70 questions to ask during your grad school interview
It’s grad school interview season!
Maybe you’ve been accepted to schools already and are trying to decide which is the best fit, or maybe you’re interviewing as part of the admissions process. Either way, it’s a good idea to have some questions prepared to ask faculty and current students as you discern your next step.
When you arrive at a school for a preview and interview weekend, it’s tempting to think that your only goal is to impress the faculty and current students in the program. However, as much as they’re interviewing you, you also want to interview them to assess fit with your goals for graduate study. You want to know what you’re agreeing to before you sign your intent to enroll.
I had a list of 7 questions that I asked every program I interviewed with, and then I asked the Academic Twitter community for their input too. The list of questions below is organized by who you should ask.
The following questions are intended to be a starting point for you to draft your own list of questions to ask during grad school interviews.
Things to look up before the interview
You should go into the interview with a good sense of the university demographics, the program expectations, and the supports available to you as a graduate student. If you ask questions that are readily available on the program’s website, faculty might view this as unpreparedness, laziness, or an inability to seek out answers for yourself. If, however, you do your research and still can’t find answers to these questions, then you can ask current students or the admissions committee for more details.
Funding
Does this program provide assistantships to cover tuition, stipend, and tuition remission, or do you pay for yourself?
If funding is provided, does it cover the entire year or is there a lapse over the summer months? If assistantships do not cover the summer, what options are available for summer support?
What opportunities are there for teaching assistantships, research assistantships, other forms of paid work?
How will I be matched with an assistantship? Do I have to apply for specific positions, or am I guaranteed an assistantship upon admission?
Where does funding come from (e.g., grants or institutional funds)?
What kinds of scholarships, fellowships, etc. will I be expected to apply for?
Institutional life
What options does the program or the Graduate School offer for student leave when needed? Does this differ for maternity/paternity leave, medical leave, caregiving for an ill family member, internships/job opportunities, etc.?
What are the student fees? What do they cover?
[Here you’ll want to determine how much you’re paying back to the university because student fees generally aren’t covered by tuition remission and can be an unexpected shock to your budget]Does the program provide medical insurance for students? If so, what is the cost?
Has the university and/or program ever apologized publicly for messing up in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space? If so, how have victims been helped?
[If you ask this in person, you might want to ask current students rather than faculty. If you can’t find information or people in the program can’t answer, you might consider skipping those institutions.]
Things to ask the interview committee
Chatting with the admissions committee is a great opportunity to get the lay of the land. Here you can ask questions about the program in general, supports they have for students, and expectations they might have. This is a great chance to show who you are as a student and paint yourself in a positive light. You’ll have a clearer sense of what to expect from the program, and the committee will know that you are serious about completing your degree.
What opportunities are there to research or present with faculty?
What support do you have for the writing process (e.g., retreat)?
What's the most valuable course in the dissertation process? Who teaches it?
[Here you’ll want to determine if it’s within the department or not and how you feel about that approach]Can you tell me about some of your notable alumni? What have they gone on to do?
What is the process for selecting a dissertation committee? What are the requirements for who is on the committee?
What supports or learning opportunities occur outside of the classroom?
What opportunities are there for professional development? Are they offered by the department or the Graduate School as a whole?
How are students advised? How do they select courses?
Can you tell me about the course plan and if it differs at all from what’s available on your website?
Do students take courses as a cohort?
When are courses typically offered (e.g., nights, summers)?
How do you support students in terms of funding/resources, professional development, and interpersonal circumstances (e.g., physical & mental illness)?
[If they don't have clear answers to all three of these dimensions, that's a red flag]If for some reason I have to change research advisors, how does the university or the department support me? What happens to funding? What does it look like to transition to a new lab?
[Sometimes the advisor leaves the school or the relationship is not a good fit. We hope this doesn’t happen, but you want to know ahead of time how the school will support you to degree completion in any and every situation.]How do you prepare students for alternative academic careers?
What traits or habits do you see in the most successful students in your program?
Is there anything in my application that we haven’t discussed yet that you’re concerned about so I can address it now?
