Interview Questions

[AWishinAndAHopin]

I have seen a few other forums related to interview questions, both what people had been asked and what they should ask. However, it might be helpful for a forum to be specifically related to psychology program interviews. Would anyone like to comment on surprising, unexpected interview questions they have been asked? Also, feel free to add questions that you plan on asking graduate students, POIs, and faculty. It can be awkward to ask graduate students or faculty the same ten questions (although it's nice to have different perspectives).

I was quizzed on my knowledge of statistical analyses in an interview. I was not expecting to be grilled on this which made for a very uncomfortable conversation.

[FeelTheBern]

9 hours ago, AWishinAndAHopin said:

Would anyone like to comment on surprising, unexpected interview questions they have been asked?

I don't know if any of these are necessarily unexpected, however, there were a couple questions that my SO received in a recent Skype interview that did catch him somewhat off guard. These included a question about his Math skills due to a low Quantitative GRE score. How their school is ranked among other schools that he has interviews at, and also a specific question regarding a methodology that the POI uses that he would have only known the answer to if he had read one of her recent publications.

[MarineBluePsy]

This is more about the interview day process as I've experienced it so far....but I wasn't expecting to interview with faculty that I expressed no interest in working with.  Apparently the purpose of this is so they can give the professor you are applying to work with their input, but this was not clear to me beforehand and I did not experience this in prior application cycles.  I really did try to prepare by pulling these unknown professors CVs, some of their recent research articles, and skimming their University webpage.  This turned out not to be a bad thing because it gave me question opportunities so there weren't awkward pauses.

As for questions I asked students, POIs, and faculty....strengths and weaknesses of the program and what is the next big thing for their research or career.

Surprising questions I was asked.....what is my writing style.  As in how do I literally organize my thoughts, is there anything unique I do during the process, and how I create a finished product.  Also....when thinking about dealbreakers in deciding to choose our program or not what comes to mind right away?  I figured this question would come up after an offer was made, but I can see how it might help rule out less committed candidates early on.  

[CatLady4Lyfe]

I didn't have any surprising questions specifically, but I was surprised at how different my 2 interviews were from each other. The first was more what I expected - I was asked what my research interests were and why I chose that university. I spent the rest of the time asking questions.

The other one was focused solely on my thesis - we discussed my research design, sample size, trends (significant vs. not significant and why I thought that happened), and the implications of my results/what is the next study I have planned, and how I would run it at their university. 

11 minutes ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Surprising questions I was asked.....what is my writing style.  As in how do I literally organize my thoughts, is there anything unique I do during the process, and how I create a finished product.  

Yikes - those are tough ones!! I hope it went well for you. 

[MarineBluePsy]

28 minutes ago, CatLady4Lyfe said:

Yikes - those are tough ones!! I hope it went well for you. 

I just answered honestly with how I take notes, how I do background research, how I develop different sections of my papers, how I stay on task and meet deadlines, what I do when I get writer's block, when and why I ask for help, etc.  On the one hand I get that writing is a huge part of a Clinical Psych PhD, but on the other hand I was required to submit so many documents evidencing my ability to write it sort of seemed like overkill to ask this.  Does it really matter how I get it done as long as the end product is my own and meets the criteria and deadline of the assignment?  I also don't think my method (or anyone's) can easily be copied because each person really has to find their own groove.  

[PinkFreud22]

One thing I have found helpful when talking to POIs is to ask more specific questions. Most people ask something along the lines of "what is your mentoring style?" But that is a very abstract question. I have found it helpful to ask specifics that tell you about their style (ex. How often do you meet with students? Do you take a hands on or off approach and does that change as students get further along in their time here? What is your approach to starting new projects?). This way you are sure to get answers that are relevant to your decision making. 

[AWishinAndAHopin]

I find myself getting very anxious about the unexpected questions and how to reply when I am experiencing the "deer in the headlights" feeling. During an interview with a graduate student, I was asked specifically what I wanted to do my dissertation on. When I gave a general response about my interests and where I'd hope to go, they replied that I should already have my dissertation planned. In their eyes, I was not a serious applicant because I did not know exactly what I was going to do. I wasn't bothered by their opinion until the informal party after the interview when I could hear that student talking to faculty and other graduate students about me. The graduate student's rude demeanor helped ease the pain of the rejection letter. I don't mean to ask this sarcastically, but is it terrible that I don't know what exactly my dissertation will be?

