if the interviewer asks you about your past drug experience, what would you ans?

[coralfangs]

eh?

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[Law2Doc]

eh?

I kind of doubt anyone ever gets asked this, unless you have a conviction of something in your app. Assuming you are saying answering honestly would land you in hot water I suppose you could go with the old Bill Clinton standby -- "I didn't inhale"...

 

[jochi1543]

I'd never admit anything unless something was on my record. They don't really have any business asking this....if this were that important, a polygraph test would have been introduced for med admissions, like they do for police recruitment.

 

[LicensedPremed]

I would say I never did any kind of drug because I really didn't. Wait, I don't even smoke or drink

 

[voirlesetoiles]

If I did do drugs, I assume I would have gotten my act together by now. So, unless it's documented - no.

But honestly, I don't do drugs, don't drink, don't smoke. Haven't done any of those things in the past. Squeeeeeeaky clean haha.

 

[Funky]

obviously plead the 5th

 

[TheRealMD]

They aren't going to ask this unless they have a reason to ask it, and it better damn well be on your app if it is, otherwise that's a pretty darn clear invasion of privacy and grounds for claiming discrimination.

 

[FNU LNU]

Unless you have drug-related trouble in your amcas app, no one is going to ask you this question. But, if they do ask you, f*&^ it, be a mensch and tell the truth. Is med school really worth sacrificing your sense of honor for? It sounds like you used to use drugs but have now grown out of it. Great, that shows maturity. If you self-administered narcotics and didn't kill yourself, maybe you have the makings of a great anesthesiologist.

 

[neopentanol]

Say you tried some weed once while in Amsterdam between flights. That way, your face won't flinch, you won't look like you're hiding anything, it'll put a stamp of honesty on every other answer you give, and you haven't broken any laws or social taboos.

Or, you could just tell the truth.

 

[Despina]

My old boss once said he asks incriminating questions in interviews like "do you do drugs," not because he cares about the truth that much, but because he wants to see what kind of judgment the applicant uses. If they say something stupid like "Well, you know once or twice a year I smoke pot," he knows that they just aren't using judgment and he won't hire them (because truth be told I think my boss partied a fair amount outside of work).

 

[gro2001]

Never EVER admit to drug use. Seriously. EVER!!!

This can not be stressed enough. If any drug use is ever on your record, there will come a time it will bite you. Maybe not in the admission process, but someday when someone wants to marginalize you or call your decision into question, this will come up. You DO have a permanent record. Why would you want to voluntarily add this?

As somebody mentioned, honesty is not necessarily a virtue in business (or most other life situations). I sure as hell would prefer to hire somebody who does what they have to succeed rather than somebody who voluntarily jeopardizes his endeavour.

 

[pagemmapants]

I would say I never did any kind of drug because I really didn't. Wait, I don't even smoke or drink

Wanna cookie?

 

[blozmodk]

hey hey, hey hey.... smoke weed everyday

 

[UVABranch]

Depends...if you're older you can say "i enjoy the occassional cocktail," but if you're just over 21, that might be different...

 

[benzene21]

you know, normally honesty is my policy, but as long as you didn't ever have a serious problem with drugs i don't feel they have a right to know. i doubt they would ask, anyhow, unless they had reason to believe you had a problem.

 

[brewmeistervi]

Wanna cookie?

Don't bother offering him one, he probably doesn't eat cookies because they're addictive.

 

[inaminute]

They aren't going to ask this unless they have a reason to ask it, and it better damn well be on your app if it is, otherwise that's a pretty darn clear invasion of privacy and grounds for claiming discrimination.

no it isn't

 

[inaminute]

Never EVER admit to drug use. Seriously. EVER!!!

This can not be stressed enough. If any drug use is ever on your record, there will come a time it will bite you. Maybe not in the admission process, but someday when someone wants to marginalize you or call your decision into question, this will come up. You DO have a permanent record. Why would you want to voluntarily add this?

