Sample Questions for Impromptu Conversations on Interview Day
As referenced in Season 1, Episode 6 of The Psychology PhD Podcast.
General Questions (Faculty):
- What lines of research do you envision working on for the next 5 years?
- What do you think sets this program apart from others?
- What qualities or experiences help students to be especially successful in this program?
- It seems like this program highlights collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach. As a result, would you say there are many inter- or intra-departmental research collaborations?
- What are faculty/student relations like?
Research-Related Questions (Trainees in Prospective Lab):
- What have you been focusing on in your current research?
- What methods do you typically use?
- What are your broader goals and planned future directions?
- How does your research fit into the lab’s broader research program?
- Would you say that the research direction of the lab has changed since you’ve been a part of it? If so, how?
Advisor-Related Questions (Trainees in Prospective Lab):
- How much interaction do you typically get with the PI? Is it usually one-on-one? Via email? Or in lab meetings?
- How would you describe the PI’s mentorship style?
- How frequently do the PI’s grad students typically publish?
- How does your PI help support you when you’re having a difficult time, whether for research or personal reasons?
- What do you think sets the opportunity to work with this PI apart from other advisors (in this program and at other schools)?
- How much feedback does the PI give on written work?
- What is the process for working with the PI to define my specific program of research during graduate school?
- What is the process / forum for proposing new projects? (Is the PI generally open to these kinds of new project ideas?)
General Questions (Any Trainees):
- What is the culture of the department like?
- What do you consider to be the best and worst aspects of this program?
- Do you find this program’s course-load to be manageable in conjunction with your research and teaching duties?
- How feasible is it to get by on this program’s stipend given the local cost of living?
- What do you think sets this program apart from others?
- How much interaction do you get with other faculty members and trainees in the department?
- How common is it to collaborate with other faculty members in the department on projects? With faculty at the university outside the department?
- How competitive vs. cooperative are grad students in this program?
- What is one thing you wish you had known or understood better before coming here?
- Do you feel that the program is preparing you well to achieve your goals after grad school?
- If you could change anything about the program, what would it be?
- Do students in this department present frequently at conferences?
- If students earn a Master's degree in the process of working toward their PhD, do students ever have any challenges in this process?
- If summer funding is not guaranteed, are students typically successful in securing this funding?
- Do most students complete the program in the standard timeframe?