[MarineBluePsy]

20 minutes ago, AWishinAndAHopin said:

I find myself getting very anxious about the unexpected questions and how to reply when I am experiencing the "deer in the headlights" feeling. During an interview with a graduate student, I was asked specifically what I wanted to do my dissertation on. When I gave a general response about my interests and where I'd hope to go, they replied that I should already have my dissertation planned. In their eyes, I was not a serious applicant because I did not know exactly what I was going to do. I wasn't bothered by their opinion until the informal party after the interview when I could hear that student talking to faculty and other graduate students about me. The graduate student's rude demeanor helped ease the pain of the rejection letter. I don't mean to ask this sarcastically, but is it terrible that I don't know what exactly my dissertation will be?

What is terrible was the rude behavior that graduate student displayed in front of you and everyone else.  If no one felt that he/she was out of line and changed the subject then perhaps that isn't the kind of environment you want to be in.  Plenty of applicants have no idea what their dissertation will be on and even if they do know that doesn't mean it's original, can get past IRB, or can be done in a reasonable amount of time.  I think knowing where your interests lie and what you want to explore next is a good start and you want to be in a program that sees that potential in you to do more with the training they can offer you.

[Applicant 1746]

I'm seconding MarineBluePsy. AWishinAndAHopin, I'm so sorry that happened to you! The grad student's behavior (both in your conversation and with other faculty/grads at the party) is absurd, and if it's any indication of the culture in that department/program, you definitely dodged a bullet.

And to answer question, no, you absolutely should *not* know exactly what your dissertation will be on at this point. Having a clear set of interests and some concrete ideas for future directions is important, but much of the *point* of grad school is to deepen and expand you interests as you go forward, gain experience, and work with a wider range of people. If all goes well, what your dissertation ultimately ends up looking like will be *quite* different (in wonderful ways!) from what you would currently predict.

[moya324]

Just putting this out there; I sat down for my interview at University of Hartford and the first thing out of the director of admissions' mouth was "So your psychology GPA is 3.55, what happened there?" So they may try to catch you off guard to see what you do.

[bhsocial]

1 hour ago, moya324 said:

Just putting this out there; I sat down for my interview at University of Hartford and the first thing out of the director of admissions' mouth was "So your psychology GPA is 3.55, what happened there?" So they may try to catch you off guard to see what you do.

What did happen there?

[simister]

12 hours ago, AWishinAndAHopin said:

I find myself getting very anxious about the unexpected questions and how to reply when I am experiencing the "deer in the headlights" feeling. During an interview with a graduate student, I was asked specifically what I wanted to do my dissertation on. When I gave a general response about my interests and where I'd hope to go, they replied that I should already have my dissertation planned. In their eyes, I was not a serious applicant because I did not know exactly what I was going to do. I wasn't bothered by their opinion until the informal party after the interview when I could hear that student talking to faculty and other graduate students about me. The graduate student's rude demeanor helped ease the pain of the rejection letter. I don't mean to ask this sarcastically, but is it terrible that I don't know what exactly my dissertation will be?

Just wanted to reiterate what others have said - definitely dodged a bullet there. Sounds like a negative environment to me! I think that's the beauty of these scarier interview moments, or just interviews in general. Seeing the way people truly act and handle themselves when they're supposed to be their most professional is certainly an eyeopening experience. That gathering is not the time for gossiping about things that really aren't relevant in the grand scheme of things. 

[AWishinAndAHopin]

13 hours ago, moya324 said:

Just putting this out there; I sat down for my interview at University of Hartford and the first thing out of the director of admissions' mouth was "So your psychology GPA is 3.55, what happened there?" So they may try to catch you off guard to see what you do.

I think when this happens, they might be trying to give you an opportunity to defend yourself. It may seem a little harsh for them to ask about an embarrassing GPA or GRE score, but it may help you in the end to give an honest explanation. If they invited you to interview, they can probably look past a low score.

[Applicant38]

Do interview questions/ chances of acceptance differ depending on how you are notified of an interview? I have 2 interviews coming up. One notified me via a graduate coordinator. For the other, my POI contacted me directly. My hunch tells me that the latter will be more casual than the former. Just trying to get a feel for the possible different styles of these interviews! Any experience/advice is appreciated!