Things to ask your potential PI/research advisor
Here you’ll get to have a conversation with the person you’ll spend the next 5-7 years working alongside. You want to make sure that your personalities mesh and that you’ll have the support you need to be successful.
A quick clarification on terminology: PI (principal investigator) is the conventional term used for the head of a laboratory in the sciences, whereas “research advisor” is more often used in the humanities or other disciplines without a lab group. I will use both interchangeably in the ensuing questions.
What are the expectations for workloads?
Do you expect me to respond to emails on weekends or at night? - OR - How quickly do you expect me to reply to emails?
How many days a week do your current students work?
What is your viewpoint on grad students taking a few days off a year?
Do you allow grad students to take time off in line with university breaks and holidays?
How do YOU balance work and life?
What are your expectations for mentoring or supervising?
How often do you expect to meet?
Will you also be my academic advisor?
[If applicable] What experience do you have working with first generation students?
Where is the lab located?
[this will help you assess opportunities for socialization and connectedness with other grad students and the university community]How many undergrad students, grad students, and post-docs are in the lab?
What software do you use? If I’m not familiar with it, what resources do you have to help me learn?
Are there opportunities for me to learn new research methods or analytic techniques?
How often do you collaborate on projects with other students in the lab or the program?
What projects are you currently working on? Is there room for me to join [insert project of interest]?
What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of this specific PhD project?
A few things to observe:
Did the PI offer you contact info for their students? Did they encourage you to reach out to hear their experiences before committing to the lab? If so, that’s a good sign that the PI wants to make sure you feel comfortable with the fit.
When interviewing with different lab groups, notice if the PI is watching/testing how you work with their team members. If they are protecting their current students, they'll protect you too someday.
One Twitter respondent said his PI had his name on the monthly cleaning rota. That made him realize that the lab ethos was built on equality and as colleagues rather than a hierarchical structure. This shows the PI is willing to do the things they ask of their students rather than pawning off undesirable tasks to the lowest in the pecking order.
Things to ask current students
The best thing about talking with current students is that they will be honest about their experience in the program. You’ll learn if they love it or hate it along with what they wish would change. The interview day should be designed so you get time alone with current students. If not, please ask to meet with current students. There’s no one better to tell you what to expect from the program than those who are deep in the heart of it.
I broke these questions up into two categories: questions about the program and questions about grad life.
About the program
What's been the highlight of your time in the program so far?
What's something about the program that can be improved?
What are the pros and cons of the program? Your PI?
Do you feel supported by your lab or research advisor? What about the department as a whole?
Can you tell me about the personalities of each professor?
[If there are a lot of professors, then ask about the ones who will be teaching your courses or who you are interested in as a research advisor]What is the PI’s management or mentoring style? What do they expect of their students?
[Here you can compare what the PI espouses to what their grad students experience]How open is the PI to meeting specific needs of students (e.g., disability-related concerns)?
Is there a safety net for students who won't continue (e.g., a master’s degree after 2 years + comprehensive exams)?
What support is there for alternative academic career paths?
Why shouldn’t I attend here?
If you could restart your degree all over again, would you choose the same lab/advisor?
Would you recommend this program to your friend?
Are you happy with your program and/or research advisor?
What is one tip you would give to a new student starting here?
About grad life
Is the stipend suitable for the cost of living in the area?
What living accommodations are available to grad students?
Do you need a car to get around?
How far are nearest stores that hold necessary items (food, clothes, repair)?
What other expenses should I expect?
What do I need to know about health insurance?
What's one thing I should know about this area before moving here (e.g., allergies are bad in this region)?
How do grad students in the program socialize?
How tight-knit are students within each cohort and across all levels of the program?
Observation: Pay attention to the demographics of students at the interview event. If they’re all married and have kids but you’re 22 and single, this might not be a great fit for you socially. And social support is crucial to your success. It’s okay to rule out a program for this reason.
This list of potential questions is long and certainly not exhaustive. As you write your own list, I encourage you to come up with 5-10 questions that get at what really matters to you. Diversity? Ask away. Support for grad students with families? Certainly important! You want to make sure that this program will help you achieve your professional goals while still supporting your holistic wellbeing.
Readers, are there any questions I missed? Leave them in the comments!
