虽然研究生面试中有很多无法预测的事情，但你依旧可以为研究生入学面试中可能被问到的问题做准备。你可能无法确切的知道每个问题具体是什么，但却可以精确地找到他们将会问到的事情的类型。通过事先考虑这些问题，能够确保你在面试的时候更自信更有条理的回答。

　　面试中最常见的十个问题

　　1. Why do you wantto go here, instead of other schools?

　　2. What are yourresearch interests?

　　3. How will youcontribute to our program?

　　4. What are yourshort-term and long-term career goals?

　　5. What do you seeas the major trends in your field of study?

　　6. Tell me aboutyou achieved a significant accomplishment?

　　7. Lists some ofyour strengths and weaknesses.

　　8. Tell me aboutyour hobbies and interests.

　　9. Where else haveyou applied?

　　10. What questionsdo you have for me?

　　下文也给出了一些例子和要点，看过后可以协助形成自己的答案

　　Why do you wantto go here, instead of other schools?

　　所有的可能的研究生面试问题中，这个是最常见的，下面有些关键点你可以想想。

　　你最喜欢这个专业和学校的什么

　　你对学校的熟悉程度(显示出你了解这所学校)

　　具体说明这个项目怎样契合了你的喜好和目标

　　在融合你的回答时想请每个要点，这有助于你有重点又不落细节的回答。之后，审慎仔细而彻底的回答会有助于显示出你对该校有多在乎和你在申请中做了多少努力。专注于这几个点还可以使你条理清晰不跑题，听起来专业而简洁。

　　最后就是确保你的回答不仅真诚而且有助益，告知学校你的申请仅仅因为他们学费最低有可能才是真相，但是这不是能够有助于你申请成功的原因。尽力坚持给出能够显示你的投入和热情的回答，而不要溜须拍马。

　　Example:

　　“I like (School X) because of its 1:3 faculty to student ratio. This is important to me because it suggests I’ll get a lot of mentorship. Also, Billy Bob Corndog’s research focus on venomous animals and poisonous plants of the Rocky Mountains aligns very strongly with my interests. It would be great to work closely with him. I’ve also heard great things about the student culture and fieldwork opportunities from Elvira Discovampire, who is a recent graduate.”

　　What are your research interests?

　　如果你申请的是学术型研究生，而不是应用型的专业研究生，那么这个问题就更有意义了。对这个问题有一个详细的答案很重要。这应该包括一些关键要素如下。

　　你的具体研究方向。

　　你在这个项目上的的背景和经验(包括你已经做过的研究，学过的课程，工作实习经验，以及相关的一些成就)。

　　为什么你会对这个话题感兴趣(例如是导师的激励还是亲身体验什么的)，此处可以凸显个人特点。

　　当然，所有这些的答案都取决于你所学习的是什么，以及你为什么想在那所特定的学校学习。(自由发挥余地较大)

　　Example:

　　“My work is in the area of venomous animals and poisonous plants of the Rocky Mountain region. I first became interested in this topic when I got lost up near the Continental Divide and ate raw elderberries for sustenance. This caused some gastrointestinal issues, but piqued my interest. In college I majored in Biology, and took coursework in Spiders of the Southwest, Rattlesnakes of the Rockies, and Berries You Shouldn’t Eat. I also had a research assistant position with Professor Hiss and together we published our findings as an article called “Beware the Brown Recluse”, which was published in 2005 in the American Journal of Things To Avoid.

　　How will you contribute to our program?

　　研究生院校的招生是双向选择的过程，学校能为你做提供什么是一个重要的因素，你能为学校带来什么也是校方考虑的重点。在许多情况下，一些研究生入学面试的问题将会为你“量身定做”的。你的答案与你个人特质、学术背景、独特的技能、内驱力等息息相关。但无论你认为你的优势是什么，现在都是一个推销自己的机会。诚实诚恳的向学校表明你的优势和你能为他们带来的东西。(当然，别吹牛。毕竟，这个问题的重点在于你能为学校做些什么，而不是显示你有多伟大)

　　Example:

　　“Well, I bring a unique research background. For example, I spent a summer in college doing fieldwork that focused on identifying and tracking live nests of poisonous baby snakes. I’m really excited about the advances in the field and love to experience and employ the latest technology, such as heat-sensing devices and snake-tail spray painting. There’s lots of opportunity for collaboration with other scientists and students I’ll meet in the program. I also find my sense of humor comes in handy and can uplift others’ spirits during stressful periods like finals, or getting accidentally injected with venom.”

　　What are your short-term and long-termcareer goals?

　　如果你申请的是一个职业导向的课程(例如MBA那种)应用型硕士，那么这类研究生面试问题就显得更关键些。(但与学术型硕士也是有很大关系的)毕竟，学术界并不存在于真空中。你追求这个学位是有原因的。这个问题回答的要点有如下几点。

　　在你所追求的学位、你的研究领域和你具体的职业目标之间建立联系。告诉他们为什么这段研究生教育经历可以成为你宝贵的财富。

　　如果可以的话，把你的目标定在学校或你申请的项目上。例如，是否有一名教员的工作和职业让你钦佩并希望效仿?他们的校友成就是否激励了你?

　　指出为什么你的目标是有意义的。不仅为了自己，而是为了世界、你的领域和你所处的社会环境。你的工作是否能让城市变得更美好?也许你的研究可以辅助政策的制定，或者使人更有效地帮助别人。

　　Example:

　　“I really admire Professor Hiss’s professional track – for about ten or fifteen years he focused on snake and spider handling, research and publishing on Australia’s deadliest creatures. Once he had really established himself he stepped into an academic role. I see myself doing the same – learning in the trenches in the short-term, and then teaching in the later part of my career. In America, there’s a notable lack of university-based research centers on venomous animals, and I have a dream of establishing a one. Ideally it would be located in the American Southwest so as to have the best access to the most venomous animals.”

