干货 | 美研面试常见10大问题

申请规划
发布时间:2018-10-29 08:19:56

在面试之前准备充足可以轻易地帮你做到脱颖而出。


面试准备并不是说你可以知道面试的准确问题,然后去一一应对。而是说无论如何你都能够大概猜到一些“必问”的问题或者问题类型。然后有针对性地去准备这些问题的应对思路。


在有了这样的准备后,可以保证你在面试过程中不出现方向性的错误,并且因为有了准备而表现得更加自信。


今天,老师和大家分享在美国研究生面试过程中最容易被问到的10个问题以及这十个问题的回答思路和回答示例。

首先,我们来看看这10个最常见的问题是什么吧:


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

2. What are your research interests?

3. How will you contribute to our program?

4. What are your short-term and long-term career goals?

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

6. Tell me about you achieved a significant accomplishment?

7. Lists some of your strengths and weaknesses.

8. Tell me about your hobbies and interests.

9. Where else have you applied?

10. What questions do you have for me?


接下来,我们就逐个分析这10个问题,分别看看应该采取怎样的思路进行回答吧:


Why do you want to go here, instead of other schools?


你为什么要申请我们学校,而不是别的学校呢?


嗯,是的,这个问题差不多可以算是在研究生面试过程中最常见的问题了。回答这个问题时,你可以从以下几个方面思考:


1. 你最喜欢的这个学校或专业的什么地方。


2. 你对这所学校的熟悉程度(例如你曾经在这所学校进行过科研一类的经历)


3. 具体地说清楚自己认为这个学校的这个专业能够帮助自己实现自己的目标、支持你的兴趣与爱好的发展。


强烈建议同学们在回答这类问题的时候参考一下以上的三种思路。


这样做能够确保你在回答的过程中较为专业并且思路清晰。并且充分显示出自己对学校的喜爱、对专业的热爱,以及在申请过程中多付出的努力。


显示出这些内容的好处在于学校认为你在收到Offer后更有可能选择这所学校,因此,有可能在一定程度上使你更容易被录取。


从总体上来看,你的回答应该做到两点:1.诚实、2.具有建设性。


但是要注意,一定不要让学校觉得你是因为没有办法了才选择我们学校的的(即使这有可能是事实)。一定要在回答中充分展现出自己对学校、专业的热情和奉献精神(当然了,也要保持一个度,不要看起来有吹捧的嫌疑)。


示例:


“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?


你的科研兴趣是什么?


相对于申请硕士或者其他以职业为导向的课程,在申请博士时,对于这类问题的回答会变得尤为重要! 老师建议同学们可以从以下几个角度回答这一问题:


1. 非常具体地谈论自己所专注研究的领域(一定是具体的,而不是宽泛的,就像你不可能研究整个落基山脉但是可以研究落基山脉的有毒动植物)


2.你在自己最感兴趣的科研领域的经验与成就。(包括但不限于已经完成的科研、曾经跟进的课题、接受过的相关课程、实习或工作经验以及专业领域内的比赛等)


3. 你之所以对这一研究领域感兴趣的原因。(可以谈你的导师在这一方面对你的启发与帮助,或者其他相关的经历。要注意!一定要具有个性化!用自己的亲身经历来感染面试官。)


当然,根据你所学习的专业不同或者你所申请的学位不同,上述三点有可能不会对你完全适用。同学们在使用这些回答建议时一定要因地制宜哟。

示例:


“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?


你将会为我们学校做出什么贡献呢?


在你申请研究生时,你肯定非常看重这个学校可以带给你什么。同样的,学校也非常看中申请者在被录取后可以带给学校什么,为学校做些什么贡献。


有时候,一些面试官会针对这一点向申请者发问。对于这一问题的回答,根据你个人不同的情况会有很大的发挥空间。可以从学术、特长、能力等多方面入手回答这一问题。在回答中突出自己可以为学校做的,可以帮助学校有更大的提升的方面。


注意:千万!一定!必须!不要出现过分夸大的情况。尽可能地实话实说,因为,在面试时的谎话在你被录取后就像一层窗户纸那样一捅就破。


示例:


“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-term career goals?


你的短期和长期目标分别是什么?


