Weirdest/most uncomfortable interview question?

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jetsfan1234

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So far I have been asked:

-Where I've been rejected from so far
-How many interviews invites I've received
-Where I've applied (he asked for a number, and then asked me to name the schools)
-What my MCAT was (it was supposed to be a blind interview)
-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

I am curious to hear others' experiences.

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Some guy asked me what was the most recent American literary novel that I read. Like wtf? I thought I was interviewing for med school
 
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So far I have been asked:

-Where I've been rejected from so far
-How many interviews invites I've received
-Where I've applied (he asked for a number, and then asked me to name the schools)
-What my MCAT was (it was supposed to be a blind interview)
-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

I am curious to hear others' experiences.

I'm not very sure how you relate sexism to this particular question, but the question itself is legitimate especially for medical school interviews.
Allow me to elaborate this particular question: "Why MD and not DO? Why not PA? Why not other health professions if you like medicine and love to help others?"

And yes, I've been asked this "Why MD" question at every interview, too.
 
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I'm not very sure how you relate sexism to this particular question, but the question itself is legitimate especially for medical school interviews.
Allow me to elaborate this particular question: "Why MD and not DO? Why not PA? Why not other health professions if you like medicine and love to help others?"

And yes, I've been asked this "Why MD" question at every interview, too.

I just think the phrasing is odd. They didn't ask, "Why MD," they asked, specifically, "Why NOT nursing?" I wasn't asked about DO or PA.

BTW there is nothing in my application that would suggest an interest in nursing. I can't see why they are asking specifically about nursing, except for the fact that it's a shorter career path for women who are interested in having a family. I would bet they ask that direct question to female applicants more often than male applicants.
 
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I had one interviewer who wanted to go over my entire life history in detail. It wasn't any one question that was weird it just felt bizarre to march over my entire life chronologically. The first question was literally 'so where were you born?' and he meticulously had me walk through the entire timeline of my life.
 
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This one's a no-no.

-Where I've been rejected from so far

Might be OK. I ask at times "You're numbers are really good, so you must have been accepted elsewhere?" because it's a lead-in to a hypothetical.

-How many interviews invites I've received

Totally unacceptable! SDNers' should complain to the Admissions dean about stuff that crosses a line like this. It's the only way the process can be improved by getting rid of bad interviewers.

-Where I've applied (he asked for a number, and then asked me to name the schools)

Totally unacceptable, even with a closed folder!

-What my MCAT was (it was supposed to be a blind interview)

Very fair to ask. There ARE male nurses, you know. Variations of this can be "Why become a PhD? An EMT? PA?"

-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

This is a perfectly good and fair question. It shows how much intellectual curiosity you have and definitely shows if you're literate, depending upon the answer. What you read can give us insight into your character.

Many of us like to ask questions to see how good you are at thinking.


Some guy asked me what was the most recent American literary novel that I read. Like wtf? I thought I was interviewing for med school
 
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@Goro

Interesting, thanks for the insight. One of my interviewers was so off-the-walls and unorthodox, I figured the dean definitely must have known about it. I figured it was one of those things where they want to see how you react to crazy people? Lol who knows.
 
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When was the last time you cried?

Normally wouldn't have been that bad but considering that I was broken up with 2 weeks before by my boyfriend of four years, I felt sufficiently awkward when I figured "yesterday" probably wasn't the answer he was looking for.
 
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The only odd-ish question I can remember is:

"What's your spirit animal?"
 
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When was the last time you cried?

Normally wouldn't have been that bad but considering that I was broken up with 2 weeks before by my boyfriend of four years, I felt sufficiently awkward when I figured "yesterday" probably wasn't the answer he was looking for.

Wow. I cannot imagine why an interviewer would ask this.
 
When was the last time you cried?

