Interview Prep

It’s that time of year again…interview season. The interview process for biomedical graduate programs can be a nerve-wracking experience. What I have learned from personally going through the process myself as well as getting advice from my peers and more senior graduate students is that preparation is very important to achieve success. In this post, I will lay out the most helpful advice I've received on how you can best prepare for your interviews.

For many programs, you may not know who you are going to be interviewing with until a couple days before, so it’s important to use that short amount of time to learn about your assigned faculty and their research. But before that, you have ample time to spend preparing answers for questions about yourself.

To prepare, I would recommend reviewing your education, research experience, and personal qualities that graduate programs look for. The way I prepared was by creating a study guide on myself and making sure I could talk about everything on there at length.

It may seem silly to review information about yourself, but if you practice your answers to the typically asked questions before the interview day, you will be much more comfortable and able to speak with confidence during the actual interview. Practicing beforehand also allows you to identify parts of your CV that you may think you can explain well, until you actually try and it doesn’t come out as clear as you thought it would. Preparing like this helps you to iron out the details and have concise and clear explanations.

Disclaimer: Although practicing your answers is helpful, it’s important not to write a script.
DO NOT attempt to memorize the words you will say, but focus on the message and intention of your answers.

Listed below are prompts I used to prepare myself for successful interviews. These are compiled from multiple online or personal sources and helped me feel confident going into my interviews.

So, tell me about yourself.

This is an extremely open-ended prompt and it’s usually intentionally that way. This is the faculty member giving you an opportunity to share your personal story. For this answer, I would recommend a short, somewhat personal backstory about where you come from then outline your education and research trajectory. You can additionally add some information about what you like to do for fun if you’re comfortable.

Can you tell me about [insert research project from your CV]?

To prepare for these kinds of questions. I wrote out a summary for each one of my research projects on my CV with a strong focus on the significance of the work. This gives you the chance to show that you have specific research experience and are able to connect it to the field as a whole.

Why do you want to get a PhD?

The answer to this question is clearly very personal and varies a lot. To have a good answer, I recommend really taking some time to reflect on how a PhD aligns with your life goals. Responding with, “I want a higher degree so I can make more money”, usually is not a good answer (even if it’s true).

Why do you want to attend [school]?

This is one of the questions that changes depending on the program you're interviewing with. This question is to see if you are a good fit for the program and if you have done your homework. You should be able to list some program specific qualities that led you to apply to this program. Some examples include, highly translational research, multiple labs with strong research interest overlap, located near my family, etc.

What kind of research do you want to do?

This question is also very personal and largely up to you. It may be a good idea to put more emphasis on your research interests that align with the program so you feel like a stronger fit.

What are your personal strengths/weaknesses?

A good opportunity to display both humility and self-awareness. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t brag about your strengths and similarly don’t tear yourself down with your weaknesses.

What are your post-PhD plans?

This question can be used to show that you have long term goals and are very forward thinking. You are obviously not beholden to the plans that you respond with but it is good to decide on a set plan just for the interviews. This displays that you have put a lot of thought into your academic decisions and have a strong focus on long term goals.

Could you tell me about a challenge or setback you overcame?

This question gives you an opportunity to display that you are the type of person who can deal with challenges. Clearly conveying that you have these qualities is important because perseverance is arguably the most important trait in a graduate student. You will spend a lot of time dealing with failure during a PhD, so giving direct evidence that you can deal with this really strengthens yourself as a candidate.

How do you deal with stress/failure/conflict?

Do you have a cool head under pressure? Can you self-regulate? Are you aware of what mental health resources best fit you as an individual? These are good sub questions to ponder so you can show that you have a tried and true method to deal with the inevitable stress of graduate school.

I then wrote out questions that I wanted to ask the faculty or students already in the program. These questions usually are to show your curiosity or find out more about the environment of the program.

Questions for faculty:

What research questions are you investigating right now?
What qualities do you look for in a graduate student?
What do your previous students do now?
If you could change one thing about [school] what would it be?
What are some positives that [school] has that your previous places of employment did not have. What about negatives?
What qualities do the students that are successful at [school] have?

Questions for students:

What do you think about this city?
What do you think about this program?
What is the work life balance like for students?
If you could go back, would you choose to come here again?

Once I had these fleshed out, I practiced answering them by myself or with my friends. There are also many videos and articles online to help you prepare. Here are some videos that I found to be useful:

Besides the advice above, I would say to just be yourself. Most faculty are really nice and the interviews are typically just a conversation where they want to get to know you. In facet, a lot of the time, faculty actively try to convince you to choose their program. Also, remember not to compare yourself to the other applicants, as you are on your own individual journey. A good thing to keep in mind is that if you are interviewing at a graduate program then you are there for a reason and deserve to be there. Good luck!

If you have questions or want to talk more about PhD interviews, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to chat or share more about my experience.