Interview questions

[Monika12]

Hello all,

So I've been wondering what does it mean to have an interview? I mean is it a typicall interview where you seat and people start asking questions or is it more like a discussion? What kind of questions do they ask? how long and how many people would be interviewing me? 

I'll be applying for a phD in pathology / microbiology. (Harvard, Yale, UC Davis, Purdue, Ohio, Boston U, MIT, Minnesota...etc. )

Thank you.

Edited June 20, 2014 by shani92

[Vene]

I interviewed both at Minnesota and Vermont and I talked with 3-4 professors for half an hour each. It's not terribly structured and depends upon the professor for exactly what you discuss. In both cases there was somebody on the admissions committee who interviewed me as well. I was asked about why I was interested in that particular school/program/faculty member. We also discussed my goals and what I wanted to get out of graduate school. They also answered questions I had about what their program offered and how it was conducted. And, of course, we talked about their research.

 

When it came to their research, I generally tried to put that at the end of the interview because once you get a professor started they don't stop. I would say don't let the professor dominate the discussion, you're also trying to decide if this is a program you want to attend so ask questions about the university and how it can help you fulfill your goals.

 

It's not meant to be a stressful thing, it is, but by the time you're there for an interview you're already on the short list. Even so, you want to conduct yourself professionally and be eager. They want people excited about going to graduate school.