Normally wouldn't have been that bad but considering that I was broken up with 2 weeks before by my boyfriend of four years, I felt sufficiently awkward when I figured "yesterday" probably wasn't the answer he was looking for.
I was asked this when I was interviewing for my job as an EMT. I was at the end of a table with 8 other people staring me down, it was slightly intimidating.
 
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Has anyone gotten asked about the quality of your relationships with family members at a med school interview? When I interviewed for undergrad I got this question from two different interviewers. It was really awkward and I am hoping that this won't happen when I interview for med schools. I don't want to lie about anything but I feel like maybe, "Well, to be honest, we all really hate each other" is not a good answer.
 
So far I have been asked:

-Where I've been rejected from so far
-How many interviews invites I've received
-Where I've applied (he asked for a number, and then asked me to name the schools)
-What my MCAT was (it was supposed to be a blind interview)
-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

I am curious to hear others' experiences.
I think you would have a hard time convincing someone that you have enough patient care experience/interprofessional experience if you cannot answer that question one way or the other (wanting to be a nurse instead of a physician, wanting to become a physician instead of a nurse.) I think the interviewer was evaluating your clinical experience rather than being sexist.
 
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edit: actually no... have no interest in getting identified.
 
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Has anyone gotten asked about the quality of your relationships with family members at a med school interview? When I interviewed for undergrad I got this question from two different interviewers. It was really awkward and I am hoping that this won't happen when I interview for med schools. I don't want to lie about anything but I feel like maybe, "Well, to be honest, we all really hate each other" is not a good answer.

Yes I was asked this in-depth at one interview. It was really weird. I was also asked to describe my parents' occupations, what my siblings do for a living, and where we went on family vacations (???)

Edit: Come to think of it, I think I put "I don't know" for parents' income on AMCAS. I actually don't know what it was/is. Maybe the interviewer was trying to figure that out with all his family-related questions.
 
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This one's a no-no.

-Where I've been rejected from so far

Might be OK. I ask at times "You're numbers are really good, so you must have been accepted elsewhere?" because it's a lead-in to a hypothetical.

-How many interviews invites I've received

Totally unacceptable! SDNers' should complain to the Admissions dean about stuff that crosses a line like this. It's the only way the process can be improved by getting rid of bad interviewers.

-Where I've applied (he asked for a number, and then asked me to name the schools)

Totally unacceptable, even with a closed folder!

-What my MCAT was (it was supposed to be a blind interview)

Very fair to ask. There ARE male nurses, you know. Variations of this can be "Why become a PhD? An EMT? PA?"

-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

This is a perfectly good and fair question. It shows how much intellectual curiosity you have and definitely shows if you're literate, depending upon the answer. What you read can give us insight into your character.

Many of us like to ask questions to see how good you are at thinking.
Why do you respond to quotes like that? -_-
 
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Has anyone gotten asked about the quality of your relationships with family members at a med school interview? When I interviewed for undergrad I got this question from two different interviewers. It was really awkward and I am hoping that this won't happen when I interview for med schools. I don't want to lie about anything but I feel like maybe, "Well, to be honest, we all really hate each other" is not a good answer.
Am I the only one slightly amused that a person who's screen name is Lannister finds questions about their family relationships to be quite awkward?
enhanced-buzz-6876-1364401891-4.jpg
 
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I've posted on like two threads on this site...the first post was about paying for medical school. And now I post about family relationships. I swear to God I'm not doing this on purpose.
Also LOL that is a fantastic picture.
 
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The only odd-ish question I can remember is:

"What's your spirit animal?"

Interviewer: "BurberryDoc, what is your spirit animal?"
BurberryDoc: Oh, that would have to be the cougar.
I: Why a cougar?
B: If it's good enough for John Mellencamp, it's good enough for BurberryDoc.
 
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I think crying shows humanity. I'm going to steal this one!

What would you think of an interviewee who answered the question with "I never cry"?

It's too personal/prying. I also wouldn't want to make the interviewee relive their most recent painful moment right there in my office. What if they started crying in the interview?!
 
