I recently gradutated from the University of Leeds with a 2.1 (Hons) in Microbiology. I've done about 8 applications so far (yes I want a PhD that bad) and have been turned down outright by one, invited for interview 3 times and am waiting to hear back about the others. So I've been invited to be interviewed at the University of Liverpool on Tuesday.

Do any of you fine folks have any tips for success? Or are any of you attending that Uni or have experience being interviewed there and what not?

I'm planning on taking a copy of my third year dissertation and an A3 version of the poster I presented of my research findings. Is there anything else you think I should take?

All I have been told so far is that I should be there at 11 and that further information will be winging it's way to me by post 'later', yet this has not materialised yet....I am planning to contact the guy tomorrow during office hours to find out the finalised arrangements.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. x

Hey,
I did my undergraduate degree in microbiology at Liv uni and I'm doing my PhD there. Everyone in the micro dept are really nice. My PhD is in a diff dept but at my my interview there was a panel of 3 or 4 ppl none of them were my supervisor. I got asked about my honours project, practical modules and other lab work in my year out.

Good luck!

Thanks for your reply Jen.

I'm applying for a studentship with the School of Dental Sciences, studying the modelling of plaque related diseases. Was the interview more formal or informal? And what kind of emphasis do they have on the type of people they like? I'm just a little nervous coz in my eyes it's a really good studentship and have a feeling they're gonna be really rigorous/there'll be loads of competition. Interviews can be so varied for example one of the interviews I went for at Leeds only lasted 10 mins and wasn't very structured. Whereas one I went for in York lasted at least half an hour and they told me the structure of the interview before asking me the questions, giving me time to relax and get more of myself across.

I've recently been offered a PhD at Birmingham Uni. I had a half an hour interveiw slot with a panel of three.

questions included:

- What do you expect a PhD involves?
- What do you think about the methodology we plan to use?
- What do you think the negatives of doing a PhD will be and how will
you cope?
- I got a curveball question about a hypothetical situation and one
of the panel kept interrogating me further about what I would do in
this hypothetical situation.

I got tested on my knwoledge of learning disbailities and was asked if I had any questions at the end.

I also got tested on my fluency in spekaing a South Asian language as the PhD involves liaising with indidviuals from ethnic backgrounds. Overall I was in there for about 40 minutes. It really wasn’t too bad.

I would advise you to read up on the research proposal. Look at the methodology in detail (pro’s/cons) and have some comments on what you think.

Good luck!

It was fairly formal. Its so long ago now I can't remember specific questions. Just make sure you have a good overview of the project. Also have some questions planned to ask them.

Hi chubear123. Thanks for the tips. They're really useful. I have been told that one of the supervisors for the project and another guy are gonna be interviewing (it would have been two of the supervisors but she had to pull out due to family bereavement). I think I can answer the general questions about PhD life and how I perceive it, since I've had some experience working in research teams and have lived with a number of PhD students. When it comes to answering about the methodology, I think I'll be stuck. I find the title very interesting and would be applying my general knowledge of microbiology to it, since we didn't learn much about dental micro. I've read some of the supervisors previous work and it look very exciting and interesting but I don't know anything more than what I've read here when it comes to research level studies on plaque. How do you think I should approach this in the interview?

Hi guys,

I went for my interview yesterday and it went really well. The supervisor has really good feedback for me too. I'm hoping this means I'm successful!

Thanks everyone for your help. It's greatly appreciated.

x

Good news microgeek, sounds like you did well! Fingers crossed! :-)

Well done! Let us know when you hear if you got it :)

Yay! I got the PhD and I've accepted the offer.

I can't wait to start.

Thanks everyone who helped calm my nerves and for all the support.

Jen, perhaps I'll see you in October! Thanks. x