Interviews

Some fellowship and scholarship competitions will ask a short list of candidates to conduct an interview. This part of the process is equally important as the written portion and you should give the interview as much preparation as you did for the application. Harvard selection committees are usually comprised of faculty and staff from around Harvard College and Harvard University. Selection committees at the national level are similarly made up of successful academics, professionals, and former scholarship winners. Generally, committee members are fascinating people!

Interviews

Research-wise, interviews should be expected for many external competitions (e.g. some NSF REU sites) as well as Research Assistant positions. For research programs that are run through URAF, some will require interviews (e.g. Amgen Scholars, SHARP), whereas others will not (ex. HCRP, PRISE).

The following are some simple steps you can take to prepare yourself to interview successfully:

Reread the fellowship/program description, website, and your own application.

Selection committees are looking for someone who is a good fit for the opportunity, meaning, someone who knows what the fellowship/research program is about and can argue their harmony with those goals. Further, any detail that you included in your application is fair game to be asked about during the interview. Students should be sure to remind themselves of one interesting thing to potentially discuss about each class they took, every activity they've done, etc.

Read the news, current research, and any other major publications on your topic/region of interest.  

You will likely be asked questions that test your knowledge of the critical issues/theories underlying your intellectual interests, as well as the current prevailing opinions on the matter. (e.g. If you’re proposing to travel to Thailand, what are the issues affecting the Thai people/region today? If you’re proposing to do academic study, what are the most exciting developments happening in this field?).

Practice answering mock interview questions, even the easy ones.

At some point during the interview, you will have a chance to talk about yourself in an open-ended way. The committee is genuinely curious about you. Candidates often stumble on this question, because they haven't practiced simply explaining who they are and what they like to do. This prompt is not designed to challenge you, although others are, and you should prepare for both types of questions. Practicing is not the same as rehearsing. Rehearsing makes you sound robotic, and if the question is asked in a slightly different format than what you had prepared, you might panic!

Expect a tricky question or two.  

You should also presume that at some point during the interview, you will be asked a question which challenges an assertion you've made or generally puts you off balance. These questions are designed to see how you respond to pressure. Stay calm, take a breath, collect your thoughts, and respond in a respectful and collegial manner.

Practice the art of redirection.

It may occur that you are asked a question to which you don't know the answer. Don't panic. Acknowledge that you understand the question, but then direct your response toward something about which you do have knowledge. (e.g., "I haven’t read that particular article, but Edward Said had some interesting thoughts on the matter…") Alternately, the committee may ask you a question to which they expect that you won't know the answer. (e.g., How would you cure the common cold?) This is your opportunity to be creative and think on your feet. Whatever answer you give, be confident and sell it! Never leave a question unanswered.