asking for intent in interview - fair question?

[Kiara]

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I was recently interviewed at a school where the interviewer started off by asking me why I want to come to that school. He then rebutted every response I gave and told me reasons why I should stay in Canada :S
Rest of the interview went well and at the end I was asked if I got an acceptance from this school, and a canadian school which would I pick...

Isn't that like asking for the equivalent of a "letter of intent" during the interview? I thought it was an unfair question personally, but want to know if anyone else has been in that situation/ if its a commonly asked question.

Thanks

 

[DrBowtie]

It's pretty common for people not from the general geographic area of the school.
I've been asked this or a variant at most interviews because they want to size up the likelihood of you actually attending if accepted.

 

[alwaysaangel]

I was recently interviewed at a school where the interviewer started off by asking me why I want to come to that school. He then rebutted every response I gave and told me reasons why I should stay in Canada :S
Rest of the interview went well and at the end I was asked if I got an acceptance from this school, and a canadian school which would I pick...

Isn't that like asking for the equivalent of a "letter of intent" during the interview? I thought it was an unfair question personally, but want to know if anyone else has been in that situation/ if its a commonly asked question.

Thanks

Its not unfair. You didn't have to give a completely concrete answer. When I went on my interviews I got that everywhere I went. All Californians do, becuase they assume we don't really want to leave California. When I got that question I simply said that I couldn't be sure until I'd seen both the schools, as well as financial aid packages since cost was a huge factor to me. I would love to try living on the east coast, and med school seems like a great time to do it. But I'd have to take all factors into consideration if I was lucky enough to get multiple acceptances.

 

[Phoenix.]

When I interviewed at UIC the interviewer asked me "Why UIC?" After I was done answering, he said "Why UIC if you got into any other school in Chicago?" After I answered that, he said "Why UIC if you got into Northwestern?" So, yeah, I guess it's not uncommon to get questions like that. They want to see your specific interest and enthusiasm for the advantages at their school. I didn't ever say outright "Well, I would go to UIC over Northwestern." Instead, "I talked about the advantages that UIC has clinically, etc., and let him draw his own conclusions.

Sounds like your interviewer may have been pushing pretty hard for a specific decision/answer. What I've done in those circumstances is to make it clear that geography is not the deciding factor for me, and that I really just want to go to a school that I feel is a great fit for me. Thus, I couldn't answer "Canadian" or "US" school. It would be a decision that was made on the merits of the schools themselves. Or something to that effect. Just stick to your guns and make it clear that you'd be happy to go to a US med school if that was the one that you felt fit you best. If that's how you feel....

 

[LizzyM]

It doesnt' seem fair but it sound like some schools are trying to increase their yield (proportion of offers accepted) by waitlisting those for whom the school is a "back up" and accepting those for whom the school is #1 choice.