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PhD interview

Hi all,

I have a PhD interview on Wednesday. The university only told me of this on Friday evening! Meaning I only have a few days to prepare!

They've asked for my ideas on the project by way of a 10-15 min presentation before the interview begins. I also have to have this in written format to - a short proposal of my ideas for the project.

I've also been told the interview will last 30-45 minutes.

The PhD is in applied health research (social sciences). There will be a panel of 6 people there.

I'm very nervous as I haven't been given long to prepare. Can anyone advise me of the type of interview questions they are likely to ask.

Also, for the presentation, what would they be expecting? All I've been told is that they want to hear about my ideas for the project in a 10 min presentation. Are they expecting me to read loads beforehand? Should I show them I've thought about methods, theory, sampling, literature etc?

This will be my first interview so I'm not very sure what to expect or what to do. Any advice would be truly appreciated.

Lastly, I wanted to ask. The university is 75 miles away (150 mile round trip). I have a car so can drive there. But, how often do you NEED to be on campus? Is there scope for working from home a lot of the time? Is first year PhD very busy that I'd have to be on campus every day? I'd appreciate any advice on this too :smile:

Before anyone says for me to apply to a closer university - I live in a rural area of Scotland and even though its a 150 mile trip, this is one of the closest universities to me due to my rural location :smile:

Thank you! :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 1

SkinnyKat

Read loads around your subject area including methods, this is very important as it shows you've thought about what you can do in a practical sense in terms of time, money and resources available. Be enthusiastic and realistic. They will ask project specific questions so make sure you have read a few papers and have got some ideas to present.

In terms of the more general questions, I got asked things like "why do you want to do a PhD?", "why should we choose you over other applicants?", "what do you think will be the most challenging aspect of doing a PhD?" and also "what do you look for in a PhD project" and "where do you see yourself in 5/10 years time".

Don't worry about being nervous, they'll be expecting that. And they will also know about the short amount of time you've had to prepare. They like to see evidence that you're really into it so after they have finished interviewing you, it's your turn to interview them - ask them how much time you'll need to be on campus and about supervisor support. Ask them about job prospects and what previous graduates have done. Good luck!