Interview Question - how many medical schools?

[theKingLT]

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I'll tell you what would be a third rail...any hint of copping an attitude, like saying "I'm not comfortable answering that question". I'd reject that candidate before leaving the the interview room.

That is ridiculous. I agree it's best to just go ahead and answer the question but saying you're not comfortable answering does not automatically mean copping an attitude. It's just being honest and hardly a valid reason to auto-reject. Who can blame applicants for such responses with the culture and myths that this site specifically procures. TBH such a response from an interviewer shows a lack of undertanding or empathy for the pressures an applicant is under and the misinformation he/she is constantly exposed to.

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[Goro]

That is ridiculous. I agree it's best to just go ahead and answer the question but saying you're not comfortable answering does not automatically mean copping an attitude. It's just being honest and hardly a valid reason to auto-reject. Who can blame applicants for such responses with the culture and myths that this site specifically procures. TBH such a response from an interviewer shows a lack of undertanding or empathy for the pressures an applicant is under and the misinformation he/she is constantly exposed to.

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Spare me.

No doubt that interviews are stressful, but so is tying off a spurting artery on a MVA victim, or dealing with an acting-out psychotic patient.

Thus, with all the people we interview for our limited number of seats, the seats go to those who display grace under pressure. Panic is not an option for a doctor; clear-headed thinking is.

 

[theKingLT]

Spare me.

No doubt that interviews are stressful, but so is tying off a spurting artery on a MVA victim, or dealing with an acting-out psychotic patient.

Thus, with all the people we interview for our limited number of seats, the seats go to those who display grace under pressure. Panic is not an option for a doctor; clear-headed thinking is.

And someone being honest and saying that they're not comfortable answering a question is panic?

Thankfully not all interviewers share such a perspective. Hopefully most don't.

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[Goro]

And someone being honest and saying that they're not comfortable answering a question is panic?

Thankfully not all interviewers share such a perspective. Hopefully most don't.

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No, I'm saying that in a medical school interview setting, refusing to answer a question I would consider copping an attitude. And in ~15+ years of interviewing, I've never seen nor heard of someone doing that. It's not like it's a question about a sexual assault or a parent's divorce.

 

[imbesrs]

It's not like it's a question about a sexual assault or a parent's divorce.

Which DOES happen still in 2019 and ppl feel to scared to decline to comment that they discuss these things out of fear of R.
Source: friends who have IIs

thats the real issue forget saying how many II’s you got

 

[theKingLT]

No, I'm saying that in a medical school interview setting, refusing to answer a question I would consider copping an attitude. And in ~15+ years of interviewing, I've never seen nor heard of someone doing that. It's not like it's a question about a sexual assault or a parent's divorce.

Is "what schools have you interviewed at?" part of your normal interviewing repertoire? If so, I'm very surprised you've never recieved such an answer given the general attitudes and beliefs held by many pre-meds, on this site, and even in this very thread.

It's very different from a question about sexual assualt or divorce because it has little to do with the applicants personal issues with the question and everything to do with how the applicant has been conditioned by the general premed culture and misinformation available. Given all the crap you see on here about bad advice from pre-med advisors, would you not be surprised that there are even pre-med advisors telling applicants to answer this way? You really dont seem to understand what it's like for an applicant and WHY they might avoid answering such a question, because I can assure you anyone I know would not do so to "cop an attitude" but rather out of fear their answer will work against them

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[notsobabydoc]

Being a doctor means you need to communicate effectively. When asked a question one is not comfortable with, one should remain calm and gracious and answer accordingly to minimize any perceived defensiveness. It’s just that simple. It really doesn’t matter what the interviewee intends. It’s really about how the interviewer perceives. You can judge the interviewer or the patient as much as you want. Don’t forget we are here to serve so patients are always correct!

 

[KnightDoc]

You can see how many people interview in MSAR...this is not a secret.

Telling a candidate how they would be ranked or scored would be an invitation to be sued.

I don't know why y'all are treating this question of "how many schools" as if it's a third rail. It wouldn't be lethal for me as an interviewer even if someone said "all 40 DO schools and all 140 MD schools".

I'll tell you what would be a third rail...any hint of copping an attitude, like saying "I'm not comfortable answering that question". I'd reject that candidate before leaving the the interview room.

I appreciate your saying no answer would be lethal for you, and, of course, a candidate needs to exercise better judgment than to cop an attitude while competing for a limited, valuable opportunity, but, from a candidate's perspective, can I ask what is the relevance of how many other schools we are applying to?

It seems like any answer at all can, and will, be used against us! 🙂 Do you not have any other way to evaluate our judgment than to see whether we applied to the Goldilocks "correct" number of schools? And, if the answer doesn't matter (from 1 to 140), why ask the question? It's the third rail for us because, like with everything else, we are worried about a less than perfect answer being yet another negative thing going into the hopper while we desperately wait for the elusive A. As always, thanks in advance for sharing your insight and wisdom.