Very fair to ask. There ARE male nurses, you know. Variations of this can be "Why become a PhD? An EMT? PA?" -Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

Goro, are you female? Are you a minority? I actually have had conversations with many other med students about this, & about the number of times patients or hospital staff assume us to be nurses. It is pretty clear that the nursing comparator & assumptions are disproportionately targeted to females & certain minorities. I take zero issue with "why medicine?", but as a woman, I have been asked so many times about nursing & have never been asked "why not PA?" while I know male classmates who were asked that (and honestly, that probably makes more sense b/c the scope of practice is more similar so the answer would need to be better thought out). I don't think most people who add "why not nursing?" are intentionally trying to undermine us or even realize they have a bias in whom they ask that question of, but it is pretty grating when you speak to other interviewees & realize none of the white men were asked that question in that particular way.

If it wouldn't be subject to observation bias, I think it would be enlightening to poll interviewers post-interview to figure out how many of your esteemed colleagues are asking this only of applicants in certain demographic pools.
 
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I've posted on like two threads on this site...the first post was about paying for medical school. And now I post about family relationships. I swear to God I'm not doing this on purpose.
Also LOL that is a fantastic picture.
Oh, it's even better that it is not on purpose.
Sigmund_Freud_LIFE.jpg
 
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Tell me about a time you had to give someone bad news.

I fumbled for about 30 seconds then talked about dumping the girlfriend i had immediately before meeting my wife. I think my words actually involved something about "shooting a puppy in the face." i admitted that I probably didn't handle it as well as i should have, but the guy said no one ever gets it perfect. Got in.
 
-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

Absolutely sexist overtones. Or as Plecopotomus said, patronizingly racist overtones. "Why doctor? Why not PA / EMT or other health practitioner?" is not the same question at all.

That said, Jetsfan - If you're getting that question every single time, then there's probably something in your appearance or bearing that is undermining your "authority optics", something in addition to your gender that makes you appear more 'nurselike' (aka feminine) and less 'doctorly'. Not blaming, just attempting to diagnose...

Sight unseen, I'd suggest you modify your interview attire, hair and makeup to look less girly and more assertive, older and more authoritative. Work with a personal shopper and/or stylist if you need to (or find an older professional woman to mentor you), because as you well know, that sexist and dismissive perception will work against you for the next 20 years. There are still a lot of sexists out there, but they generally have a visual or behavioral trigger of some sort that pushes out the professionalism and turns on the sexism. You need to do what you can to avoid triggering that response...
 
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After reading some of these posts, I'm lucky my interview questions were simple and non-stress.
Except for these two situations:

I: What have you been doing since undergrad?
Me: I've been working as an EMT
I: Oh that's amazing. What were some of your experiences working in the ambulance?
Me (thinking to myself): huh? oh ****, I meant to say ERT
Me: Oh wait, sorry I did I say EMT? I meant ERT ..Emergency Room Technician.
(awkward silence) :bang:
I: Oh.

-------
At another school:

I: So as a physician, which minority groups do you prefer serving?
Me (thinking): What a f---ed up question
Me: I'm sorry I don't understand?...
I: Would you prefer serving minorities of black, hispanic or middle eastern background?
Me: I have no preference, I would serve each group equally. I would treat all my patients with the same level of respect and attention.
I: Ok.


Besides these two awkward moments most of my interviews were conversational. I was prepared to answer questions about my nightmare Verbal score, and my disaster grad school GPA, and "Why doctor? Why DO? Why this school?" But I was never asked any of that. I was mostly asked about my hobbies, and my clinical experiences.
 
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I got asked by a psychiatrist what my birth order was, whether I am close with my other siblings, what their occupations are, and whether I behave like a middle child.
 
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Two I remember off the top of my head:

"You spent some time in Europe, why aren't you applying to school there?" followed by a 10-15 minute rant about how I shouldn't be applying to school in the states, shouldn't attend the school I was interviewing at, and should immediately go home and research how to go about applying to school in Europe. I was speechless

"What is important to you?" Not really uncomfortable or weird as much as it was just striking. Really actually a pretty good question that made me think hard on my feet.
 
