Are my ideas on how to approach interview questions good?

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Regarding the weakness stance--my take is to just be genuine about it and then try to demonstrate how you are aware of your weakness and working towards improving yourself. You should be self-reflective enough to know what your weaknesses are and you should definitely be working on ways to improve yourself (or if not then start now). Even if the weakness is "bad", I feel being candid and honest about it is a stronger response than being cliche. I focused on an actual weakness (a particular area of communication) that pre-med me was afraid of raising red flags with and it certainly didn't prevent me from getting multiple acceptances.

The interview is about finding out who you are. So be the real you--the person awesome enough to get that interview spot--and don't stress about it.
Yep. This. I just straight up tell people I often have unrealistic expectations of people. It doesn't mean I'm a complete jerk, but I can be and I try really hard not to be. Most importantly I am USUALLY able to recognize when this weakness comes through, and when it does how to improve and prevent it.
 
Yep. This. I just straight up tell people I often have unrealistic expectations of people. It doesn't mean I'm a complete jerk, but I can be and I try really hard not to be. Most importantly I am USUALLY able to recognize when this weakness comes through, and when it does how to improve and prevent it.
For me I'm going to talk about the lack of self confidence that I've been working on since I was younger. I had some severe educational hurdles to overcome (special education classes in high school). I think the fact that I'm taking a chance and applying to medical school shows that I'm making good progress.
 
Is it acceptable to answer "Why medicine?" and similar questions that are a rehash of the work and activities section as a 2 minute paraphrase of the personal statement or secondary essays, if the interview is open-file? Or is it better for alternative answers to be given, even if they are less meaningful than the stories given in the personal statement/secondary essays?
 
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Is it acceptable to answer "Why medicine?" and similar questions that are a rehash of the work and activities section as a 2 minute paraphrase of the personal statement or secondary essays, if the interview is open-file? Or is it better for alternative answers to be given, even if they are less meaningful than the stories given in the personal statement/secondary essays?
Don't make it a complete rehash or verbal regurgitation of your CV, but it is perfectly fine to use examples mentioned in your application. I would hope that an applicant's interview answer to "why medicine" is consistent/recognizable with what's written in the application. Keep in mind that you are invited to interview based on your application - if we didn't like what you wrote, you would not have been invited! Avoid the urge to pander to the school (e.g. saying research is your life at research-heavy schools if your application's theme was about something else).

One possible strategy to avoid complete repetition is to say: "I had mentioned my experience with X in my application, but there were many other experiences that helped confirm my desire to pursue medicine such as...".
 
Don't make it a complete rehash or verbal regurgitation of your CV, but it is perfectly fine to use examples mentioned in your application. I would hope that an applicant's interview answer to "why medicine" is consistent/recognizable with what's written in the application. Keep in mind that you are invited to interview based on your application - if we didn't like what you wrote, you would not have been invited! Avoid the urge to pander to the school (e.g. saying research is your life at research-heavy schools if your application's theme was about something else).

One possible strategy to avoid complete repetition is to say: "I had mentioned my experience with X in my application, but there were many other experiences that helped confirm my desire to pursue medicine such as...".
Thanks. I've received a lot of conflicting information from med school adcoms at application info sessions, saying that they already have my application and have read it and want the interview to bring something new to the table, not a summary of the PS and CV. The strategy you mentioned seems the best way to compromise.
 
Do yall think it is acceptable to answer the greatest weakness with something along the lines of sometimes like taking too much emotion home with you after working in EMS/ED. I worked during COVID and at a major trauma hospital and having to perform CPR on someone younger than me and seeing patients deteriorate due to COVID has affected other parts of my life. The other day there was a random song about a parent saying goodbye to their child caused me to cry. It reminded me of the work I do and the path I chose to go into, and how important it is for me to continue to care for myself and recognize that we can be patients too. Essentially it is a great strength to have empathy but it can also be the greatest weakness if we do not recognize the importances of self care and find productive ways of dealing with stress within medicine.
 
Do yall think it is acceptable to answer the greatest weakness with something along the lines of sometimes like taking too much emotion home with you after working in EMS/ED. I worked during COVID and at a major trauma hospital and having to perform CPR on someone younger than me and seeing patients deteriorate due to COVID has affected other parts of my life. The other day there was a random song about a parent saying goodbye to their child caused me to cry. It reminded me of the work I do and the path I chose to go into, and how important it is for me to continue to care for myself and recognize that we can be patients too. Essentially it is a great strength to have empathy but it can also be the greatest weakness if we do not recognize the importances of self care and find productive ways of dealing with stress within medicine.
Sounds OK, but I strongly urge SDNers to avoid answering this question with anything that sounds like a positive (Like, "my greatness weakness is that I care too much"...OR, "I'm detail oriented"). A positive trait is NOT a weakness.
 
