Preparing for your PhD Interview

Before making their final decisions, many departmental admissions committees ask potential doctoral students to come to campus (or, increasingly, to have meetings over Zoom) for interviews. These interviews are typically conducted by the department’s or program’s admissions committee for that year, and may also include faculty that you expressed an interest in working with in your personal statement. This interview process can be nerve-wracking, but following the tips below can help you ace your interview and make it more likely for you to be offered a spot in your favorite program.

1. Make sure you are familiar with the program.
The single most important thing you can do to prepare for your interview is to make sure that you are familiar with the program, department, and university you are applying to. This includes making sure you understand the department’s specialties, the research interests of faculty you are interested in working with, and any initiatives that members of the department are currently undertaking. You will likely be asked why you chose to apply to this specific program, so make sure that you know it inside and out, and come prepared with a short list of specific reasons that explain why this particular program interests you.

2. Identify several potential advisors.
It is likely that, during your interview, you may be asked which faculty members you would be most interested in working with and why. Being able to answer this question confidently by referencing the published work of these researchers will go a long way toward impressing the admissions committee and will show them that you have done your homework. Some departments will ask you to supply them with names of potential advisors as part of the initial application; if this is the case, come prepared to potentially meet some of these people. It is also best to make sure that you have carefully read some of these potential advisors’ most recent work so that you can talk about it and identify aspects of it that interest you. It is also good practice to be familiar with the career and themes of the research of any faculty member in the department you might be interested in working with.

3. Be familiar with current debates in your field.
Admissions committees, and potential advisors, want students who understand current issues in the field. If you are coming straight from an undergraduate program (or from another field or unrelated career), you may want to read recently published articles in major journals in your discipline to make sure that your knowledge is up to date, as many undergraduate programs do not teach the most cutting-edge techniques or discuss the field’s most recent publications. In your interview, you will likely be asked about current debates or topics, so making sure that you are familiar with the most important contemporary discussions will help you make a good impression on the committee.

4. Have a plan.
While very few final dissertations resemble a student’s initial plan, it is important to come into your admissions interview with a clear and thought-out plan in mind. This means you should have clearly defined research interests, as well as a set of research questions that you want to investigate. Make sure that these research questions are ones that align with the program’s specializations (see point 1) and at least one faculty member’s research area, and that these questions can realistically be answered during your time in the program. Some programs may also ask you to describe a potential project you would like to carry out, so another good way to prepare for your interview is to come up with the general shape of a potential research project, including knowledge of the related literature, potential data collection strategies, and possible analytical methods. If you are applying to a PhD program that already has a specific project attached to it (as is common in many European universities), be ready to explain how you would consider tackling that particular project, much in the same way previously described. Students with a clear idea of their research agenda are more likely to be admitted, even though their plans will almost certainly change as they spend more time in the program.

5. Know your goals.
Similar to having a plan, knowing your goals is important. Make sure you can articulate what you want to get out of the program and that you can explain your motivations for wanting to pursue a PhD. Ensure that you can discuss why your particular area of research is important and what you hope to be able to do with that research. While having a plan shows that you are practical and know how to implement an agenda, knowing your goals shows an admissions committee that you can think about the long-term trajectory and implications of your research and career.

6. Know how you would fit into the program and what you can contribute to it.
As in most interviews, you want to find ways to stand out. To do this, you should make sure that you can explain why you would fit in with the program and what benefits you would bring to it. If you have interdisciplinary interests, unusual work experience, or unique technical skills, make sure that you are ready to bring them up in the interview and explain how your skills and background would be an asset to the department that no other candidate could provide. If you have already received grants for your research, no matter how small, also be sure to mention that as well; nothing impresses an admissions committee more than a demonstrated ability to bring in funding!

7. Ask questions.
There is no better way to make a good impression on an admissions committee than to ask thoughtful questions. Come prepared to your interview with a list of specific questions about the program that show that you have done your research, are interested in learning more, and are excited about the program. Good questions that you can ask include:


By keeping these tips in mind, you can come across in an interview as an informed and diligent researcher that any program would be lucky to have.