How far in advance do you get interview invites?

[onceinalifetime]

Many of my programs are holding interviews in late Jan/ early Feb. So for those of you who have been through this process, how long in advance were you invited to your interview(s)?

And on a related matter - was anyone here admitted to a program without interviewing at all?

[TakeruK]

My field doesn't generally interview. I did get one Skype interview though. We got an email asking us to pick a time and the first available date was 1 week from the email (and the last available date was 2 weeks from the email). I did get invitations to visit schools and talk to professors (but this is after I found out about acceptance, so it's not really an interview for acceptance but it was more like an interview to determine which groups/labs I could work in). They gave us about 3-4 weeks notice for this.

[youdontknowme1215]

I received an interview invite on 12/18 for the actual interview which is scheduled for early February. 

[onceinalifetime]

On 12/28/2015 at 5:00 PM, youdontknowme1215 said:

I received an interview invite on 12/18 for the actual interview which is scheduled for early February. 

Damn that's not good news. That's sorta what I'd expect though, to get the invite 4-6 weeks ahead. The deadline for the school I'm most worried about was Dec 1, and the int. dates are Jan 21/22 adn Feb 5/6. So I'm not feeling good about it. I tried to email and call the coordinator lady but she's out of office till Jan 4! And this was one of the programs which I was most qualified for... Shit!!

[rising_star]

@onceinalifetime, I wouldn't start stressing out just yet. You'll discover that academics sometimes only give people a couple of weeks to travel for an interview. This is especially common for postdoc and faculty positions. They'll call you right before Thanksgiving and ask if you're available for an on-campus interview 10 days later. It isn't great but, it happens. Try not to freak out just yet. Good luck!

[tuckbro]

It varies, I had one that was two weeks out, but most gave me 1.5 - 2 months leadtime.

 

 

[toxicdevil]

On 12/28/2015 at 4:27 PM, onceinalifetime said:

Many of my programs are holding interviews in late Jan/ early Feb. So for those of you who have been through this process, how long in advance were you invited to your interview(s)?

And on a related matter - was anyone here admitted to a program without interviewing at all?

I got an email on Wednesday about a Skype interview. Possible days Friday and the coming Monday. (only 2 day notice)

[onceinalifetime]

Cool. Now that I realize they do skype and phone interviews, that makes me a little more comfortable. I orginally thought all ints were done in person, which make me think they'd give at least 6 weeks notice ahead of time. So this is good news.

[biotechie]

4 hours ago, onceinalifetime said:

Cool. Now that I realize they do skype and phone interviews, that makes me a little more comfortable. I orginally thought all ints were done in person, which make me think they'd give at least 6 weeks notice ahead of time. So this is good news.

How the interview is done depends on your field and your location. For example, in biomedical sciences, if you're in the U.S. already, interviews are done in person, but if you're out of the country, they're done via Skype. When I interviewed (in person), most of the programs gave me 3-4 weeks notice, but I had one that gave me only a little over a week  and a half.

Edited January 8, 2016 by biotechie
Clarification

[smw0805]

Wow - that is so much lead time! I got an invite to do a video interview (Is that the norm now over Skype?). Received the email on Wednesday and was asked to complete the interview by Sunday. I guess I'd rather get it over and done with, saves the stress of it all.

Edited January 8, 2016 by smw0805