Do yall think it is acceptable to answer the greatest weakness with something along the lines of sometimes like taking too much emotion home with you after working in EMS/ED. I worked during COVID and at a major trauma hospital and having to perform CPR on someone younger than me and seeing patients deteriorate due to COVID has affected other parts of my life. The other day there was a random song about a parent saying goodbye to their child caused me to cry. It reminded me of the work I do and the path I chose to go into, and how important it is for me to continue to care for myself and recognize that we can be patients too. Essentially it is a great strength to have empathy but it can also be the greatest weakness if we do not recognize the importances of self care and find productive ways of dealing with stress within medicine.
Sometimes I find it helpful to put the proposed weakness up against the seven deadly sins:

Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride
Too much empathy

One of these things is not like the others, and in my view it gets too close to twisting a positive trait into a weakness. Humans have plenty of more negative characteristics to choose from. We can be foolish, petty, venal, lazy, and quarrelsome, to name a few. Try one of those on.
 
Sometimes I find it helpful to put the proposed weakness up against the seven deadly sins:

Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride
Too much empathy

One of these things is not like the others, and in my view it gets too close to twisting a positive trait into a weakness. Humans have plenty of more negative characteristics to choose from. We can be foolish, petty, venal, lazy, and quarrelsome, to name a few. Try one of those on.
Ok, I think that might be a little overboard. I would not want to describe myself as any of those in an interview lol
 
Is competitiveness a flaw? Or does this go with the empathy answer category
 
Ah idk if mentioning competitiveness would be a good idea... many med schools rely on the fact that they are non-competitive and there grading is on a pass/fail basis to increase the collaborative spirit. But, I would defer to @Goro or @LizzyM
It can go both ways. I would ask for an example
 
It can go both ways. I would ask for an example
I guess it most likely comes from playing competitive sports, but extends to academics and pick-up games. Basically putting a lot of pressure on myself to ensure that my team/group and I are performing at a high level. This can sometimes lead to what some would say is unnecessary stress. But it’s eustress, not distress in most instances.

I guess it could come across as either a positive or negative trait depending on an interviewer’s perception
 
Sounds OK, but I strongly urge SDNers to avoid answering this question with anything that sounds like a positive (Like, "my greatness weakness is that I care too much"...OR, "I'm detail oriented"). A positive trait is NOT a weakness.
I understand not trying to do the classic interview answer of putting too much of a strength as a weakness. it was more of a honest approach of something that has affected me and supporting it with an example. It is something that I will struggle with as I take on the responsibility of caring for the ill.
 
Loll, yeah, definitely "too much empathy" would be one I would use.

JK, I always guess better to go with other qualities: disorganization, overcommitment, being overly self-critical.
I see why the qualities you listed should be talked about but 2 of those can be actively worked on. I see a weakness as something that someone will continue to struggle with even if they are able to identify it?
 
I see why the qualities you listed should be talked about but 2 of those can be actively worked on. I see a weakness as something that someone will continue to struggle with even if they are able to identify it?
weak·ness
/ˈwēknəs/

noun

a quality or feature regarded as a disadvantage or fault.

"you must recognize your product's strengths and weaknesses"

Note that the definition has nothing to do with the inability to overcome said weakness.
 
I see why the qualities you listed should be talked about but 2 of those can be actively worked on. I see a weakness as something that someone will continue to struggle with even if they are able to identify it?
I think that the latter two can be worked on. If they couldn’t, I don’t think CBT/DBT would exist
 
I guess it most likely comes from playing competitive sports, but extends to academics and pick-up games. Basically putting a lot of pressure on myself to ensure that my team/group and I are performing at a high level. This can sometimes lead to what some would say is unnecessary stress. But it’s eustress, not distress in most instances.

I guess it could come across as either a positive or negative trait depending on an interviewer’s perception
If I am reading this correctly, your proposed greatest weakness as a human being is that competition typically causes you to experience eustress.

I can never quite shake the feeling that this is some Grade A trolling.
 
If I am reading this correctly, your proposed greatest weakness as a human being is that competition typically causes you to experience eustress.

I can never quite shake the feeling that this is some Grade A trolling.
It’s just an answer that could be seen as a positive or a negative trait. Personally, I see it more as a positive thing. But others might see it as a negative.
My biggest actual weakness is disorganization
 
It’s just an answer that could be seen as a positive or a negative trait. Personally, I see it more as a positive thing. But others might see it as a negative
No, thus far it's a positive trait masquerading as a... positive trait.

If you have examples of your competitiveness being truly maladaptive then it may be viewed as a weakness, but probably not a very authentic one.
 
