Iowa State interview

[columbia09]

So my POI from Iowa state called me yesterday saying that they would like to invite me to an on campus interview where they'll pay my travel expenses. Is anyone familiar with the geology program at Iowa State ? I know from looking at past posts concerning campus interviews that if the school pays for them then most likely it's an acceptance unless you screw up the interview. I applied for my PhD which would be fully funded.

[TakeruK]

If they say interview specifically, then it's not necessarily true that you're accepted. I know that many schools will now still reject people after interview and still pay for the travel expenses. Our field is not like med school or other professional programs where you're expected to pay for the interview costs out of pocket. So, I think most schools will still pay for interviewees to travel. However, it's true that they are probably not planning on narrowing the field much more after this since it would be very expensive (i.e. it's unlikely that they will still reject half of the interview invites for example).

Usually, during the interviews, they will also ask if you have questions. I think asking about "what happens next" during your interview is a good and fair question.