Bring up that you were accepted at another school?

[thestrokes14]

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If asked a question during an interview about "what you would do if you didn't get into medical school," should I mention that I was already accepted, or should I just play along.

I personally would rather avoid the acceptance issue, because I don't want to talk about another school during the interview. Thanks for any input.

 

[LingoLaine]

personally would rather avoid the acceptance issue, because I don't want to talk about another school during the interview.

Sounds like you already answered your own question.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

I'd probably wouldn't out right tell them. But if they asked if you had been accepted then I would be honest.

 

[StoicJosher]

Interviewer: "what you would do if you didn't get into medical school,"

Me: "Hypothetically speaking, if I didn't get into any medical school............"

 

[thesauce]

I'd probably wouldn't out right tell them. But if they asked if you had been accepted then I would be honest.

I would tell them you got accepted

 

[samsunimomo]

Interviewer: "what you would do if you didn't get into medical school,"

Me: "Hypothetically speaking, if I didn't get into any medical school............"

This. 👍

 

[SBR249]

There's a reason they ask that question and often it's not to know where else you've been accepted to. They want to know that you are committed to medicine and that you won't let obstacles like having to reapply stop you. So just answer that question instead.

On the other hand, I've had program directors or adcoms who've come straight out and asked where I've been interviewing or been accepted to. In those cases I've been honest (I didn't really like that particular PD either) or I've stressed that that particular school was my #1 choice and that I'd drop everything to go (which obviously I only said that my top choice school).

 

[MT Headed]

I was asked what would I do if I did not and could not be accepted to any med school ever (I guess like a felony or something?). They wanted to know what my priorities were besides medicine.

I just fell back on my PS, which really does have a mission statement orthogonal to medicine; I believe medicine is the best way to achieve my goals but there are alternatives for me if I don't get in... hypothetically speaking.

They never asked, and I never told them, that I'm already in somewhere and I'm basically shopping for better offers now.

 

[SBR249]

Yeah, sometimes they do that too. Though since I'm applying MSTP, it's usually what if it's one or the other. Though I did say once that I would go to Switzerland and apprentice with a chocolatier but that's because the question said I could do neither.

 

[gravitywave]

the question is asked either to gauge your commitment to the field, or to find out a little more about what makes you "tick." Answering by saying that you've already been accepted dodges the spirit of the question, so play along and only bring up another acceptance if asked about it directly.

 

[Ride Big Sky]

If an interviewer does happen to ask you directly if you've been accepted to another school you can just be honest and use that time to point out that there is a reason why you're still interviewing at their school. I used this myself and it worked out very well. It's easy to show interest in a school when you're still willing to take the time and money to travel/interview when already holding an acceptance.

 

[NickNaylor]

the question is asked either to gauge your commitment to the field, or to find out a little more about what makes you "tick." Answering by saying that you've already been accepted dodges the spirit of the question, so play along and only bring up another acceptance if asked about it directly.

Exactly. Don't mention that you've been accepted to other schools. Don't even hint at it.

 

[ADolefulDream]

I don't see how saying that you were accepted at another school will help your chances, but I can see it hurting your chances.

 

[thesauce]

I don't see how saying that you were accepted at another school will help your chances, but I can see it hurting your chances.

I can think of at least two:
1. You may be viewed as a more valuable commodity. If other schools want you, then they must see something worthwhile in you.
2. It may increase your chances of getting a scholarship in an attempt to bait you away from the other school.

This isn't like the match for residency. You can choose between acceptances. If they offer you an acceptance and you decline, they can easily find 100 more to take the position. They don't lose much by offering the position to you, so I can't imagine they're terribly concerned about competition.

 

[schwabejr]

I can think of at least two:
1. You may be viewed as a more valuable commodity. If other schools want you, then they must see something worthwhile in you.
2. It may increase your chances of getting a scholarship in an attempt to bait you away from the other school.

I would say that number 2 is a card you should play after acceptance to the program. A good friend of mine baited a private school down to the cost of a state school she was accepted to by pitting the two against each other. From my understanding, consideration for scholarships is started after the acceptance, not after the interview.

As for number one, adcoms want to see a high yield from their accepted students. Ideally, they would accept only their very best applicants and all of them would come to that school. Letting a school know about any other acceptances may lead to something like this: "He/she'll be fine, they'll just go somewhere else if we dont accept them".

