Most difficult question you have been asked at an Interview?

[Just Joshin]

Man, you guys are cold. I'm sorry, but nothing could ever make me sell my daughter into prostitution. You're sacrificing her to save your other kid, but she's your kid too. She deserves your protection as much as the other and if you think that she has any kind of life as a prostitute, you're crazy.

I'm sorry, but as a father, your responses just make my skin crawl. I'd rather we all die than to turn my back on one of my children and send her to be used and abused while me, my wife, and my son "enjoy" our life on the farm.

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[PremedIowa]

Toughest question:

"Compare and contrast government interventions in smoking and trans fats."

If you do not keep up on news or panic in unfamiliar situations, that one would be a doozy.

 

[deleted316655]

the question that NO ONE can prepare for

My ethical question at Boston University from the chair/dean of the public health school/program (he is an MD/MPH). he also happens to be the individual who runs the health care system in Lesotho (the landlocked island in South Africa) and frequently travels to Indonesia (i skipped a lot of this info so you don't have to read it all):

"So Indonesia is a poor country with many of its citizens living in rural areas relying on an agricultural lifestyle for money and sustenance. Generally, each family has an ox to help on the farm, particularly with the crops. Without an ox, studies have shown that in a family of four, one of the two children will die of malnutrition within 1 year of losing your one ox.

You are the father of a 10 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. Your wife and two children help you on the farm to survive (food, money etc). Unfortunately, one day your ox dies. There is no way to get another ox, as they are $20. You do not have that much money and cannot get that much money as you no longer have an ox to help you with the crops. Surely, one of your two children will die within the year of malnutrition.

One day, a strange man happens upon your farm. He offers you $20 in exchange for your 12 year old daughter, whom he will take into the the city and make her work in prostitution. Do you accept this offer?"

.....curious to hear what you guys think is the right answer. i got it right, according to my interviewer.

I personally would never sell my daughter in to prostitution. That's just unbelievable. If the roles were reversed and I was the daughter I think I would rather die than do that. There are two toher things though. One of the parents should sacrifice their life and give their food to one of the children. That is what a good parent would most likely do. Also, there are a lot of factors that have to be looked at including religion, chance of being freed, maturity of the daughter, and how the entire family would handle the situation.

 

[jturkel]

Kill the man, take his $20.

if only the answer could be that easy.

Man, you guys are cold. I'm sorry, but nothing could ever make me sell my daughter into prostitution. You're sacrificing her to save your other kid, but she's your kid too. She deserves your protection as much as the other and if you think that she has any kind of life as a prostitute, you're crazy.

I'm sorry, but as a father, your responses just make my skin crawl. I'd rather we all die than to turn my back on one of my children and send her to be used and abused while me, my wife, and my son "enjoy" our life on the farm.

1) you don't know which could would die. it could be either
2) it has nothing to do with being cold. it comes down to this: either you sell her or ONE of your kids dies. what is worse to you? would you rather your child die? or save both of your kids so they have the opportunity to live?

i wouldn't let anyone die. it isn't about turning a back on anyone. it is about what is best for your kids and your family. death is in no one's best interests.

while i understand your perspective, your response would not have gone well with the interviewer. and remember, this is in Indonesia, not America....and 90% of mothers interviewed said they would sell their daughter.

 

[peaceandrelease]

Some of the most interesting (and perhaps toughest) "curveball" questions I have encountered:

1. Teach us something.
2. Tell us a joke.

There are others that I can't remember at the moment.

 

[jturkel]

I personally would never sell my daughter in to prostitution. That's just unbelievable. If the roles were reversed and I was the daughter I think I would rather die than do that. There are two toher things though. One of the parents should sacrifice their life and give their food to one of the children. That is what a good parent would most likely do. Also, there are a lot of factors that have to be looked at including religion, chance of being freed, maturity of the daughter, and how the entire family would handle the situation.

without an ox, one child will die first. without four people and no ox (so three people and no ox...) you will be unable to get by and will die b/c not enough work will get done.

i tried every way to get myself out of this question by throwing out possiblities to my interviewer like the one you suggested, but he shot them all down. it was an interview. could be a real life situation, but in real life, like many of you, i would have probably killed the guy.

all of your responses are why i posted this question in this thread. it was an absolutely RIDICULOUS question.

