So I’ve been in the room for prospective PhD student interviews three of the last four years, once as a prospective student and twice as a member of the interview committee. Here are some random pro-tips for anybody about to go through that process:
Test your Skype. Or whatever other program you’re using for the video interview if it isn’t happening in person. Seriously. There’s nothing worse than losing half your time to technical problems. Also, consider using headphones so the committee isn’t listening to themselves echo through your room from your computer speakers.
Re-read your writing sample/personal statement before the interview. They’re going to ask questions about both of those things. What I would really recommend is printing a hard copy and highlighting/taking notes in the margins so you have more to talk about regarding those documents when they inevitably ask.
Be prepared to talk about other work you’ve done. They want to hear something they haven’t already heard in addition to more about stuff you’ve already submitted. Be ready to talk about what you’re currently working on, what you’re working on next, and where you think your interests might lead you during your doctoral study.
Know why you’re a good fit for this department. It’s not enough to know why you want to go to grad school. You need to know why this particular program at this particular school with this particular faculty is right for you (and why you’re right for them).
Write down talking points and questions you have beforehand. Blanking on your research when asked a question eats up valuable time, and this may be one of the only opportunities you have to ask questions of faculty and current students that aren’t listed on the department website. It’s okay to say, “Let me think about that for a second,” and gather your thoughts before you decide how best to articulate an answer, but you don’t want to be reaching for the substance of it. Be ready to ask about anything important to your experience as a graduate student, whether it’s teaching opportunities or the possibility of interdisciplinary work.
Treat it like an interview, not a casual conversation. Save the chummy stuff for when you’ve actually gotten to know these people. Approach the interview like a job interview, because that’s what it is. Cut back on slang and casual constructions like, “So I was like,” and “You know?” because it makes you sound like a teenager, and you want the committee thinking about your ideas, not whether you know how to be professional.
Do not spend the entire interview playing with your hair, clothes, etc. It’s really distracting when an interviewee never stops moving, and the committee will end up remembering how you couldn’t stop touching your sweater and not what you were actually talking about. This seems minor, but it screams I’ve never done this before and I may not present well at conferences or other professional events. If you’re a nervous person or someone who tends to talk with a lot of gestures, do a mock interview with a friend so you can practice being still. Sit on your hands if you have to.
CLEAN YOUR GODDAMN ROOM. Look, admissions committees understand that a lot of students have limited living space and need to do their interviews in their bedroom or whatever. But for the sake of avoiding embarrassment and bad first impressions, take a test run and make sure your interviewers aren’t going to be distracted by piles of dirty clothes or empty packs of cigarettes or overflowing trash cans. Is that how you’re going to treat your communal office space if they make you an offer? Don’t make them wonder.
This stuff takes time and experience to learn, but the sooner you start paying attention to how you conduct yourself in a professional academic environment–even at a distance–the better your odds of getting a good offer are going to be. Don’t psych yourself out, practice if you need to, and give yourself the best chance you can.
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