 

[notsobabydoc]

I appreciate your saying no answer would be lethal for you, and, of course, a candidate needs to exercise better judgment than to cop an attitude while competing for a limited, valuable opportunity, but, from a candidate's perspective, can I ask what is the relevance of how many other schools we are applying to?

It seems like any answer at all can, and will, be used against us! 🙂 Do you not have any other way to evaluate our judgment than to see whether we applied to the Goldilocks "correct" number of schools? And, if the answer doesn't matter (from 1 to 140), why ask the question? It's the third rail for us because, like with everything else, we are worried about a less than perfect answer being yet another negative thing going into the hopper while we desperately wait for the elusive A. As always, thanks in advance for sharing your insight and wisdom.

We are in no position to have a third rail as applicants, unless you don’t mind being rejected... that’s why premeds need gap years and get a real job...

 

[notsobabydoc]

Is "what schools have you interviewed at?" part of your normal interviewing repertoire? If so, I'm very surprised you've never recieved such an answer given the general attitudes and beliefs held by many pre-meds, on this site, and even in this very thread.

It's very different from a question about sexual assualt or divorce because it has little to do with the applicants personal issues with the question and everything to do with how the applicant has been conditioned by the general premed culture and misinformation available. Given all the crap you see on here about bad advice from pre-med advisors, would you not be surprised that there are even pre-med advisors telling applicants to answer this way? You really dont seem to understand what it's like for an applicant and WHY they might avoid answering such a question, because I can assure you anyone I know would not do so to "cop an attitude" but rather out of fear their answer will work against them

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Try that answer at any real job interview and see if you WILL EVER get a job... please get a job first before acting so entitled...

 

[Goro]

I appreciate your saying no answer would be lethal for you, and, of course, a candidate needs to exercise better judgment than to cop an attitude while competing for a limited, valuable opportunity, but, from a candidate's perspective, can I ask what is the relevance of how many other schools we are applying to?

It seems like any answer at all can, and will, be used against us! 🙂 Do you not have any other way to evaluate our judgment than to see whether we applied to the Goldilocks "correct" number of schools? And, if the answer doesn't matter (from 1 to 140), why ask the question? It's the third rail for us because, like with everything else, we are worried about a less than perfect answer being yet another negative thing going into the hopper while we desperately wait for the elusive A. As always, thanks in advance for sharing your insight and wisdom.

To tell the truth, it's a bad question, just like "where have been accepted or interviewed at?" It doesn't add anything to the mix for me as an interviewer to discern about the candidate.

SDNers should always be on guard for bad interviewers, and never be afraid to complain about the to Admissions Deans. It's the only way we can get rid of them.

 

[theKingLT]

Being a doctor means you need to communicate effectively. When asked a question one is not comfortable with, one should remain calm and gracious and answer accordingly to minimize any perceived defensiveness. It’s just that simple. It really doesn’t matter what the interviewee intends. It’s really about how the interviewer perceives. You can judge the interviewer or the patient as much as you want. Don’t forget we are here to serve so patients are always correct!

"I'm sorry I'm not really comfortable answering that" is a response which retains calmness and grace, and is a perfectly acceptable response to a patient (or anyone) asking about your personal life. You're 100% right that in an interview setting it's all about what the interviewer percieves which is why I would never recommend someone to go into an interview and avoid a question like that. But we're not in an interview setting and I'm not addressing an interviewee. We're on a forum where an interviewer has declared a practice that I don't agree with and which affects the composition of my future colleagues. He has stated that they PERCIEVE avoiding such a question as copping an attitude. I'm saying this PERCEPTION shows a lack of understanding for why an applicant would answer this way which IS in fact important becuase he is evaluating said applicant.

I hope he reconsiders how he interprets his interviewee's actions because his perception can have some serious implications on the course of someone's life as a result of not their personal attributes but the degree of misinformation they've been fed.

Apologies in advance if you're a she @Goro

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[theKingLT]

Try that answer at any real job interview and see if you WILL EVER get a job... please get a job first before acting so entitled...

Haha dude you know nothing about me, so kind of wild to assume i've never had a job. But for the sake of my own curiosity I'll go ahead and ask the few people I know who interview for professional organizations and see what their opinion is.

I'll go ahead and assume that you're a non-traditional applicant and likely have little grasp of what it's like to be a traditional pre-med. I'll admit it's kind of hard to understand the effect that the pre-med misinformation culture can have on a perfectly reasonable person without living through it yourself but i assure you it's real

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[notsobabydoc]

"I'm sorry I'm not really comfortable answering that" is a response which retains calmness and grace, and is a perfectly acceptable response to a patient (or anyone) asking about your personal life. You're 100% right that in an interview setting it's all about what the interviewer percieves which is why I would never recommend someone to go into an interview and avoid a question like that. But we're not in an interview setting and I'm not addressing an interviewee. We're on a forum where an interviewer has declared a practice that I don't agree with and which affects the composition of my future colleagues. He has stated that they PERCIEVE avoiding such a question as copping an attitude. I'm saying this PERCEPTION shows a lack of understanding for why an applicant would answer this way which IS in fact important becuase he is evaluating said applicant.

