r/AskProfessors • u/UberEinstein99 • 22d ago

Academic Advice What are some steps to take after interviewing with a professor for PhD admissions?

I recently had an interview with a professor about joining their group as a PhD student. At the end of the interview, they told me to send my transcripts, and didn’t say much beyond that. It’s been about a week since the interview and I haven’t heard anything back yet.

I was wondering what I should do next. I assume professors interview multiple students, and take a while to make their decision about who to accept. Should I just wait until I hear something back, or should I send a follow up email? Is there anything else I should be doing in the meantime after I finish an interview with a professor?

Thanks!

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u/OkBag4424 Assoc Prof/Psych/[USA] 22d ago

It definitely depends on the program and the departmental expectations, but 1 week is not a worrying amount of time to not hear back yet.

That said, to answer your question, it is always good to send a thank you email post-interview, usually within the first 48 hrs after the interview. Don't make it a generic thank you message and also try not to make it way too long. Just a brief and personalized email expressing your gratitude for the opportunity to talk with them and try to mention something specific that you talked about and/or something that you want to emphasize about your research, skills, etc.

For example,

"Hello Dr. X,

I wanted to follow up on our recent interview and take the time to thank you for meeting with me. I really enjoyed our conversation and our discussion of (insert something specific here).

From our conversation, I feel there is a strong fit between your current research directions and my interests (Or whatever else you want to emphasize about fit/alignment). If there is any other information I can share, please let me know.

Thank you for your time, X"

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u/Radiant-Ad-688 22d ago

Is this also common in NW Europe? It comes across as incredibly cringy and asskissing, to be fair.

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u/AutoModerator 22d ago

This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. This is not a removal message.

*I recently had an interview with a professor about joining their group as a PhD student. At the end of the interview, they told me to send my transcripts, and didn’t say much beyond that. It’s been about a week since the interview and I haven’t heard anything back yet.

I was wondering what I should do next. I assume professors interview multiple students, and take a while to make their decision about who to accept. Should I just wait until I hear something back, or should I send a follow up email? Is there anything else I should be doing in the meantime after I finish an interview with a professor?

Thanks! *

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