Dartmouth Graduate Program Interview Questions
& Process

I kind of had a weird interview process because I didn't actually plan to apply to grad school at Dartmouth, but I ended up talking to some professors there. They told me to apply, I got accepted, and that was it. Dartmouth is great because it's small enough that individual professors and students can really influence the department, and the higher-ups trust the professors a lot. Usually, though, the way to apply is to first get in touch with a professor and ask if they're taking grad students. That's a super important first step. Then, you fill out the online application, send your transcripts, and all that. If they like your application, they'll invite you for an interview. They fly you to Hanover for a recruitment weekend. This weekend involves giving a presentation to the whole department, watching presentations from other applicants and professors (asking questions during these talks is a good way to get noticed), and meeting with individual professors. Basically, it's a weekend where you feel like you're being watched, competing with others, and just generally stressed out. After that, you go home, wait a few weeks, and hope for the best.

For international applicants, the process started with a 30-minute Zoom interview with a student and a faculty member. Now, the number of interviewers has grown to 3-5 faculty members, and there's also a virtual recruitment event.

The interview process at Dartmouth is pretty laid-back. Current students will show prospective students around the labs and the local area. Prospective students will get to meet with up to 6 principal investigators to talk about research interests, which helps them choose rotation labs.