Is this bad (for interviewing purposes)?

[phonyreal98]

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If my research interests have changed slightly since I submitted my AMCAS around 6 months ago, is it OK to express this in my interviews, or will it make me look kind of wishy-washy? I'm still generally interested in the same things (nothing drastic like epidemiology of malaria to biochemistry of alzheimer's, my intended PhD area is not changing), but having had some other experiences away from my main laboratory that I've worked in during that time has changed my perspective on my research a bit. Ultimately, these changes are subtle enough that I don't think they make me a bad fit for any of the schools I'm interviewing at, but I'm still just sort of wondering.

 

[red doctober]

I don't think it's a bad thing. On the contrary, it's kind of to be expected. However, if you're going to talk about the change in interests, you better be well prepared to talk knowledgeably about the new topic.

 

[phonyreal98]

I don't think it's a bad thing. On the contrary, it's kind of to be expected. However, if you're going to talk about the change in interests, you better be well prepared to talk knowledgeably about the new topic.

Oh yeah, I definitely am; broadly speaking, my interests have essentially stayed the same, but I guess that it's more that my focus has shifted a bit.

 

[red doctober]

Yeah, I think that's fine. How else are you going to know which topic best suits your interests without looking into other areas?

 

[uniqenam]

I sure hope so, mine have definitely changed with the past month! Maybe some people are really good at thinking about one thing in super depth. But man, it's always so easy for me to get excited about tons of different things in science, that I think every time I interview I end up talking about something different that interests me...probably will be a bad thing when I actually have to settle down and choose a PhD to research for a number of years.😀

 

[K31]

Your interviewers won't expect you to know at this point what kind of research you want to do in grad school, beyond perhaps in the broadest terms (eg you think you might want to do neuroscience research).

 

[jumblemumble]

hmm I kind of talked about my research interest in a completely different way now compared to when I first started interviewing. partly because a lot of interview discussions with faculty inspired me in new ways, partly because the field that I am interested in recently had a couple of new breakthroughs

I'm sure keeping up with what's happening around you isnt a bad thing 🙂