I have an admissions interview or a call with a potential supervisor
Prepare short, honest answers about your interests, ask the questions that matter to you and follow up well.
In short
Start here, today. Write a two-minute answer to “Tell us about your research interests” in three parts: what you want to study, what led you to it and what you'd like to do in this program. Say it aloud once and time it. This takes about 25 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
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Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
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Find out the format
Ask who you'll be meeting, how long it will last and whether it's online, by phone or in person. If you haven't been sent an agenda, it's fine to ask politely for one. Some programs hold interview days with several faculty members and current students, while others arrange one conversation with a potential supervisor.
Read their work, briefly
Look up the people you'll meet and read the abstract and conclusion of one or two of their recent papers or projects. You don't need to master their work. Aim to be able to say, in a sentence, what interested you and how it connects to what you want to do.
Practise the questions you're likely to get
Common questions include “Tell us about yourself”, “Describe a project you're proud of”, “Why this program?”, “What do you hope to achieve?” and “How do you manage competing priorities?” Add each one to the Q&A Practice Bank with a short answer of one or two sentences and one example. Then practise out loud, ideally with a friend who will ask follow-up questions.
Prepare your own questions
Choose four or five questions that matter to you, and use Supervisor Meeting Prep to plan them if it's a supervisor call. You might ask how students are funded and for how long, how often supervisors meet their students, what the group's culture is like, how long students usually take to finish and what recent graduates have gone on to do. If you meet current students, ask them what they wish they'd known before starting.
Get the online details right
For a video interview, test your connection, camera and microphone the day before, using the same device and software you'll use on the day. Find a quiet, well-lit spot, keep a few notes where you can glance at them and have the interviewer's email handy in case the call drops. Check the time zone in the invitation twice, and join a few minutes early.
Be honest about what you don't know
If you don't know the answer to a question, say so, then explain how you'd find out or how you'd start. Your research interests are allowed to be unfinished at this stage. A thoughtful “I'm not sure yet, but I'd begin by…” is usually more convincing than a confident guess.
Follow up afterwards
Send a short thank-you email within a day or two, mentioning something specific from the conversation. If you're offered a place during or after the interview, don't commit until you have the offer in writing and can see its terms. Cornell's Graduate School gives the same advice and suggests reviewing all your offers before you decide.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You've been invited to an interview and can't stop running through possible questions.
- A professor has offered a short call, and you can't tell whether it's a friendly chat or an assessment.
- You can explain your interests in writing, but they come out tangled when you say them aloud.
- You don't know how to ask about funding without sounding rude.
Why this happens
Being invited to an interview is good news, since programs usually interview only applicants they're seriously considering. Cornell University's Graduate School explains that interviews help a program judge your fit and how well you communicate, and that they're common for PhD programs in some fields, such as the life sciences. A call with a potential supervisor is often less formal, but it's still part of how they decide whether to support your application.
Interviews also run in both directions. As Cornell puts it, “you are interviewing them too.” This is your best chance to ask about funding, supervision and the culture of a group before you commit several years to it. The University of Toronto's supervision guidelines suggest asking how long a supervisor's students usually take to finish, what the culture of their research group is like and what role the supervisor plays in funding.
Nerves are normal, and you don't have to hide them. A short pause to think before you answer comes across far better than a rushed reply. What helps most is preparation: knowing your own story well enough to tell it simply, and having a few questions you really want answered.
Worth a look (6)
- Graduate school interviewing tips, Cornell University Graduate SchoolWhat interviews are for, how to prepare, common questions and good questions to ask faculty and students.
- Graduate Supervision Guidelines for Students, University of Toronto School of Graduate StudiesSection 3 lists questions to ask a potential supervisor, from completion times to funding and availability.
- Important Questions to Ask, Cornell University Graduate SchoolQuestions to ask programs and current graduate students during an interview or visit.
- FindAPhDA large searchable database of PhD projects, programs and funded studentships, strongest for the UK and Europe but with places worldwide. You can filter by subject, country and funding.
- FindAMastersA directory of master's degrees and other postgraduate courses at universities around the world, with guides to funding and applying. Handy for comparing taught and research master's options.
- MastersportalSearch and compare master's programs worldwide by subject, country, fees and scholarships. Browsing is free, and a free account lets you save programs.
When to bring someone in
If you're a current student or a recent graduate, your career centre may offer mock interviews, which are the closest thing to the real experience. A lecturer or supervisor in your field can tell you what interviews in your discipline tend to focus on. If you need adjustments for the interview, such as extra time, captions or a different format because of a disability, ask the program as early as you can.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify