Psychology Interview Tips

[VulpesZerda]

I know it's too late for HPB but maybe this will be of use for someone else in the future. I've had 4 of these informal phone chats / interviews so far. For each one, I prepped extensively about the profs work (which no one asked me about) and about my work (useful).

 

Here's what people asked me:

Prof A: No questions for me. Just wanted my questions for him.

Prof B: (1) Tell me about the research you've been doing. (2) Are you sure you want to do this as opposed to working?

Prof C: Tell me why you want to study this.

Prof D: Tell me about yourself.

 

I was surprised that no one asked very much. All only asked 1 or 2 questions at most and then let me ask them questions for the rest of the time. If I had to do it again, I'd probably spend less time prepping on their work, since no one asked about it. Though it was nice to be able to throw in a reference to it here and there (for example in talking about how my own work connected to it).

 

I found this to be really helpful, thanks!

 

But I always have a hard time thinking of questions to ask during interviews. Is it appropriate to ask POIs about the overall program, or should those types of questions be saved for the director of the program? What kinds of questions did you ask, for example, in the first interview?

[yellowmint]

I found this to be really helpful, thanks!

 

But I always have a hard time thinking of questions to ask during interviews. Is it appropriate to ask POIs about the overall program, or should those types of questions be saved for the director of the program? What kinds of questions did you ask, for example, in the first interview?

Yes, it is appropriate to ask POIs questions about the overall program. You could also ask more specific questions about their research and how they like to work with students (I.e., if they like meet individually/with the lab as a whole, etc).

[AvatarPsych]

I found this to be really helpful, thanks!

 

But I always have a hard time thinking of questions to ask during interviews. Is it appropriate to ask POIs about the overall program, or should those types of questions be saved for the director of the program? What kinds of questions did you ask, for example, in the first interview?

 

Totally appropriate. Each person I interviewed with (Profs and students) I asked them to tell me, in their view, the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the program. They were all impressed with the question and happy to answer. 

 

This brings up an important point. Remember that YOU are interviewing THEM as much as they are interviewing you, which is why professors want to hear your questions. Are you just desperate to get into a PhD program, or are you really interested in each program on a personal level? Remember that certain things like mentor/mentee style play a major role in how you are going to do in the program, and you do not want to go to a school you get a bad vibe from from day one. Your working relationship with these people will last longer than most marriages. They need to know you can work well together, and that goes both ways. 

[Tolman's Rat]

Totally appropriate. Each person I interviewed with (Profs and students) I asked them to tell me, in their view, the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the program. They were all impressed with the question and happy to answer. 

 

This brings up an important point. Remember that YOU are interviewing THEM as much as they are interviewing you, which is why professors want to hear your questions. Are you just desperate to get into a PhD program, or are you really interested in each program on a personal level? Remember that certain things like mentor/mentee style play a major role in how you are going to do in the program, and you do not want to go to a school you get a bad vibe from from day one. Your working relationship with these people will last longer than most marriages. They need to know you can work well together, and that goes both ways. 

What a simple yet awesome question. I hope you don't mind that I use this one! 

[Psyc101]

Hi everyone! I have an upcoming interview and I wanted to know if anyone has ever been asked to explain a low score (GRE/GPA). IF yes, how did you go about explaining it to them? Even if you have never been asked, how would I go about it? Would I even be asked this question during an interview? (I specifically have low GRE, but high GPA).

[salparadise]

psychface: you know, what continues to surprise me in clinical psychology is the number of folks who seem to be in need of a therapy session or two. The individual I described was obviously someone who liked testing folks out like that, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't putting on an act.

 

I guess once you make it as a professor, especially in clinical psychology, where folks would put up with almost anything for a chance of getting in, you suddenly have all the power in the world over students -- and you know it. 'Power trip' might be a useful term to describe some individuals in psychology, and the best thing we can do is not to act like that towards folks more junior than ourselves once we get in.

 

So, IMHO, the best we can do is just not be intimidated, and believe in ourselves no matter what (ahh, so corny!) when dealing with professors and graduate students.

 

I just don't know if I'd want to work with someone like that for 5-6 years, haha. The main people I have been interviewing with have been so kind and down-to-earth.

[C10H12N2O]

Hi everyone! I have an upcoming interview and I wanted to know if anyone has ever been asked to explain a low score (GRE/GPA). IF yes, how did you go about explaining it to them? Even if you have never been asked, how would I go about it? Would I even be asked this question during an interview? (I specifically have low GRE, but high GPA).

