what questions to ask during grad school interview
Graduate Admissions Interviews
The concluding stage of the graduate admissions procedure – in other words, the final hurdle before potentially being accepted – is the admissions interview. Many programs invite a select group of the most promising applicants to visit, during which they interview with faculty and participate in departmental events. The process may be called "Open Firm", "Recruitment Weekend," "Interview Solar day", or other names.
Although such interviews can be a mere formality (where all invitees accept been provisionally accepted), in nigh cases the interviews are decisive in determining whether an applicant will exist accepted or not. Thus, applicants should take admissions interviews seriously by preparing beforehand and by making efforts to perform well during them. Here we discuss ways to increment the chances of successfully interviewing for graduate programs.
Note: depending on the program, you may or may not be financially reimbursed for the toll of travel. This may affect your decision to accept an interview invitation or not. However, all else being equal, accepting an interview and being physically present at that interview will help your awarding chances more than than non being able to interview.
Before the Interview: Review, Research, and Practice
Information technology is absolutely critical to fix for each interview. As described in this section, there are at least three phases components to that preparation: review, research, and exercise. Here nosotros describe each in plow:1,2
Step one. Review
- Examine your application materials – in other words, what you wrote and the information that you provided. Keep in mind that the admissions commission, potential faculty of interest, and the program yous are applying to accept examined that data specifically. Your application comprises their electric current picture of you; interviews tin verify, expand upon, or disconfirm that information. It is possible that interview questions may be drawn from your application materials. You may also wish to elaborate upon details or themes in your application materials.
- Recollect of your goals, your overall lucifer with the program, and any problems with your record that you may demand to explicate (and come up with satisfactory answers for those).
- Refresh your cognition of the programme.
Presumably you lot became familiar with details of the program when you applied, and toopotential kinesthesia of interest. Now that you have been invited to interview, you should review those details.
Footstep 2. Research
- Go beyond your initial examination of the program, section, and faculty of involvement by doing a more in-depth exam of the program.
Detailed reading of department, kinesthesia, and lab websites, as well equally research papers written by kinesthesia of interest, is in order hither. By arriving at the interview equipped with this data, you volition be able to better interact with individuals at the plan, ask informed questions, and more than. - As you complete your enquiry, prepare a list of questions that y'all may have for the department, faculty, and others.
Ideally you tin pose some of these questions during your interviews. Having relevant questions is a way of conveying your serious interest in the programme; information technology tin can also help improve the tenor of conversation in the interview. - Find out the format of the interviews that you volition participate in. Will they exist one-on-one, group interviews, console interviews, or something else? If the interview format is unclear, you can politely contact the graduate coordinator or other program representative and request farther details.
Footstep 3. Exercise
- Look over lists of potential interview questions (for examples, delight run into the links below), set answers, and practice those answers. You may be asked such questions every bit:
- "Why are you interested in this program?"
- "Tell me almost your enquiry interests?"
- "What are your long-term goals?"
- "Why did yous choose to pursue this career path?"
- …and more.
- It is not necessary (and in fact, typically not recommended) to have memorized answers (these do non audio natural). Rather, have key points that you lot may wish to emphasize when responding to specific questions, and articulate them in a conversational manner.
- Practice interviewing. You might try a mock interview with a mentor, friend, or at a career center. Recording the practice interview on video may be helpful. Practice speaking in an articulate, intelligent manner. Avert sounding likewise casual or also apposite.
During the Interview: Making a Positive Impression
The interview process itself can exist heady, nerve-wracking, stressful, and fun. Information technology is normal to experience a certain level of stress. Here are some tips for maximizing your success when visiting the program of interest.1,2
- Be aware that everyone yous see may influence your chances of access. Be on your best behavior throughout the interview process, and treat everyone (from staff to students) with courtesy and respect.
- Clothes appropriately. It is typically safer to exist overdressed than underdressed, but overall, existence appropriately dressed is primal. Professional, business-style attire is commonly recommended.
