Graduate School Interview Questions

When you think of interviews the first thing that comes to mind are questions, those that you will be asked and those you will ask.  You should have questions prepared for the different types of people you will meet during the interview – professors, students and administrators.  These lists should hopefully inspire you to think of potential responses but also to come up with your own unique questions to ask others.  You will notice that some of the questions are asked to more than one group of individuals, that is because you want to learn the responses for different groups of people.  A professor’s response may be completely different to a student’s.  The answers will help you decide where to go to school if you are fortunate enough to receive multiple offers.

You may wish to have a mock interview with a mentor, friend, or career counsellor/coach to practice your responses and to ensure that your enthusiasm for the school/program are coming across.

Questions You May Be Asked

·         How did hear of this opportunity?  This is asked for two reasons.  Did you find it yourself which talks to how interested you are in the program, and also if their advertising caught your attention.

·         Why did you choose this university/program?

·         What do you know about this school/program? Checking if you have done your homework!

·         Why do you want to do graduate studies abroad? (If you are an international candidate)

·         Tell me about your background/research experience? A Top Tip is to have some images of previous experimental results available to show and discuss.  If your research is on a different topic than you are interviewing for have a diagram to overview the area.  Don’t assume your interviewer knows the field you are talking about as their research may be on an unrelated area. 

·         Why are you interested in this particular field?

·         What are your future plans? 

·         Interest in modelling vs experimental studies? Interest in in vitro vs. in vivo studies?

·         What other schools/programs did you apply for?  Where are you interviewing?  These often surprise candidates but the program is trying to figure out how competitive you are and how likely you are to accept an offer.  If you have lots of interviews, they may give you a fast offer to try and lure you from the other options.

·         What is your strength/weakness?

·         Give an example where you worked as a team member/provided leadership/took initiative/dealt with a challenge/dealt with conflict.

·         The unexpected curve balls.  You can’t prepare for these but keep calm and put that big brain to good use.  They want to see how you respond to things you don’t expect while also checking out your problem-solving ability.  By working through the question in a systematic manner you are showing them your skills in real time.  Remember, there is likely not a correct answer.  Just ensure that you explain how you came up with yours.  Examples of these questions are “If you were a fruit, what would you be and why?”, or “who would you like to meet throughout history?”

Questions for Professors

·         What do you think of this town/university/department/program?

·         What would you change about this town/university/department/program?

·         If you were a student offered the opportunity to come to this program would you accept?  This will surprise them, but it will tell you a lot about their honest feelings regarding the program!

·         How many students are accepted each year?  How many people are you interviewing?

·         What qualities ensure student success in this program?

·         How many graduate students are you currently working with?

·         What graduate courses do you teach and how often are they offered?

·         What is your mentoring style?

·         What qualities are you looking for in a graduate student?

·         Will you be accepting students next year?  What are the chances of me working with you?

·         What are your current projects?  Is there something I would be interested in?

·         What are your previous students doing now?  Tests how open they are to non-academic careers.

Questions for Administrators

·         When can I expect to hear from you?  When will you be giving offers?

·         How many students are accepted each year?  How many people are you interviewing?

·         How are students funded during the program?  What is included in the funding (health insurance, vision and dental coverage in the U.S. as a minimum requirement)? 

·         What is expected to receive funding and what is the time commitment?

·         Where do graduate students usually live?  Does the stipend provide enough money to cover living in this location or will I incur debt?

·         What happens if a student’s advisor loses funding or leaves the institution?

·         How long does it typically take for a student to graduate?  Is there an expected graduation timeline and what happens if students don’t meet it?

·         What are previous students doing now?  What career paths did they take?

·         What career preparation is provided? Are there seminar’s for different career options? Is there a career center or individual designated to advise you?

Questions for Students

·         What do you think of this town/university/department/program?

·         What would you change about this town/university/department/program?

·         If you were starting again would you come to this program?

·         How many students are accepted each year?  How many people are you interviewing?

·         What qualities ensure student success in this program?

·         What professors do you work with?  Would you recommend working with them?

·         Are there professors you avoid? If so, why?

·         How are students funded during the program?

·         What is expected to receive funding and what is the time commitment?

·         How long does it typically take for a student to graduate?

·         What are the previous students doing now? 

·         What career preparation is provided? Are there seminar’s for different career options? Is there a career center or individual designated to advise you?

·         Where do graduate students usually live?  Does the stipend provide enough money to cover living in this location or will I incur debt?

·         Do you feel welcome in the community?  Are you reflected in the population?

·         What is the culture like?  Are students competitive or helpful towards each other?

·         What are the faculty and administrators like?

·         Can you go to conferences?  Who pays for your attendance?