I kind of had the same problem.. I did well on the verbal and writing portion but absolutely bombed the quantitative portion. I did very well in advanced stats and psychometric courses. In my statement of interest I addressed my GRE score and immediately pointed out that I have done well in these courses and that I have have hands on experience with data analysis through RA positions. 

 

I haven't been asked this question in either of the interviews that I had. But you never know.. It could potentially come up?

[constant_wanderer]

Psych101: If you made it to the interview stage, I wouldn't worry about having to explain your low test scores and marks. These factors are usually used to reduce the applicant pool prior to the interviews. At the interview level, your personality, experience and interests are more likely to be evaluated.

If you are asked, explain that it was an unusually low result for you, because you did so well, for example, in your courses, in the lab, during clinical placements, and does not reflect your true potential. Then, slowly veer the conversation back to your strengths, research project, etc.

[suppsych]

Totally appropriate. Each person I interviewed with (Profs and students) I asked them to tell me, in their view, the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the program. They were all impressed with the question and happy to answer. 

 

This brings up an important point. Remember that YOU are interviewing THEM as much as they are interviewing you, which is why professors want to hear your questions. Are you just desperate to get into a PhD program, or are you really interested in each program on a personal level? Remember that certain things like mentor/mentee style play a major role in how you are going to do in the program, and you do not want to go to a school you get a bad vibe from from day one. Your working relationship with these people will last longer than most marriages. They need to know you can work well together, and that goes both ways. 

 

+1

 

I also asked this when I was on the interview circuit last year. Professors were definitely impressed. It also has the added value of providing you with really important information. There was one program where I asked everyone that question and almost all of them had the same answer in regards to what the program's weakness was. It was a pretty big weakness to have, too, so I knew then that the program might not be the right fit. 

I also always asked about mentorship style. I asked this at every interview and always got really great feedback. I asked this of both the professor(s) I was applying to work with and their graduate students. I would make sure to ask this question in a way that does not ridicule mentorship styles that fall on either end of the spectrum. Don't say something like, "How would you describe your mentorship style? Are you more hands off or do you prefer to micromanage your students?" Conversely, don't say, "Are you more involved with your students day to day activities or do you leave your students out to dry?" (Believe it or not, I knew someone who asked it that way. They did not get in. Shocking, I know). 

I think the final question that I asked both professors and graduate students that they really seemed to love answering was "What made you choose to (study at or be a professor at) X University?" This lets you know what both the students and the professors in the program really value. Also, it's kind of interesting to ask professors this, especially the tenured ones. Tenured professors have usually had someone try to poach them from their university at a certain point, so it's interesting to find out what's made them stay (or conversely, if they were poached, what prompted them to make the move). It was actually the way that both the students and faculty answered this question that made me choose the program that I am studying at right now. 

I cannot stress how important it is to ask questions. It makes you seem interested AND you gain information that is valuable to ultimately making a decision about where to go. 

Another tip: if you know who you're going to be interviewing with aside from your potential advisor, read a couple of their articles. Knowing a little bit about someone's research can never hurt. 

A final piece of advice: do your best to come off as a mature adult. The stilettos that you wear out to the club are not meant to be worn with your suit (neither are your Toms). Don't talk about partying/your fly college lifestyle. Don't get drunk at the social events. (This is probably obvious to most of you, but after having spent enough time on the interview circuit, there are some people this will be news to). Your CV can never be so good that people will be willing to overlook immaturity. 

Good luck to everyone! 

Edited January 17, 2015 by suppsych

[isilya]

Totally appropriate. Each person I interviewed with (Profs and students) I asked them to tell me, in their view, the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the program. They were all impressed with the question and happy to answer. 

This is a great question! In a recent skype interview with an adcomm I asked each of them what the greatest strength of the department was and it really gave me an insight into the culture of the department, what they value, etc. Thanks for the tip!!

[CogPsych2015]

I got a question that kind of surprised me, so I thought I'd share. The prof asked what life experiences I had that would make me successful at moving across the country and being in a completely new place for five years. Luckily, I have some international experience that I could easily talk about, but I really wasn't prepared for that. 