 

[jturkel]

Some of the most interesting (and perhaps toughest) "curveball" questions I have encountered:

1. Teach us something.
2. Tell us a joke.

There are others that I can't remember at the moment.

I had that first one. The Dean at the University of Chicago asked me that one in my interview. I was definitely caught off guard, but quickly recovered and proceeded to teach him how to waterski! (i'm a certified waterski instructor)

 

[Excelsius]

...i looked for every way out of this only to have him shoot me down each time as not being a possibility. His responses for the other possibilities I suggested would have led him to say that sending the daughter off to the city without getting an ox would never get her the 20 bucks. She would have never made it to the city as it is far away or something. It just wouldn't have been an option. He may have also said that if you send one kid off without getting $20, you will be another person short and will be unable to successfully cultivate your crops since you just barely get by with everyone's help. there just is no other choice. it's just those two in the scenario he presented.

ironically, after this question, he asked me about my thoughts on prostitution, which led to his telling me a story about a friend of his who started off as a high school drop out, then a prostitute, then massage therapist with happy endings (yes, my interviewer said that), supported her 2 kids this way and her education.....and then after i told him my feelings about prostitution, told me the punch line that she is now the CEO of a huge software company. utterly ridiculous. he swears it is true. i wasn't about to argue that point with him lol.



he woudn't want your wife. she would be too old probably.

I don't agree with your assertion that your answer was necessarily right. In ethical situations there are hardly any clearly right or wrong answers, especially in this case.

You basically have a 12 year old girl - pre-pubescent. This is not a case of mere prostitution, but of pedophilia, rape, and brutality. Your knowledge of biology might tell you that the girl would not have fully developed organs capable of carrying out a sexual intercourse. Without going into details, sexual consequences could be dire, especially considering that puberty in third world countries is reached much later than in USA, where a girl can start having sex in middle school. Also, while your interviewer described one extreme outlier, perhaps he discounted the infinitesimal probability of a girl turning out ok after such an ordeal at such a young age in such a particular country. Many children in the US have psychological disturbances because their parents are abusive. They never really recover. Now compare that abuse to a life of eternal rape since you're 12 and in a third world area. So that CEO example of a prostitute is completely out of place and impertinent.

The bottom line is that the only time where the girl can be sold to prostitution is when she is old enough to make her own decision whether to face possible death at home or go into prostitution (you never know if your family might be one of the lucky ones to get a child adopted in the next year, could be more likely than a prostitute becoming a CEO). In that case, two things happen: 1.the girl might turn out ok in the end because she was primed psychologically and was aware that her parents loved her, but physically were unable to support her (it was her decision to go); and 2. she will be physically developed enough to actually be able to have an intercourse. Therefore, in addition to all the problems mentioned above, selling a 12 year old also misses another important ethical aspect - her consent. It is none of your business to sell her to prostitution if she chooses to die instead.

There are children dying around the world every day and yet I am sure that if all these people decided to sell their children to prostitution, almost all of them would survive simply because there is a market for that full of pedophiles. This is why the assertion that prostitution is the correct answer is highly unlikely. And unless your interviewer was humoring you, I would question his ethics as well unless he had better reasoning than a prostitute-turned-CEO.

I will say that your dilemma was not an easy one though and if you correctly expressed your answer choice, it would be good enough. Nice question, especially with the right interviewer.

 

[jturkel]

I don't agree with your assertion that your answer was necessarily right. In ethical situations there are hardly any clearly right or wrong answers, especially in this case.

