Career
Asking someone about their job, and why it works
A short conversation with somebody already doing the work is the cheapest research available, and most people say yes when asked properly.
An informational interview is a request for information, not for a job. Keeping that distinction clear in the request is what makes people agree: it asks for twenty minutes of their experience rather than placing them under an obligation.
What it gives you is current and specific: what the work is actually like day to day, which credentials matter in practice, which employers are regarded well, and what the entry routes are. None of that is reliably available from published sources.
Good questions are about their path and their view, not about vacancies. How they came into the field, what they would do differently, what surprises people, and who else they would suggest speaking to.
Ending by asking for one further introduction is what turns a single conversation into several. Following up afterwards with a short note, and again later with what you did, is what makes the person willing to help again.
What to do next. Ask for twenty minutes about their experience, not about vacancies, and close by asking who else they would suggest.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.