WashU interview?

[kmal1]

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I have an interview for the WashU MSTP coming up in Dec. I was wondering if current applicants could give any advice concerning how to prepare for the dreaded panel interview. Do the questions focus on techniques used in my project or are they more geared towards the basic and clinical science aspects?

 

[Mr. Tee]

Techniques!!!

Know your science. Know your rationales. Know what's going on in your project. Know why you used a certain reagent. Etc.

Prepare to be probed. (just kidding a little, it's not that bad at all; 20 minutes fly by fast)

 

[vector07]

As Mr. Tee said, the focus is on techniques. I also had a number of "big picture" questions regarding my research. In a nutshell, what is the point of your research? How will this discovery/advancement affect your area and/or medicine as a whole? Why would you want to study this in the first place? My research was not reagent-related, so instead I had a few questions about why our lab didn't use a different (similar) technique.

 

[solitude]

As Mr. Tee said, the focus is on techniques. I also had a number of "big picture" questions regarding my research. In a nutshell, what is the point of your research? How will this discovery/advancement affect your area and/or medicine as a whole? Why would you want to study this in the first place? My research was not reagent-related, so instead I had a few questions about why our lab didn't use a different (similar) technique.

What kind of technique questions are we talking about? e.g. why did you perform a Western blot and how does it work? Are the questions that straightforward?

I haven't interviewed with MSTPs yet (obviously, since I'm not applying until this summer), but I thought that interviews were going to be more "big-picture" and philosophical in nature e.g. what are the implications of your research for the field? That has been my experience in interviews for scholarships, etc. thus far.

Just curious, thanks!

 

[SpeakLittleB]

What kind of technique questions are we talking about? e.g. why did you perform a Western blot and how does it work? Are the questions that straightforward?

I haven't interviewed with MSTPs yet (obviously, since I'm not applying until this summer), but I thought that interviews were going to be more "big-picture" and philosophical in nature e.g. what are the implications of your research for the field? That has been my experience in interviews for scholarships, etc. thus far.

Just curious, thanks!

More like, if you used a different technique, they might ask "why didn't you do a western blot instead of ___?" they're not questions about whether you know what such-and-such thing is, but more analysis of the science behind what you're doing in your project.

i also had questions like "does your project have implications for ___ disease?" and "how do you know it's not *insert alternative conclusion from results*?" and "how did you control for ___?" i just did the panel interview at washu on friday. it wasn't bad at all. just know your project and you'll be fine. keep in mind that the panel are probably not specialists in your field, though, and start from the very basics in your explanation.