美国研究生申请之——商科面试指南
分类:专家指南2019-11-07
美国商科面试指南
在商科的申请过程中,有一个环节至关重要,那就是面试。商科面试和其他专业的面试一样,都是让招生官了解申请人的最直观的一种方式,招生官会通过其在面试中的各种表现,全面、均衡地去评估申请人的能力,进而通过对比其他申请人来最终确定录取与否。
可以说,面试对于商科申请的录取结果至关重要,那么商科面试的目的是什么呢?或者说,招生官主要是考察哪些点呢? 答案是:1.申请人掌握英文的程度;2.申请人能否对学校做出贡献;3.申请人能否顺利完成学业;4.申请人的性格;5.申请人的逻辑、推理能力;6.申请人的成熟程度。
而从内容上来讲,商科面试主要包括以下这些方面:1. 背景和经历,什么时候做过什么事情,目标是什么,如何完成,结果如何,对自己的影响(体现领导力,团队合作,优势,分析解决问题的能力,个人品质等);2. 为什么申请这个项目?为什么在这个时候申请?项目对你实现职业规划有什么帮助?(现在发展的困境:知识储备,工作经验,社交圈子,发展平台,周边环境等;瓶颈突破:完善知识体系,当地工作机会,新的平台,优秀导师与校友,英语水平,国际视野等。)3. 毕业之后你有什么计划?短期毕业后3年内职业规划;长期毕业10年后职业规划。
以美国某大学官网列出的面试常见问题为例:
Personal Characteristics / Skills / Strengths:
• Tell me about yourself
• What is your strongest personal asset?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses as a student?
• Name 3 strengths that you have and why you consider these strengths.
• What would one of your friends/teachers/supervisors say about you?
• What would a supervisor or professor tell me are your strengths?
Academic Experiences/Performance:
• Why did you major in _________?
• Why did you choose to attend ___________ College/University?
• When did you choose to enter this occupational field and why?
• How did you make the decision to apply to our program? What other programs did you consider?
• How has your undergraduate background prepared you for our program?
• What courses have you enjoyed the most?
• What courses have been most difficult for you?
• What satisfaction have you gained from your studies?
• Tell me about the research project you completed with Professor _________?
• Do you feel your academic record accurately reflects your abilities and potential?
• Do you feel you have worked to your full potential?
• How would you rate yourself in the following areas?
a. Reading and Comprehension
b. Analytical Skills
c. Communication – oral and written, listening
• What didn’t you like about your college/university?
• Tell me about a professor or supervisor that you didn’t like and why.
• Why would you be an asset to our department? How would you be able to contribute to our program?
• What skills and experiences do you feel have prepared you for admission to this program?
• Why should we consider you for our program instead of several other equally qualified candidates?
• How many programs have you applied to besides our institution/program?
• What will you do if you are not accepted into our program?
Extracurricular Activities:
• What extracurricular activity has been most satisfying to you?
• What is the most significant contribution you have made to your school?
• What activities do you enjoy most outside of the classroom?
• Do you have any hobbies or outside interests?
• Tell me about any volunteer experiences in which you have participated.
Weaknesses:
• What challenges do you think you might face in the graduate program?
• What would you say is an area in which you need improvement?
• What would you change about yourself and why?
• What skills or abilities do you hope to strengthen through our program?
Goals:
• What has motivated you to pursue this academic field?
• What are your short-term and long-term goals?
• Why do you want a graduate degree in ___________?
• How do you see this program fitting into your career goals?
• Tell me about a goal you have set for yourself and how you have achieved it or intend to achieve it.
Leadership/Teamwork/Problem Solving Skills, etc.:
• Tell me about a major accomplishment and how you achieved it.
• Tell me about a situation in which you showed initiative.
• Tell me about a group in which you were involved. How did you contribute to make this group achieve a goal?
• Tell me about a time you assumed a leadership role.
• Tell me about a recent significant problem you faced and how you handled it.
• Tell me how you handle stress.
• Tell me about a time you had a number of assignments due. How did you make sure you completed all of them on time and did a good job?
• Tell me about a time when you were confronted by a fellow student, co-worker or a customer. How did you handle it to resolve the conflict?
• Tell me about a time you were faced with a difficult situation and how you handled it.
