Advice needed: phone meeting with potential advisor

[rabbitfeet]

Hi there,

I have a scheduled phone meeting tomorrow afternoon with a potential advisor for a social psychology PhD  program. Can anyone please offer advice on how to:

1. Direct the conversation. Should I be asking questions conversationally? Should I be asking about the direction of her future research? Should I let her drive the entire conversation? I want to be engaging, but also send the message I'm motivated and have the potential for research in graduate school. 

2: I  already know that she want to talk  about my summer internship with her former graduate advisor. Their respective areas of research are very similar, but other than that internship and one other poster I presented as an undergrad, all of my other research experience (two years undergrad and three years working at a university/ research institution) aren't really related to social psychology. Has anyone else gotten admitted into a program of specific interest while having a wide range of other experience? How do I convey that although my CV doesn't show it, I really want to pursue SOCIAL psychology. 

3. Any other tips to prepare for this meeting? 

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

 

 

[homonculus]

The fact that (I'm assuming) you have chosen social psychology projects whenever you can (i.e., your undergrad poster and the internship) shows your interest. If you are able to carry on a good conversation about your interests, you should be fine. No one can blame you for not having tons of social psychology opportunities thrown at you, and you have a lot of experience showing you know the process. I'm in the same boat, but with much less than five years of experience.

 

Good luck!

[Oshawott]

1. Direct the conversation. Should I be asking questions conversationally? Should I be asking about the direction of her future research? Should I let her drive the entire conversation? I want to be engaging, but also send the message I'm motivated and have the potential for research in graduate school. 

Technically, you should be interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you--you are going to be investing 4 - 6 years of your life in their program. With that said, keep the tone conversational because you want to appear approachable. Definitely ask thoughtful questions about their research, but be prepared to go off-script (realistically, you should have a strong enough grasp of what they do that you can hold a conversation on things you didn't necessarily prepare for).

While its good to ask questions about funding, don't ask if the information is available on their website. Instead, ask about what resources the school has to facilitate research (e.g., research labs, equipment).

2: I  already know that she want to talk  about my summer internship with her former graduate advisor. Their respective areas of research are very similar, but other than that internship and one other poster I presented as an undergrad, all of my other research experience (two years undergrad and three years working at a university/ research institution) aren't really related to social psychology. Has anyone else gotten admitted into a program of specific interest while having a wide range of other experience? How do I convey that although my CV doesn't show it, I really want to pursue SOCIAL psychology. 

If its a "wide range of experiences" and not necessarily one specific field, then its justifiable--you experienced many areas of psychology in your undergrad, and found your interest to be in social. Additionally, if you can spin your diverse experience in a way that informs your research interests in social psychology then I'd say it puts you at an advantage.

3. Any other tips to prepare for this meeting? 

Remain calm and confident. Keep brief notes on talking points in front of you--that's one of the benefits of a phone interview.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Oshawott