I applied through university. I interviewed at University of Rhode Island
Interview
In selecting who gets an assistantship, URI seems like they are trying to centralize the process. However, there remains no in person interview before selection. Hiring is done strictly via resume/CV, cover letter, and references.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Since there was no interview, I would say the most difficult question I got was on arriving to campus to meet the faculty and staff. It was something along the lines of "Do you think you could help some of the new teaching assistants out in setting up for the semester? Some of them have no real experience." While meant as a compliment, I'm sure, it stood to reason that they did not care enough to have a proper training program in place...
Virtual 30 minute interview with 2 full time workers. They asked traditional interview questions, to get to learn more about you. Super friendly and nice people. Gave time to ask questions at the end.
I applied through university. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at University of Rhode Island (Kingston, RI) in Mar 2015
Interview
It was an all-day interview. I met with two main professors for my master's program. I also interviewed for one GA position. (Others got more than one interview invitation for a GA position). I also had a dinner with the professors and other applications and a dinner with current master's students.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a challenge or conflict you've faced at work, and how you dealt with it.