Help with ethical decision question please

[predental1984]

I'm interviewing at NYU on Thursday, I don't have any acceptances yet so this is really important for me. I read a lot of the interview feedback and the most frequently asked question was "Describe a major ethical decision you have had to make". I'm not sure how to answer this, I don't think I've ever faced an ethical dilemma before. And I don't want to start talking about cheating, that never ends well.
Have you guys been asked this question? And what did you say? Thanks for any help you may provide.

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[tinman831]

I'm interviewing at NYU on Thursday, I don't have any acceptances yet so this is really important for me. I read a lot of the interview feedback and the most frequently asked question was "Describe a major ethical decision you have had to make". I'm not sure how to answer this, I don't think I've ever faced an ethical dilemma before. And I don't want to start talking about cheating, that never ends well.
Have you guys been asked this question? And what did you say? Thanks for any help you may provide.

Everyone has come across a time when they have had to make an ethical decision. Maybe when you were little you broke a lamp, and you could have blamed your sister, did you? Did you ever see someone drop some money and pick it up and give it back to them? Or have a free view of someones exam while you were taking it. What would you do? Often times we encounter these situations and usually people do the right thing without much hesitation.

 

[predental1984]

Thanks for the post, I was thinking of talking about a summer school ochem class where I went in not knowing there was a final. My friend told me to copy off his test, the TA was reading a book and not monitoring. I declined and struggled through it, and got a C in the class. And talk along the lines of how I want to be held responsible for my successes and my failures, and want to feel that my admission to dental school is well deserved. And I won't be left wondering later in life.
Now, I'm not so sure that was a good idea, it decreased my BCP GPA a bunch 🙂

 

[TheWiredNerv]

Thanks for the post, I was thinking of talking about a summer school ochem class where I went in not knowing there was a final. My friend told me to copy off his test, the TA was reading a book and not monitoring. I declined and struggled through it, and got a C in the class. And talk along the lines of how I want to be held responsible for my successes and my failures, and want to feel that my admission to dental school is well deserved. And I won't be left wondering later in life.
Now, I'm not so sure that was a good idea, it decreased my BCP GPA a bunch 🙂

I wouldn't tell your interviewer that you forgot you had a major test!

 

[predental1984]

That is what I was thinking too 🙁 I should probably change it to I missd a few days of class because I was sick and the final was preponed to the last lecture, and I did not find out. Does that sound more legitimate?

 

[blankguy]

That is what I was thinking too 🙁 I should probably change it to I missd a few days of class because I was sick and the final was preponed to the last lecture, and I did not find out. Does that sound more legitimate?

No it doesn't. What major dilemma were you involved in? It doesn't have to be school related. It doesn't have to be recent. Did you see people cheat at something and those people were good friends so you hesitated to report them?

 

[predental1984]

Do you think the interviewer will see it as a positive if I told them that I narked someone out? Wouldn't that look untrustworthy of me? But I guess it's the right thing to do.
How about, in high school a few friends snagged a copy of the final and I told the teacher that the final was out without naming names? The teacher changed the final and no one got caught.

 

[predental1984]

Thanks for all the help by the way. With my luck I'm guaranteed to be asked this, and I need a decent answer.

 

[SanOnofre2002]

Have you had any sort of job in the past? Part time or full? If so, there has to be some example of an ethical choice you had. Employees "borrowing" company equipment or supplies, employers encouraging dishonesty w/ customers, subordinates giving you things w/ the expectation of a returned favor at work, customers trying to get an unauthorized discount, etc. Even if it's not a glamorous job, hell even a paper route, there's almost always ethical choices to make.
I'd avoid the snitching example. Although that would be the appropriate response if asked your actions regarding cheating, it's too simple to say you turned in a cheater.
BTW, I interviewed there and they did ask me the ethical question.

 

[predental1984]

Yeah, I think I will have to use something work related. This seems like NYU's question of choice. I really need to figure this one out. Thanks for all your guys' help.

 

[sacjumpman]

I didn't read any of the other responses, but mine was something along the lines of current climate crisis and my realization of my involvement and my decisions since then, etc...

just food for thought.

 

[predental1984]

Wow Sactown man that is brilliant. UCSD would be very proud. I was Marshall 06.

