I break down common questions asked during PhD interviews and explain what professors are really trying to learn about candidates. I explain how to approach these questions and how to prepare for an interview. In the episode, I also cover what typical advisors seek in candidates, and what students should be careful about in interviews. This episode is especially relevant to STEM students aspiring to pursue a PhD.
Follow Dr. Andrew Akbashev:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-akbashev/
X: https://x.com/Andrew_Akbashev
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.akbashev/
Website: andrewakbashev.com
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:04 Part 1: Your plan for a PhD
05:14 Q1. “Why do you want to get a PhD?”
07:53 Q2. “Tell us about yourself?”
09:53 Q3: “Why did you apply to us? What makes you the right candidate for this PhD position?”
11:38 Q4: “Why do you want to do this particular project?”
14:03 Q5: “What do you want to do after you finish PhD?”
16:10 Part 2: Your past research and experience
16:42 Q1: "What excited you the most in your past research?"
17:37 Q2: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
19:17 Q3: “Describe the challenges that you faced before and how you overcame it”
22:06 Part 3: Your expectations for the PhD and the lab.
23:13 Q1: “What is an ideal supervisor for you? What interactions do you prefer?”
26:27 Q2: “What mentoring do you prefer?”
27:55 Q3: “What number of publications do you expect to get during PhD?”
31:08 Q4: “What will be difficult for you during PhD? What challenges will you face?”
35:21 Q5: “If you get into a disagreement with group members or your supervisor, how would you resolve it?”
37:51 Part 4: Questions about anything.
38:39 Q1: “How do you generate ideas?"
39:58 Q2: “Do you like programming?”
40:15 Part 5: General tips & advice