Questions to ask profs about their research or the program in general

[alkaline262]

Hello again, I have an interview coming up and am currently entering freak out mode. I did one interview already and felt I did not have enough questions to ask the profs about their research specifically or about the program in general  I made a thread a few weeks ago about what questions you are likely to be asked, but I want to now focus on what kind of question you could ask the interviewer! 

 

Here is what I brought to my last interview:

 

 

Questions for all profs.

What are you doing in the lab right now, and where do you see the research going?

What kind of methods commonly employed in the lab?

How do lab rotations work and how do you choose students for the lab?

What is the state of funding in the lab?

How do you think students would describe the experience of working in your lab?

What is important to you in a graduate student?

What articles do you publish your papers in?

 

 

Questions about program

What kind of courses will I be taking?

What areas are available for graduate concentrations?

How long does it take students to complete the program?

What percentage of students complete the program?

What kind of examinations/thesis work are required?

What do students do after the program?

What is the average size of a class?

What is it like to live in this area? 

 

I feel like I am lacking in questions to ask the profs, not necessarily the program specific column. Any thoughts? 

[ak48]

I think asking "where are previous students now?" gives you a good insight into what kinds of business connections your prof has in industry (coming from a science perspective)

[alkaline262]

Good suggestion, maybe I could also ask how quickly students find jobs outside of the program

[PaperTowels]

Hope you don't mind if I try to be critical:

 

• What are you doing in the lab right now, and where do you see the research going? - Great question, though it's sometimes hard for them to make a good description in a few minutes.
• What kind of methods commonly employed in the lab? - Also good, although you can often already find this on the lab site - also, "whatever ones are necessitated by the hypothesis"? I mean, obviously they won't run a particle accelerator in a plant genetics lab, and if you are familiar with your field shouldn't you know roughly what techniques are used for what?
• How do lab rotations work and how do you choose students for the lab? - Seems like it's better to ask how many rotations there are, and how long they take, because that's important for deciding where to go. The method of contacting the PI to ask for rotation isn't.
• What is the state of funding in the lab? - Good question, although they will probably say that every lab is different (so it's of limited usefulness for deciding where to go).
• How do you think students would describe the experience of working in your lab? - Again, great question, but specific to them so they'll start with the caveat.
• What articles journals do you publish your papers in? - I think this is a very bad question. It shows that you haven't even bothered to look at what the faculty is working on.
• What kind of courses will I be taking? - Usually you can find this information on the website.
• What areas are available for graduate concentrations? - Again, sounds like a bad idea which demonstrates that you haven't done your homework.
• How long does it take students to complete the program? - Should probably say, "how long does it typically take" because length of program is on the website and you should know it "before" you're applying.
• What percentage of students complete the program? - This is great information to have, but it always seems to me like it sounds a bit negative ("I'm trying to figure out whether I'll end up dropping out").
• What kind of examinations/thesis work are required? - I don't think this is useful. You're not gonna decide whether to go based on whether the qual has 5 questions or 3 questions and one take home. Obviously classes have their own exams which you'll figure out when you take them. Thesis vs. thesisless Master's program is important, but it's something you should already know.
• What is it like to live in this area? - To be honest, it doesn't matter, and if I'm accepted, I'll see for myself. I do research about every city before applying anyway, but I'd happily move anywhere if it means going to the school I want.

 

Other questions are all good. I feel like you should ask questions that are things you couldn't easily find out from the website, and which are about important factors in your decision about where to go. For instance, "is there a special fund to cover travel expenses and fees for attending conferences" is a useful thing to know. Questions about what's it like to do research there are great in theory, but in practice one or two interviewers is too small a sample (but still better than nothing). I like to ask how often there are seminars and how much interaction there is between different research groups. "When will I know your decision" is another good one.

 

Unfortunately, there are some really important things, like "PIs X, Y and Z whom I intend to work with aren't mean and unpleasant, are they?" which I desperately want to ask and need to know, but obviously can't. There's always "what's X like" but who would say, "watch out, he'll chew you out for not working on the weekend! better find another someone else" during an interview (if that's the case)?

Edited March 16, 2013 by PaperTowels

[LopezAlena]

I have an interview coming up for my Master's in Social Work; would anyone know some good questions to ask the interviewers?  Also, this is my first interview for school I have to go on, can anyone tell me what questions they may ask me?  What should I expect?  Is there anything I can do to better my chances of being accepted?

[Eigen]

So this is kinda late for the original topic, but a few comments:

 

First, be as up-to-date on the research in the lab as possible. Personally, I read the last 3-5 papers published by the group. That lets you come across as knowledgeable in your area, and also lets you avoid a bunch of the common questions. 

 

Instead of asking "what research methods are commonly employed", you should be able to say "I noticed you've used research method X a lot, is it your plan to continue basing your research around it going forward, or would you be interested in branching out into Y?"

 

I personally took most of my meetings with faculty during the day to discuss their research with them, and especially where I would fit into it. Asking if they'd be open to new directions, or if they'd considered looking at certain related areas moving forward. 

 

I saved most of the general questions for meeting with the DGS and department chairs, neither of whom were in my area, as well as meetings with the graduate students, or as general discussions over dinner.