Applying to graduate school is a complex situation that is detailed in blogs and books available all over the internet. The key point for a social science position was to make sure I had developed a connection with the research faculty I wanted to work with beforehand. After applying, I was invited to a 'visiting weekend' where the applicants get to meet and chat with faculty and current students. This is usually a full-day (or more) of meeting and interviewing with multiple people in the department; which feels much more like a meet and greet than an interview. This is fairly standard practice for graduate recruitment, and is used to assess fit between the applicant and graduate program. In general, I had a very smooth interview process and found out the decision a few weeks later.