Interview debrief

Some of the Phd application interview went okay, and some didn't. I don't know which bits were which and what will count to get me a funded place in the OUBS.

The presentation went as I planned it, so I'll not complain; it's the questions that were hard to anticipate, and indeed none were questions that I had thought they'd ask.

The four interviewers, 2 men, 2 women were all people I've met before.

Questions included:

• What's your unit of analysis? (Female interviewer#1)
• How are you going to theorise this?(FI#1)
• Have you thought about value - I can't remember the exact question.(MI#1)
• How are you going to get access? I'd have thought it would be fraught with ethical problems? (MI#1)

After the question on unit of analysis there was something else, I can't remember what but her response to whatever I said, was "but that's just descriptive" so I inferred that description wasn't good enough. Yes, okay. But if you compare descriptions you'll have a better idea of what's going on - she used the term 'cause and effect'. Yes.

The question on theory is phrased in a manner that means I don't immediately know what she wants and in fact, nearly freeze, thinking that I haven't got any theory, till I remember that although I haven't expected this question, I've anticipated it and jotted notes on structuration, complexity theory, Foucault and actor-network systems. I just don't know which way to go yet. From what she said, I'm afraid that not knowing might be a fault and that I should already know.

What was a success was that the research question is interesting, relevant and topical.

MI#2 asked me to describe my journey over the last year - he wanted reflection, so I said something about at least being able to be here and that I couldn't have coped with this interview last year, and that my marks initially were low, but have got better all year, and that I've learned to write, made contacts in the DTWs and in PACE sessions, and that I can now find research papers on the Internet. FI#1 said something about the 'tools'. Was that good or bad? I don't know.

I think that FI#1 & FI#2 said quite a lot, and I felt I just had to nod and say yes. Does that augur well? Or should I have said more?

There are five or 6 places, and at least six interviewees, though I thought ten had been invited to interview. We won't know the decision for a few days...