　　What do you see as the major trends inyour field of study?

　　这个问题是为了评估你的专业知识水平。在面试前，一定要熟悉近期你的研究方向内最有影响的研究，特别是与你自己的研究主题相关的那些。你可以对研究内容、其发现过程、该研究的影响以及其他很多细节进行阐述。并且不要害怕在这些话题上表达你自己的观点!

　　Example:

　　“In the past year, there’s a trend in Europe and in parts of Asia that involves dying venomous animals in pastel polka-dot shades. The rationale is that it will make these animals easier to spot, and therefore avoid, but frankly, I disagree with their choice of color and pattern. Pastel polka-dots can make the animals look harmless and cartoonish and there have been several instances in the past year of people grabbing the animals excitedly and sustaining a toxic bite as a result. I like the approach used in East Africa in the 1980s of implanting a tiny musical device within these animals that plays the theme song from “Jaws”. But that proved too costly so the program was discontinued.”

　　Tell me about how you achieved asignificant accomplishment.

　　这类研究生面试问题并不是要求你谦虚——尽管你确实想保持冷静。如果可以的话，试着把重点放在与你的研究领域直接相关的东西上。然后你可以用这个问题来讲述一个证明你能力的“故事”。不知道如何用听起来不像自夸的方式来阐述你的成就?那么你可以试着谈论过程中你要克服的障碍，如何克服它们的，以及你从经验中学到了什么。

　　Example:

　　“During my junior year of college we went to Arizona to do fieldwork. One component involved trapping the most venomous animals without being bitten. I won by catching nine scorpions and three Gila monsters in one day. It was tough! I was up all night, hiding under pine needles and behind cacti. But I was determined to take home the prize, which was a trip to Australia to hunt box jellyfish, so I made it happen.”

　　List some of your strengths andweaknesses.

　　当列出你的优点和缺点时，一定要记得你的目的——获批进入你申请的研究生项目。试着表现出你作为学生或学校一份子能够体现的优势并要用具体的例子来说明。至于缺点，要诚实，但要有建设性提出。把缺点变成你的优势之一。通过说出你在自己身上注意到的具体弱点来展示你具备这种自我意识，并详细说明你试图克服的信心和行为。

　　Example:

　　“My strengths include my passion for the subject – as I mentioned earlier, I’ll stay up all night to catch Gila monsters and scorpions - and my attention to detail. I consistently get very positive feedback on my detailed knowledge of animal behavior. One weakness is that I can get caught up focusing too much on the details. For instance, I’ve been known to work for three hours on one sketch of poison ivy. I’ve been addressing my tendency to obsess by allowing myself a set amount of time to work. For instance, these days I set an alarm so that I allow myself to work for 45 minutes. When the alarm goes off, I have to stop or take a break. It’s been working well so far.”

　　Tell me about your hobbies andinterests.

　　到目前为止，其他的研究生面试问题都集中在你的学习领域以及你能给这个项目带来什么问题。这里有一个机会向他们展示你在学术之外的一面。你不仅可以表现出你是一个全面、热情、有不同兴趣爱好的学生。你还可以展示你性格的另一面，价值观。给你的面试官一个特别的印象。如果你能做到这些，还能把这些兴趣同你的学校、社会环境相联系就更好了。

　　Example:

　　“I know in order to keep a balanced lifestyle I have to attend to my health. I’m a squash player – I play 3-4 times per week. I notice your school has some great squash courts, which is a bonus for me! I also love to cook, especially Thai food, and tend to have small dinner parties once or twice a month to be sure I’m getting some socializing in.”

　　Where else have you applied?

　　当你为这种面试问题做准备时，回想一下自己之前说的为什么说你想加入这个项目。面试官在这个问题上想要了解的是他们是如何被你选中的，以及你加入这个项目的意向程度。所以如果你在其他学校也申请了，要诚实告知，但也要试着解释为什么你更喜欢这所学校而不是其他的。如果这是你所申请的唯一一所学校，那就解释一下吧，这样他们就能理解你为什么这么做了。

　　Example:

　　“I’ve also applied to University of Arizona’s graduate program, because the fieldwork opportunities would be so excellent. But frankly, the faculty here is stellar, and the curriculum here aligns better with my interests than the curriculum at U of AZ. This is my top choice.”

　　What questions do you have for me?

　　这个问题是一定要提前准备一下的。最大的问题就是没有问题。试着准备一些，以防面试官在你有机会提问之前就提前抢答了。要问一些要有深度，体现你的洞察力的问题，而不是问一些明明可以自己解决的基本问题。你可以询问一些类似于研究机会、特定的教师工作、最近的教师或学生发表的论文成果、毕业生的职业生涯规划等。不管它是不是你真的想问的那点，这个问题的奥义在于表现你对学校有兴趣、是个有洞察力有深度的学生。

　　Example:

　　Example: “I recently read a study by Dr. Corndog, on new methods for trapping Gila monsters - since I have unique experience in this practice, I was wondering if there is an assistantship opportunity on his staff?

　　虽然在这十个问题上都说了很多，但请记住，它并不是涵盖所有的。每个人的面试经历都可能是独一无二的，所以要做好听到一些意想不到的问题的心理准备。如果你需要即兴发挥、现场组织语言，不要害怕花几秒钟的时间来呼吸和思考你的答案。要清楚、简明、礼貌地回答问题。这样可以给人留下深刻的印象，甚至可能增加你被录取的几率。