- Turn off your prison cell phone. Continue it silenced or off completely to avert embarrassing distractions and to stay focused.
Interviews are typically scheduled for 20 min., merely may become longer. A typical interview construction normally involves an initial fix of introductory/icebreaking questions, questions from the interviewer, the opportunity for the applicant to enquire questions, and finally some endmost discussion. To maximize your chances of success, consider doing the following: 1,2
- Go far early for your assigned interview time. However, exercise not barge in and create a disturbance if there is another interview ahead of yours.
- Be warm and friendly from the commencement. This ofttimes begins with eye contact, a smile, and a firm, welcoming handshake.
- Respond questions in detail and cite examples. Emphasize your qualifications, your fit to the plan, and your experiences.
- Express interest in the programme. This will increase perceptions of your suitability for the program.
- Be honest. Avert misrepresentations of any kind.
- Avoid sounding negative or existence critical. The goal hither is to be viewed in a positive lite.
- Be mindful of body language and nonverbal cues. Try to appear confident yet relaxed, even if you lot are nervous inside.
- As the interview ends, thank the interviewer. To exit with a positive impression, express appreciation for the opportunity to hash out shared interests; end the interview with a smile and a handshake.
Afterward the Interview: Follow Ups
Post-obit upwards with a cheers note later on the interview is optional. According to surveys, slightly less than half of interviewees send thank y'all notes to the faculty that they interviewed with or other members of the programme of interest.1 A thank you email or note can run the risk of actualization manipulative; alternatively, cheers notes tin can serve to communicate your interest in the programme.
Additionally, although the interview is typically your final opportunity to make a positive impression on the program of interest, it is besides your adventure to gauge whether, if accepted, you would choose to attend that programme. Accordingly, mail-interview, you might wish to reflect on what yous learned during the interview, and perhaps take notes on relevant information and details.
Workshops and Downloadable Resources
Workshops
- For in-person word of the process of applying to graduate programs in psychology, neuroscience, and related fields, please consider attention this department's "Paths to PhDs" workshop and other related events (for dates and times, please check the undergraduate workshops agenda).
Downloads
- Tips for Applying to Graduate Programs in Psychology (a brief summary) [PDF]
Farther Resources
How-To Videos
- Applying to Grad School Videos
Books with Lists of Example Interview Questions
- American Psychological Association (2007). Getting in: a step-past-pace plan for gaining access to graduate school in psychology . Washington, DC: American Psychological Clan.
- Keith-Spiegel, P., & Wiederman, Yard. W. (2000). The complete guide to graduate school access: psychology, counseling, and related professions. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Lists of Example Interview Questions
- List of interview questions for graduate psychology programs from the APA (includes questions that you may exist asked, too equally questions that you might wish to ask)
- List of interview questions for clinical psychology programs from UT-Austin
- List of interview questions for clinical psychology programs from Tulane University
APA Videos on Graduate Applications
- Preparing and applying for graduate school in psychology [12-role video serial]
- Preparing and applying for graduate schoolhouse in psychology [video slides in PDF format]
Further Resources
- Interviewing (what to say and ask) from Psychology Today
- Preparing for graduate school interviews from Rutgers Academy
- Graduate admissions interview advice from the Association for Psychological Science
- Smart shopping for psychology doctoral programs [PDF]
References
aneNorcross, J. C., & Hogan, T. P. (2016). Preparing and applying for graduate schoolhouse in psychology: 12 modules. American Psychological Clan [video workshop].
2American Psychological Association (2007). Getting in: a stride-by-stride program for gaining access to graduate school in psychology.
Prepared by Due south. C. Pan for UCSD Psychology
Graphic adjusted with permission from Construct under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Source: https://psychology.ucsd.edu/undergraduate-program/undergraduate-resources/graduate-career-resources/applying-grad-school/interviews.html
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