<p>I'm thinking of going back to graduate school in the next couple years for my M.S. in engineering and I was wondering if graduate schools require interviews. I'm applying to some top schools, like MIT and Stanford as well as some other good schools (USC, Columbia, etc.).</p>
<p>Are interviews a requirement, and do I have to go on campus for an interview?</p>
<p>bump…
can anyone answer this please?</p>
<p>Hi OP,</p>
<p>If your intention is MS, then there usually isn’t an interview. The admissions board decides if they like you and you’re either in or out. </p>
<p>For PhD, there is usually a phone interview followed by them inviting you to visit the campus for a formal interview (if they really like you). If invited they will pay for your accommodations and travel. </p>
<p>Best wishes,
-DV</p>
<p>vader -</p>
<p>if you are invited to visit the campus, does that usually mean you are “most likely” in unless you do excellent job messing up the interview?</p>
<p>In most engineering departments you actually get invited after being accepted. It’s less of a job interview and more of a sales pitch to try and get you to come to the school (though in talking with individual professors whose labs are more popular it can still be a bit of an interview to get into that particular lab).</p>
<p>I’ve heard for bio it’s typically the opposite, where you’re still really interviewing to try and get accepted. I think that’s because they tend to have more money to throw around and can support flying out more students.</p>
<p>Reaver - well, that’s what I thought too. Son (bio engineering) received an invitation that reads more like “come join us” than “let’s us evaluate if you are qualified” tone. While it makes it clear the final decisions will not be made until after the visit, he is asked to spend 3 days meeting professors/other students, interviews…etc. They are paying for his travel. He has not done any phone interviews and such. His undergarduate professor thinks it’s a very good sign but I have no reference points to know what this means exactly.</p>
<p>FromMD - This indeed is a good sign. When I went through this process, it basically meant when I was invited the professors were really interested and just wanted to talk face-to-face. He will most likely be admitted barring any unusual circumstances. From what they told me, the visit was meant as a means for the individual professors to directly recruit into their labs. </p>
<p>What school does he get the invite for? </p>
<p>Best wishes,
-DV</p>
<p>Thank you both. He got invited to Berkeley/Phd program.</p>
<p>I only had one school with an experience like that, and it’s because the department only has eight professors. They tend to take around ten students a year. On my visiting weekend we had around 25 students. They did it to ensure the students they were inviting had at least one professor they could work with (in case there wound up being a personality conflict or grant money fell through), and they wanted to be pretty sure all the students they accepted would enroll. Having five extra students decide they want to attend is a much bigger problem for a department wanting 10 students than 40.</p>
<p>It’s for this reason that as soon as you realize there’s School A you’d prefer to go to over School B (after visiting and meeting professors), it’s good manners to let School B know as soon as possible you won’t be attending. They can then give your offer to the next student in line if they have more students choosing not to attend than expected. (And that student will certainly be happy to get that notice sooner than later!)</p>