How to prepare for a PhD interview.

Now, the first step in preparing for a Ph.D. interview is reviewing your statement of purpose or research proposal. This is something your Ph.D. interviewer is going to reference in your interview.

Go over all of the academic experiences that have readied you for a Ph.D. and be prepared to give specific examples of these. It is also important to tie these experiences into why you applied for this particular Ph.D. program.

Next, prepare to talk about your research interests in detail. In your proposal or statement of purpose, you likely included an overview, but during the interview is your chance to show how much thought you put into this.

Exhibit that you have the required background knowledge. This includes prominent scientists or doctors in your research field, different methodologies you plan to employ, or other studies you wish to reference.

After this, contemplate your motivation for pursuing a Ph.D. The interviewer will be looking to gauge how committed you are. It is also important to think about and then explain how your Ph.D. aligns with your ultimate career goals.

Another helpful tip is to do a deep dive into your prospective supervisor's work. If you show you know their work well in the interview, it will convey how serious you are about working with them. In the interview, detail why you want to work with them and explain how their expertise will be critical to your research.

In closing, you should also prepare some thoughtful questions of your own for the interview. These can be on specifics about the program and/or more broad questions. Here are some sample questions to ask in your Ph.D. interview:

• What kind of facilities does the university have that will benefit my time here?

• What can you and this program do to advance my career?

• What is your mentoring strategy?

• Does this program have a good job placement record?