复试心里没底?快来试试这几招!

小白老师2018/03/27备考指南

摘要: 本文提供了一份针对博士复试常见英文面试问题的实用应答策略指南,内容基于一位英语母语者制作的指导视频,并由作者听写整理,旨在帮助考生缓解焦虑、提升面试表现。

  • 博士复试常见问题包括研究动机、个人优势、研究计划、教学能力等七个核心方面,需提前准备结构化回答。
  • 回答“为何选择本校”时,应结合具体院系或导师的研究成果,展现匹配度与诚意。
  • 在阐述个人优势或弱点时,需辅以具体事例,并将弱点转化为已改进或非关键领域的不足。
  • 研究计划应回答得有野心且具体,涵盖短期与长期目标、经费来源及预期成果(如论文发表)。
  • 教学相关问题需结合院系现有课程设置,提出切实可行的新课构想,并说明教学方法与评估方式。

小白老师说:全国医学博士英语的成绩一般都是 4 月中旬公布,也有一些学校晚一些,到 5 月份才公布。建议大家一方面密切关注报考的学校官网通知;另一方面与其焦虑不安,不如做点有用的,好好准备一下复试。

小白老师翻墙两天(好累喔~),终于发掘出了一个超级实用的指导博士面试的视频,策略老到,技巧娴熟,深谙导师心理。因为是 English native speaker 录的,所以语言百分百地道。

这个视频本身是没有字幕的,为了方便大家理解,小白老师还特意花时间把视频中的每一句话都听写下来并打出来,附在视频后面,希望能帮到你。

视频中就博士面试中最常见的 7 个经典提问做了分析,并给出了专业指导建议。这 7 个问题是:

  1. So why do you want to study here?
  2. What makes you different from the other candidates?
  3. What are your plans for research?
  4. What courses could you offer to teach?
  5. What are your greatest strengths?
  6. What are your greatest weakness is?
  7. What skills do you have that will help you succeed on this PhD?

以下是小白老师为大家听写好的视频文本,拿走不谢!

Question 1. So why do you want to study here? 你为什么想来这里读博?

This is a popular question that universities ask at entrance interviews. The key to answer this question is to match your answer with your application. Express your interest in the university based on your research.

Explain how you’re impressed with the successes and achievements of the department or a particular academic that will be involved on your course demonstrate your enthusiasm to study at the university. And most importantly explain how you trust it to be the best place to develop your experience and skills.

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Question 2. What makes you different from the other candidates? 是什么让你和其他考生与众不同?

This question is not requesting that you attack the character of your fellow candidates or compare yourself negatively to them. It is shorthand for “why should we hire you” or “Why are you special?” Again think about the person specification and make sure you know what sort of academic they are looking for. Talor your own responses to that as much as possible.

Make sure you give examples from your own history to support your assertions. So for example, if it is an open coming department looking for a high flying rsearcher to boost their reputation, emphasize your role in this. If there is anything you do that makes you stand out, for example scalar area of experience, mention that here, too.

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Question 3. What are your plans for research? 你的研究计划是什么?

This question is obviously asking you to look forward to the future. So drawing up one-year, five-year and ten-year research plans is helpful before going into an interview. If you are completing a PhD and looking for your first job, this might sound a little excessive, but believe me it will make you stand out and be taken seriously.

They will not just want to hear about the topics you wish to cover, but will crucially be interested into other areas — research funding and your output, ie. publications as well as telling them about your exciting projects. Tell them how you’re going to pay for them which grants you will be playful and what published benefits will be in concrete terms.

Aim high at this point. You don’t want to sell yourself short. You can write that monograph or get an article into a world renowned journal. The scope of your ambition will help to sell you as the ideal candidate here. So don’t worry about sounding arrogant.

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Question 4. What courses could you offer to teach? 你可以教什么课?

You want to be seen keen and flexible and show that you are happy to fit in with the department’s teaching requirements. But they also want to hear about new courses that you would like to offer. In order to answer this question, you need to look at the department’s current undergraduate curriculum. That way you can be sure the courses you have invented will fit in with what they offer now.

So if the department already has a course on neuropsychology, do not propose to offer a new one. You have to be careful here. Do not let your creativity run away with you. If you do get the job, your new colleagues might say “I love that course you proposed in your interview. Can you run it next year?”

Make sure you suggest something that you could feasibly teach, preferably based on your previous experienc. Think about whether you would offer it in the first, second or third year and briefly state what some of your teaching exercises and assessment strategies might be. If you could make use of technology, then mention that, too.

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Qustion 5. What are your greatest strengths? 你的优势是什么?

This is your time to shine. If you’ve asked the question, it gives you permission to go all out with listing your best skills. But be careful how many skills you list. Reeling off a list of skills with no evidence won’t impress the panel. Instead focus on three or four skills that make you a great candidate and provide examples you might be creative, a quick learner, flexible, hold great people and teamwork skills. Whatever you’re good at, let them know with examples.

Qustion 6. What are your greatest weakness is? 你最大的弱点是什么?

This is a tricky question that answer nobody is perfect after all. Instead state something which is or was a weakness, but also expalin the steps you put in place to change this. You could always just provide weaknesses the interviewer already knows, such as lacking a post-grad qualification or state weaknesses that aren’t related to the course.

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Qustion 7. What skills do you have that will help you succeed on this PhD? 你的哪些技能可以助你顺利读完博士?

In order to answer this question correctly, you need to make sure you know the area of research like the back of your hand. You need to know what extra duties will be involved, such as teaching practice.

When you know this, you could match your skills to what is required. Don’t be shy in reminding the interviewing panel what is required of a PhD candidate and explain how your skills which you probably mentioned by this point. Match those prerequisites perfectly.

建议大家根据视频的指导,思考一下如果你被问到这些问题,将会如何作答。祝一切顺利。等你好消息喔~

声明:小白老师原创文章欢迎转发朋友圈,但是拒绝任何形式的转载。

常见问题

博士面试中最常被问到哪些问题?

最常见的七个问题是:为何选择该校、你与其他候选人有何不同、研究计划是什么、能教授哪些课程、最大优势、最大弱点,以及哪些技能有助于完成博士学业。

如何回答‘你为什么想来这里读博’?

应回答得具体且真诚,结合申请院系或导师的研究成就,说明该校是发展自身学术能力的最佳平台,并与个人研究兴趣高度契合。

被问到弱点时该怎么回答才不减分?

应选择一个真实但非致命的弱点,并重点说明已采取的改进措施,或将弱点限定在与博士研究无关的领域,避免空泛否认。

是否需要为博士面试准备教学方案?

是的,尤其对于可能承担教学任务的岗位,应提前了解院系现有课程,提出1-2门基于自身经验、可实施的新课设想,并简述教学方法。

参考资料

博士面试7大经典问题解析(小白老师听写版)

内容源自小白老师整理的英语母语者面试指导视频文本,未提供原始视频链接。