You basically have a 12 year old girl - pre-pubescent. This is not a case of mere prostitution, but of pedophilia, rape, and brutality. Your knowledge of biology might tell you that the girl would not have fully developed organs capable of carrying out a sexual intercourse. Without going into details, sexual consequences could be dire, especially considering that puberty in third world countries is reached much later than in USA, where a girl can start having sex in middle school. Also, while your interviewer described one extreme outlier, perhaps he discounted the infinitesimal probability of a girl turning out ok after such an ordeal at such a young age in such a particular country. Many children in the US have psychological disturbances because their parents are abusive. They never really recover. Now compare that abuse to a life of eternal rape since you're 12 and in a third world area. So that CEO example of a prostitute is completely out of place and impertinent.

The bottom line is that the only time where the girl can be sold to prostitution is when she is old enough to make her own decision whether to face possible death at home or go into prostitution (you never know if your family might be one of the lucky ones to get a child adopted in the next year, could be more likely than a prostitute becoming a CEO). In that case, two things happen: 1.the girl might turn out ok in the end because she was primed psychologically and was aware that her parents loved her, but physically were unable to support her (it was her decision to go); and 2. she will be physically developed enough to actually be able to have an intercourse. Therefore, in addition to all the problems mentioned above, selling a 12 year old also misses another important ethical aspect - her consent. It is none of your business to sell her to prostitution if she chooses to die instead.

There are children dying around the world every day and yet I am sure that if all these people decided to sell their children to prostitution, almost all of them would survive simply because there is a market for that full of pedophiles. This is why the assertion that prostitution is the correct answer is highly unlikely. And unless your interviewer was humoring you, I would question his ethics as well unless he had better reasoning than a prostitute-turned-CEO.

I will say that your dilemma was not an easy one though and if you correctly expressed your answer choice, it would be good enough. Nice question, especially with the right interviewer.

nicely written. i don't approve of my decision....like i said, in real life, i would probably rob the guy or do something to avoid this happening. adoption wasn't an option.

being it is an ethical question, it is quite possible there is more than one answer. although he agreed with my answer and supported it with a survey study of Indonesian mothers, i feel the question was asked more so to hear and understand my reasoning/thinking process.

i guess he was just more convincing b/c he has done extensive public health work around the world and said that was the correct answer lol.

either way, if you guys go to Boston University, beware the ethical interivew questions! (i actually talked with the Dean Witzburg right after this interview and he told me that my interviewer always asks that question and his questions are generally perceived as the most difficult. oh well. lol.

 

[Just Joshin]

1) you don't know which could would die. it could be either
2) it has nothing to do with being cold. it comes down to this: either you sell her or ONE of your kids dies. what is worse to you? would you rather your child die? or save both of your kids so they have the opportunity to live?

I'd rather we all die. As I said, as a father, there is just no way I would give my daughter away to a life of prostitution. Anyone who says they would is either not a father or someone who has no idea what prostitution (especially in that part of the world where little girls are used as sex slaves) is like.

i wouldn't let anyone die. it isn't about turning a back on anyone.

Of course it is. You're turning your back on your daughter and saying it's okay for her to be tortured, used, and abused so long as you, your wife, and your son live happily ever after on the farm. Do you really think that you're giving her a "better" life? You do realize that most people would rather die than be a sex slave, right?

while i understand your perspective, your response would not have gone well with the interviewer.

You don't know that. You're just saying that because the interviewer told you that you gave the "right" answer. He could have been schmoozing you for all you know. Anyway, I don't really care what the interviewer thinks. Anyone who condones selling a 12-year-old girl into sexual slavery has something wrong with them and frankly, I'd rather be on the other side of the aisle.

and remember, this is in Indonesia, not America....and 90% of mothers interviewed said they would sell their daughter.

Yeah, and in some countries they kill baby girls just because they're baby girls. Doesn't mean I'd say it's okay to do so.

