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into the program. The interview is the final evaluation stage in the graduate school application process. Thus, it is essential that you come prepared and leave a lasting impression on the interviewers. The purpose of the interview is to get to know the applicant more personally than what is displayed on paper. This is your chance to distinguish yourself from the other applicants and show the interviewer what makes you a better candidate than the other applicants. In other words, why should you be accepted into the program. Additionally, being granted an interview provides you with the opportunity to explore the campus and its facilities, meet professors and other faculty members, ask questions, and evaluate the program. During the interview process, you are not the only one being evaluated but you too are given the opportunity to evaluate the school and the program before you make a decision. Because the interview is often viewed as a stressful experience and many students walk in unprepared and do not follow the proper etiquette involved in an interview, it is highly advised that you read through the following dos and donts on an interview in order to have a better interview experience. Do: Pre-Interview: Be prepared. Make a list of strengths, achievements, and recognitions received. Know who your audience will be. Conduct research on the school, graduate program, and faculty before the interview. Find a list of common interview questions. Practice answering questions with friends, family, and graduate school advisors. Rehearse Answers. Expect the unexpected questions. Be ready to answer personal and thought-provoking questions. Have enough rest the night before.
The Day of the Interview: Arrive early (at least 15 minutes early). Dress appropriately Look neat and professional. (No Jeans, T-shirts, shorts, etc.). Bring copies of your resume (or CV), papers, and/or presentations. Relax. Be yourself. Be honest. Be confident. Be friendly. Be polite. Shake hands with the interviewer or anyone else you meet during your visit. Address the interviewer by their title and name (e.g. Dr. Smith). Make eye-contact. Be respectful and courteous. Be alert and attentive. Remember to have an appropriate body posture. Body language can express a lot of different moods so make sure you look interested. Express your ideas and thoughts in a clear, intelligent, and straightforward manner. Demonstrate your interest in the school and program in a passionate and enthusiastic manner. Let the interviewer know that you are really interested in attending their school without stating it directly. Discuss your achievements. Discuss your goals (career and graduate school goals). Discuss flaws that exist on your academic record (without making excuses). Be consistent in your answers. (Additionally, make sure your answers on the application are consistent with your interview answers.) Ask intelligent questions. Knowledgeable and specific questions that show you have done your homework are a plus (e.g. questions about the school, program, or faculty).
Ask for clarification if you dont understand the questions. Sell yourself. Post-Interview Relax.
Remember to send a thank-you note/letter or email after the interview. Stay Optimistic. Use each interview experience to prepare for future interviews. Dont: Pre-Interview: Don't forget to do your research on the school, program and faculty. Don't forget to prepare and rehearse answers. Don't reschedule the interview unless if it is extremely necessary. The Day of the Interview: Don't be late. Don't come unprepared. Don't be nervous or worry. Remember to relax. Don't forget the interviewers name. Don't talk too much or too little. Don't interrupt the interviewer. Don't forget to smile. Don't lie or exaggerate about your accomplishments. Don't discuss negative information. Don't make excuses for weaknesses. Don't criticize yourself or other individuals. Don't try to be funny. Don't speak in slang. Don't curse. Don't take things personally. Don't become emotional. Don't act immature. Don't talk about controversial or ethical issues (unless asked to). Don't answer your cell phone (Turn it off before the interview or dont bring it at all). Don't answer yes or no only or make your answers too general. Make sure you give descriptive and elaborate answers. Don't let your answers reflect what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Don't forget to thank the interviewer before you leave.
Post-Interview: Don't forget to send a thank you note or email to everyone you met.
A POSTGRADUATE research student needs good powers of ANALYSIS to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant, COMPUTING skills to be able to use word-processing packages for writing up, the Internet for research and statistical packages to process results. They need to be AUTONOMOUS to work without supervision for much of the time, to have COMMITMENT to keep going when problems arise and PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY to resolve these problems. They need WRITTEN COMMUNICATION skills to write up their results. Below is the sort of the evidence you could give at interview to demonstrate that you had these skills: WRITING a report on a course placement COMPUTING Using the Internet to find information for an extended essay. COMMITMENT Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award AUTONOMY Planning a student tutoring project. SOLVING PROBLEMS Customer service work in a call centre. ANALYSING Playing chess - or poker!
Academic interviews are usually less formal than job interviews. They may be casual and more like a relaxed chat, but occasionally you
might get a grilling on your subject knowledge. Interviews for vocational courses are likely to be more formal than interviews for research. There are many similarities to job interviews such as the need to prepare well, to show enthusiasm and to ask appropriate questions. You may just be asked questions as you are shown round the department. Remember that academics may not be trained interviewers, so be aware that you may occasionally have to take the initiative. Sometimes you won't even be interviewed; just given an offer on the basis of your application and references. If so, do make sure that you visit the department to make certain that you would be happy there. Academic references are likely to be even more important than for job interviews, so choose your referees carefully. It is both wise and polite to brief your referee on your application and to notify them of any particular aspects of your background you think they should know about.
Dress
Smart casual dress is usually acceptable for academic interviews, but business studies departments might expect more formality than art and design departments. For vocational courses such as teaching, you will probably be expected to dress in exactly the same way as for a job interview. Interviews for research are likely to require less formal dress, but dress smartly if in doubt - you will never prejudice your chances by doing this.
yourself - your capacity for independent and original thought, your ability to communicate and reason. Be prepared to argue and to state your opinions rather than giving the answer that you think they want. They will be looking more at your ideas, attitudes and opinions than at getting the "right answer". They will also be looking for evidence of strong interest in the subject, as well as enthusiasm for your subject? Do your keep up to date with recent developments etc. do you genuinely seem to enjoy talking about it?
There follow some of the questions that might be specifically asked of students at interviews for postgraduate courses. You might also like to try the general or multiple choice interviews as well for standard interview questions that can be thrown at any candidate. Click on "First Question" to begin. Think carefully about how you would answer, then click on "Show Answer Tips" to get an idea of how you should be answering.
FURTHER HELP
Applications for academic study Questions on Application forms Questions you might be asked at interview. Questions you can ask at an academic interview.
on a personal level - if there is a personality clash it can make it very difficult, if not impossible to do your research effectively
Tell me about your project/dissertation. How did you choose it? What have you learnt? How do you intend to fund your study? Current postgraduates. Have you led seminars/taught undergraduates/invigilated in exams? Technical questions - see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/ ivscience.htm#TECHNICAL