It seems in everyday life, being easy-going is considered a positive trait. Is this the same within the medical field or is this viewed as a negative trait?
 
It’s just an answer that could be seen as a positive or a negative trait. Personally, I see it more as a positive thing. But others might see it as a negative.
My biggest actual weakness is disorganization
If you don't mind my suggesting something that you have probably already given a lot of thought to, have you considered exploring what led to your red flag? That is undoubtedly by far your greatest weakness.

Admittedly, though, I don't know you, or enough about your details, to know whether that would be oversharing, or whether it would actually help. But, it certainly would demonstrate the level and quality of introspection they seem to be craving here. Given the rest of your application, anything else is your attempt to game the question.
 
If you don't mind my suggesting something that you have probably already given a lot of thought to, have you considered exploring what led to your red flag? That is undoubtedly by far your greatest weakness.

Admittedly, though, I don't know you, or enough about your details, to know whether that would be oversharing, or whether it would actually help. But, it certainly would demonstrate the level and quality of introspection they seem to be craving here. Given the rest of your application, anything else is your attempt to game the question.
The one thing I would wonder, though, is whether the interviewer would even know of the applicant's misdemeanor (if it is closed file). In that case, bringing it might lead to more issues. Idk what's the right choice, just bringing up that thought.
 
The one thing I would wonder, though, is whether the interviewer would even know of the applicant's misdemeanor (if it is closed file). In that case, bringing it might lead to more issues. Idk what's the right choice, just bringing up that thought.
Is that even relevant? It is a required disclosure, and it has been disclosed, so it will be before the adcom when it is deciding what to do. What "more issues" are there to raise?

I just put it out there because, for the schools that ask the greatest weakness question, either in writing or as part of the interview process, adcoms on SDN advise it is a tool designed to measure introspection. As I said before, I don't have nearly enough information to answer the question, but was just throwing out that there might not be any greater weakness than whatever led to the IA.
 
I have been told recently that I should smile more/be more positive/animated in my mock interviews, even when talking about serious things, like sickness of family/friends and patients. What do ya'll think?
 
I have been told recently that I should smile more/be more positive/animated in my mock interviews, even when talking about serious things, like sickness of family/friends and patients. What do ya'll think?
Just be yourself. Sure, try to be a friendly, positive version of yourself. But the last thing you want to be thinking about and concerned with in the middle of the interview is if you are smiling enough or if you said "um". Be kind to yourself and just focus on what's important (the actual interview).
 
This is a classic dodge that has become so over-used that everyone can see right through it.

In job interviews I just duck the question entirely with a joke. It's a terrible interview question, and I treat it with the seriousness that it warrants.
 
In job interviews I just duck the question entirely with a joke. It's a terrible interview question, and I treat it with the seriousness that it warrants.
That's great, but ignores the unique power dynamic here. This isn't a job where you might be the perfect candidate, and where your evasion might be tolerated because they want/need your services.

Here, you are one of maybe around a thousand competing for one of 100 or more spots. Being evasive here runs a really high risk of pissing them off and causing them to move on, rather than having them admire your skillful use of humor to avoid giving them what they want.

The cost/benefit of ignoring their attempt to provoke introspection with a joke definitely dictates delving deep inside your soul to answer the question. JMHO. I'm not a fan of a lot of what they do, but I'd never risk antagonizing them to make a point during an interview. At least not intentionally! :laugh:
 
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That's great, but ignores the unique power dynamic here. This isn't a job where you might be the perfect candidate, and where your evasion might be tolerated because they want/need your services.

Here, you are one of maybe around a thousand competing for one of 100 or more spots. Being evasive here runs a really high risk of pissing them off and causing them to move on, rather than having them admire your skillful use of humor to avoid giving them what they want.

The cost/benefit of ignoring their attempt to provoke introspection with a joke definitely dictates delving deep inside your soul to answer the question. JMHO. I'm not a fan of a lot of what they do, but I'd never risk antagonizing them to make a point during an interview.
This is definitely true. The dynamics of job interviews are so different because of many different external pressures in hiring. For example, I recently interviewed for a CRC job I am not fully qualified for. I received word I was accepted today, and at a noticeably higher pay scale than I should have been.

The reason: Hiring manager had until October 1 to find someone for the role. I applied three months ago, but was immediately declined. Hiring manager found a girl with 3 years experience that was perfect. 3 years experience warranted increasing the position's pay level. One week ago, they find out that the girl plagerized her resume and her experiences were likely falsified. Hiring manager now has less than two weeks to find someone else, and it's too late to change the pay scale or the role. Hiring manager immediately contacts me.

Of course there are different situations. A position at Google, on the other hand, may have a hundred applicants for one spot. Regardless, medical school admissions does not have quite this level of unexpected variability to it.
 
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