 

[Kimaris]

the question that NO ONE can prepare for

My ethical question at Boston University from the chair/dean of the public health school/program (he is an MD/MPH). he also happens to be the individual who runs the health care system in Lesotho (the landlocked island in South Africa) and frequently travels to Indonesia (i skipped a lot of this info so you don't have to read it all):

"So Indonesia is a poor country with many of its citizens living in rural areas relying on an agricultural lifestyle for money and sustenance. Generally, each family has an ox to help on the farm, particularly with the crops. Without an ox, studies have shown that in a family of four, one of the two children will die of malnutrition within 1 year of losing your one ox.

You are the father of a 10 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. Your wife and two children help you on the farm to survive (food, money etc). Unfortunately, one day your ox dies. There is no way to get another ox, as they are $20. You do not have that much money and cannot get that much money as you no longer have an ox to help you with the crops. Surely, one of your two children will die within the year of malnutrition.

One day, a strange man happens upon your farm. He offers you $20 in exchange for your 12 year old daughter, whom he will take into the the city and make her work in prostitution. Do you accept this offer?"

.....curious to hear what you guys think is the right answer. i got it right, according to my interviewer.

My answer: Sell my daughter.


I know its a fairly horrible thing to say, however, there is no nobility in death. By no selling your daughter you've condemned one of your children to death. I believe that being alive as a prostitute is better than being a dead 12 year old girl. By selling her you are giving BOTH the daughter and the son a chance of survival.

 

[Just Joshin]

I know its a fairly horrible thing to say, however, there is no nobility in death. By no selling your daughter you've condemned one of your children to death. I believe that being alive as a prostitute is better than being a dead 12 year old girl. By selling her you are giving BOTH the daughter and the son a chance of survival.

Please. The bolded part is where you're wrong. Just look up the stats on sex slaves to know that.

 

[Kimaris]

Please. The bolded part is where you're wrong. Just look up the stats on sex slaves to know that.

without an ox, one child will die first. without four people and no ox (so three people and no ox...) you will be unable to get by and will die b/c not enough work will get done.

Then you have condemned your entire family to death.

 

[Excelsius]

nicely written. i don't approve of my decision....like i said, in real life, i would probably rob the guy or do something to avoid this happening. adoption wasn't an option.

being it is an ethical question, it is quite possible there is more than one answer. although he agreed with my answer and supported it with a survey study of Indonesian mothers, i feel the question was asked more so to hear and understand my reasoning/thinking process.

i guess he was just more convincing b/c he has done extensive public health work around the world and said that was the correct answer lol.

either way, if you guys go to Boston University, beware the ethical interivew questions! (i actually talked with the Dean Witzburg right after this interview and he told me that my interviewer always asks that question and his questions are generally perceived as the most difficult. oh well. lol.

Well, at least I know you had a very interesting interview. The question is not an easy one, but I am sure it is much better than the everyday pedestrian cliches like "what is your greatest weakness" or "what can you say about poverty in Africa."

And right on - he just wanted to see how you responded and your answer was accepted because you explained yourself properly. I am sure if someone said "I'd sell her" without the further elaboration that you did, that would be wrong. It's a reasoning question.

I will definitely look into Boston U since I haven't seen a question that is this good! This would be a pretty interesting conversation, especially if the person is familiar with the situation in-person.

 

[Just Joshin]

Then you have condemned your entire family to death.

Then that's what happens. At least I'd die knowing that I didn't sell one of my children into a life of rape and sexual slavery so that I could sleep better at night. That's not a father, I'm sorry.

 

[Excelsius]

Then you have condemned your entire family to death.

Incorrect. Only one child will die, per original statement. And also think - selling your child so that you can survive makes it even worse. Let's not forget, you can always kill yourself.

 

[Kimaris]

Incorrect. Only one child will die, per original statement.

As jturkel said...

without an ox, one child will die first. without four people and no ox (so three people and no ox...) you will be unable to get by and will die b/c not enough work will get done.

IF what jturkel said was true, the only two options were to die a slow death of starvation or sell your daughter into prostitution. I choose life, as horrible as that sounds.

 

[silverhorse84]

My answer: Sell my daughter.


