The Grad School Interview: What to expect, what questions to ask, and more

If you recently applied to graduate school, you may have been invited to come to campus for an interview with an admissions officer. (Not all programs require interviews as part of the graduate admission process, so don’t worry if this hasn’t happened to you.) Interviews can be great ways to learn more about the graduate program and sell your own strengths, so you may want to accept the invitation as a prospective student. But before you do, keep in mind that you’ll likely need to pay your own way. Depending on the location of the school and how far away the school is, you may spend a big chunk of change on plane tickets, meals, and other expenses.

If you do move forward in the interview process after submitting your online college application, be sure to prepare thoroughly. Aim to impress your interviewer – but also commit to getting the answers you need to make a good decision. After all, interviews are two-way streets. As a prospective student, you’re being interviewed, so you want to put your best foot forward … but you’re also interviewing, trying to learn whether the grad program is right for you academically, financially, socially, and so on. This is why it's important to prepare questions to ask the grad school interviewer. 

"You’ll likely be in the program for several years, so you need to make sure that you want to be on that campus and in that city, spending time with those particular people,” says Suzanne Chod, associate professor of political science at North Central College, “If you loved your undergraduate experience, try to remember how you felt when you made your first campus visit. Do you have a similar feeling with the graduate program?”

The process of a typical grad school interview

Now that you have learned the necessary steps for how to apply to grad school, next up is how to prepare for the interview process. There are lots of types of grad school interviews. You might meet with a dean, department chair, or admissions committee member one-on-one and then be on your merry way … or you might sit with several people who pepper you with questions for an hour or more (this is called a panel interview). Maybe you’ll spend a full day on campus, talking with professors and students and touring facilities. You might even spend a weekend with other applicants, attending informational sessions in the admissions office, interviewing with members of your department, and getting to know the area.

How can you know what to expect? Ask! It’s as simple as that … but many applicants don’t take this simple step of asking beneficial questions such as “what is grad school like?” and “how will I know which program is the right fit for me?”

How to prepare for a grad school interview

Once you’ve learned what kind of interview to expect, the prep process is similar to that of a job interview.

• Hit the books. You’ve probably already learned a lot about the school, but refresh your memory by reviewing the college's website and reading any notes or printed materials you have on hand. If you’ll be getting a campus tour or checking out specific labs or other facilities, learn what you can online, then jot down any remaining questions.
  
  Also read up on the people who will be interviewing you. If you’ll be speaking with a professor, for instance, identify their areas of expertise. “If there’s a faculty member that you’d like to work with, review their CV and any recent research they’ve done,” says Chod. “Before you meet with them, consider how you could contribute to their work.”
   
• Brush up on your interview skills. North Central College’s Career Development office conducts mock interviews to help students get more comfortable answering and asking common interview questions (we’ll get into specific questions below). Find out if the college where you earned your bachelor's degree can help set up a mock interview where you can practice asking specific grad school interview questions, too.
  
  Career services offices can also help you fine-tune your body language in terms of making eye contact, sitting up straight, and smiling. Remember that these skills will be important during all of your interactions on campus – the university may scrutinize how you behave not just during interviews but also when you’re chatting casually with students, administrative assistants, even your restaurant server. Asking the right grad school interview questions is crucial, as is your body language when engaging in conversation with various facets of the organization.
   
• Dress for success. Most experts advise wearing a suit for interviews. If you don’t own one and can’t afford to buy one right now, look around for discount professional attire sites. You may also turn to your undergraduate college – North Central offers a “career closet” event where students can browse and try on professional clothes donated by alumni, faculty, staff, and other friends of the college. Students can keep the outfit that works best for them.
  
  If your hair is long, pull it back so you’re not tempted to play with it. And depending on the field you’re pursuing, consider whether you should remove body piercings or cover tattoos during the graduate school interview.
   
• Come equipped. Bring a pen and notepad so you can take notes during the interview or immediately afterward. Also print out several copies of your resume or CV, even if you’ve already sent them electronically. Ask for each interviewer’s business card so that you’re sure to have the correct spelling of their name and an accurate email or mailing address for your follow-up thank-you note.
   
• Plan ahead. Get plenty of sleep the night before your meeting. And of course, make sure you know how to get to the interview, where to park, and so on.