Advice for Informal Meeting with POI

[cobalt27]

I'm in the process of reaching out to POIs to express my interest in their research/see if they are taking on graduate students, and received one response from a professor requesting an in person meeting. I live relatively close to the university and set up a meeting for a few days from now. While excited, I am a little unsure of what to expect for the tone of the meeting and how best to prepare.

I'll be meeting with her after work, so I'll be dressed in business casual attire (dress slacks, nice blouse). I'm re-reading her most recent papers so I can discuss intelligently how my research interests align with hers.

Is it unusual for professors to suggest a meeting like this prior to applications being submitting?

Any advice is appreciated!

[sjoh197]

This happened with me in August, as I live less than 10 minutes from the Uni that I'm applying to now. We talked a bit about his research and he asked me some basic questions about the overarching subfield that he works in. We toured his lab, and he explained a lot of the equipment he used, and again asked me some basic questions to gauge my interest, knowledge, and personality. 

Just be relaxed. Don't let your nerves make you say anything stupid or forget basic stuff. My POI introduced me to another professor there and he was telling me about this research he was doing in Nepal on the recent earthquakes... and while he was talking he folded up a piece of paper into a representative fault and casually asked where the most stress would be located. In that instant I forget everything I have ever seen or learned about any fault or tectonic process ever. So don't do that. 

Also... there is nothing wrong with asking if they have any advice for you. I did, and it was extremely helpful. I sent a thankyou email the next day reiterating my interest with working with them and thanking them for taking time out of their day to talk with me. 

 

[cobalt27]

Hi sjoh197,

Thanks for the response. That sounds stressful! How did the rest of the meeting with the POI go?

In terms of the research the POI is doing this school is my top choice. I'll be sure to brush up on the basics before sitting down with her...

I'll update after, in case other people with similar meetings will find it helpful.

[sjoh197]

Eh... I took it in stride. I apologized for being nervous and tried to just talk as normal as possible. It's easy to get worked up over these people, as they hold your future in their hands, but as the daughter of a college professor, I've seen the other side and they are usually just regular people who want someone that is truly interested in what they do. (That doesn't always stop me from getting nervous though)

The only other "advice" I have is to maybe treat this less like an interview and more like a conversation. Is this someone who you can communicate with? Do you like their personality? Does your sense of humor seem to align? etc. (For someone you will be working very closely with for years, these things can be important.)

Good luck with your meeting.

[noumenope]

Good luck - I get the sense these sorts of meetings are much more important/happen more often in the physical sciences than the social sciences.

[cobalt27]

I had my meeting with the POI earlier this week - overall, I think it went well!

The meeting felt very informal. We chatted for about 30 minutes. She asked me general questions about my background, and discussed the program and her research in further detail. She did not quiz me or ask any difficult technical questions. I think a big part of it had to do with her personality, as I have had phone interviews with other POIs which felt more formal.

I would suggest, as many other people have, to read a POI's recent papers before meeting. On a personal level it helped me feel prepared, which eased my nerves. She seemed happy when I brought up specific points from her papers, and it gave me the opportunity to discuss her current and upcoming projects in a real way.

I would also recommend having questions to ask at the end of the conversation, just as you would with a job interview. 

Thanks again for the comments and tips. I only hope all of my meetings with POIs go as smoothly as this one did.