[almater435]

I received a question from a POI that really shocked me and ended up with me not wanting to work with him. He asked me what my interests were and I was able to define them in a slightly specific way, I was prepared for this. He then asked me (prepping me by saying it was a tough question) what exactly I wanted to study and how I would set up the project. From what I've gathered from other interviews is that it is not expected of applicants to know exactly what they would want to start to research in such a specific manner. It really turned me off from the program because I felt really pressured and he didn't attempt to take any of that pressure off. Other interviews have phrased similar questions by asking what my research interests are, and if I have any specific focus, but it is okay if I have not gotten to that point yet. It was just an odd interview and a completely different feeling from other ones. 

[FeelTheBern]

1 hour ago, almater435 said:

He then asked me (prepping me by saying it was a tough question) what exactly I wanted to study and how I would set up the project. From what I've gathered from other interviews is that it is not expected of applicants to know exactly what they would want to start to research in such a specific manner.

If you were not expecting this question and you did not have any project ideas prepared, I completely understand how this would throw you off a little. However, all of the professors that my SO currently does research with told him that he should be prepared with at least 2 project ideas for every POI that has invited him to an official interview. Additionally, when one of his PIs invited him to the official interview weekend, he explicitly told my SO that he needs to have project/research ideas prepared.

Like I said, I completely understand why you may have felt uncomfortable, however, I don't think that you should write this school off simply for that reason/question. I say this because I think that it is a question that is asked by many professors during official interview weekends. Just my two cents...I do hope that the rest of your interview went well!

[PinkFreud22]

1 hour ago, almater435 said:

I received a question from a POI that really shocked me and ended up with me not wanting to work with him. He asked me what my interests were and I was able to define them in a slightly specific way, I was prepared for this. He then asked me (prepping me by saying it was a tough question) what exactly I wanted to study and how I would set up the project. From what I've gathered from other interviews is that it is not expected of applicants to know exactly what they would want to start to research in such a specific manner. It really turned me off from the program because I felt really pressured and he didn't attempt to take any of that pressure off. Other interviews have phrased similar questions by asking what my research interests are, and if I have any specific focus, but it is okay if I have not gotten to that point yet. It was just an odd interview and a completely different feeling from other ones. 

I have heard this question before however, just like you, have always be assured that if I didn't have a specific idea in mind it was ok because it is will early in my career. I'm sorry you had a negative experience but at least you're prepared for future interviews now! 

[Gvh]

It seems to me that rotation programs (which are more common in neuroscience-based programs) are less likely to ask you to delineate a specific project, since you don't even know what lab you will be joining if you get accepted! However, I think if you are applying to a lab, it wouldn't be out of the question to expect some ideas; now, this doesn't mean you have to come in with a grant proposal but I think talking about, say, future directions of where the research in the lab could go is a safe bet..

[Applicant 1746]

51 minutes ago, FeelTheBern said:

If you were not expecting this question and you did not have any project ideas prepared, I completely understand how this would throw you off a little. However, all of the professors that my SO currently does research with told him that he should be prepared with at least 2 project ideas for every POI that has invited him to an official interview. Additionally, when one of his PIs invited him to the official interview weekend, he explicitly told my SO that he needs to have project/research ideas prepared.

Like I said, I completely understand why you may have felt uncomfortable, however, I don't think that you should write this school off simply for that reason/question. I say this because I think that it is a question that is asked by many professors during official interview weekends. Just my two cents...I do hope that the rest of your interview went well!

I second this. I'm sorry it was such an uncomfortable experience for you! It's really not fun to get caught off-guard like that. However, like others have said, this kind of question is actually fairly common. I highly doubt that anyone would evaluate you too harshly based on the project ideas you have on the spot, but it may be helpful for POIs to learn more about your thinking process, how you might connect your own interests to the broader interests of the POI/lab, etc.

I received a tough (but fun!) question from a POI during our phone interview, which he also prefaced by saying it might be tough and require some imagination, and that I could take a minute to think about it before responding. He said: "Imagine it's a decade from now, and you've been in some kind of research position for the last 10 years. Can you describe what your research program has looked like over the last ten years, and can you talk about one potential study that might have fit in there?"

It was definitely challenging, but it was also fun for me to think so imaginatively into the future. I'm sure that I didn't give a *great* response, but it allowed me to contextualize some of my biggest interests/values in terms of research for my POI. I did get invited to an on-campus interview after that, so I guess it went well enough! Anyway, if you felt like that POI wouldn't be a good fit for you, of course that's valid -- but I also might take a couple days to process the interview and see if you come to feel differently.