CAMBRIDGE PHD INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE | What is a Cambridge PhD interview like?
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
- Hello - welcome back!
Today I'm talking about my experience of the interview process at the University of Cambridge for my PhD I'm currently doing!
It is a scary experience and I'm hoping hearing some of the questions you might be asked and my top tips for preparing and answering them will be useful! Interviews are scary - but this experience was no different from any research interview I have had before, so don't fret! :)
If you want to read about my PhD project: ccge.medschl.cam.ac.uk/canrisk/
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Presentation
5:46 Main Interview Phase
7:07 "Tell us about yourself"
7:52 "Why do you want to do a PhD?"
9:16 "What is your biggest weakness in research?"
11:13 "Why should we pick you?"
12:53 "How do you operate in a team?"
14:09 "Tell us about a time you used communication skills"
15:00 PhD Topic Specific Questions
17:04 "Do you have any questions for us?"
18:24 End of Interview and Outcome
19:16 Overall Tips
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Instagram: / cameronjohnwilson
Twitter: / camjohnwilson
LinkedIn: / cameronjohnwilson
glad that loughborough university undergrads are getting phd interviews at oxbridge - gives me hope!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing such a detailed and informative video! Much love and best wishes on your way from Finland 🇫🇮🤗 I have my first round of interviews next week! Hoping for the best 😊 thanks again hehe
Ahhh! Good luck I'm sure it'll go well!
Thank you so much! This is precious information! My interview is in 5 days and I'll let you know how it turned out!
Thank you so much for watching and subscribing if you have! Please do let me know how it goes and I'm glad sharing my experience was helpful for you! Good luck!
Any updates?
Hi, thanks for making this video, it's really helpful. I'd like to know how to answer questions like "What other programs have you applied?" and can you elaborate a little more on how to describe "weakness & strengths" ?
Hiya, thank you for watching and for the comment!
So obviously answers on these questions are very contingent on what course you are applying to. :)
For the first question, I would just be honest! If you are asked what other programs you applied to so long as you say any relevant programs then the recruiter will see you have a genuine interest and passion for the subject. They will recognise that they are unlikely to be the only ones you apply to!
For the second question, I would always have 3 strengths that use the same phrasing (or relevant) to terms used in the job description (e.g. you're a good communicator or a team-player) and then back these terms up with one concrete example from your experience. For weaknesses, choose one relevant one but make it clear that you are working on it, explaining how it effected you, but more importantly what you have done about it.
I hope this is helpful and remember I am not an expert in interviews! This is just how I would approach these questions!
@@cameronjohnwilson Thankyou so much for taking the time to reply. Yes it's helpful 👍
Hi, Thanks dear for such a productive video.
I need your help to prepare my interview for a PhD project in FoodBiosystems UK where I got shortlisted which is going to be held on 1st of March.
Thank you so much for this video. I hope we can collaborate someday .
Hi, thanks for all the insight. I have received a phd. interview invitation, but they haven't mentioned anything about the presentation. Should I prepare one to be on the safer side ?
Thank you for watching and congratulations! The short answer is no. If you haven't been asked to prepare a presentation then don't prepare one. Good luck! :)
@cameronjohnwilson Thanks, John!! Although I mailed the supervisor yesterday for the same query. Also, do you know if they have stages of Interview? I mean does this Interview decides or there might be some other stages that also contains an Interview? About the stages of the interview, it was not mentioned anywhere, so I'm bit not sure.
Hello, I need a bit of help. I have received a phd interview invitation for a specified project..they want a 5 min presentation on why i want to do this project and what skills/ideas i can bring on the table...have you any guidance for how to go about this presentation.
Hey @fizaishaqwala7449 :) First of all thank you for watching the video and congratulations on making it to the interview phase! Hmmm, so this is an interesting one... I had a similar presentation I had to deliver for my Research Assistant role at Newcastle University where I had to deliver a 5min presentation on what made me the best candidate for the role and remember wondering where to start!
So for the first part "why you want to do this project", obviously a lot of that depends on your own motivations. Is it where the project is in the research context? Is it the type of skills you want to develop? Are you interested in this field? Lots of avenues you could go down here.
For the skills / ideas part, for my Newcastle presentation I highlighted all the key skills in the job adverts that the role was wanting and talked through how the previous experiences hit these skills, and therefore how I was the best candidate for that role. So each of my slides had a unique research experience that I went through (my research with cardiovascular disease + running a project for my master's), and highlighted in bold the key skills the job advert was asking for on my slides.
I would recommmend doing your first slide about the project and its importance in research. The second slide on why you want to study at Cambridge. The third/fourth slide on previous research experiences you have had that gave you the opportunity to develop the skills the job advert wants, and the final slide on any ideas that you have for the project (any methods you've seen from similar papers, where you want the research to go... very flexible here)!
I hope that was useful and I wish you the best of luck in your interview! Remember to practice it and time yourself to stay within 5 minutes. :)
Hi Fiza! Any updates on interview? How it went?
Thanks for this insightful video. What is the duration of your interview?
Depends on the interview! Mine was about 25-30 minutes but you will usually be told in the email offering you the interview! :)
Thank you for this Cameron, I appreciate your helpful tips ! . I have a pending interview for my Mphil on Thursday.
Is PhD worth it if going into corporate world? Masters better return on investment?
Gosh I'm not sure! Generally a PhD is essential for academic careers but industry it is very contingent on what you are doing with your PhD (types of training / project). Certainly a useful qualification!
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