I know its a fairly horrible thing to say, however, there is no nobility in death. By no selling your daughter you've condemned one of your children to death. I believe that being alive as a prostitute is better than being a dead 12 year old girl. By selling her you are giving BOTH the daughter and the son a chance of survival.

Maybe it's just because of my past experiences and the people I've known, but I'd rather be a dead 12 year old girl than a 12 year old prostitute. I'm not saying your belief is wrong, I'm just saying that mine is the opposite.

 

[Kimaris]

Maybe it's just because of my past experiences and the people I've known, but I'd rather be a dead 12 year old girl than a 12 year old prostitute. I'm not saying your belief is wrong, I'm just saying that mine is the opposite.

I realize that. Its sort of a painful thing to say, even as a paradigmatic example. I just hope I never get a question like this when I go for interviews.

 

[sustentacular]

Does anyone else find it strange that the interviewer claimed there was a "correct" answer to giving an opinion on a hypothetical situation?

 

[SweetRain]

Wow, I'm surprised how some people actually think we are cold blooded monsters who will sell their children for money.

I have two stories, true and fictional.

First is my own grandfather's experience who survived a war. (I won't mention which one, but I come from a foreign country) He was on a small boat that fit less than ten people and they were trying to flee in the dead of the night. If they were caught, everyone would be shot. A baby suddenly started crying. Of course, the mom tried to calm him down but he wouldn't stop. Eventually, she drowned the baby and nobody said a thing. This is a true story.

Second one is from The Kite Runner. This is in Afghanistan. A man runs an orphanage in the time of war and every month a child is taken away (for prostitution) by Taliban in exchange for a small sum of money. An American starts to judge the man who runs the orphanage, but the caretaker confesses that if he doesn't do so, there is no way for the other children to live. This is from a book, but I don't doubt it has happened.

My point is none of them are really doing the right thing. But in times of extreme conditions, you never know what people are capable of. You're not just sacrificing yourself but other people's lives. Nobody would feel content and think they did a good thing when they do that.

Don't judge. Understand.

 

[FlowRate]

Does anyone else find it strange that the interviewer claimed there was a "correct" answer to giving an opinion on a hypothetical situation?

This is what bothers me about a lot of interview questions, especially ones like we've been discussing. As others pointed out, it's a false dichotomy. False dichotomies in a hypothetical are never reasonable for a meaningful conversation. While you can express your reasoning for choosing in a false dichotomy, I don't think it's super productive.

I'm gonna have to really prepare for interview season. Greatest weakness, greatest failure, etc. don't come easily. Not because I don't think I have any, but because I learn from them and work them out as they appear, just like most reasonable people.

 

[FlowRate]

Well, in America, prostitution is illegal, unethical, and wrong.

Not entirely =P

 

[NYYk9005]

I would never sell my daughter and I am a religious person who believes death can be better than a life of prostitution.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew I did that to my daughter.

I would decline the offer and starve myself while figuring out what to do, or until death takes me.

 

[tabascosauce]

In regards to the Indonesian child prostitution question,

I would just like to say "No" should be an acceptable answer for the interviewer since 10% of Indonesian mothers responded as "No"

Thats the tricky thing about statistics and public health, nothing is written in stone. You should also get plus points for being counter cultural

 

[Just Joshin]

Don't judge. Understand.

Uh no. Just because some idiots make the wrong decision doesn't mean the rest of us have to condone it. If life worked that way, then murderers wouldn't be behind bars.

I maintain anyone who would sell their own child into sexual slavery IS a monster.

BTW, look up the finale of MASH the next time your grandfather tells that story.

 

[SweetRain]

Uh no. Just because some idiots make the wrong decision doesn't mean the rest of us have to condone it. If life worked that way, then murderers wouldn't be behind bars.

I maintain anyone who would sell their own child into sexual slavery IS a monster.

BTW, look up the finale of MASH the next time your grandfather tells that story.

If this is how you always support your argument, something tells me you're not going to nail med school interviews.

