Biostatistics PhD Interviews

[BadMoonRising]

I am an international applicant and was looking to get more information on the type and format of interviews faced by applicants to PhD programs in biostatistics. In particular, I am interested in knowing about the interview process at the following schools:

1) Duke University

2) University of Pennsylvania

3) UC Davis

4) UC San Diego

5) University of Miami (Coral Gables)

Specifically, I'd like to know what people felt was the main thrust at these schools, if you have experiences to share from the past/ current year(s) .

Are they directed at (i) gauging/testing technical knowledge (formal) ,or (ii) more of the get to know you sort ?(informal, want to know how your interests developed, why this topic/area in biostatistics etc. ?)

Are they structured, or free flowing (applicant drives the interview)?

Are the interviewers potential advisors or randomly chosen faculty members ?

Are there interviews with multiple faculty or just one ? Length of the interview?

[BadMoonRising]

Does anyone have any comments to share on this post ?

[khsf45]

I don't know about any of the schools that you mentioned, but I've done a couple interviews this cycle and here are some answers that might be helpful: 

• The interviews themselves were usually pretty easy-going. A combination of people that you selected and people that were randomly chosen depending on their schedules and availability. 
• No one asked technical questions. Neither of me or of any of the people who I talked to afterward. I felt like it was a chance for them to gauge your interest in PhD research, and just a general idea of your path to biostatistics. Most of the interviews started with a generic 'tell me about yourself' type of question, and some people asked me about specific things on my CV - jobs, research, etc. One person went into detail about an analysis I had done, but she just seemed genuinely curious, and it was very conversational.
• Some people start with 'Do you have any questions for me?', and even if they don't start with it, they'll ask you if you have questions soooooo many times. So just think of some questions. I thought I had enough questions prepared, but I wish I had thought of more. The questions would come rushing to my brain as soon as I left the room. 
• It's super easy to just get the faculty member talking about their own research, and just ask questions to keep the conversation going. This is my number one strategy when I'm nervous, and it takes the pressure off of you for a little and gives you some time to ask genuine questions about their research. 
• Usually 20-30 minutes each, with multiple faculty members (4-5). Not enough time to get overly detailed, just enough time to get an idea of how you would fit into their department. 
• I did not, at any point, feel like I had to know the details of a faculty member's CV or life history or anything. I think a lot of that advice is exaggerated. If it's someone you mentioned personally, then know their research interests and tell them why you're interested in their research in particular. Other than that there is no need to read every paper they've written. For my first interview I was so nervous I read through the CVs of literally everyone in the department since I wasn't told who I was going to interview with. Completely unnecessary and I used none of that information. 

Hope this helps!