Interview for Biostatistics PhD programs

[Funkoverload]

Hello!

 

I have applied for a lot of PhD programs in Biostatistics.

 

Currently I am preparing for an interview but I am not sure if an interview will be a required application process for many schools.

 

"Of course, I prefer to be admitted without an interview."

 

Do you think it will be an onsite interview or skype interview?

 

Any comment about interview would be very much appreciated!

 

 

[cyprusprior]

The only place I've heard back from about interviews so far is Johns Hopkins. I suspect that University of Washington does not have on-site interviews, since they only mention having an "accepted students day" on their web site.

[cyberwulf]

Harvard and Hopkins do interviews -- or rather, they invite students to visit before they have been admitted.

UNC, Minnesota, Michigan, and Washington don't interview, and host visit days only for admitted students.

Most other schools don't interview domestic applicants, but I've heard of some scheduling Skype conversations/interviews with international students whose first language is not English.

Edited January 8, 2014 by cyberwulf

[Igotnothin]

Penn and Emory also interview, and I can say from experience that Harvard's visit IS an interview.

 

Good luck!

[Funkoverload]

thanks a lot for your reply. preparing for potential interviews is very much time-consuming. i need to organize all of my previous experiences and so on ...   

[CommonerCoffee]

Hope I'm not hijacking but does anyone know what these interviews are like? 

Are there technical questions to make sure you know your math or is it just getting to know the person type of things?

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

Hope I'm not hijacking but does anyone know what these interviews are like? 

Are there technical questions to make sure you know your math or is it just getting to know the person type of things?

I had an in person interview with a Biostatistics department last year. I won't say my experience is representative of all interviews, but there were no technical questions. They can see your grades on the transcript, so if you made an A in you calc classes, they'll assume you know how to do calculus... Many Biostat applicants won't have meaningful and/or relevant research, so that can't be focused on like other science disciplines. My experience was that it was more to get to know me as a person, my motivation for grad school, future goals, and so forth. I honestly spent more time than anything else having the interviewer explain their research to me (which they were happy to do so) and talking about hobbies outside of academics

Good luck

[Igotnothin]

Yeah I didn't have any technical questions and actually not even many questions about my background (research or coursework). At most places it seemed like the professors interviewing let the applicants lead the discussion, so try to have some general discussion points or questions prepared. All my interviews were fine with the exception of one prof at a top-5 program who did not ask questions, answered my questions in one-word answers, and generally tried to make the interview as uncomfortable as possible. I didn't go there (not just because of that). 

[jewioru o]

Harvard and Hopkins do interviews -- or rather, they invite students to visit before they have been admitted.

UNC, Minnesota, Michigan, and Washington don't interview, and host visit days only for admitted students.

Most other schools don't interview domestic applicants, but I've heard of some scheduling Skype conversations/interviews with international students whose first language is not English.

 

I got an telephone interview from Michigan. (And that's the only interview I got so far.) I'm not sure if it's because I'm an international student. But the professor did ask me at the very end if I would be comfortable to be a TA.