I hope he reconsiders how he interprets his interviewee's actions because his perception can have some serious implications on the course of someone's life as a result of not their personal attributes but the degree of misinformation they've been fed.

Apologies in advance if you're a she @Goro

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Ok. I see your point. We are talking two things, namely ex ante and ex post. Sure, ex post, I wish the interviewer could give the interviewee the benefit of the doubt. But ex ante, an interviewer should try his best to predict how his answer will be perceived.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Spare me.

No doubt that interviews are stressful, but so is tying off a spurting artery on a MVA victim, or dealing with an acting-out psychotic patient.

Thus, with all the people we interview for our limited number of seats, the seats go to those who display grace under pressure. Panic is not an option for a doctor; clear-headed thinking is.

This. Grace under fire

"I'm sorry I'm not really comfortable answering that" is a response which retains calmness and grace, and is a perfectly acceptable response to a patient (or anyone) asking about your personal life. You're 100% right that in an interview setting it's all about what the interviewer percieves which is why I would never recommend someone to go into an interview and avoid a question like that. But we're not in an interview setting and I'm not addressing an interviewee. We're on a forum where an interviewer has declared a practice that I don't agree with and which affects the composition of my future colleagues. He has stated that they PERCIEVE avoiding such a question as copping an attitude. I'm saying this PERCEPTION shows a lack of understanding for why an applicant would answer this way which IS in fact important becuase he is evaluating said applicant.

I hope he reconsiders how he interprets his interviewee's actions because his perception can have some serious implications on the course of someone's life as a result of not their personal attributes but the degree of misinformation they've been fed.

Apologies in advance if you're a she @Goro

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Grace under fire for sure is necessary. Stating your are uncomfortable, fine. But grace under fire would be stating you're uncomfortable and then answering the question to the best of your ability, not refusing the answer at that point. Physicians have to discuss things that make them uncomfortable. Like,.....Well, Marlene.... its Chlamydia. I will need to talk to your husband....and also your boyfriend about treatment, might be a good hypothetical in real life. Doctors dont get to pick and choose how they respond to situations. They dont get to pass on the situation just because they are uncomfortable. Anyone who interviews pre meds or resident applicants certainly understands the stress involved.

 

[theKingLT]

This. Grace under fire

Grace under fire for sure is necessary. Stating your are uncomfortable, fine. But grace under fire would be stating your uncomfortable and then answering the question to the best of your ability, not refusing the answer at that point. Physicians have to discuss things that make them uncomfortable. Like,.....Well, Marlene.... its Chlamydia. I will need to talk to your husband....and also your boyfriend about treatment, might be a good hypothetical in real life. Doctors dont get to pick and choose how they respond to situations. They dont get to pass on the situation just because they are uncomfortable. Anyone who interviews pre meds or resident applicants certainly understands the stress involved.

Agreed such an answer would be ideal, but that doesn't mean the contrary should be an auto-reject because there is too much room for external influence. Better to find a different question to test grace under fire IMO. Regardless I think this conversation has gone a little stale as everyone seems to agree that it's not a good interview question but if an applicant does get it they should answer honestly, completely, and not avoid the question.

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[Angus Avagadro]

Agreed such an answer would be ideal, but that doesn't mean the contrary should be an auto-reject because there is too much room for external influence. Better to find a different question to test grace under fire IMO. Regardless I think this conversation has gone a little stale as everyone seems to agree that it's not a good interview question but if an applicant does get it they should answer honestly, completely, and not avoid the question.

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That's fair, but it certainly would not be an auto accept. The interviewer will take that response in the context of the entire interview. Maybe not an auto reject, but might not rise to the threshold of acceptance.

 

[notretired]

I'll tell you what would be a third rail...any hint of copping an attitude, like saying "I'm not comfortable answering that question". I'd reject that candidate before leaving the the interview room.

Nice...

Glad your school is in the business of producing students who recognize their limitations and are honest about them, oh wait, you're not comfortable doing xyz on patient x? Better pretend you are and do it anyway, **** asking for help.

 

[Goro]

Nice...

Glad your school is in the business of producing students who recognize their limitations and are honest about them, oh wait, you're not comfortable doing xyz on patient x? Better pretend you are and do it anyway, **** asking for help.

These are two completely different situations and you know it.

You wanna be a doctor? Get used to being uncomfortable. You're going have patients die on you, fer crissakes.

 

[notretired]

You wanna be a doctor? Get used to being uncomfortable. You're going have patients die on you, fer crissakes.

That's my point. Throwing out some bs answer that may or may not be true is the comfortable approach. "I'm not comfortable answering this question" is the uncomfortable response - especially in an interview. I haven't met many docs who have patience for bs, and I'm not sure why an interviewer would either.

 

[DrOngoGablogian]

Just my honest opinion, but it is a little disturbing to think folks' first thought after being asked such benign questions would be "how do I lie my way through this".

Seems like it'd be pretty easy to answer that you applied to 100 schools in a way that says THAT'S how bad I want to be a doctor, or that you've been to 50 interviews and every single one was as humbling and motivating as the next. I get playing the game, but damn.