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Interviewer: "Do you know Mike Mansfield?"
Me: "I can't say that I do."
*Interviewer proceeds to rag on me for not knowing who Mike Mansfield is for 30 minutes*
Interviewer: "Have you considered applying to other schools? I think you should. You still have time."
Me: "Right on."

Result: Waitlisted
 
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That said, Jetsfan - If you're getting that question every single time, then there's probably something in your appearance or bearing that is undermining your "authority optics", something in addition to your gender that makes you appear more 'nurselike' (aka feminine) and less 'doctorly'. Not blaming, just attempting to diagnose...

Sight unseen, I'd suggest you modify your interview attire, hair and makeup to look less girly and more assertive, older and more authoritative. Work with a personal shopper and/or stylist if you need to (or find an older professional woman to mentor you), because as you well know, that sexist and dismissive perception will work against you for the next 20 years. There are still a lot of sexists out there, but they generally have a visual or behavioral trigger of some sort that pushes out the professionalism and turns on the sexism. You need to do what you can to avoid triggering that response...

I think it might be a bit of an overreach to assume there's something about Jetsfan that is brining this question about. Yeah, it can't hurt to scrutinize the way you're presenting yourself, but for the record as a woman who's been asked this question a lot, I'm not terribly feminine and applied to med school after a successful career in engineering -- I am able to present myself as someone who looks like she knows what she's doing rather than a naïve, young pushover. The likelihood I'd be asked this question seems mostly a reflection of the gender and age of the interviewer, not me.
 
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Over the years I've had maybe three people start crying in the interview, not about personal tragedies, but about things they were really passionate about, like, say, child abuse.

Like it or not, these people didn't fare well. You, as future doctors, have to be able to function in really horrible conditions sometimes, and not go to pieces.

But if the scenario is something like this:

Goro: "When was the last time you cried?"
Student: "At my dad's funeral six months ago"
Goro: Ahh, my sympathies to your loss. (Moves to next question).

Then that's OK.

It's too personal/prying. I also wouldn't want to make the interviewee relive their most recent painful moment right there in my office. What if they started crying in the interview?!
 
Nope
Goro, are you female?

Yes.
Are you a minority?

I've only asked "why not nursing"? if the interviewee's parent was a nurse. This is a rare occurrence, and it's far more common for someone with a lot of lab experience to be asked "why not a PhD"? I don't recall any of my other interviewer colleagues asking the question. But I think an n of 1 is too small a sample size with your case in point. And not every interviewee needs to be asked the same question for sake of demographic balance.

It's definitely a fair question to ask of anyone because the path to being a doctor is a hard one, and there are clinical careers that are easier. And being N.P. can be the same as being a doctor in some instances.

Lastly, I suggest you develop a thicker skin. What are you going to do when you get a patient (and this WILL happen) who points at you and says "I don't want a woman doctor!"

I actually have had conversations with many other med students about this, & about the number of times patients or hospital staff assume us to be nurses. It is pretty clear that the nursing comparator & assumptions are disproportionately targeted to females & certain minorities. I take zero issue with "why medicine?", but as a woman, I have been asked so many times about nursing & have never been asked "why not PA?" while I know male classmates who were asked that (and honestly, that probably makes more sense b/c the scope of practice is more similar so the answer would need to be better thought out). I don't think most people who add "why not nursing?" are intentionally trying to undermine us or even realize they have a bias in whom they ask that question of, but it is pretty grating when you speak to other interviewees & realize none of the white men were asked that question in that particular way.

If it wouldn't be subject to observation bias, I think it would be enlightening to poll interviewers post-interview to figure out how many of your esteemed colleagues are asking this only of applicants in certain demographic pools.[/quote]
 
Over the years I've had maybe three people start crying in the interview, not about personal tragedies, but about things they were really passionate about, like, say, child abuse.

