Interview Questions

[2nd-time-app]

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I thought it might be useful for some folks (like me) to generate a list of good questions TO ASK at interviews. This is my second year applying; I did have one interview last year, and although I had prepared for it, I eventually ran out of questions and felt somewhat freaked!

A few ideas to get the ball rolling:

-How would you describe your mentoring style? (or, to a grad student: How would you describe so-and-so's mentoring style?)
-How do students spend their summers?
-Typically, what percentage of students obtain RA/TA positions?
-What is the overall climate of the department?
-What is your favorite thing about this program/department?
-What is the most challenging aspect of this program/department?

Obviously there are lots of specific-to-the-program or specific-to-the-prof questions, like asking about a lab or some aspect of someone's research . . . all ideas would be helpful, I think! Thanks!

 

[butterfli73]

I thought it might be useful for some folks (like me) to generate a list of good questions TO ASK at interviews. This is my second year applying; I did have one interview last year, and although I had prepared for it, I eventually ran out of questions and felt somewhat freaked!

A few ideas to get the ball rolling:

-How would you describe your mentoring style? (or, to a grad student: How would you describe so-and-so's mentoring style?)
-How do students spend their summers?
-Typically, what percentage of students obtain RA/TA positions?
-What is the overall climate of the department?
-What is your favorite thing about this program/department?
-What is the most challenging aspect of this program/department?

Obviously there are lots of specific-to-the-program or specific-to-the-prof questions, like asking about a lab or some aspect of someone's research . . . all ideas would be helpful, I think! Thanks!

I think this is a great idea, especially for those interviews where you have several professors and grad students to interview with.
Here are some others:

- How does the clinical program interact with the rest of the psychology department?
- How is your research lab run (are there undergraduates, weekly meetings, etc.)
- How does the length of time spent in the classroom compare to the length spent doing the practica?
- What types of patient populations are available in the clinic?
- What are the most typical jobs students coming out of the program do?
(Some answers are posted on the school website so some of these are assuming they aren't).

If I can think of any other good ones I'll post.

 

[shannysor]

Those questions are all great! Thanks for starting this thread - it will be very helpful, I'm sure. My question is: is it okay to bring a small notebook with your questions written in it, and then take notes during the interview? I don't know how it would seem to take notes during one's own interview...

 

[2nd-time-app]

Those questions are all great! Thanks for starting this thread - it will be very helpful, I'm sure. My question is: is it okay to bring a small notebook with your questions written in it, and then take notes during the interview? I don't know how it would seem to take notes during one's own interview...

I don't know if my advice means much, considering I wasn't accepted to the school where I interviewed last year, but . . . I brought a leather-bound notebook, opened it during each of my 8! 30-minute interviews, and held my pen poised and ready to go. I ended up writing down very little, but I felt prepared! And I think it looks good -- like you realize that you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you.

I think you could definitely have a few notes already jotted down. Just make them really organized, so you can quickly glance down and find what you need.

 

[lazure]

Do not ask ambiguous and abstract questions like "what is the climate in the department"....you will look funny....ask specific questions like frequeny of lab meetings, meetings with supervisor, when students are expected to have research topics, opportunities for collaboration with other faculty/labs..

 

[psychanon]

In addition to what's already been mentioned...
-Who provides clinical supervision (faculty members?) and how is it conducted?
-If there's an in-house clinic, what types of clients do students usually see?
-Do any/most faculty members see clients? (for research oriented programs, this is one way to get an idea of how much they value clinical work)
-Do most faculty member follow a particular orientation (for example, is everyone all CBT all the time, or do they integrate techniques from other orientations?)
-What is the courseload like? (there is a lot of variation between programs on this, and it may have an effect on research productivity and stress levels).
-How long do most students take to get through the program? (if you hear about a lot of students who have been there for a crazy amount of time, that is a red flag).
To ask current students:
-What is the social environment like? Do people socialize outside of school? Are people generally supportive of each other or is there a competitive atmosphere? Are people stressed out all the time?
-If you're bringing a significant other, ask about the availability of career opportunities in his/her area, and how other students S.O.'s enjoy the area. If you're single, ask about the dating scene.
-Is the funding sufficient given the area's cost of living, or do most students take out loans?
-What do TA/RA resposibilities entail?


The most important thing is ensuring that there's a good research match with your potential advisor. Also, I think it's important to get a good idea of the program's philosphy of clinical training.