"biggest weakness" question

[ezmoney1]

how did you answer the question, "what is your biggest weakness", at your interviews?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MrTee]

I usually say "I have none. Next question?"

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

you should not feel uncomfortable when asked this question. every single person in the world has weaknesses, and interviewers know that. the birghtest of the bright have weaknesses. however, it takes a strong person to be at peace with these weaknesses, to accept them, acknowledge them and work to improve them. a weak person will deny them.

usually my answer was something like "i tend to lose focus at times," or "sometimes my motivation is not always what it should be, but i am working on improving that." this should be satisfactory.

 

[adoggie]

i just had an interview to volunteer at a hospital today and wound up saying something along the lines of not communicating too darn effectively... then i... ahhh.

 

[MoosePilot]

Go out on a limb - be honest. As long as you follow with how you plan to minimize the negative impacts of your weakness, I think you'd be ok.

 

[striped sweater]

how did you answer the question, "what is your biggest weakness", at your interviews?

starbucks mocha-chip frappuccino

 

[dentite001]

Strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin. They are in the eye of the beholder. For example, you might say that your greatest weakness is that you are an over achiever, and at times you don't have time to be social.

 

[45408]

I'm an unrelenting perfectionist who tends to ignore everything else at the sake of achieving perfection.












just kidding. I have a raging temper that becomes terribly violent when I haven't slept at least 12 hours the night before.

Seriously though? I was losing motivation last semester and had trouble applying myself to my work.

 

[beastly115]

Say you're indecisive. Then stop talking.

 

[eralza]

I had this at about 4 interviews. I said that I was intolerant of group members who didn't carry their load. I also said I was a bit impatient.

 

[Law2Doc]

I had this at about 4 interviews. I said that I was intolerant of group members who didn't carry their load. I also said I was a bit impatient.

I agree with the two sides of the coin/eye of the beholder post above. Just make sure you find something better than saying you are "too much of a perfectionist" because I'm told that 90% of premeds use this one, and the admissions people are tired of it...
Maybe say your greatest weakness is kryptonite

 

[brucecat]

i usually say that i'm too modest at times, and that especially in situations like this interview, my modesty can hurt me... this is, by the way, true--i don't like to talk myself up.. but it's also a weakness that is a strength at many times, and i talk about how modesty is a strength at other times in my life.. i also like the undercurrent of irony as i tell the interviewer how my modesty makes me such a great person

 

[Haybrant]

i usually say that i'm too modest at times, and that especially in situations like this interview, my modesty can hurt me... this is, by the way, true--i don't like to talk myself up.. but it's also a weakness that is a strength at many times, and i talk about how modesty is a strength at other times in my life.. i also like the undercurrent of irony as i tell the interviewer how my modesty makes me such a great person

im glad you pointed that out b.c i woulda missed it funny stuff; did the interviewer get it?

 

[JDAWG07]

This was always the hardest for me to answer - and not because I don't think I have weaknesses. It's just hard to admit them to people who are holding your future in their hands and these weaknesses might hold me back from being the best that I can be. Usually, I just half-assed the answer and ended up saying something like I obsess about certain things and it holds me back from letting myself go and enjoy life sometimes. This is most certainly true, but what other premeds don't have this weakness? And to be honest, I believe this is what they are expecting us to say. If we said anything more major, then it would probably hurt us.

 

[teh-t]

one of my interviewers asked me a different q.
"if i gave you this folder and left the room, what would you erase or change?"

i told him my undergrad GPA is not what i am capable of, perhaps I was not as serious of a student as I should have been, but with the experience and skills I gained in my phd work there is no question if given the chance to do it all over again, I would excel.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I usually mention my shyness. I then explain how I have worked at improving in this area.

 

[blingblah]

Like someone already said, show some weakness that you are trying overcome or in the course of your college career doesnt matter. For example, I am not a good speaker among large groups of people but I was a resident advisor or a TA. I practise in front of a mirror before big discussions etc. So it shows that you have taken steps to improve on a "weakness."

or the one I used was that my writing is not that good.. wordy blah blah (as u notice!!) But then I showed the grades I got in my advanced composition classes as proof that I work hard at them blah blah. also dont use that "perfectionist" theory, even if its true; its been done to death.

 

[Shades McCool]

I always turn it around and give them my biggest strength.