BTW, smothering babies during war is not unheard of. Just because you saw it on MASH it doesn't mean it never happened on the other side of the world.

 

[lorenzomicron]

interesting point: indonesian society views prostitution as a job and not something necessatily corruptin, in contrast to our American views. i'm not saying it's right, but their culture would make her a "sex worker" which is the same as a prostitute except that it's legal and accepted by society as a kind of vital service. this goes against all my morals, But, i think we need to consider the cultural context as well.

 

[SusGob711]

I think before anyone says it's 'okay' to sell a child into prostitution they should read the book Sold by Patricia McCormick. It's a quick read and the story is nearly identical to the question posted here. It's all too common for women in third world countries to bear the burden of their family's struggles. This certainly isn't an issue of gender but it is clearly a case of explotation. If she was older it would be feasible if she insisted on supporting her family but at 12 years old--it's not even an option. Child prostitution is a big enough problem already

 

[pinecones]

How is condemning your entire family to a slow death via starvation any better than selling a child into prostitution?

 

[Just Joshin]

If this is how you always support your argument, something tells me you're not going to nail med school interviews.

BTW, smothering babies during war is not unheard of. Just because you saw it on MASH it doesn't mean it never happened on the other side of the world.

Who says it did?

As for med school interviews, I suspect I'll be just fine. Just because I have a moral compass and am not afraid to speak my mind doesn't mean I'll bomb. Hate to break it to you.

 

[Just Joshin]

How is condemning your entire family to a slow death via starvation any better than selling a child into prostitution?

If you have to ask that question, you should wait until you become a parent to reach the answer.

 

[Just Joshin]

I think before anyone says it's 'okay' to sell a child into prostitution they should read the book Sold by Patricia McCormick. It's a quick read and the story is nearly identical to the question posted here. It's all too common for women in third world countries to bear the burden of their family's struggles. This certainly isn't an issue of gender but it is clearly a case of explotation. If she was older it would be feasible if she insisted on supporting her family but at 12 years old--it's not even an option. Child prostitution is a big enough problem already

qft.

 

[PeachyPhd]

Anybody else want to share their tough or surprising questions? This has been a helpful thread.

 

[Just Joshin]

interesting point: indonesian society views prostitution as a job and not something necessatily corruptin, in contrast to our American views. i'm not saying it's right, but their culture would make her a "sex worker" which is the same as a prostitute except that it's legal and accepted by society as a kind of vital service. this goes against all my morals, But, i think we need to consider the cultural context as well.

Okay, but do you agree that first we need to LEARN the cultural context?

Indonesia passed a comprehensive anti-trafficking bill in April 2007. The bill criminalizes debt bondage, labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, and transnational and internal trafficking. Penalties range from three to 15 years of imprisonment. The bill also contains provisions to prosecute corporate entities and government officials involved in trafficking.10 Penalties under the Child Protection Act for child trafficking are three to 15 years of imprisonment.11

http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/indonesia

 

[cfx]

Anybody else want to share their tough or surprising questions? This has been a helpful thread.

Agreed. Enough prostitution discussion...more difficult questions, please!

The "teach me something" question is interesting. Just yesterday, a friend told me she was asked this very question in an interview at Google, and it got me thinking...I still haven't come up with what my response would be.

 

[wagmanager]

I come from a developing nation where people send their children to live with rich people to help with house work in exchange for food and the chance to learn a trade.They do not give them up for prostitution.
I think the different responses to this question depend on two schools of thought.
firstly, do you believe everyone has a soul and do you believe in afterlife.
secondly, which do you believe is more important the body or the soul.
I will not give my daughter up for prostitution, if we all have to die then so be it.There can be dignity in death there is no dignity in the life of a prostitute and definitely none in a father giving up his daughter for prostitution.

 

[riverjib]

Well, maybe difficult is not the right word. What were some of the questions you've been asked at interviews that could potentially have blindsided you??


