Questions for me

● Clarify my research interests into 1 or two sentences:

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● Clarify my career goals into 1 or two sentences:
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● How do you work under pressure or stress?
● Tell us about a time when things didn’t go the way you wanted.
How did you handle it, and what did you learn from the
experience?
● Do you have any reservations or worries about entering a PhD
program?
● Where do you see School Psychology going in the next 5-10
years?
● What interests you about the city or area of the program?
● What would make you choose this program over other
programs?
● How has your research experience prepared you for graduate
study?
● Who do you expect to collaborate with in the institution?
○ Why do you want to collaborate with them?
● What is an interesting paper you have read lately?
● From Potential Advisor:
○ What do you want to work on in my lab?
○ What interests you about my research?
○ What do you know about my research?
● Do you have any teaching experience?
● How do you feel about teaching?
● How do you feel about mentoring undergraduates?
● How would you deal with any conflict/disagreement within the
research group?
● What do you do in your free time (not in the lab)?
● What motivates you?
● Who has influenced you the most?
● How do your interests fit with the strengths and goals of the
program?
● What do you expect to be challenging about graduate school?
What are your plans for managing those challenges?
● Graduate school often involves a combination of intense days,
long nights, and high expectations. What strategies will you
use to manage this combination of demands?
● What was the biggest challenge you encountered in your
undergraduate research, and how did you deal with it?
● What do you think are your most significant research
accomplishments?
● How do you plan to approach your research questions?
● How do you see this work impacting the field?
● What skills do you want to develop at this institution?
● Which faculty member’s work interests you and why?
● What do you think you will contribute to the program?
● Prepare to explain my previous research experience in a
concise manner
○ Think of a short (30 seconds) explanation for each
research project
■
○ When prompted, be ready to go into more detail for a
given project (maybe 2-5 minutes)
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● What are your strengths and weaknesses
○ Strengths:
○ Weaknesses:
● Are there any training needs you can identify ahead of a PhD?
● Prepare 1 min, 5 min and 10 min responses to the question
“Tell us about yourself, your experience, or a specific thing you
have experience in”
● Be ready to answer any questions about things from your
application
● Why do you think this program is a good fit for you?
● Why are you seeking a doctorate in school psychology vs a
specialist degree
● What can this program and a PhD do to help you with your
career goals?
● What are you looking to gain from your graduate school
experience?
● What can you bring to this program that will set you apart from
other applicants?
 ● Where do you see yourself in X years
○ Short term
○ Long term

Questions for Faculty (specifically POIs)

● How does funding typically work?
○ What percentage of students receive full financial support
(assistantship plus tuition waiver)
○ What kind of assistantships are available?
○ Does the available stipend cover the cost of living in the
area?
○ Do assistantships include health insurance?
● What kind of professional development opportunities are
there?
● What do students from your lab typically do after graduation?
● What advice would you give to a student who wants to be
successful in your program? Are there any specific pitfalls to be
avoided?
● How much do your students publish or go to conferences?
● Do students create their own projects or work on something
already developed/in progress?
● I read your paper/book X. Can you tell me about your future
research goals related to X? What are your current projects?
● What research projects do you have that would be looking for
graduate students?
●
● What kind of practicum opportunities are available with this
program (clinical, mental health, schools, etc)
● Are Teaching opportunities available for graduate students
● Where have previous cohorts of students completed their
internships? Are they often APPIC or APA accredited or CDSPP
accredited?
● Where do most of your graduates eventually find employment?
Academia, school admin/leadership, private practice, schools
etc.
● How/when are students paired with advisors?

Questions for Current Students

● How often do students work with faculty other than their
primary mentor?
● What kind of resources does the program offer (for mental
health, career development, learning new skills)
● How easy/hard is it to customize the program?
● What do you think of the courses - useful content, well taught,
relevant to your research/goals?
● What kind of schedule do you work?
● Do most students have a good work/life balance?
● Do grad students in the program hang out together and
collaborate frequently?
● How quickly were you able to start your research?
● How do you maintain a successful relationship with your
advisor?
● How would you describe your PI's advising style?
● What is the funding structure/guarantee for students? Is the
stipend affordable?
● What is it like working with Dr. So&So?
● Do graduate students have a role in departmental policy and
other decisions?
● In your opinion, what are the best and worst features of this
program
● What are two things that you wished you knew before
attending this program
● Is there a more of a sense of competition or cooperation among
students
● How much emphasis is placed on coursework and grades
● Do professors often collaborate with students on projects