 

[adoggie]

one of my interviewers asked me a different q.
"if i gave you this folder and left the room, what would you erase or change?"

i told him my undergrad GPA is not what i am capable of, perhaps I was not as serious of a student as I should have been, but with the experience and skills I gained in my phd work there is no question if given the chance to do it all over again, I would excel.

now that's brilliant

 

[watsupdoc15]

This is kind of abstract but you could say that you lack wisdom, because...we all do, but it would be noble of you if you can admit that you don't know everything and the only way to know about a lot of things is to experience it. I mean, i know everything but for the rest of you just joking...seriously....but really, you only gain wisdom through experience, and how easy does something look in retrospect? On the contrary, that can be turned into a strength by exposing yourself to a lot of situations and you can tell them that you're eager to listen to those that have experienced many situations in medicine, then to indulge yourself in becoming proficient in performing those tasks as well...sorry if this sounds like i'm b.s.ing but we are trying to get accepted to med school here

 

[UCLAreject]

"i underestimate myself at times",
its probably the strongest weakness i have

 

[NubianPrincess]

too damn sexy

 

[rugirlie]

I definitely don't say a real weakness... I take something that really isn't my fault or whatever and turn it into a weakness... lately i've been saying that i'm naive, most likely due to my suburban upbringing, and that is part of the reason i want to come to ur med school (being that it is in a city, and i applied to mostly city schools)

 

[45408]

one of my interviewers asked me a different q.
"if i gave you this folder and left the room, what would you erase or change?"

i told him my undergrad GPA is not what i am capable of, perhaps I was not as serious of a student as I should have been, but with the experience and skills I gained in my phd work there is no question if given the chance to do it all over again, I would excel.

I think the correct answer was "I'm honest - I would never change anything."

Seriously though, I'd change a few undergrad grades and add some volunteer hours.

 

[Ambs]

I definitely don't say a real weakness... I take something that really isn't my fault or whatever and turn it into a weakness... lately i've been saying that i'm naive, most likely due to my suburban upbringing, and that is part of the reason i want to come to ur med school (being that it is in a city, and i applied to mostly city schools)

Nice ...answering their question and getting some brownie points too,

I've usually said I have a sweet tooth.. but I work out regularly to make up for it. At one of my interviews, I said this and the fact that I love to bake, and the interviewer was also a huge fan of baking.. the rest of the interview, we talked about desserts, recipes, the Food Network, baking techniques (yeah, for 30 minutes)... At the end of the interview, she said something like, I'll have to try your brownies this fall!

 

[rugirlie]

Awesome AMBS!! Now, did you get inot that school? This is going back to the whole thread about good interviews not necessarily leading to acceptances? As of yet, I haven't heard back from where I interviewed so I can't personally comment, so please share.

 

[Ambs]

Awesome AMBS!! Now, did you get inot that school? This is going back to the whole thread about good interviews not necessarily leading to acceptances? As of yet, I haven't heard back from where I interviewed so I can't personally comment, so please share.

Yeah, I got in!

 

[funshine]

"i underestimate myself at times",
its probably the strongest weakness i have

some of these are so fake though. and make you look totally self-serving/self-righteous.
I don't think interviewers ask you that question with the intention of having you wimp out on judging yourself.

Of course, some weaknesses don't look as bad as others. For ex, I can't think of a worse weakness than "poor communication skills" or "unable to express oneself." I would say a lot of ppl I've met, including myself, are lacking in that area, but I wouldn't volunteer it at any interview.

 

[Fed Meat]

lately i've been saying that i'm naive, most likely due to my suburban upbringing, and that is part of the reason i want to come to ur med school (being that it is in a city, and i applied to mostly city schools)

Honestly, if I got this answer, I'd probably roll my eyes.

 

[UCLAreject]

the thing is though, underestimating myself is a real weakness that i have, whether or not he/she thinks it is fake is up to them and i could care less at that point. i am already skeptical about this whole application process, if they are gonna think we are lying when we are actually telling the truth than i would lose lose any remaining faith altogether. btw isnt the whole point of interviews to be a little self-serving?? in my opinion there is nothing wrong with telling interviewers what they wanna hear while being honest, humble and self-serving.

 

[rugirlie]

Honestly, if I got this answer, I'd probably roll my eyes.

Well I've def given that answer so I guess I should be glad you didn't interview me. That or glad the interviewers kept their eye rolling to a minimum for the sake of politeness...

 

[nadica31]

will it sound bad if i say that i find it very hard to admit when im wrong, since i always strive to be the best, thus it hurts when you meat a failure? do you guys think it might sound bad because a doctor needs to be able to admit to their patient if they do something wrong, or maybe i can twist it around, saying that i am learning to admit mistakes even though in myself i still nurture the thought that i wasn't quite wrong