It's Interview Season - Part 2
The Schedule. For all (except one) of my interviews I was flying from the opposite coast to get to the school. So, I flew out at the crack of dawn Thursday morning, and got in to the respective cities on Thursday afternoon/evening. Hopefully they'll have arranged transportation for you. I was very frustrated by the places where I wasn't actually picked up by the people in the program. One place, which will remain nameless, had us take the light rail system into the city and then find our hotel from the light rail stop. I got a little lost. And it was raining. Not fun. But anyways, you'll fly in, get to your hotel, get situated, etc. Hopefully, you've got a roomie! Now, maybe you're not the roommate type, but trust me it's better! The one place where I didn't have a roommate, my alarm didn't go off on the day of interviews, and I got ready to go interview in 15 minutes! Let me tell you - that was by far the WORST set of interviews of my whole lot because I woke up stressed and was never able to calm back down!
But, anyways (ahh...tangents!), you'll probably be treated to dinner, most likely broken up into department groups, or maybe the groups will be completely random! But, anyways, you'll probably be escorted by students from the program. You may even have a specific student serving as your host! Be jovial and social, tell people about yourself, and ask about everyone else - interviewees and student hosts! Just be friendly! The current students do count and don't think they're no interviewing you in this process, so make sure you socialize with them. If and when they're asked who they liked, they'll be much more likely to remember the friendly person who was enjoying themself than the one who quietly ate in the corner.
Another thing that should be addressed since we're talking about socializing and eating together - more than likely, there will be alcohol available to you. Every interview trip I went on, drinks were provided at some point during the weekend. If you don't drink, no worries! Nobody wants you to be who you're not! If you do, go ahead and enjoy a drink! Maybe even two! Have a good time, but don't get sloppy! Remember, you want to make a good impression on these people. But, I personally don't think that means you should be someone you're not. The biggest opportunity you'll probably have to have a few drinks is on Friday night after the interview, but we'll talk about that later.
Saturday is by far the most relaxing day of the process! The hard, interviewing part is over, and alltxhat's really left right now is to see how much you enjoy and click withe values and offerings of the respective programs. For some of my interviews, Saturday was a day of seminars and poster presentations, while still others had campus tours and visits too football stadiums (ya...the BIG HOUSE). Others will potentially even take you on a housing tour. There was one place we went where the student giving the tour took us to her actual apartment, and yet another, in Chicago, where they took us around to multiple different student apartments. These were such valuable experiences, and I really felt like I left these places with the best idea of where I could potentially be living. There will probably be many different opportunities to choose from on Saturday, so determine what is most important to you, and choose accordingly.
dun, dun, DUN!!! THE INTERVIEW!!
I've very vaguely covered th whole weekend schedule, but before I wrap this installment, I want to talk about the actual interview.
Potential interview questions:
Tell me about yourself.
Why did you choose your major/university/field?
What drew your to our program? What do you think we can offer you?
Tell me about your research.
How many programs have you applied to?
These are just some examples. Frankly, I don't want to bombard you with questions that you'll potentially be asked. In my experience, the interview was more like a conversation with a scientific undercurrent.
The biggest thing I want to tell you about interviews is this - your interview will be more like a conversation than the 3rd degree. So don't stress! At the school I ended up at, during 2 of my 5 interviews, we bonded over non-science things. I bonded about music with one interviewer, and about soccer with another. It isn't all going to be grilling you on your ability to rattle off science facts, signalling pathways, or woo them with your publication history...or at least it shouldn't be. Just me at ease, be yourself, and let your personality shine through!
I've very vaguely covered th whole weekend schedule, but before I wrap this installment, I want to talk about the actual interview.
Potential interview questions:
Tell me about yourself.
Why did you choose your major/university/field?
What drew your to our program? What do you think we can offer you?
Tell me about your research.
How many programs have you applied to?
These are just some examples. Frankly, I don't want to bombard you with questions that you'll potentially be asked. In my experience, the interview was more like a conversation with a scientific undercurrent.
The biggest thing I want to tell you about interviews is this - your interview will be more like a conversation than the 3rd degree. So don't stress! At the school I ended up at, during 2 of my 5 interviews, we bonded over non-science things. I bonded about music with one interviewer, and about soccer with another. It isn't all going to be grilling you on your ability to rattle off science facts, signalling pathways, or woo them with your publication history...or at least it shouldn't be. Just me at ease, be yourself, and let your personality shine through!
And that's it! You're done with the interview weekend! Not so scary right? I hope that you allow for some enjoyment on the trip! Remember - you're going to be at this place for the next 5-6 years, so finding the right fit for your personality and style is equally, if not more, important as finding a good research fit.
I hope that helps! If you are concerned and you want to see some more practice questions, I've put some links below! Or message me if you want to specifically know how I prepared (I WAY overprepared!!)
Until next time! Or, would you like to continue on to part 3, post-interview?
I hope that helps! If you are concerned and you want to see some more practice questions, I've put some links below! Or message me if you want to specifically know how I prepared (I WAY overprepared!!)
Until next time! Or, would you like to continue on to part 3, post-interview?
Helpful links:
About the Author
0 comments