How did you feel, when you heard other interviewee's qualifications?

[Molecular_Virology]

This application season, I applied to 12 Ph.D. programs based entirely on research interest. From that list, I have four interviews, three of which are at lower ranked programs (each has resulted in an acceptance letter). The fourth program was my top choice and is very well received. 

 

After being passed over for interviews from every other 'top school' that I applied to, I don't feel as competitive. The interview with my top choice is coming up and I've started talking with people that are interviewing for the positions. Not only are their qualifications eclipsing mine, but several of them have been accepted to universities where I didn't even get an interview.

 

I have prepared as well as I can for this interview, but I'm trying to not get my hopes up. It has been a long time since I wanted something this bad and I wouldn't want to fall short and attend a university that I don't have the same passion for.

 

Each year, they admit around 5 people and interview 20 people. When interviews are requested, do applicants usually have an equal opportunity or do committees typically have a pre-conceived notion of admit preference?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[TakeruK]

When interviews are requested, do applicants usually have an equal opportunity or do committees typically have a pre-conceived notion of admit preference?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

By "equal opportunity", do you mean that once the department has selected its 20 candidates to interview, that all future decisions are based only on the interview itself? No, I would think this is very unlikely, although every place might do it differently. Instead, what would likely happen is that your interview becomes yet another aspect of your application and the final decision would be based on everything the committee knows about the applicants, from the application packages to the interview.

 

Based on what information is in this post, I would think that they would interview 20 people in order to get a good idea of everyone's rankings and unless someone gives a surprising good/bad interview, their ranking won't change very much. An interview is always good to make sure that someone is as good in person as they are on paper! So, if someone is "ranked" 16th pre-interview (whether there are actual rankings or just preconceptions in the minds of the evaluators), they aren't probably going to suddenly become the top choice post-interview (unless there was something very lacking in their application!). 

 

However, from what you said, it sounds like this school is not a top ranking school, but is still pretty high up there (since you said that many of your co-applicants have been accepted to even tougher schools). So, one reason they might need to make a ranking list all the way down to 20 is that perhaps most of their top 10 students will end up taking offers elsewhere. I would think that their choice to interview 20 candidates is based on past experience, and they would not waste time interviewing 20 candidates if they consistently only fill up their seats from the top 5 or 6 applicants. 

 

Thus, what I said to myself when I saw other people's much better qualifications is that the very top students might get into every single school, but they can only take up one spot! So, if they get into all top 20 schools, every time they make a decision to go somewhere, 19 spots in other places open up (I'm simplifying a lot obviously, but I hope you get what I mean). Of course, there are a lot of top students, but in my opinion, if you got an interview, this means you are doing pretty well in this competition. It's never a sure thing, but don't think about it as you absolutely having to be in the top 5 out of 20 interviewed to get an offer.

[Molecular_Virology]

Thanks for the support and advice, TakeruK.

[microarray]

You have to remember that if you got an interview, then the adcom thinks you're just as qualified for the program as the guy/girl with crazy stats.

 

To me, the most important factor for getting into grad school is fit.

 

Just be yourself, relax, and have fun! Also remember you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you.

 

Best of luck!

[Maziana]

I don't have much advice, but I didn't feel so good when I heard another interviewee had completed a total of 4 internships in my field...

 

If you've prepared all you can, then that's all you can do, right? I just tried to act like I was confident and focused on not comparing myself to others... Good luck! 

[bsharpe269]

If you applied to this school for this specific professor then you obviously think that you have experience/skills that you can offer his lab. If this lab is a good enough fit that you chose it over the many other options in the country, then it must mesh with your skills and interests. Regardless of the specific qualifications of other students, remember that you are not all applying for this same lab and you definitely have some skills to offer that they dont.. so what are they?

 

Read back over your SOP, read back over your resume, find confindence in the fact that this lab is a perfect fit for you and you for it. Instead of being nervous or focusing on being perfect or better/worse than other candidates, just focus on showing the committee how perfect of a fit this really is.