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Cancer Research PhD Interview help

Hi guys,

I've been lucky enough to be invited to interview for a cancer research UK PHD studentship at the cancer research centre at Cardiff Uni.

Was wondering if I could get suggestions from you guys on questions, the amount being interviewed etc based on your previous experiences. I've got a good idea of generic questions, but do you think I'll be getting technical Q's on cancer biology?

I was thinking of suiting up? Is this normal attire for a PhD interview?

How many places/interview place is there in general?

They are starting off with a presentation about the scheme, a lab tour and then formal interviews.

Thanks in advance!
Reply 1
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Not exactly the same, but I was lucky enough to get onto a cancer research PhD programme at Bristol uni last year.

Most of the discussion focused on my previous undergrad research experience; why I used the methods I did, what experiments would I have done if I had more time, what did my time in a lab teach me about the scientific process in general...things like that. Some of the questions were quite technical, so I advise making sure you know any research project you've previously undertaken inside-out.

Personally I wasn't asked anything too bizarre, but I did hear stories of other people being asked questions like, "if your best friend was here now instead of you, what would they say about you?"

As for what I wore, I went for smart casual - smart trousers, shoes, a reasonably formal shirt and a smart jumper. Not many people went full-blown suit to be honest, I think it's an unspoken rule that people working in academia are generally a bit scruffy.
Reply 3
Congrats on the interview invitation!! That's really good news - the studentships at my current department are also CRUK core funded and the Director of Graudate Studies once said they normally shortlist less than 3 times the number of studentships available for interview (sometimes even fewer). So if he did't lie and CRUK studentships work roughly the same throughout the UK, you've really got a good chance there.

Unfortunately I didn't find a really appealing project here so I didn't apply to my department. Instead I applied to Cambridge Research Institute. I wonder if anyone on here did the same and is still waiting for a response. Application closed in November last year and all the people who I know that applied to CRUK studentships (LRI, my current department, Patterson, etc... but not CRI) have received their decisions. I sent their DSG an email and she said they haven't finished ranking. I mean it's been two months already... Should I assume it's bad news for me? She sounds quite genuine though... Any insight, guys? Many thanks.
Reply 4
I applied to UCL end of November and was declined on Thursday, so I wouldn't say its impossible, but I wouldn't get my hopes up (sorry!)

Thanks for the advice guys!
Reply 5
Original post by oncpro
Congrats on the interview invitation!! That's really good news - the studentships at my current department are also CRUK core funded and the Director of Graudate Studies once said they normally shortlist less than 3 times the number of studentships available for interview (sometimes even fewer). So if he did't lie and CRUK studentships work roughly the same throughout the UK, you've really got a good chance there.

Unfortunately I didn't find a really appealing project here so I didn't apply to my department. Instead I applied to Cambridge Research Institute. I wonder if anyone on here did the same and is still waiting for a response. Application closed in November last year and all the people who I know that applied to CRUK studentships (LRI, my current department, Patterson, etc... but not CRI) have received their decisions. I sent their DSG an email and she said they haven't finished ranking. I mean it's been two months already... Should I assume it's bad news for me? She sounds quite genuine though... Any insight, guys? Many thanks.


Hey, which project have you applied at Cambridge Research Institute? Have you heard any result yet?
Reply 6
I had my interview, Cancer biology team at Oxford's Oncology department….

I have to say the the interview was quite tough, with Qs directly related to my MSc thesis project…they pretty much focused on the rationale behind every experiment (since i had to make a presentation)

The most annoying Qs were those related to the physiological aspects of the research area…those dealt with the most basic underlying aspects of Cancer biology, some of which I would not expect to be questioned about !!!

Rather from that, the normal generic Qs; y do u want to carry out ur PhD, y Oxford, ur future career plans….etc

As mentioned above, the ratio is normally 3:1, so u have high chance of getting accepted :wink:

Good luck

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