Hertz Fellowship interview questions

The Hertz Fellowship Program is a prestigious, competitive fellowship program that provides financial and professional support to potential PhD students who demonstrate exceptional aptitude in mathematics, science, and engineering. If you are considering applying for this prestigious fellowship program, it is important to be aware of the potential interview questions that you may be asked. Preparing ahead of time and familiarizing yourself with some of the most common questions will help you make the best impression possible and maximize your chances of success. In this blog post, we will be detailing some of the most common Hertz Fellowship interview questions so that you can be well-prepared for your upcoming interview.

Tales From the Hertz Interview

Although it sounds cliched, this is actually one of the least likely outcomes for any academic doctor. Everyone expresses interest in doing so because they believe admissions committees will be interested in hearing it. They may be right. Many of us express this because we genuinely want to do it. According to my anecdotal observations of faculty over the years, however, the actual number of MDs and MD/PhDs who successfully achieve synergy between three extremely demanding and occasionally conflicting endeavors is low.

I discussed the UCLA senior design project I worked on, in which we tried to decrease cell death in polymer scaffolds by seeding cells in a gradient to better control oxygen consumption and diffusion. Due to the COMSOL’s mathematical complexity, our team was only able to use 1 or 2 dimensional modeling. We created polymer discs that perfectly matched the computational and experimental paradigms by fabricating them to fit in the wells of a 48-well plate. We stacked discs with various cell densities similar to stacking pancakes with various chocolate chip densities to rudimentarily control cell distribution.

I discussed the role of heat transfer in creating the ideal filet mignon. Pink in the center, but seared and covered in a gorgeous crust on the outside To lock in the color and flavor (Maillard reaction), you must use high, intense heat at first. Then, you must lower the heat to gently cook the center of the meat farther away from the heat source. You can sear on the stovetop and then transfer to a convection oven for more even diffusion.

1. Would ethanol-based hand sanitizer work the same way with bacteria instead of viruses, and would it be preferred over hand washing (soap and water)? 2 How would you arrange the 20 balls—10 black and 10 white—into the two urns to give yourself the best chance of drawing a black ball?

On the day of the interview, I got there at the hotel about an hour early and used that time to review some last equations and learn a few more constants (such as the gas constant and Avogadro’s number). ), none of which proved useful in the actual interview. I entered the interview room two minutes before my scheduled time and was greeted by my interviewer. He was very cordial, and we conversed briefly while he set up the water pitcher, glasses, and his notebook. We started the formal interview after I offered to pour us both some water.

Given that the Hertz Foundation primarily awards fellowships to candidates in the physical, chemical, and engineering sciences and has only recently added the field of quantitative biology to its list of acceptable disciplines, my circumstance was a little unusual. I’m a biologist with a background in quantitative genetics, just to give you a little background I studied biology at the University of Utah, and the majority of my courses emphasized the more traditional aspects of the subject. Because of this, I believed that I might not have been adequately prepared for a technical interview, like the Hertz, that placed a strong emphasis on math and physics, given my education. I’ve listed the courses I think would have been beneficial to have taken before my interview below:

* Northwestern University — S 2014 — Quantitative Genetics * Princeton University — S 2012 — Quantitative Genetics * University of Utah — AY 2011/2012 — Genetics/Molecular Biology * University of Utah — AY 2012/2013 — Genetics/Neuroscience * Northwestern University — S 2013 — Quantitative Genetics * University of Utah — AY 2013/2014 — Genetics/Cell Motility * Northwestern University — S 2014 — Quantitative

This was probably the most enjoyable part of the interview because it was obvious from my questions that my interviewer had strong opinions on these topics. His responses were all interesting and enlightening. After about 20 minutes of discussion on these subjects, we came to an end, and the interview became much less formal.

I received valuable fellowship advice from online academic blogs and wanted to repay the favor, especially since I have a slightly different viewpoint on how to succeed in the Hertz fellowship. This post was written immediately following my second round interview, and I have queued it to be published once I learn the outcome of the fellowship.

I just finished my second interview and am currently feeling pretty rekt. Fundamentally, their decision will depend on whether they believe that my research vision will make up for my lack of technical expertise. When the results are known, I’ll update this post, but as of right now, I don’t know if I was awarded the fellowship.

Tips from a Hertz Fellow (not me)

Thanks to Christian for the tips!

FAQ

What questions do they ask in a fellowship interview?

• Tell me about yourself (professionally speaking).
• Why are you interested in our institution?
• What do you think sets us apart from other institutions?
• In today’s evolving healthcare environment, what qualities do you think it takes to be a leader and why?

How competitive is Hertz Fellowship?

The finalists, who represent 17 universities and were chosen from more than 900 applicants, move on to the final round of interviews for one of the nation’s most competitive and sought-after fellowships.

How do you prepare for a fellowship interview?

1. Expect more than 1 interviewer. …
2. Dress Accordingly. …
3. Preparation is essential. …
4. Re-read Your Application (repeatedly). …
5. Keep Up on Current Events. …
6. Give Short Answers. …
7. Body Language and Speech are Key. …
8. Be Yourself.

How do you stand out in a fellowship interview?

1. Know about the award. You should be familiar with the background, aims, and mission of your fellowship as well as how your contributions fit in.
2. Review your application. …
3. Be a well-informed citizen. …
4. Be interested.