I know one of my friends was asked:
"if you saw your close friend cheating out of desperation to pass a class he absolutely needed, what would you do?"
-The obvious answer was to immediately follow protocol and report him to the proper authorities. It's not a difficult answer to deduce, but it is one that goes against your natural instincts (as most interview questions probably are)...

Interesting! One of my friends (with six acceptances for Fall 2010) responded to this question honestly. She said, "probably not. I'd lose all respect for this friend, and probably distance myself. But I'd be afraid of alienating everyone else from students (and possibly even professors) if I opened my mouth." She freaked out about that answer, since that was her top choice school. She got in.

 

[Excelsius]

Interesting! One of my friends (with six acceptances for Fall 2010) responded to this question honestly. She said, "probably not. I'd lose all respect for this friend, and probably distance myself. But I'd be afraid of alienating everyone else from students (and possibly even professors) if I opened my mouth." She freaked out about that answer, since that was her top choice school. She got in.

That's not surprising. It's the OP's description that is much more questionable.

 

[radiodoc99]

A medical question in Emergency medicine ie managing a patient with torsades de pointes. If you add experience with emergency dept or local EMT squad then you may be asked medical questions during your interview!

 

[justinbaily]

Guys, it's an ethical dilemma. Neither choice is "correct". There's no point getting worked up about it.

 

[InfinitiPSI]

This may have already been stated, but, in response to jturkel's question...

Without knowing his answer to be the "correct" one, my train of thought would have been to not sell her to prostitution. My reasoning would be, to try to beat the odds. The prompt never says anything about the second child, or the survivor after the first dies. If she becomes a prostitute, the burden she would of had on the family would be gone, just as much as if she died. However, Prostitution, from an American's standpoint is immoral, (expand this idea a bit more). So, I'd rather do the best, and hope to beat the odds, and find a way, and prevent my daughter from going to a prostitute. If one of the kids dies(it might even be the boy), then the end result would be the same.. less burden on the family, without the decision to sell your daughter into sexual...slavery.

Any thoughts and opinions to this take?

 

[BeastfromthEast]

Agree to sell my daughter and take the money. Then follow them to where they do their business (without being seen of course). Disguise myself and pretend to be a customer. Then steal the daughter back before anything bad happens to her. Then when the man comes back, beat him up and take all his money and make him promise never to come back again.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

This may have already been stated, but, in response to jturkel's question...

Without knowing his answer to be the "correct" one, my train of thought would have been to not sell her to prostitution. My reasoning would be, to try to beat the odds. The prompt never says anything about the second child, or the survivor after the first dies. If she becomes a prostitute, the burden she would of had on the family would be gone, just as much as if she died. However, Prostitution, from an American's standpoint is immoral, (expand this idea a bit more). So, I'd rather do the best, and hope to beat the odds, and find a way, and prevent my daughter from going to a prostitute. If one of the kids dies(it might even be the boy), then the end result would be the same.. less burden on the family, without the decision to sell your daughter into sexual...slavery.

Any thoughts and opinions to this take?

It sounds like the prompt is supposed to be dichotomous: sell daughter into slavery or your whole family dies.

Really, the question kind of boils down to the differences between a utilitarian and an idealist. Although there seems to have been a "right" answer for this interviewer, generally these ethical dilemmas don't have a "right" or "wrong" answer, as long as you respond with a thoughtful answer. The interviewer might also try to gauge your sensitivity to the issues another culture has to go through, so I'd be wary to come out and condemn the slavery option out of hand.

Personally, I think if I were interviewing I'd pick a different ethical dilemma, like the "flip a switch to kill 1 person on the train tracks or let it kill 10 by doing nothing" one. I think very few people in the US know what it's like to have the survival of you and your family at stake, and let's face it, survival is out of necessity one of the baser human instincts. Values are good to talk about and live for in our ivory towers, but millions of people don't have that luxury.

 

[Gabby]

The interviewer might also try to gauge your sensitivity to the issues another culture has to go through, so I'd be wary to come out and condemn the slavery option out of hand

Well, since sexual slavery is illegal in Indonesia, I sincerely doubt that coming out against the slavery option would show insensitivity to the culture.

