Admissions based on overall program match vs. selection for research labs

[UhOh]

As far as I understand, there are two general processes for admissions. In some programs, faculty accept students directly to work in their research lab. In other programs, acceptance decisions are made by all of the faculty in the program and are based primarily on students' overall match with the program. I'm wondering whether and how the interview process differs between programs that have either one of these processes for admission?

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[PsychDreams]

I interviewed at one of these programs that accepts students into the program and students have to find mentors once in.

The interview process was quite different from programs with a direct to lab admission process. For one thing, I couldn't ask anything lab/research specific. However, the questions I was being asked were pretty normal: to talk about myself, my research, my interests. And then there were some clinical specific questions like "why clinical psychology," etc. Most of the interview was spent me asking my interviewer (a random professor with which my research interests didn't match) questions about the program.

Overall, I found this interview to be much more difficult that the ones where individuals are admitted on a lab basis. Those interviews tend to be based around you and your POI's common research interests, and questions are easier to ask because you are asking about research within their lab, which you are already knowledgeable about. I honestly felt lost during this interview.

That all being said -- it's all my opinion, and I was also biased against this particular program going into the interview and didn't have much time to prepare beforehand..... that may have also had something to do with it!