 

[sacjumpman]

Wow Sactown man that is brilliant. UCSD would be very proud. I was Marshall 06.

haha thanks man. I thought maybe you were being sarcastic at first. Seemed so simple to me. You got a PM 🙂

 

[haisha ni narou]

Tell them in anticipation for the question, you contemplated creating a made up scenario that sounded pretty good. Rather than make up a situation, you decided to be honest with them and sacrifice admittence to their school by confessing you could not recall an ethical situation but describe how you value integrity especially in a professional field such as dentistry as well as dental school.

 

[sacjumpman]

Tell them in anticipation for the question, you contemplated creating a made up scenario that sounded pretty good. Rather than make up a situation, you decided to be honest with them and sacrifice admittence to their school by confessing you could not recall an ethical situation but describe how you value integrity especially in a professional field such as dentistry as well as dental school.

I like that. 😉

 

[jigabodo]

I talked about my involvement in underage drinking and smoking.

I was actually brutally honest. I think it probably helped me more than I thought.

 

[predental1984]

They are both very good examples, I think a combination of the two may just work. I did drink and smoke while I was underage, and I did try to make up a scenario. I could say that I contemplated of creating an impressive story but thought that integrity is more important to me than doing well at an interview, then I tell them about my shady past and how I changed that and evolved into the person I am today, and I am very happy with that decision.
Something along those lines, what do you guys think? Or should I just use one of them?
And thanks so much for your help, if this works out I'll somehow buy you all a drink and a pack of smokes 😀

 

[jigabodo]

They are both very good examples, I think a combination of the two may just work. I did drink and smoke while I was underage, and I did try to make up a scenario. I could say that I contemplated of creating an impressive story but thought that integrity is more important to me than doing well at an interview, then I tell them about my shady past and how I changed that and evolved into the person I am today, and I am very happy with that decision.
Something along those lines, what do you guys think? Or should I just use one of them?
And thanks so much for your help, if this works out I'll somehow buy you all a drink and a pack of smokes 😀

Just be careful what you say.

When you are talking about pass involvement, there is always a chance that it can turn back and haunt you. Because every single adcomm is different, its very likely that you will get mixed results when you mention your shady past.

 

[predental1984]

Very true, I think I will only mention a little underage drinking. Hey jigabodo, were you asked this question at only Loma Linda or other schools also? An did you give the same answer for all?

 

[jigabodo]

Very true, I think I will only mention a little underage drinking. Hey jigabodo, were you asked this question at only Loma Linda or other schools also? An did you give the same answer for all?

Not just LLU. I was asked the same thing in NYU also.

 

[predental1984]

Wow, and obviously it worked out well for you. I think I'll tame it a bit just to be safe. Thanks so much for your help

 

[SuperC]

I talked about my involvement in underage drinking and smoking.

I was actually brutally honest. I think it probably helped me more than I thought.

No offense, but I don't think that underage drinking and smoking is an "ethical dilemma". Many people will drink underage, I did, as did my friends and I don't think we go in the category of unethical people.

I personally would go with the cheating story. You could play that up quite nicely. It would also answer another possible question, "Why did you get a C in Ochem?"

That is what I was thinking too 🙁 I should probably change it to I missd a few days of class because I was sick and the final was preponed to the last lecture, and I did not find out. Does that sound more legitimate?

Now on the other hand lying in an interview, IMO, would be unethical.
-C

 

[Katalyst]

My ethical answer:
"When I was twelve and at a friend's house, I rode their son's minibike into the side door of his father's chevy truck, denting and scratching the paint. I later pretended I knew nothing about it and my parents never found out because the owners never ratted me out, nor confronted me. They went through insurance and fixed the door, but I'm sure it still cost them a couple hundred dollars. Years later, at age 25, I went to my friend's mother (now a widow) and brought up the subject, trying to pay for what damages I had caused in order to heal my conscience. She told me that she wouldn't accept money from a poor college kid, but I could pay her back after I graduated dental school." What do y'all think?

 

[predental1984]

Thanks for all your help guys. I'm going to give it some more thought and come up with a good one.

 

[predental1984]

Interview went well, they didn't ask the ethical question. Only if my school was on the up and up with cheating and all. I said there wasn't any cheating I noticed, and they seat us pretty far with different versions of exams.