…The Interview
Once you have submitted your Ph.D. program applications, a
few things will take place. There will
be a lot of waiting, a lot of email checking, and a lot of anxiety. However, this all need not be the case.
When you hit the “Submit” button on that last application,
the process begins. The first thing that
may happen is that you will receive confirmation emails from any of the
organizations to which you have applied.
Expect these and read them thoroughly, as they contain great information
about each Uni’s application process. You
may be required to provide additional documentation, interview with a panel, clarify
specific information by email, or none/all of the above. The emails will let you know what sort of
time frame to expect as well as what will be expected of you. More often than not, you will be asked to
interview with a panel consisting of your prospective supervisor, the head of
the department to which you have applied, and any other interested parties.
For this interview, you may be required to appear in person,
or they may simply request an online interview for which you can use any number
of web-based services. In either case,
you will want to prepare. Do your
research on anyone who will be on the panel.
Be familiar with their research and teaching backgrounds so that you are
not taken off guard by the mention of some author on which they wrote, or paper
they published which may be pertinent to your dissertation topic. Knowledge of these items can be the
difference between the acceptance and declination of your application. You also want to make sure that you visually
present your ‘best-self’. This means donning
your best suit, displaying your best grooming (hair and makeup), and being
well-fed and rested. Do not over-caffeinate and make sure to prepare for contingencies, such as the tearing of a piece of
clothing or a stain. Take a bottle of
water, a stain-remover pen, and an extra shirt, if necessary.
Prepare for your interview, as well, by thinking of
questions you want the people on the panel to answer, such as “how many of your
previous students were published by the end of the program?” or “what is the
most important piece of advice you give to your students?” You want to make sure that you present
yourself well, but this is not-so-secretly a two-way interview. You are making sure the fit is right for you,
and you may not have met any of these people in person before, including your
prospective supervisor. People are not
always what they appear to be on paper.
Do your homework, but it is ok to make them work for your ‘business’
too.
Brush up on what you wrote in your Research Proposal,
including any notes your prospective supervisor may have sent you on what to
improve or change. Be prepared to talk
about those things, as your knowledge of the changes and their implications can
lead to conversations about your (or their) knowledge of other topics. Sometimes not knowing about a particular
topic, that a particular panel member may feel is important, can be a
deal-breaker. This is not to say that
you must know everything about the entire field; after all, you are still a
student. This point is only made to say
that you must be prepared for almost anything they might throw at you.
After the interview is over, you will want to email each
member of the panel to thank them for their time and attention. This is the same concept as when your parents
made you send thank you letters to your relatives for holiday gifts. Make them feel like their time was worth
something. It leaves a lasting impact,
and when the panel reconvenes to discuss all the applicants at the end of the
process, those students who left an impression often get pushed to the top of
the list. It is an oft forgotten detail
that can make a massive difference.
You will be kept in the loop periodically by each university
as you make it through each stage of the process, but if you have not heard on
a particular item and the time for responses has passed, feel free to email the
graduate admissions department for information on the item. Responding to prospective students about the
application process is part of their job and they are always happy to help.
The last bit of advice I can give on the topic of ‘post-submission’
is to leave your email account alone. If
you are finishing a degree program, you will be in the throes of one of your
final semesters and will, therefore, have little-to-no time to worry about
whether a given email has arrived. If,
however, you have no distractions…find one.
In fact, find several. The constant
clicking of a ‘refresh’ button will only serve to increase your anxiety
level. It will not increase the rapidity
with which responses appear in your Inbox. I promise...a watched pot never boils.
Leave your comments or ask your questions below, and happy
submissions!
-Christine Ratzlaff © May 29, 2018
