Help?

[Dr. Chiquita]

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Hi guys,

Just wanted to say the interview thread looks really impressive. You guys must be super duper smart. 😀 I am going on my first MD/PhD interview this coming week and I'm very nervous. I don't know what to expect. Do they grill you on your research and if you don't have good answers, you feel like an idiot? Also, the school asked me whom I wanted to talk with, I gave names of people who I thought had cool research going. But none of them do exactly what I am doing (I guess it's to be expected). The only thing I can connect on is that they do cancer biology. Should I read their research papers as well?

I'm really confused. I guess I want to know what kind of questions will be asked and how I should prepare for it. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance. Hope everything is going well.

-J

 

[leverp2000]

The best advice is to just relaxed. Having a relaxed interview is the most important thing. Next, make sure you know your research well. Some interviewers do ask fairly specific details about your research, especially if they are in a similar field.

I wouldn't worry about the research interest interviews. I usually just read up the short descriptions on the web, and don't bother with papers. It takes too long to read a paper and they explain their research much better during the session. You just need to be an attentive and critical listener for those interviews (its your turn to grill them). Really, the faculty research interest interviews are your chance to see whether you would like to work with this person. For me, those interviews are the most fun and also the most informative.

Good luck on the interview trail and I'm sure you'll have a lot of success.

 

[stillsmilin]

But none of them do exactly what I am doing (I guess it's to be expected) . . . I guess I want to know what kind of questions will be asked and how I should prepare for it.
-J

I had a similar situation and was also really nervous. Buf if you know your research and stay confident about what YOU have done, you will be fine. Some of the researchers may question you about your research from the perspective of their own fields, and that can be hard if you're not familiar with their disciplines, but it's okay to say that you do not know and to either give an educated speculation or to point out what you do know about your field. Describe your experiences and what you've made of them. The words will come, you shouldn't have to preapre speeches and don't be nervous - - it really is your chance to check out their school and to tell them about all the work you've been doing. Best wishes.

 

[Dr. Chiquita]

Thanks guys for good advice! I guess I will just concentrate on my research.

One more thing though, did you guys find that the faculty interviews are just talking about your research? Or do they ask questions about personal stuff (non-research EC's and such) like the ones MD-only programs ask?

Thanks!

 

[leverp2000]

Its usually more about research and why you want to do an MD/PhD degree, but there are some questions about family, EC's, hobbies, etc. It really depends on the interviewer. If its someone that is interested in your research, then you usually get to talk about it for a longer period.

Thanks guys for good advice! I guess I will just concentrate on my research.

One more thing though, did you guys find that the faculty interviews are just talking about your research? Or do they ask questions about personal stuff (non-research EC's and such) like the ones MD-only programs ask?

Thanks!

 

[tedrik]

I think that you have an impressive list of interviews already, so you should feel confident in yourself going into these interviews. As far as being asked non-research oriented questions, I have been to two schools so far and I actually only interviewed with one faculty member who wanted to touch on EC type stuff. He just said, "In your application I see lots of research, presentations, and other school related activities, but what do you do for fun? How do you balance your academic life?" All my other interviews pretty much stuck to my research for 95% of the time.

One thing that just came to my mind about reading up on your interviewers work happened to me at Pitt. One of the MSTP fellows, who was on their committee, told me that he was surprised to see how impressed that the faculty were when the applicant had done their homework. So if you could just find some kind of connection between the work that they have done and either what you have done or perhaps what you would like to do, this will probably be much more than just a conversation starter.

good luck on your upcoming interviews!

 

[Dr. Chiquita]

Thanks, peeps. Hopefully, after my first one, I can relax into rest of 'em. Good luck everybody with all your interviews! 👍