Sample Grad School Interview Questions

Questions often asked by the interviewer:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What factors influenced you to go to graduate school?
• Why are you interested in our graduate program?
• What skills and personal characteristics make you a good candidate for this graduate program?
• What do you hope to gain from our graduate program?
• How do you see this program fitting into your career goals?
• What is your greatest strength? What is one of your weaknesses?
• What are your goals for the next five years? 10 years?
• How do you feel your undergraduate studies have prepared you for this program?
• Describe your past work/volunteer experiences and how what you have learned from them will help you in graduate school.
• Describe your past research experiences and how they will help you in graduate school.
• What recent professional articles or books have you read?
• What problems do you expect to face while attending graduate school? How will you handle these?
• What contributions do you plan to make to the field?
• What do you believe to be the major trends in your intended career field at this time?
• What do you think about _________ (current event)?
• What do you think is the most important development in the field over the past 25 years, and why?
• We are looking at many other candidates for this graduate program; what sets you apart from the other candidates?
• What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies or outside interests?
• Tell me about a major accomplishment and how you achieved it.
• Give an example of an ethical dilemma you faced and explain how you resolved it.
• Tell me about a situation in which you took initiative.
• Tell me about a time you assumed a leadership role.
• Tell me how you handle stress.
• Tell me about a time you had a number of assignments due. How did you make sure you completed all of them on time and did a good job?
• Tell me about a time you were confronted by a fellow student, co-worker, or a customer. How did you handle it to resolve the conflict?