Interviews...

[hamster09]

has anybody gotten any interviews???? science folks?!?!?

[NeuroNerd86]

not yet..... but my earliest apps were Dec 1st so I doubt I'll hear anything back from schools anytime too soon

[hamster09]

oh ok. i'll just freak out some more then. lol

[fuzzylogician]

I had a few interview last year, if you have any general questions.

[socialpsych]

Keep checking the results. My earliest phone interviews last year were mid-Jan so I wouldn't freak out yet.

Edited December 10, 2009 by socialpsych

[alexis]

For those of you who've been on interviews, how in detail are they? I generally do quite well on interviews, I'm articulate, friendly, etc. But I still feel like a total impostor when it comes to research--while I can explain the research I've done/am interested in, I still feel a bit "green" and worried they'll ask a bunch of in-depth questions and I'll freak out. What kind of questions did you guys get asked?

[gp4100]

On my interview weekend I had to talk to 6 different professors on the same day (for about 45 min each if I remember correctly). I read 2-3 papers to prepare and that worked out very well (I think they appreciate it a lot if you actually prepare Some interviews were pretty general (asking about my research experience, how I like the city etc) whereas others were really focused on the PI's current research.

The rest of my interview weekend was much more relaxed including dinner with current grad students, brewery tour, city/apartment tours and party/bar every night!

Good luck on your interview!

[alexis]

On my interview weekend I had to talk to 6 different professors on the same day (for about 45 min each if I remember correctly). I read 2-3 papers to prepare and that worked out very well (I think they appreciate it a lot if you actually prepare

Did you read 2-3 papers written by each of those professors to prepare, or were they other papers in your area of interest?

[gp4100]

Did you read 2-3 papers written by each of those professors to prepare, or were they other papers in your area of interest?

They were all specific for each PI. I either picked the latest or the most important ones. I also wrote down some questions to get the conversation going.

[cogneuroforfun]

Did you read 2-3 papers written by each of those professors to prepare, or were they other papers in your area of interest?

You should definitely read at least 2-3 papers for any faculty whose research is similar to yours, even if you don't really plan on working with them. In my experience, the talks with faculty broke into two groups. The more important group (I think) were faculty in the same general area as me, doing research and using methodologies that I was familiar with, even if I was not actually considering working with them directly or joining their lab. I read papers for these people so that I could talk science with them. The second group were faculty in completely unrelated areas (though still within the same department). With them, it was generally more to give me the chance to ask questions about the program or city, rather than talk about research. It was fairly evenly split between the two groups, with 2-3 faculty in each at each school.

The thing to remember is they're never going to put you on the spot and ask tough questions to try to see if you're "good enough." I understand that med school interviews are like that, and in my experience at least the interviews were relaxing and interesting, not scary. They will ask you specific questions about your research, so be prepared to talk about both the details and the bigger picture of the work you've done. Otherwise, you just need to show interest and be engaged. Have questions for the faculty that aren't in your research area, ask about the city or the program or the university in general. When in doubt, don't be afraid to ask about their research, even if you're not going to understand all of it. Its good to get a feel for what each of the labs in your department is doing.

[eucalyptus]

When you go to an interview, are you told ahead of time which 4-6 professors you'll be speaking with? I imagine that this would be useful information so that you've read up enough about them.

Also, I know there is generally a lot of socializing with current grad students. Do they actually have any bearing upon admission decisions? Or is it just a case of... if you do something truly horrendous in front of them (getting hammered, being a jerk, etc) then it will get back to the admissions committee informally?

[gp4100]

When you go to an interview, are you told ahead of time which 4-6 professors you'll be speaking with? I imagine that this would be useful information so that you've read up enough about them.

Also, I know there is generally a lot of socializing with current grad students. Do they actually have any bearing upon admission decisions? Or is it just a case of... if you do something truly horrendous in front of them (getting hammered, being a jerk, etc) then it will get back to the admissions committee informally?

Once I received my invitation to visit they asked my to send a list with 20 professors that I would be interested in talking to. A few weeks later they told me for which ones they had arranged meetings. I think I had a least 2 weeks to prepare or sth!

At least for my program, I know that there is current grad students in the ad-com (around 4 I think), so they can actually influence the decision. But I think most of em are just there to represent the program, get free food/drinks and have a good time

[socialpsych]

When you go to an interview, are you told ahead of time which 4-6 professors you'll be speaking with?

Not always. I don't think it really matters, though. You should read up on the 2-3 profs whose interests match yours, in any case, but no one will fault you for not being familiar with the work of profs outside your area of interest.

Also, I know there is generally a lot of socializing with current grad students. Do they actually have any bearing upon admission decisions?

Depends on the school. I interviewed at one school where the students were formally part of the adcom, and that was made pretty clear to us. At another school, the students were clearly reporting back to the faculty in an informal way (and I didn't do anything horrendous), but I don't know how much that report was really taken into consideration.

For those of you who've been on interviews, how in detail are they? I generally do quite well on interviews, I'm articulate, friendly, etc. But I still feel like a total impostor when it comes to research--while I can explain the research I've done/am interested in, I still feel a bit "green" and worried they'll ask a bunch of in-depth questions and I'll freak out. What kind of questions did you guys get asked?

I think the most detail was precisely about the research I've done and am interested in. People went pretty in-depth into my senior project (as much detail as you would see in a paper, maybe), and I definitely had to go into detail about my research interests. To be totally safe, I would have a fairly concrete idea of what research you might want to start doing in your first year, and be somewhat familiar with how your interest fits in with other work that's being done in the field (if you have a few interviews, you will start getting really good at this spiel). But it's not at all like they're going to give you a field exam on the spot. And don't freak out -- you're applying for grad school; they know you haven't been through it yet! They are just looking for evidence of potential so they can teach you all about the field once you get in.

NOTE: the above applies to psychology and related fields, but YMMV.

Edited December 11, 2009 by socialpsych