Research Interviews

[marz]

For anyone who has been through the experience, what are some typical questions that you get asked when going to interviews (for the position of summer student researcher)...

[Lactic Folly]

What research experience do you have?

Have you successfully received funding in the past? Are your grades competitive?

What do you know about our work? Why are you interested in our research?

Are you able to commit to the whole summer?

What are your future goals and plans?

[snowday]

Hi there,

 

Just a heads-up that even though you should definitely be prepped for more conventional questions, when I walked in for my interview last year my prof asked me what I liked to do in my spare time. I told him I liked to play pool, and he then asked me five ways in which I would improve the game of pool if given the opportunity. This was pretty much the only question of substance I was asked, since my GPA, resume was seen by him ahead of time. I think some research profs want to see if you can think originally, so be ready to get creative!

[frozenarbitor]

I just explained my past project and nothing else. I didn't realize that research interview could get so tricky. (ie. ^pool example)

[iicii]

I think it all depends on the prof...

my friend had an interview where she had to describe a past class project in great detail (like how many folds there were in some protein or something)

interviews I've had were more just a talk about who I was and what I wanted to get out of the experience.

I would say just go with the flow...

 

I just explained my past project and nothing else. I didn't realize that research interview could get so tricky. (ie. ^pool example)

[thursdays_child]

Something else that is very important during these interviews is to be prepared to answer the question "Do you have any questions?". A genuine thirst for knowledge and the ability to ask intelligent questions is an asset. Make sure you have questions.

 

(To add context, I've had research positions during every summer during my undergrad: first at my university, then at another Canadian university, and finally at a German university.)

[MedDream]

Thanks for all these replies guys! I'm in the middle of applying for a bunch of research positions, and as someone with literally NO experience your tips are really helpful

[preppy038]

I think also, it's good to have some laboratory courses taken that are relevant to the research field.

 

For my first experience, I had just taken a course on cell and molecular lab and I mentioned my experience there.

 

I remember my prof saying how he would take anyone who has previous research experience despite a low GPA. So I guess it all depends