 

In terms of questions asked, I asked what his last few graduates had done (all tenure-track positions, woot woot!), what the typical timeline was in terms of Master's, pre-lims, etc., and how he sees me fitting in with the general lab structure. I thought they all gave me good information while also showing that I had put some thought into the interview. 

[rtxj90]

I just talked with a current grad student at a relatively good university, and they gave me some really good pointers. First of all, everyone is going to be pretty nervous, and is going to be worried about their chances. This leads to a lot of posturing, and people tend to compete with their fellow prospective applicants by saying what their own amazing research experiences entailed. He told me that is a real turn off to anyone listening, and told me to try and not brag or even really discuss my previous research experience in group settings. Another great piece of advice is treat EVERYONE with the same respect you would give to your POI, at EVERY moment. He told me that he had someone pull out their cell phone while he was interviewing them. That person was great to the professors, but was awful to someone he didn't see as his superior. Needless to say, he did not get an offer. Also: if you're offered a drink at a social event, have a beer--no more, no less (unless you don't drink). You don't want to come off as someone that can't socialize (won't drink), or someone who has no boundaries (drinks way too much). 

 

As for my own (novice) advice, answer questions in ways that reveal a lot about you in subtle ways. For example, a common question is "why are you interested in the research you're interested in?" My answer would be: I have known I have wanted to research depression for a really long time, but I particularly became recently interested in genetics associated with genetics. This is because so many other biological markers, such as cortisol, or fMRI activation can be bi-directional. It's hard to tell if the depression causes the biological dysregulation or if the dysregulation causes the depression. With genetics the direction is clear and causality can be inferred: genes cause things, the environment doesn't change your genes (barring gene expression). It's a great way to have something concrete that can be translated into intervention methods." With that, I have showed that I understand the biology (something of particular importance to the places I've applied), know something about interpreting data, and can see the big picture of research (intervention methods).

 

Finally, I echo the sentiment to ask a lot of questions; it shows you are interested in the program. Just remember, if you're there, then they think you're an awesome candidate. They don't have all the power, think of it more as a first date than an interview: do they seem like a good fit for you?

 

Finally, finally, there's a LOT of good information on this website: https://clinicalpsychgradapp.wordpress.com/ and there's a FANTASTIC document from a clinical psych prof offering advice from applying to interview tips here: http://www.unc.edu/~mjp1970/Mitch%27s%20Grad%20School%20Advice.pdf

[Dedi]

I just talked with a current grad student at a relatively good university, and they gave me some really good pointers. First of all, everyone is going to be pretty nervous, and is going to be worried about their chances. This leads to a lot of posturing, and people tend to compete with their fellow prospective applicants by saying what their own amazing research experiences entailed. He told me that is a real turn off to anyone listening, and told me to try and not brag or even really discuss my previous research experience in group settings. Another great piece of advice is treat EVERYONE with the same respect you would give to your POI, at EVERY moment. He told me that he had someone pull out their cell phone while he was interviewing them. That person was great to the professors, but was awful to someone he didn't see as his superior. Needless to say, he did not get an offer. Also: if you're offered a drink at a social event, have a beer--no more, no less (unless you don't drink). You don't want to come off as someone that can't socialize (won't drink), or someone who has no boundaries (drinks way too much). 

 

As for my own (novice) advice, answer questions in ways that reveal a lot about you in subtle ways. For example, a common question is "why are you interested in the research you're interested in?" My answer would be: I have known I have wanted to research depression for a really long time, but I particularly became recently interested in genetics associated with genetics. This is because so many other biological markers, such as cortisol, or fMRI activation can be bi-directional. It's hard to tell if the depression causes the biological dysregulation or if the dysregulation causes the depression. With genetics the direction is clear and causality can be inferred: genes cause things, the environment doesn't change your genes (barring gene expression). It's a great way to have something concrete that can be translated into intervention methods." With that, I have showed that I understand the biology (something of particular importance to the places I've applied), know something about interpreting data, and can see the big picture of research (intervention methods).

 

Finally, I echo the sentiment to ask a lot of questions; it shows you are interested in the program. Just remember, if you're there, then they think you're an awesome candidate. They don't have all the power, think of it more as a first date than an interview: do they seem like a good fit for you?