As somebody mentioned, honesty is not necessarily a virtue in business (or most other life situations). I sure as hell would prefer to hire somebody who does what they have to succeed rather than somebody who voluntarily jeopardizes his endeavour.

gosh, and so many SDNers were so hot (in the tell or don't tell thread about seeing people smoking after an interview) to tell us smoking weed is cool, not harmful, is widely done and therefore not objectionable, not something anyone needs to tell authorities about, blah blah blah, and yet WE CAN'T ADMIT WE DO SMOKE WEED!!!!

ROFLMAO I guess you can be cool or you can be honest, but not both

 

[Law2Doc]

and yet WE CAN'T ADMIT WE DO SMOKE WEED!!!!

It's never a good idea to admit to any crime in an interview. So no, you shouldn't admit it because in the interviewer's eyes (and under the law) you shouldn't be doing it, so it will hurt your application. As much as you'd like to think "everyone does it" the fact is that isn't really the case and you are just trying to justify illegal behavior when you say that. Not that most people care nor do I think any interviewer would ever ask, but there are some things you need to keep behind closed doors (and with a towel shoved along the bottom of the door).

 

[CS77479]

gosh, and so many SDNers were so hot (in the tell or don't tell thread about seeing people smoking after an interview) to tell us smoking weed is cool, not harmful, is widely done and therefore not objectionable, not something anyone needs to tell authorities about, blah blah blah, and yet WE CAN'T ADMIT WE DO SMOKE WEED!!!!

ROFLMAO I guess you can be cool or you can be honest, but not both

It's all about making your best impression, and some things better left unsaid. Admitting to drug use will not leave a favorable impression as everything associated with drug use will be associated with you and your application.

 

[trichomoniasis]

It's never a good idea to admit to any crime in an interview. So no, you shouldn't admit it because in the interviewer's eyes (and under the law) you shouldn't be doing it, so it will hurt your application. As much as you'd like to think "everyone does it" the fact is that isn't really the case and you are just trying to justify illegal behavior when you say that. Not that most people care nor do I think any interviewer would ever ask, but there are some things you need to keep behind closed doors (and with a towel shoved along the bottom of the door).

just to clarify, you advocate lying to the interviewer?

 

[Law2Doc]

just to clarify, you advocate lying to the interviewer?

No, just sidestep it. You can avoid admitting to a crime without lying. But it will never get asked.

 

[trichomoniasis]

No, just sidestep it. You can avoid admitting to a crime without lying. But it will never get asked.

so if the interviewer asks you "have you ever smoked the marijuana like a cigarette?"


what would your answer be (assuming you have, in fact, smoked the marijuana)?

 

[gro2001]

Whether or not you think smoking weed is wrong, why would you admit to it on the one day where you should really be selling yourself shamelessly?

 

[Law2Doc]

so if the interviewer asks you "have you ever smoked the marijuana like a cigarette?"


what would your answer be (assuming you have, in fact, smoked the marijuana)?

Go with something deflecting, nonresponsive and matter of fact, like -- "I think I'd prefer to spend this brief interview time discussing my qualifications for your school. Can you tell me about the school's ..."
But again I doubt you would ever be asked that.

 

[inaminute]

It's all about making your best impression, and some things better left unsaid. Admitting to drug use will not leave a favorable impression as everything associated with drug use will be associated with you and your application.

so why do the drugs?

 

[inaminute]

Whether or not you think smoking weed is wrong, why would you admit to it on the one day where you should really be selling yourself shamelessly?

there you have it: weedheads have put themselves in a quandary; they claim there ain't nuttin bad about smokin yet they cannot bring themselves to be honest if asked if they smoke

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Lean in real close and say quietly "Between you and me, I do drugs pretty much everyday. In fact, if I don't, I go through withdrawal"

Watch the interviewers eyes widen and before s/he can respond say. "Yeah, if I don't get my morning coffee/Mountain Dew, my body misses the caffeine and I get a raging headache".

Hopefully s/he'll laugh at your cleverness and you've defused the situation.

 

[Meatwad]

Say you tried some weed once while in Amsterdam between flights. That way, your face won't flinch, you won't look like you're hiding anything, it'll put a stamp of honesty on every other answer you give, and you haven't broken any laws or social taboos.

Or, you could just tell the truth.