• Tell me about a mistake you made and how you handled it.
• Define teamwork (or success… quality… fairness)
• What was the last book you read or movie you saw?
• How will you make the world a better place?
• If you could have dinner with someone (living or dead), who would that person be?
Field Specific Questions & Current Events:
You will undoubtedly encounter questions that related specifically to your chosen field of study. Be certain that you are aware of current trends, issues and controversy in your field so that you will be able to answer questions intelligibly. Below are a few examples:
• What do you believe to be the major trends in your intended career field at this time?
• What do you think about _____________ (current event)?
• What problem in the world troubles you most? What would you do about it?
• What is the most important development in this field over the past 25 years, and why?
以上皆为面试中出现频次比较高的问题,当然,不同的学校,不同的学校、不同的招生官也会根据学生不同的背景提出不同的问题。简而言之,申请人首先需要充分的了解自己(熟悉简历的每一项内容),包括正确认识自己的优劣势、优缺点、跟别人不一样的地方、兴趣爱好、目前面临的发展局限、需要获取的知识和技能、本专业的理解和知识的应用等。其次,申请人还需要深入了解学校和项目特点,比如课程设置、师资和校友资源、科研项目、实习机会、就业指导等等。然后,申请人还需要事先思考自己能为学校做的贡献以及学校能给自己带来的帮助,找到自己和要申请项目的契合点。最后,准备3-5个想问对方的问题:环境,学费,program时长,奖学金等。
还是以美国某大学官网列出的面试常见问题为例:
Questions Applicants Might Ask an Interviewer:
Asking questions not only helps you as a candidate determine the “fit” of the program with your desired academic and career objectives, but it also communicates to the selection committee the extent of your interest in their program:
• What characteristics distinguish this program from others in the same academic field?
• How long does it take typically to complete the program?
• Where are recent alumni employed? What do most graduates do after graduation?
• What types of financial aid are offered? What criteria are used for choosing recipients?
• What opportunities are available through the program to gain practical work experience? Are there opportunities such as assistantships, fellowships or internships available? What are the deadlines to apply for these opportunities?
• Are there any scholarships or fellowships available? How do I apply?
• Do most students publish an article/conduct research prior to graduation?
• I've read articles written by ________ and __ --____. To what extent are students involved in assisting these faculty members with related research projects?
• What types of research projects are current students pursuing?
• How are graduate test scores, grades, letters of recommendations, and personal statements evaluated for the admissions process?
• What is the selection timeline? When will candidates be notified about their acceptance into the program?
了解了面试可能会涉及的内容,接下来我们再熟悉一下面试的流程。首先是面试的形式,目前,最常见的面试主要包括视频面试、电话面试、访华现场面试、到校面试等。面试时间主要通过跟学校邮件确认,当然,也有一些学校是需要进入专门的预约系统来进行选择,例如CWRU, Denver等。还有一些学校,例如JHU,则需要在提交网申之前在系统录制好面试视频。
最后,我们再总结一下准备面试时需要注意的问题:
1. 如果知道面试官姓名,可提前查询面试官背景,搜索对方可能会出的题目,如果未知,还是先梳理常见面试问题
2. “STAR”原则:无论是从哪个维度提问,都会聚焦于某一时刻的某一件做过的事,因此“基于行为的事件描述”是核心。Situation: 描述事件发生时的环境;Task: 事件中要实现的目标或任务;Action: 具体的时间发生过程;Result: 事件之后产生的结果或影响
3. 提前调试好设备
4. 着装适宜
5. 回答提问时不要说得太少也不要滔滔不绝,不要说谎
6. 不要有小动作:转笔,理头发等
7. 尽量不要背诵
8. 放慢语速,自信表达
9. 注意礼貌,面试之后,我们可以礼貌性的给面试官写封邮件,反馈面试的心得和表示的感谢
10. 一定要注意中美时差:夏令时(3月11日至11月7日):东部时间(EST)12小时,中部时间(CST)13小时,山地时间(MST)14小时,太平洋时间(PST)15小时;冬令时(11月8日至次年3月11日):东部时间(EST)13小时,中部时间(CST)14小时,山地时间(MST)15小时,太平洋时间(PST)16小时
