Another interview question

[PM2009]

I'm wondering how those with 'extenuating circumstances' that would explain one bad semester ended up approaching the explanation in your interviews. I'm 99% certain I'll be asked about mine in my interview since it's pretty drastic (GPA that semester was a 2.3...every other semester was a 3.6 or higher with one 4.0 semesters).

My problem is that I've always been taught to not make excuses and what not and I feel like launching into a spiel about what happened will make me sound like a whiny, immature child. When I 'interviewed' with the professor that wrote one of my LOR's I simply said I had a few medical issues crop up, missed an exam cycle and worked hard to even achieve C's in those classes. Would this be good enough for an ad comm or do I need to explain the details?

The worst part is that semester was when I took my gross anatomy, physiology (although I've since taken 3 other more advanced phys classes), O chem I and cell bio which really drags down my pre req GPA stats.

Thanks for any advice.

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[twelvetigers]

If you don't want to sound like you're making excuses, then don't make excuses. Just tell them what happened, plain and simple. If you don't want to bee too specific, then don't... but it would probably be easier to just tell them exactly what happened if possible. Do be prepared to explain why you didn't drop that semester - was it too late in the semester?

Otherwise, it happened - nothing to do about it now. Address it and move on.

 

[PM2009]

Thanks and yes it was too late in the semester to drop. I would prefer to just say 'it happened then, it won't happen again. end of story' (only phrased nicer ) but I think that will for sure result in a rejection and was hoping I could get some feedback from people that have had to explain a similar situation as to how much detail was expected of them so I can be prepared. Honestly, to me it's a personal issue and I'm not comfortable talking about the tiny details with strangers but I'm afraid I'll be forced to in order to be admitted.

 

[twelvetigers]

Well, if it makes you uncomfortable, then they have no right to press the issue. They probably want to hear that you had a (serious) health issue with really bad timing, but it was resolved and you showed in future classes that you could handle things fine otherwise.

 

[Willowhand]

Considering you did quite well in all the other semesters, I wouldn't worry about it; I think what you said in the practice interview sounds just right. The one thing I would suggest is that you make it clear that you have caught up in those classes (e.g. showing that you improved your grade in Orgo II, if that is the case). The interviewers are human too; they understand that uncontrollable adversity happens sometimes, and they probably just want to know that you've overcome it and are capable of succeeding in strenuous academics again