Like it or not, these people didn't fare well. You, as future doctors, have to be able to function in really horrible conditions sometimes, and not go to pieces.

But if the scenario is something like this:

Goro: "When was the last time you cried?"
Student: "At my dad's funeral six months ago"
Goro: Ahh, my sympathies to your loss. (Moves to next question).

Then that's OK.
It was just kind of bizarre. I get that it shows humanity to some extent, but how much reliable information does the simple time frame (without context or explanation, neither of which I was asked about) of the last time an interviewee cried give? I feel like an interviewer could jump to conclusions about the applicant if an interviewee answered too recently or said never.
 
Mike Mansfield, the Senator? That's trivia from my generation!

Interviewer: "Do you know Mike Mansfield?"
Me: "I can't say that I do."
*Interviewer proceeds to rag on me for not knowing who Mike Mansfield is for 30 minutes*
Interviewer: "Have you considered applying to other schools? I think you should. You still have time."
Me: "Right on."

Result: Waitlisted
 
Again, a classic illustration of where you really should complain to the Admissions dean about such an unprofessional interviewer. This person has no business interviewing future medical students.

"You spent some time in Europe, why aren't you applying to school there?" followed by a 10-15 minute rant about how I shouldn't be applying to school in the states, shouldn't attend the school I was interviewing at, and should immediately go home and research how to go about applying to school in Europe. I was speechless

Willy, this is actually a good question, and I can't ding you for not having the insider info that the interviewer had, but different minority groups in the US do have different needs at time, both socioeconomic and medical. For example:

African-Americans (high HIV positivity rates; hypertension, higher mortality for breast Ca, sickle cell anemia)
Mexican-Americans (obesity)
Native Americans (excessive alcohol abuse)
-------
At another school:

I: So as a physician, which minority groups do you prefer serving?
Me (thinking): What a f---ed up question
Me: I'm sorry I don't understand?...
I: Would you prefer serving minorities of black, hispanic or middle eastern background?
Me: I have no preference, I would serve each group equally. I would treat all my patients with the same level of respect and attention.
I: Ok.
 
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Nope
Goro, are you female?

Yes.
Are you a minority?

I've only asked "why not nursing"? if the interviewee's parent was a nurse. This is a rare occurrence, and it's far more common for someone with a lot of lab experience to be asked "why not a PhD"? I don't recall any of my other interviewer colleagues asking the question. But I think an n of 1 is too small a sample size with your case in point. And not every interviewee needs to be asked the same question for sake of demographic balance.

It's definitely a fair question to ask of anyone because the path to being a doctor is a hard one, and there are clinical careers that are easier. And being N.P. can be the same as being a doctor in some instances.

Lastly, I suggest you develop a thicker skin. What are you going to do when you get a patient (and this WILL happen) who points at you and says "I don't want a woman doctor!"

I actually have had conversations with many other med students about this, & about the number of times patients or hospital staff assume us to be nurses. It is pretty clear that the nursing comparator & assumptions are disproportionately targeted to females & certain minorities. I take zero issue with "why medicine?", but as a woman, I have been asked so many times about nursing & have never been asked "why not PA?" while I know male classmates who were asked that (and honestly, that probably makes more sense b/c the scope of practice is more similar so the answer would need to be better thought out). I don't think most people who add "why not nursing?" are intentionally trying to undermine us or even realize they have a bias in whom they ask that question of, but it is pretty grating when you speak to other interviewees & realize none of the white men were asked that question in that particular way.

If it wouldn't be subject to observation bias, I think it would be enlightening to poll interviewers post-interview to figure out how many of your esteemed colleagues are asking this only of applicants in certain demographic pools.
[/quote]
I have a very thick skin about it. And it's not n=1, as you can see other people here have shared my experience. I merely brought up the issue because you said this was a reasonable question...and the way it's delivered is not. (not meaning delivered by you asking when it has a sensible context).

