#Timeline:
1) 一月初POI reach out, 约了Zoom面试,同时除了我申请材料中提交的writing sample又要了额外的WS(any other writings or publications you have in addition to the paper you attached to your application)。我回了两篇上课时写过的research proposal,以及把所有我投过的poster abstract放在一个文件里发给了教授。
2) 1月8日zoom面试。约了一个半小时,实际面试了大概一个小时。
教授提问(都是比较常规的重要问题):
寒暄。Tell me about your research. (我说了正在做的毕业论文,和另一个和他话题比较相关的研究。)
教授说我看你和我一样,以前做过很多话题,但是博士期间还是要有一条主线,这样你毕业想找教职才会比较容易。So what topics do you want to do during PhD? (我说了一些,教授介绍了一些他在做的话题,说这些可能比较相关,问我是不是感兴趣。)
What's your future plan? (关于这个问题我有听过别人警告我说不要提到自己想去工业界。我的想法是如果真的认真想去工业界还是不要说谎,毕竟到时候还是需要导师的推荐信和关系网。另外包容度不高的学校对于想考虑工业界的学生来说也并不一定是最适合的地方。这所学校在系里的social psych manual里很明确地写学生毕业后去工业界做研究是出路之一,这也是我申请的原因之一。如果觉得还是不舒服直接讲想去工业界可以这样说:我想做研究,但我明白在学术界找教职的难度,所以也想保持开放观念,不会排斥工业界工作。我的POI听我这样说也挺满意的,觉得我认真想过未来发展。他说yeah we have to be realistic。)
What mentor style do you prefer? (我说前一二年稍微hands on,指导多一点,但我也需要一些自由度。后面希望逐渐hands off,让我能够成为独立研究者。但我还是期待weekly meeting。)
聊完这些就差不多半小时。接下来我提问:
你对学生第一年的期待?是希望get involved in your current project还是自己开始独立课题?
Do you have regular lab meeting? Lab size/How many RAs do you have? Do I have access to them? Can I work together with them?
Opportunities of collaborations with other faculty? With other grad students? With other departments? Internationally?
Your expectations for students during summer break/semester? Summer break funding?
How's the program's training in quant/stats? Are students allowed to take courses in other departments?
How's your lab setting? Participant pool size and quality?
也有的教授提前准备了一串问题。比如:
How did you decide to do social psychology?
Tell me about your research. You have two minutes.
Why this school specifically?
Future plan, where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
What topics do you want to do during your PhD?
Why are you interested in this topic/these topics? Why are they important?
Did you get interviews else where? (教授确实是可能问到的,大概三四个教授都问了我。我觉得就实话实说吧,这种问题大概也就是了解一下,如果候选人本身质量高,教授不应该因为你拿到其他地方面试就先把你拒掉,也不应该因为你没拿到其他地方面试就降低对你的评价。)
7) 另外我从这个流程中学到的是,社心申请本来就是一件难度很高的事情,一次的失败不代表你的失败。一位教授提到,We don't see it as "rejecting" certain students. We focus more on "accepting" or "not accepting" (even though the result is the same for people who are not accepted)。意思是说这不是一种拒绝,不是对你的否定,而是他们能"肯定"的学生永远数量有限。有教授也提到说他们当年申博时申了两年才申到,有的找教职时申了三轮才拿到教职。如今他们也成为了教授,手握资金,可以招自己的学生。所以永远不要放弃希望,要为自己骄傲,勇敢追梦,享受人生。