 

[AmyAmy]

Anybody else want to share their tough or surprising questions? This has been a helpful thread.

 

[Nevadanteater]

the question that NO ONE can prepare for

My ethical question at Boston University from the chair/dean of the public health school/program (he is an MD/MPH). he also happens to be the individual who runs the health care system in Lesotho (the landlocked island in South Africa) and frequently travels to Indonesia (i skipped a lot of this info so you don't have to read it all):

"So Indonesia is a poor country with many of its citizens living in rural areas relying on an agricultural lifestyle for money and sustenance. Generally, each family has an ox to help on the farm, particularly with the crops. Without an ox, studies have shown that in a family of four, one of the two children will die of malnutrition within 1 year of losing your one ox.

You are the father of a 10 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. Your wife and two children help you on the farm to survive (food, money etc). Unfortunately, one day your ox dies. There is no way to get another ox, as they are $20. You do not have that much money and cannot get that much money as you no longer have an ox to help you with the crops. Surely, one of your two children will die within the year of malnutrition.

One day, a strange man happens upon your farm. He offers you $20 in exchange for your 12 year old daughter, whom he will take into the the city and make her work in prostitution. Do you accept this offer?"

.....curious to hear what you guys think is the right answer. i got it right, according to my interviewer.

I had this interviewer as well last year. Definitely one of my favorite questions and (i think) easiest. My version involved a larger family, but otherwise it was the same. I laughed as soon as he fininshed and than said, 'of course i sell my daughter'. I then related this to how you need to be wary cultural bias and cultural relevatism in the medical field. I probably mentioned something about desperation and being from a society where wants/needs at that base of a level are unknown and that my experience couldn't possibly allow me to ask that question.

But I'm from Nevada, so prostitution isn't such a big thing...and my mom used to get her tits out for money, so ya know...there's that damn cultural reletavism again.

TMI?

 

[Nevadanteater]

The most difficult questions i had:

Who was your most difficult patient? I found this suprisingly difficult and despite having tons of difficult patients, I couldn't come up with a good answer...

and

Why do you want to go to THIS school?

Normally not so tough, but I really didn't want to go to that school. This became incredibly obvious when I answered this one.

I didn't have many difficult questions, just unusual ones (which makes sense given my application and PS):

What did you dress up as for halloween?
Can you recommend a good brand of scotch?
What does roadie mean?

Also, one of the UCB/UCSF JMP interviews was like an intense 30 minute psychotherapy session, I guess psych doctors have a knack for that.

 

[zombymush]

I had this interviewer as well last year. Definitely one of my favorite questions and (i think) easiest. My version involved a larger family, but otherwise it was the same. I laughed as soon as he fininshed and than said, 'of course i sell my daughter'. I then related this to how you need to be wary cultural bias and cultural relevatism in the medical field. I probably mentioned something about desperation and being from a society where wants/needs at that base of a level are unknown and that my experience couldn't possibly allow me to ask that question.

But I'm from Nevada, so prostitution isn't such a big thing...and my mom used to get her tits out for money, so ya know...there's that damn cultural reletavism again.

TMI?

Yea...I think TMI. lol.

I understand that the answer is 'Yes, you need to sell your daughter,' and to understand the cultural differences so as not to judge based on your American/Western views. But seriously speaking, child prostitution is huge in Southeast Asia because men with AIDS think having sex with a thousand virgins will cure them. So many young girls have their virginity repeatedly taken from them (Yes, repeatedly). A few are rescued, but most end up dying before they pass their teenage years. In this case, this is not prostitution, I think this is slavery.

I agree that people judge so easily. So a woman in the US finds a quick way to make money. I think rather than prosecuting her, the government should make sure she's not being taken into slavery. She may have kids to feed, obligations. Life is complicated.

 

[Tesseract]

What's the meaning of life?

"Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."

Monty Python anyone?