I actually think it's pretty disheartening that someone on an adcom when faced w the response (endorsed by several others here) that this question is regularly being posed due to bias would tell me I need a thicker skin. What actually needs to happen is that the interviewers need to be more self aware. I brought up comments by patients/staff not because i'm concerned w them or cant handle them, but because it gave context as to why so many of us have discussed this so much even after admission to med school. Frankly, coming from a patient, I wouldn't even flinch--but I tolerate a lot of things from patients that I shouldn't have to experience through my mentors/evaluators/instructors, and I think it's perfectly acceptable to hold them to a higher standard.
 
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Has anyone gotten asked about the quality of your relationships with family members at a med school interview? When I interviewed for undergrad I got this question from two different interviewers. It was really awkward and I am hoping that this won't happen when I interview for med schools. I don't want to lie about anything but I feel like maybe, "Well, to be honest, we all really hate each other" is not a good answer.

In my very first interview the interviewer was strangely interested in my brother and my relationship with him. He then wanted to know everywhere I applied and wrote the schools down. At the time I did not know if this was normal interview behavior or not since it was my first one.
 
Mike Mansfield, the Senator? That's trivia from my generation!

Yup. Also the Ambassador to Japan for a bit, which is why he asked me (I was a Japanese Lit major, lived there for a few years). The thing is, though, I only know one person my age who has heard of Mike Mansfield, and that was because he grew up in Montana. He didn't know what he did specifically, just that he was a senator and diplomat. I was OK with the question, I just thought it was weird he would rag on me for the whole interview about it. But I got a weird vibe from that school, anyway.
 
So far I have been asked:

-Where I've been rejected from so far
-How many interviews invites I've received
-Where I've applied (he asked for a number, and then asked me to name the schools)
-What my MCAT was (it was supposed to be a blind interview)
-Why don't I just become a nurse? (I have been asked this at every interview. Most annoying question. I think it has sexist overtones.)

I am curious to hear others' experiences.

Excellent thread. Congrats for initiating. I'll post 3 stories:

1. My brother was asked how often he had sex, how often he masturbated and what his sexual fantasies were. He was accepted to the medical school in question. He and I had a good laugh after the fact but our parents were not amused.

2. A black lesbian friend cried when she was asked about her experience with HIV/AIDS patients. She was a Pharmacy Tech at a HIV pharmacy. She broke down when she said she was heart broken about the lying that takes place on gay apps (e.g. Grinder) by some stalkers, and bug chasers, and one story of a young kid infected by an older couple (3 way, I think, but I didn't ask for details!) The school rejected her, saying she showed immaturity for crying. She was very upset. I told her they did not deserve her because anyone who is that passionate and moved by HIV / AIDS patients deserves a nod in my book. She had the GPA and test scores. She got in somewhere else and is happy.

3. I was asked by one interviewer, an MD, about being too old. His question was, "you aren't young any more, can you handle this?" I laughed out loud demonstrably. At my age I don't hold back and I don't sweat it when asked up front questions. I didn't have to answer the question because, to my surprise, the other interviewer, a PhD, came to my defense saying the question was inappropriate and out of bounds. I just sat there and looked pretty. Every time that MD interviewer sees me in the hallways on campus he goes out of his way and shakes my hand. No hard feelings.

The medical school selection process is inappropriate. It is off kilter and needs to be revamped something fierce.

