<p>Yesterday was one of the most epic days of my life, for I received not one, but TWO surprise calls from POI from extremely well known universities.</p>
<p>Both calls were real interviews, which took me by surprise. I had to explain the various projects I worked on, my transcripts, GRE scores, what I wanted to do in the future, why a PhD, why with them, why I had applied around the world, if I had questions for them (MASSIVE BLANK THERE IT WAS HORRENDOUS) plus various random and rather destabilizing questions. </p>
<p>I was under the impression that interviews were arranged several days/weeks in advance...</p>
<p>Since I have been wondering: is it common practice? Has it happened to anyone else?</p>
<p>I'm never going to stop shaking if I have to be ready at every woken moment for the next one.... :s</p>
<p>This is not common practice. I have never before heard of this happening to anybody. Did the two callers say that the call was an interview, or did it just happen to be that you’re interested in two very probing individuals?</p>
<p>Definitely not common practice. I had a couple of phone interviews, but they were set up in advance. That you were ambushed twice is astonishing.</p>
<p>OK it is kind of weird and reassuring then.</p>
<p>I must confess that I when I hung up the phone for the second time, I was probably the most shaken I had ever been in my life! Both interviews (from 2 different institutions) had a happy ending, so I don’t mind so much anymore :D</p>
<p>However when my phone rang at about the same time tonight, my heart skipped a beat lol!</p>
<p>I had one last year. I was actually at an interview weekend for another school and checked my phone during the lunch break, only to find a voicemail from a POI requesting that I call them back for a phone interview within the next couple of hours! I did. I was initially waitlisted but about a week later, I was awarded a competitive, university-wide fellowship and thus was admitted from the waitlist. I ended up matriculating, too. :)</p>
<p>However, of the 19 interview invitations I received, that was the only “surprise interview,” so it’s not typical… but it can and does happen.</p>
<p>I had one too, from an HYP- it kind of sucked because I really am terrible discussing on the phone. It depends the PI really wants you because you have research experiences in line with them.</p>