PhD Journey Insights and Lessons Shared | Generated by AI
Here’s a structured set of possible interview questions you could ask your schoolmate, tailored to his background and what you want to learn:
Part 1. Personal Journey & Motivation
- What first motivated you to pursue a PhD in the U.S.?
- How did your experiences at Beijing Forestry University, BUPT, and ACM ICPC shape your decision?
- Why Texas A\&M specifically, and how did you choose it among other options?
Part 2. Application Process
- How did you prepare your PhD applications (CV, SOP, recommendation letters)?
- You once mentioned emailing hundreds of professors—can you share how you structured those emails, and what worked vs. what didn’t?
- What were the biggest obstacles you faced as a Chinese student applying to U.S. PhD programs?
- Looking back, what do you think was the decisive factor in finally securing an offer?
Part 3. Life as a PhD Student
- Once you got in, what surprised you most about the PhD experience in the U.S.?
- Since you enjoy coding more than writing papers, how did you balance that with academic expectations?
- Were there moments you thought of quitting or switching paths? How did you get through them?
- What skills or habits from your PhD still benefit you now at Google?
Part 4. Research & Autokeras
- How did the Autokeras project start, and how did it grow to 7k+ stars?
- How did working on open-source differ from academic research?
- What advice would you give to students who prefer coding/building over publishing?
- How did your PhD advisor view your focus on open-source vs. papers?
Part 5. Career & Broader Lessons
- How did your PhD experience prepare you for working at Google?
- What’s the biggest difference between doing research in academia vs. working in industry?
- If you could restart your journey, what would you do differently?
- What advice would you give Chinese undergrads today who dream of doing a PhD in the U.S.?
Part 6. Personal Reflection
- What mindset helped you keep going through rejections, obstacles, and cultural adjustments?
- Do you think there’s a “special way” or unique strategy that helped you succeed?
- Looking forward, do you plan to keep contributing to open-source or shift focus?
👉 Tip: Since you only have one hour, maybe choose 10–12 priority questions spread across these sections. Start with his personal story (easy to warm up), then move into PhD application insights (your main interest), and leave some time for Autokeras and reflections at the end.
Do you want me to also draft a tight one-hour flow/agenda with time allocation (e.g., 5 min intro, 20 min application process, etc.) so you won’t run out of time?