如果您申请的并不是以学术为导向,而是以职业为导向的学位,那么,对于这一问题的回答就相当重要了。虽然是这样,但是也要明白,学术无论在什么时候都不会是单纯的学术,不为现实服务。所以,在回答这一问题是也要适当展示一下自己在学术方面的能力,给学校更多的录取你的原因。


老师建议同学们在回答这一问题时从这三个角度出发:


1. 将你追求的学位、你研究的领域和你将要从事的职业范围三者结合起来!向面试官们展示这个研究生学位对自己意义重大。


2. 比较取巧的一种做法是:将你的目标套在在场的老师身上。他们中是否有人有着让你非常欣赏的职业生涯?他们的经历是否对你有所激励,让你想要效仿?


3. 将你的目标放大!不要仅局限于自身,而要考量你的目标是否是为了世界更好、为了自己所在的学科领域更好、是否会使自己所在的城市更好、或者是否能够更好地造福人类帮助他人?


示例:


“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 in your field of study?


你认为你所学习的领域的主要趋势是什么?


这一问题主要考察学生的专业能力。


了解了考察的目的之后,针对这一问题同学们的做法就是一定要熟悉自己的研究领域内较新的一些研究与发现,并且能够对于这些新的发现提出自己的意见。


在面试的过程中一定不要害怕分享自己的评论。一般情况下,面试官会更喜欢有想法的学生。


示例:


“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 a significant accomplishment.


跟我讲讲你是如何获得一个重大的成就的。


按照我们的文化来看,在回答这种问题时,要保持谦虚。


But!


在面试官问到你这一问题时请专注于您的学术领域,而不要过分地谦虚。最好可以在回答这一问题时“顺道”讲述一个能够证明你的学术能力的具体时间。


如果你认为只是简单地说自己获得成就的过程听起来会比较像是在吹牛,那么,我建议尝试着将获奖过程中自己遇到的挫折、克服的障碍以及自己是如何一一克服这些困难的经历,还有自己在这些经历中学到的东西都讲述出来。


示例:


“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 and weaknesses.


列出你的优势和弱项。


在你被问到这类问题时一定要保证自己时刻记着自己的目标:被这个学校的这个专业录取。也就是说,在回答这一问题时请一定围绕着自己的专业领域来进行。


在谈到优点的时候请尽量用真实的具体事件来证明。在谈到缺点的时候,说实话,但是一定要谈那些可以改正的,并且针对自己的情况提出建设性的意见。


有些小技巧可能会告诉你,在面对这样的问题是可以尝试着说一些不算是缺点的缺点,例如“我这个人太认真,有时候会钻进牛角尖”。


但是,老师认为更加可取的做法是说一些自己真实的缺点,并重点突出自己是如何努力尝试克服这些缺点的!这一过程对于面试官而言可能更有价值。


示例:


“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 and interests.


谈谈你的兴趣爱好吧。


前面的7个问题大都与你的学术相关。因此,当你被问到这个问题的时候一定要意识到,这是展示自己学术领域之外的自己的最佳机会!你可以全面地展示出自己是一个什么样的人,展示出自己的激情,展示出自己的个性,展示出自己的价值观。总的来说这是一个非常好的在面试官面前塑造鲜明个人形象的机会。


另外,最好可以借这一机会引发面试官的共鸣,努力建立起更加亲密的个人关系。如果你能够把自己的兴趣爱好与学校的社团等活动联系起来,嗯,再好不过了!


示例:


“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?


你还申请了什么学校或者专业?


可以说这是一个比较棘手的问题,在回答这个问题之前,仔细回想一下,自己到底是为什么申请的这所学校的这个专业。


提出这一问题的面试官很可能是想通过你的回答了解你更偏爱什么样的学校以及什么样的专业。或者是想要了解他们在你申请的所有学校中大致处于一个什么样的地位。还有可能是想要了解一下你对你选择的这一专业是否足够坚定。


回答这一问题有两种情况:


1. 所以如果你已经在其他地方申请了,那么就实话实说,并解释自己在申请的所有学校中最喜欢这个学校。


2.如果这是你申请的唯一学校,那么就简单解释一下这个决定就好。


示例:


“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?


你有什么想要问我的吗?


对于这一问题,在面试前一定要事先准备!


最不可取的做法是说自己没有任何问题……(千万不要这么干)


关于提出的问题有几个小的原则:


1. 有深度(准确来说要体现你的思维)

2. 能自己简单地在网站或者其他地方找到答案的问题,请不要问。

3. 你可以尝试问一些科研相关的问题。

4. 你可以尝试问一些和职业规划相关的问题。


无论你问了什么问题,尽量保证这些问题能够体现你思维的活跃度,以及具有一定的前瞻性。


示例: 


“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?


以上就是美国研究生面试过程中常见的10个问题以及回答思路和回答范例。

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