Group Interviews

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psychsquirrel

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Hi, y'all!
I have an interview tomorrow (hooray!) and I learned that there is a group interview along with an individual one. Can any of you shed any light on what a group interview looks like? Also, any tips?

Thank you!!

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It might be different depending on the school/POI, but I had a brief one on my interview day and it wasn't stressful/pressuring at all. It was more a way for the POI to give all the interviewees common information up front, so that we wouldn't have to waste time at our individual interviews asking similar questions about current projects, work, etc. We were all free to throw out questions that we all may have been interested in hearing the answers to. Hope that helps! :)
 
Thank you so much :) this interview is for a PsyD program, so I'm wondering how it will be
 
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I have a group interview tomorrow and I was wondering if anyone had any additional advice or experiences to share. Based on the schedule I received from the admin, our only interview will be a "small group interview." I'm ready to talk generally about myself, my goals, why I like the program, etc., and I have a bunch of questions, but I was wondering if there was anything else I should be prepared for. Is it safe to assume that the questions won't get too personal since it will be in a group? Do they usually follow an around-the-room style, or is it like a thunderdome in there? I just want to know what to expect so I can prepare myself.
 
Something to consider- group interviews are a great opportunity to see how well you can 'play nice' with someone else. No one wants to have an advisee that is a headache.

That is good advice and I imagine that's probably the biggest piece of information that can come out of a group interview. I've read where group interviews can also be group activities where applicants work together on a project, present something together, etc. I think that's actually a really great idea on the part of the admissions committees. (Also just want to note that I was very much kidding about the thunderdome thing.)
 
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That is good advice and I imagine that's probably the biggest piece of information that can come out of a group interview. I've read where group interviews can also be group activities where applicants work together on a project, present something together, etc. I think that's actually a really great idea on the part of the admissions committees. (Also just want to note that I was very much kidding about the thunderdome thing.)
I have had group interviews that were faculty asking questions and the interviewees taking turns responding and I have had group interviews where the interviewees worked together on a problem. Both offer an opportunity to show how you interact with others. Even when you are taking turns answering a question, you can show that you have been listening to previous answers and not just rehearsing your own answer in your head. Good luck!
 
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