Awkward questions

[zerlina]

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So what do you say when your interviewer asks you an awkward question like "Where else have you been accepted?" or "What school is your top choice?" For the top choice question, I usually don't come out and say it, I just allude to characteristics I look for in a school (location, clinical exposure, students' attitudes). What do you guys think? What other awkward questions have you been asked?

 

[baylormed]

So what do you say when your interviewer asks you an awkward question like "Where else have you been accepted?" or "What school is your top choice?" For the top choice question, I usually don't come out and say it, I just allude to characteristics I look for in a school (location, clinical exposure, students' attitudes). What do you guys think? What other awkward questions have you been asked?

I always went for the diplomatic answering (AKA = giving an answer w/o actually giving an answer). I got asked several times where else I'd interviewed and what was imp. for me in a medical school....and I always replied with "Well, I think it's going to have a tough choice deciding; every school has some great qualities that I know I'll be in trouble if I get into more than one!", then smiling.

If pressed for a more detailed opinion, say you need more time to weigh your options and have not made any decisions yet, again, because of the awesomeness of every school. 😉

 

[airshad8]

I would definitely just go with 'Your mom', THEN smiling.

 

[BucsFan813]

I started out with the diplomatic responses, but now I just answer honestly. That being said, I already have a couple acceptances and good financial packages.

However, I followed up my response by talking about how much I wanted to come to the school and why (curriculum, close to home, research opps, etc)

 

[baylormed]

I started out with the diplomatic responses, but now I just answer honestly. That being said, I already have a couple acceptances and good financial packages.
However, I followed up my response by talking about how much I wanted to come to the school and why (curriculum, close to home, research opps, etc)

Yeah, that's the key to the end of the "not telling them what they want to hear" process. However, I'm not going to anymore interviews. Otherwise, I think I'd have fun with my interviewers by giving more relaxed answers to their questions.

"So...baylormed...how are you?"

"I'm fine thank you. Except for the fact that your school decided to make the interviews at 3pm after a BBQ lunch and a 1-hour tour of the school (in 100 degree weather) and an extra 3 hours of welcome/finAid lectures, so now I'm all sweaty and my hair lost its style hours ago."

"I see you volunteered at XYZ hospital...tell me about that"

"Well, for hours and hours, we would stand by the nurses station watching doctors and nurses run by us. Our requests to help were occasionally answered by assigning us to hand out cups with ice to patient...Once, I even helped transport a patient to another floor! That was exciting!"

😛

 

[desout777]

im always just honest.

 

[kidthor]

Ahh, we must have volunteered at the same hospital!

"I see you volunteered at XYZ hospital...tell me about that"

"Well, for hours and hours, we would stand by the nurses station watching doctors and nurses run by us. Our requests to help were occasionally answered by assigning us to hand out cups with ice to patient...Once, I even helped transport a patient to another floor! That was exciting!"

😛

 

[Dookter]

Yeah, the awkward questions are always tough [and sometimes unfair]. I think you have to be as honest as possible. I was always open about where I applied, what I liked about the other schools, etc. I mean, I only applied to 7 schools, but I still did apply to those seven. I doubt any medical school would have believed me if I said, "Oh, this is definitely my top choice. I do not like any other schools." All schools have awesome things about them. Just say what you like. I had one interviewer ask my directly if his school was really on my radar [if I got into the higher ranked schools to which I applied]. This was a stange question since this school is a very good school and I was crossing my fingers to get accepted. So I think sometimes they just want to make sure you'd be happy going there if accepted. However, sometimes they are harder to answer. I had one interviewer ask me where I would go if accepted everywhere I applied. Honestly, I was not sure, but at the time I considered that school one of my very top choices, so I said, "I hope I have the chance to be at XXX next year." I did not say I would definitely go there, but I said I hoped I had the chance.

 

[thedelicatessen]

I was only asked about the other schools I applied to by a few schools, but I just talk about geographic range and a vague description of the quantity of schools. Don't want to give too much away...