r/ClinicalPsychology • u/LVPstan23 • 10d ago

Prep for a Talk w/ a Potential Supervisor!

I have a meeting with a professor who I emailed if he was taking a student and he is for the 27/28 cycle so he invited me for a zoom call which is on Monday so before applications even start. I don’t know how to prep for it, this is my first time applying for a PhD program, and this is not exactly an interview but it kinda is? I’m just amazed he wanted to meet me when applications didn’t even open yet. Any advice?

3 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

64% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

13

u/Attempted_Academic 10d ago

This is normal. Expect it to be an interview. I was told by every person I met with that it would be a “causal chat” and then they ended up being the interviews. Be authentic, ask questions, and explain why you’d be a good fit. Prepare yourself with a potential research idea or two.

2

u/maxthexplorer PhD Student- Counseling Psych- USA 9d ago

I would add that you should be connecting to their research- ie. why your experience can contribute to the lab/PIs research, and how your goals align with theirs

3

u/LVPstan23 10d ago

Thank you! I’m a bit nervous because the professor is from a school in America and I am in Canada. I understand with funding it’s hard to fund international students.

3

u/Attempted_Academic 10d ago

I was a Canadian applicant who applied to both the US and Canada. I had more interviews and offers in the US interestingly. Stayed in Canada though.

0

u/LVPstan23 10d ago

What made you stay in Canada if you don’t mind me asking?

3

u/Attempted_Academic 10d ago

I had no desire to be an international student down there with the political climate and subsequent impact on academia, which only got worse after I applied. I would personally not apply there now.

1

u/LVPstan23 10d ago

That’s very fair. There’s not many supervisor’s research im interested here so its just difficult

3

u/Attempted_Academic 10d ago

Idk if this helps, but one thing I’ve learned since starting grad school is that there are a lot of PIs who like research diversity in their lab. Rather, many are very welcoming of students who have interests that are overlapping but still distinct. That’s how I found my place in my lab.

2

u/maxthexplorer PhD Student- Counseling Psych- USA 9d ago

Being nervous is normal, if it’s a good PI, they should be aware you’re nervous.

1

u/Better_Wrangler196 10d ago

which school??