fine for someone who can tolerate a lot of ambiguity. Unfortunately, I am not that person--I appreciate clarity, especially with something as important as grad school. One of my concerns is that students indicated that the faculty weren't very forthcoming about how the newness of the program might impact students. I hope they will be candid during the visit. I was also concerned that the majority of their first cohort have either left the program or are strongly considering transfering out of the program. Ouch! Doesn't sound promising.

[amlobo]

So what does everyone think about these weird interview schedules?  I'm assuming they are staggered at odd times simply because there are so many people interviewing.  Some of mine have 35 minutes between them, and some 10.  Do you think they will all just be short 10-minute interviews?  I'm just wondering how much to "prep" for them... if I should be reading up on the profs' research or whatnot.  

[RiseofthePhoenix]

I think the timing will vary and the schedule will most likely change when you get there. You'll probably be talking to some for longer than you planned and so on.

I would strongly suggest you know your research area and be able to articulate what they are and why you want to pursue them. Don't be shy and be chatty. Smile and don't act all weird. Ultimately, they're looking for people who can represent them at major conferences and promote their department/school so act the part.

I'd also read one or two articles written by the interviewers just to have an idea of their research interests.

Edited February 15, 2013 by RiseofthePhoenix