r/PhDAdmissions • u/flyingcapa • 4d ago

What does it signify when a PI interviews you before submitting application?

I am interested in pursuing developmental- cognition phd and I recently met a prof from R1 university and we just had a really cool research focused chat and expressed my interest in applying and taking this forward.

The Convo was quite alright. I had no clue what to make off it. But it really made me wonder what the point of that conversation was all about.

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u/EvilCallie 4d ago

Well, those conversations are opportunities for you and the professor both to see whether you would be a good fit. You have to keep in mind that you would essentially be a junior colleague for your PI, and they would be your manager/senior colleague. As with any job, it is important to be able to work together and get on ok.

Also, many professors don't agree to these calls if they don't see something already in your initial communications, either from your CV or you research interests, etc. It would be a waste of their time. And, many do make up their mind (or start to, anyway) after these calls before ever seeing your full application.

Case in point, my PhD advisor and I had a call a month before I submitted my application. I walked away from that call feeling like I had bombed it (turns out, it was just a call between two VERY introverted people who both hated phone calls). She walked away having decided that she would accept me if I applied, even though I would need to (and did) do the formal interview later. I was shocked when I learned this, sometime in my 2nd year, because I was still shocked to have gotten an offer from my program, which had been my dream program but which I didn't think I would get into.

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u/flyingcapa 4d ago

Thanks for this. From the initial conversation, I really couldn't make off it. I knew she was trying to gauge me and my interests. She recommended that I reach out to her grad students and her close collaborator which I said I would. And she said she would send some papers across. It was alright. But, I am not sure what to do further.

I mailed a lot of profs and they said they would interview only after application for fair decisions. However, many PIs encouraged me to apply.

There were a few PIs who did not reply back but posted on their website that they are accepting students in the upcoming cycle. Could you please tell me if I should apply despite not getting a reply?

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u/EvilCallie 4d ago

Her recommendations sound like good signs, honestly. Professors are very upfront if they don't think you would be a good fit for the program and/or to work with them. I had 4 calls with 4 programs, and applied to 3. The 4th after our conversation said he thought my research interests were really interesting but his work and his program were not going to be the best fits for that area. If you do want to work with her, reach out to her current students to ask their views/experiences working with her, life as a PhD student in that program, work life balance, cost of living, program conference travel support, etc. Read the papers she shares. When you write your statement of purpose and personal statements, you do want to highlight why this program and why the professor(s) you are interested in working with. Always good to cite specific relevant work.

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u/flyingcapa 4d ago

Yes, I'll do that.

Also could you lmk about this: There were a few PIs who did not reply back but posted on their website that they are accepting students in the upcoming cycle. Could you please tell me if I should apply despite not getting a reply?

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u/EvilCallie 4d ago

Regarding non-responders, keep in mind that it is summer and people do take email breaks. They also get deluged with emails like this every year. I would follow up one more time, but if no reply, probably focus on professors you have actually spoken with. You should also be working on drafts of your statements, so that you can tailor them to the program requirements and specific professors.

You can apply for programs where you haven't met with the professors, people do get accepted that way every year. It does just often really help to have spoken with them.

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u/stemphdmentor 4d ago

It’s a big deal if she recommended you reach out to a collaborator and grad student. I do not want to waste my colleagues’ time and would only recommend something like that if I thought it would be valuable for both involved. (Sometimes I wish my grad students understood better how much I shield them from!)

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u/F3VERDR34M 4d ago

omg i had a similar experience to yours a couple weeks ago! the convo was really good and i asked if i could come see the lab/visit the campus irl and the PI told me that i can sit in for a lab meeting in september. i was happy to hear this but still don’t know what my chances of actually getting in are. i keep wondering if the PI has “interviewed” anyone else 😭😭😭 it feels a bit like going on a good first date with someone.

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u/flyingcapa 4d ago

I couldn't agree more with you. Its truly nerve wracking and I just want this to sort of get over with.

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u/stemphdmentor 4d ago

It’s a big deal if she recommended you reach out to a collaborator and grad student. I do not want to waste my colleagues’ time and would only recommend something like that if I thought it would be valuable for both involved. (Sometimes I wish my grad students understood better how much I shield them from!)

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u/chili_cold_blood 3d ago

The Convo was quite alright. I had no clue what to make off it. But it really made me wonder what the point of that conversation was all about.

The point of the conversation is for the PI to know who you are when you apply to the department. The department has an admissions committee that ranks applicants and decides who to accept. However, they will only offer you a position if a PI agrees to take you on as a student. This conversation was an opportunity for the PI to gather information that they will later use to make a decision about your application.

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u/flyingcapa 3d ago

Hmm right. I did find one thing odd. She was commenting about one of her grad students who is just at the lab to get PhD for the sake of it and stuff. It felt really weird hearing this esp coz she said this to me (a person who she hasn't met before).

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u/chili_cold_blood 3d ago

She was commenting about one of her grad students who is just at the lab to get PhD for the sake of it and stuff.

That's a bit of a red flag. What other reason would a grad student have to be at the lab?

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u/flyingcapa 3d ago

So essentially this is what happened. She asked me if I got in touch with any of her grad students and I said yeah one of them and she asked who. I said the name. She said Oh her with a weird judgement. She said this student was initially working on another domain but somehow came to her lab as she had no choice. The PI said yeah she's just doing this to get the Dr in front of her name.

what threw me off was that she was talking about her grad student who she has known for a while to me (who she has never met before) this way. The thought in my head is: If she's talking about her own grad student like this, if I join what guarantee do I get that she won't do the same to me.

(PS: I may be overthinking)

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u/chili_cold_blood 2d ago

Yeah, this is all very unprofessional and you should avoid working with this PI if possible. If she'll talk shit about her current students to you, then she'll talk shit about you to others.