I wouldn't (and don't) plan on bringing it up at any other interviews unless asked directly. That said, holding an acceptance means you need to be VERY prepared to say why you want to go to the school where you're interviewing.

 

[NickNaylor]

I would say that number 2 is a card you should play after acceptance to the program. A good friend of mine baited a private school down to the cost of a state school she was accepted to by pitting the two against each other. From my understanding, consideration for scholarships is started after the acceptance, not after the interview.

As for number one, adcoms want to see a high yield from their accepted students. Ideally, they would accept only their very best applicants and all of them would come to that school. Letting a school know about any other acceptances may lead to something like this: "He/she'll be fine, they'll just go somewhere else if we dont accept them".

I wouldn't (and don't) plan on bringing it up at any other interviews unless asked directly. That said, holding an acceptance means you need to be VERY prepared to say why you want to go to the school where you're interviewing.

It's pretty asinine to even think that a school would base an admissions decision on the decision of another institution.

 

[schwabejr]

It's pretty asinine to even think that a school would base an admissions decision on the decision of another institution.

True that, it was a poor hypothetical.
That was a bit of advice given to me by my advisor about mentioning an acceptance and pending interviews in an update letter.

 

[thesauce]

I would say that number 2 is a card you should play after acceptance to the program. A good friend of mine baited a private school down to the cost of a state school she was accepted to by pitting the two against each other. From my understanding, consideration for scholarships is started after the acceptance, not after the interview.

This kind of situation is probably pretty rare. Most often, the decision to give scholarships is a unilateral decision on the part of the institution with the chief consideration being how much they have in their scholarship endowment fund. Take it or leave it. They aren't desperate to get ANY applicant. They don't need your business like Uhaul does.

The point is that they might offer you a scholarship based on the knowledge of other acceptances. They are more likely to do this upfront or not at all. But they would have to know that you have other acceptances. Your interview is one of your only chances to relay this kind of information.

As for number one, adcoms want to see a high yield from their accepted students. Ideally, they would accept only their very best applicants and all of them would come to that school. Letting a school know about any other acceptances may lead to something like this: "He/she'll be fine, they'll just go somewhere else if we dont accept them".

So now the assumption is that they only want students that are desperately seeking their only acceptance? I think this comes from a bunch of pre-meds overthinking this scenario. These are doctors, they went through the same admissions process you are. They aren't trying to screw you. Their knowledge of your acceptances elsewhere will have little, if any, impact on their decision to accept you.

Now, for the residency match, where they only have one chance to get someone: this certainly happens.

 

[schwabejr]

So now the assumption is that they only want students that are desperately seeking their only acceptance? I think this comes from a bunch of pre-meds overthinking this scenario.

What I meant is that its good for schools of have a high yield. If you give the impression that you'll end up somewhere else there's no reason for your interviewer to make a strong case for your acceptance.

The bottom line to the OP, from myself and others on this thread, is that its best to not bring it up if you're not asked directly about other acceptances. And if you are, its best to be prepared to justify why you're looking at the interviewers school.

In the case of the OPs original question, StoicJosher gave an excellent answer.

 

[thesauce]

What I meant is that its good for schools of have a high yield. If you give the impression that you'll end up somewhere else there's no reason for your interviewer to make a strong case for your acceptance.

The bottom line to the OP, from myself and others on this thread, is that its best to not bring it up if you're not asked directly about other acceptances. And if you are, its best to be prepared to justify why you're looking at the interviewers school.

In the case of the OPs original question, StoicJosher gave an excellent answer.

That's a completely different issue. Obviously don't give the impression that you're going elsewhere. No one is that stupid.

 

[robertch8]

I asked LizzyM this exact same question in the Ask me almost anything thread and this was her response:

You can say, "I've been admitted to another school already but speaking hypothetically, if I had come up empty this time around I would have..... "

The question is meant to get at what you think the weaknesses are in your file, what you would be interested in doing in a year out, how badly you want to do medicine and what you would do as an alternative career.

That being said, I have gotten this question myself multiple times at interviews and since I'm a re-applicant, I've shifted the question towards what I did last year when I did not get in and brought the focus towards the self-reflection and changes I made. But I have ended up getting point blank asked if I was accepted elsewhere at 2 interviews, and I simply told the truth but emphasized that I wouldn't be there at the interview if I was not seriously interested in the school.