 

Finally, finally, there's a LOT of good information on this website: https://clinicalpsychgradapp.wordpress.com/ and there's a FANTASTIC document from a clinical psych prof offering advice from applying to interview tips here: http://www.unc.edu/~mjp1970/Mitch%27s%20Grad%20School%20Advice.pdf

 

There's a lot of interesting work on how the environment can change how genes are expressed and be associated with depression. Genes, imo, aren't all that concrete either, not just because of epigenetics, but because one gene does not code for a behavior. Multiple genes can have associations with a behavior. Have you looked at genetic studies for schizophrenia and autism? It can be a mess.

 

That was my two cents on that matter.

 

In terms of interview tips, I agree with what people have said. One thing I will contribute is that you don't need to know everything. In fact, admitting you don't know everything is a great first step into thinking like a researcher. You will learn so much more if you're in the "I don't know, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to know" mentality than "I'll just BS my way through this." This is more in the "grad school skills" category, but I think this can apply to interviews when you're trying to understand faculty's research.

 

 

[Psyc101]

I kind of had the same problem.. I did well on the verbal and writing portion but absolutely bombed the quantitative portion. I did very well in advanced stats and psychometric courses. In my statement of interest I addressed my GRE score and immediately pointed out that I have done well in these courses and that I have have hands on experience with data analysis through RA positions. 

 

I haven't been asked this question in either of the interviews that I had. But you never know.. It could potentially come up?

 

Thanks C10H12N20! That is a reasonable explanation. I am planning to be prepared for the question just in case! Better to be over prepared than not.

 

Psych101: If you made it to the interview stage, I wouldn't worry about having to explain your low test scores and marks. These factors are usually used to reduce the applicant pool prior to the interviews. At the interview level, your personality, experience and interests are more likely to be evaluated.

If you are asked, explain that it was an unusually low result for you, because you did so well, for example, in your courses, in the lab, during clinical placements, and does not reflect your true potential. Then, slowly veer the conversation back to your strengths, research project, etc.

 

Thanks constant_wanderer! I really hope you are right and they do not ask me at all, but again, I will be prepared for it. I feel like some experience that we have can somewhat make up for it. I know the GRE or any other aptitude tests do not reflect you 100% or your abilities/skills. Thank you for the advice!

[rtxj90]

There's a lot of interesting work on how the environment can change how genes are expressed and be associated with depression. Genes, imo, aren't all that concrete either, not just because of epigenetics, but because one gene does not code for a behavior. Multiple genes can have associations with a behavior. Have you looked at genetic studies for schizophrenia and autism? It can be a mess.

 

That was my two cents on that matter.

 

In terms of interview tips, I agree with what people have said. One thing I will contribute is that you don't need to know everything. In fact, admitting you don't know everything is a great first step into thinking like a researcher. You will learn so much more if you're in the "I don't know, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to know" mentality than "I'll just BS my way through this." This is more in the "grad school skills" category, but I think this can apply to interviews when you're trying to understand faculty's research.

 

Oh, I definitely agree about the epigenetics aspect and the gene expression dilemma. Polymorphisms just seem, to me, to be nature's little experiments .

[Chubberubber]

'

In terms of interview tips, I agree with what people have said. One thing I will contribute is that you don't need to know everything. In fact, admitting you don't know everything is a great first step into thinking like a researcher. You will learn so much more if you're in the "I don't know, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to know" mentality than "I'll just BS my way through this." This is more in the "grad school skills" category, but I think this can apply to interviews when you're trying to understand faculty's research.

 

Couldn't agree more. One thing though- don't take this as a reason to not do any reading prior to to your interview with a certain faculty. You should read at least one or two of their latest publications and be able to articulate one or two intelligent thoughts/ questions about their work (no need to go into methods or data analysis- just the broad strokes). Don't try to show them that you know the subject as well as they do (you and they know that you don't), but show them that you understand it enough to be able to think in an interesting way about it.

[constant_wanderer]

I just don't know if I'd want to work with someone like that for 5-6 years, haha. The main people I have been interviewing with have been so kind and down-to-earth.

 

He wasn't my POI, thankfully, although in clinical psychology, where you often apply to 15 schools and get admitted to 1-2, you may not have a choice. One of my professors has been coaching me to just go wherever I'm admitted this year without thinking twice about it, but I can't help thinking -- what if I discover during interviews that the professor is just a really poor match for me, and he/she/they are the only person that admits me?

 

Five nightmarish years vs. another year of applications, uncertainty, and dipping further into my pocket for all those application expenses with no stable income... That would be a difficult choice to make, wouldn't it?