Interview questions you should ask

[GingerbreadLatte]

Other side of the thread on "interview questions you may encounter"...what should you ask your interviewers, aside from where recent graduates have found employment?

[wmnshlthsoc]

I recently read something like this about job interviews but I think it may still apply:

 

1- If I'm not accepted, what would the reason be? --- Forces them to either tell you how are awesome you are or that you still lack some needed experience.

2- What excites you most about the department? --- Gives you a feel of the departments' energy. If they seem less than thrilled it may be a clue to the vibe of the department.

[kabelo]

From the thread "Interview questions you may encounter":

 

I think its also important to have a list generated of questions you want to ask the programs you're interviewing with. I've heard a couple of stories of my friends going into interviews where the first question they were asked was, "what are your questions for us" and they had to lead the entire interview session. Here's what I've generated on my list so far:

 

1. What do you think makes the program here stand out from other schools?

2. How often do students typically communicate with their mentor?

3. Do students typically take classes during the summer?

4. What are some of the other students in your lab currently working on?

5. What sort of classes will I have the opportunity to take? What classes do you typically teach?

6. What kind of funding is available for students? Is it guaranteed/for how many years/how are slots determined/etc.

For the Clinical folk:

7. When do I being actual clinical work? What sorts of settings would I have the opportunity to work in?

8. When do students typically take qualifying exams? What are they like? etc. 

[Graham17]

Has anyone, during an interview, asked: now what? More formally, what the timeline would be for notification? Or should you not mention it?

[kaister]

I think it's entirely appropriate to ask "when can I expect to hear back?"  

[jitterbug1472]

Here's a list of potential questions from "Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology." I think they apply well to most programs, not just clinical.

 

 Questions to ask Potential Advisors  

• What is your mentoring style? 

• How does one earn authorship in this lab? 

• How do students select research topics for their own thesis/dissertation, and what role do you play in this process? 

• What role do you see me having in this lab if I come here? Is there a grant on which I could work?  

• Are there opportunities for summer funding?  

• What opportunities are there to get involved in research collaborations with other labs?  

• To what extent can my interests as a student be incorporated into the broader interests of your lab, vs. how much would I be expected to carry out an existing line of research? 

• What supports exist in the department for students wishing to write their own grants?  

• What are the current projects in this lab, and in what directions do you expect the lab research to go over the next five years? 

• How many classes are typically offered to graduate students in (statistics, methods, therapeutic techniques, etc.) each semester/year? 

• What practicum opportunities are offered? 

• Do most students finish their dissertation before internship or during the internship year? 

• What types of statistical consultation are available on campus? 

• What type of collaboration (if any) occurs among the clinical faculty (or between the clinical and other faculty if a student has a strong interest in another area)?

• Is it possible and/or typical for students to work with more than one faculty member? How does this work?

• What are faculty/student relations like? What's the general climate of the clinical division and department (a good question to ask other graduate students).

• What type of internship placements do students get?

• What type of jobs have graduating students from the program received in the past few years.

 

Questions To Ask Graduate Students

• Is it possible to live comfortably on the stipend salary in this town? 

• What areas are best for grad students to live?  

• Timeline questions (what are the expectations and norms for completion of various program milestones - e.g., Master's, comps, dissertation, etc.) 

• What is it like to work with the advisor that you are applying to work with (e.g., how often does your advisor meet with you? Do you feel like your advisor is either unavailable, or a micromanager?). 

• If single and hoping to get into a relationship.... What is life like here for single students? Is this an easy place to meet other people our age? If LGBTQ, what is the scene here for LGBTQ individuals? How supportive is the community?  

• What kinds of resources/supports are available to minority students at this university/program? 

• How competitive vs. cooperative are grad students in this program? 

• To what extent does the training in this program focus on students' development as researchers vs. clinicians vs. teachers?  

• What sorts of teaching opportunities exist here for graduate students? Is there training for new teachers as part of the program? 

• Is funding guaranteed for the time I am here? For how long is it guaranteed?  

 

*I edited some formatting.

Edited January 31, 2013 by jitterbug1472