Hi all,

I have read almost all the threads about PhD Applications and the interviews that candidates are asked to give a presentation as part of their PhD Interview.

As you obviously understand I am in a similar situation. I have an interview in the area of building physics and I am asked to give a presentation about my "previous work accompanied with a ppt" in 15 to 20 minutes.

In terms of background I have completed a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and I also have an MSc degree. Following both degrees I spent some time doing some research as a research assistant too. Including my Diploma and MSc thesis, there is more material than I can cover in the duration of the presentation.

My question, thus, is: Should I focus on the MSc degree and the research done during the last 5 months or should I do it all but obviously in less depth and detail?

Does picking only the projects that are related to the PhD make sense? For instance, my Diploma thesis had nothing to do with buildings but it was related to Heat Transfer.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

Hi gm33,

First congratulations for getting the interview. I think it makes perfect sense to concentrate on the projects that are related to the PhD. You need to be able to show how the PhD will build on your previous research experience and with 15-20 minutes it is better to go for depth than breath. Remember you are also being assessed on time management so practice your presentation over at home and make sure you can do it within the allocated time.

Best wishes!

Congratulations! I agree that concentrating on the research relevant to the PhD would be best. It might be good to make the point that you have that additional research experience, though. Maybe you could include one introductory slide with a bulleted list of your research, making the point that you will be exploring the relevant material in detail for the purposes of this presentation? Good luck!

Thank you both for your answer Shakestycoon and Pootle!

I will briefly mention other pieces of research that I have done and then just focus on the ones that are relevant!

Cheers!