Smoking ganja in Amsterdam is not legal, although it is a common misconception that it is legal. It is simply tolerated (in small amounts) by the cops if smoked in designated hash bars.

Yeah... I've researched this.

 

[CS77479]

so why do the drugs?

There are a lot of reasons why people do drugs, but that's not what the OP's question is about. His question was whether to mention his own past behavior. Because of the controversy that the issue raises, why gamble with your application? You would be better off avoiding the issue and highlighting the qualifications that you have for medical school.

 

[shotdiscus]

Go with something deflecting, nonresponsive and matter of fact, like -- "I think I'd prefer to spend this brief interview time discussing my qualifications for your school. Can you tell me about the school's ..."

Ha. Might as well say "Yes, next question."

 

[HumidBeing]

Am I the only one who doesn't automatically think of abuse or recreation when the word drugs is mentiond?

There's a good chance that I will be asked that. It's a question I could run with because one of my experiences with drugs was catalytic in redirecting my life path. I reacted severely in a never before documented way to a common and long used drug used during a procedure. It left me paralyzed, blind, and determined to get the most out of life. I had a patient's eye view of lengthy differential diagnosis in a crisis situation when the answer doesn't fit the textbooks.

The timing meant that I was unable to do the college admission tests. To get around that obstacle, I dual-enrolled in the CC as a high school senior. I brought my own note-taker and assistant. Friends and family read me the textbooks & notes until I had everything memorized. I used 3D models of molecules and cells, books on tape, anything I could to make the material as complete as possible for me.

It's been a long recuperation, but, except for a few inconsequential reminders, my physical abilities have returned. I could fill an entire interview talking about the medical aspects of my experience, the people who became my mentors, the social aspects, opportunity disguised as adversity, or why I think of my body and mind as being too precious to risk experimenting with recreational drug use or excessive alcohol consumption.

If the question were specifically focused on alcohol and recreational drugs, I'd speak of how I saw it affect my high school friends and people I worked with. I'd speak of head traumas from DUI's, personality changes, and why I decided that I had to part ways from the group.

I think it's a legitimate question. We all have experiences with drugs from popping a couple of ibuprofen for a headache, to antibiotics, to observing the effects of misuse on others.

 

[trichomoniasis]

Am I the only one who doesn't automatically think of abuse or recreation when the word drugs is mentiond?

There's a good chance that I will be asked that. It's a question I could run with because one of my experiences with drugs was catalytic in redirecting my life path. I reacted severely in a never before documented way to a common and long used drug used during a procedure. It left me paralyzed, blind, and determined to get the most out of life. I had a patient's eye view of lengthy differential diagnosis in a crisis situation when the answer doesn't fit the textbooks.

The timing meant that I was unable to do the college admission tests. To get around that obstacle, I dual-enrolled in the CC as a high school senior. I brought my own note-taker and assistant. Friends and family read me the textbooks & notes until I had everything memorized. I used 3D models of molecules and cells, books on tape, anything I could to make the material as complete as possible for me.

It's been a long recuperation, but, except for a few inconsequential reminders, my physical abilities have returned. I could fill an entire interview talking about the medical aspects of my experience, the people who became my mentors, the social aspects, opportunity disguised as adversity, or why I think of my body and mind as being too precious to risk experimenting with recreational drug use or excessive alcohol consumption.

If the question were specifically focused on alcohol and recreational drugs, I'd speak of how I saw it affect my high school friends and people I worked with. I'd speak of head traumas from DUI's, personality changes, and why I decided that I had to part ways from the group.

I think it's a legitimate question. We all have experiences with drugs from popping a couple of ibuprofen for a headache, to antibiotics, to observing the effects of misuse on others.

wow great freaking answer!

 

[Law2Doc]

Ha. Might as well say "Yes, next question."

The above response is better because (1) you are admitting nothing, and more importantly, (2) you are asking the next question -- taking control of the conversation and steering it back to safety. If you say "next question" the interviewer might follow more of his own bizarre tangents exploring your boundaries, such as "Ever driven drunk", "ever killed someone", etc.

But unless your app is suggestive of committing a crime, no interviewer is ever going to ask about one.