I was on an airplane flight back home prior to the holidays, and I sat next to an elegant, romantic, ethnic couple, 3 of us to a row in Economy section. They saw me watching my Kaplan videos on my iPad studying for Step 1, and the male asked me if I were a physician. I laughed and said, "not yet" but that got the conversation going for the rest of our flight. He is a 3rd year IM Resident bucking Chief Resident at one of the black medical school teaching hospitals, his wife is a plastic surgery Physician Assistant, and they both railed about their experiences in the selection process for both medical school and residency. The wife graduated from an Ivy League PA Program and she was really classy, mature and handled herself with impressive maturity at a mere late 20s. She was also smoking hot but I digress. Both are not involved in committees for medical school application processes. The husband spoke at length about his program now offering social gatherings for some MD applicants, where they serve wine/cheese, watch the applicants interact and they take notes. He said it is helping the Dean determine who is fit for medical school and a career by seeing if they have the interpersonal skills necessary. He welcomes their getting away from such a heavy emphasis on MCAT and GPA scores.

Wonderful idea.

Until medical schools show more effort and assessing applicants ability when it comes to interpersonal skills, I think the heavy emphasis on GPA and MCAT scores will just favor the medical schools. They're all about money anyways.

This will be my last post to SDN. I have stopped posting to my blog, will come out of the shadows to create a real website with my real name, and start writing as a future physician. I stated in my initial posts to SDN almost 1.5 years ago that it is my goal to be a published physician author and speaker. I have a few physician groups who are interested in me as a writer/speaker and business consultant after I finish my MD Degree and training, and I am looking ahead.

I want to thank all of the SDN members who showed me the way. As an older student, my first year was incredibly difficult and not because of academics. I expected medical school to be intimate, inspiring, much like my college years, and one of personal mentoring by professors to students. I have been severely disappointed. I reached out to several of you privately for advice and you were generous. Many of you wrote me asking me for my input. and I tried to respond in the best way I knew how. I posted here and there on SDN but principally to the non-traditional forum because I promised myself after getting into medical school, that other older, non-trads need to know it can be done. I tried to avoid flame wars and ignored people who were obnoxious, a product of the WWW, but even they taught me something. I thank you all.

I also wish all of you much success on your Road Less Traveled to MD
 
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Inquiring whether someone wants to be a nurse is totally justified if they answer the why medicine question with a variation of, I want to help sick people/I want to work with people. Wanting to be a physician means wanting to help people and more - leadership, specialization, research, hospital administration, surgery....etc. If all an applicant has to say is that they want to help people, there are a bunch of cheaper and easier ways to accomplish the goal. Asking why not nursing pries deeper into the why MD/DO question and eliminates answers like "I really am excited to learn about medical science".
 
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I think crying shows humanity. I'm going to steal this one!

What would you think of an interviewee who answered the question with "I never cry"?

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"I have cried twice in my life. Once when I was seven and I was hit by a school bus. And then again when I heard that Li’l Sebastian had passed." - Ron Swanson
 
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I was asked to perform ballet during an interview.
A friend was given a list of five items, asked to choose two, and instructed to describe how she would use them to escape from a deserted island.
 
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Look, we're not going to convince each other of the relative merits of our points. But here's something that I think you can agree with:

if you feel the interviewer crossed a line, inform the Dean of Admissions. You're NOT going to get rejected for it. What the dean will do is gfo to the interviewer and say "You know that question you ask about "why not nursing? Don't ask it anymore."

In the past 10+ years of interviewing, I've had to put exactly three questions on the naughty list.

I have a very thick skin about it. And it's not n=1, as you can see other people here have shared my experience. I merely brought up the issue because you said this was a reasonable question...and the way it's delivered is not. (not meaning delivered by you asking when it has a sensible context).

I actually think it's pretty disheartening that someone on an adcom when faced w the response (endorsed by several others here) that this question is regularly being posed due to bias would tell me I need a thicker skin. What actually needs to happen is that the interviewers need to be more self aware. I brought up comments by patients/staff not because i'm concerned w them or cant handle them, but because it gave context as to why so many of us have discussed this so much even after admission to med school. Frankly, coming from a patient, I wouldn't even flinch--but I tolerate a lot of things from patients that I shouldn't have to experience through my mentors/evaluators/instructors, and I think it's perfectly acceptable to hold them to a higher standard.[/quote]
 
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