Interviewer asked about my religion! What should I do?

[manticus]

So I am in need of a bit of advice! I recently interviewed at a school and one of my interviewers started off telling me in somewhat of a condescending tone that he wasn't religious but that had encountered students who didn't want to work on certain days of the week for religious reasons. He then started to ask me about my religion and if we didn't believe in working certain days of the week! I am of a faith that believes you shouldn't work on Sunday and I stated that. Then I said that it is understood that some people (like doctors, fireman e.t.c.) regardless of their beliefs have to work on Sunday and that I am going into the field with that understanding and am expecting to have to work on Sunday sometimes.

I guess what I am asking is what is the appropriate course of action? I really loved the school and I am afraid that because he seemed biased against religion or any sort of sabbath observance that it will negatively impact me. I dont need to fix the issue for my own ego or sense of right and wrong or whatever, I just want to have my best chance of getting in.

So should I call the admissions office and tell them what happened and ask them to re-interview me or discredit that interview or something and risk making waves and drawing negative attention towards myself?

Or do I just let it go and assume the guy wasn't actually biased or that making a big deal is going to be worse for me than just letting it go?

Advise needed please!

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[JoshuaGuit]

Doctors in Isreal work on the Sabbath because medicine doesn't take a break for holidays, so why shouldn't jews in the US? - Whisker Barrel Cortex

It is something that you are expected to do for the job. I'm fairly confident that it is illegal to ask if your religion prohibits the act of working on the Sabbath, but it seems fair game to ask if you as a person would be willing to work on the weekends.

We are all basically interviewing for a job (in 4 years), if the requirement is an "on-call" for some weekends should anyone really be exempt?

 

[txMed7]

Religion is a dicey subject in the medical profession. Approximately 60% of all physicians consider themselves religious, while 40% do not, although this dichotomy is usually kept private and behind doors.

There's an expectation that one be part of a certain religion if you apply to certain private schools (St. Louis University SOM, Loyla University Chicago, etc). This is part of the "perceived fit" factor that adcoms talk about.

I'd politely ask for a re-interview. Explain your situation in mature and polite terms, and I think you'll be fine.

 

[Marika11]

I know someone who interviewed at a state school. One interviewer asked about her race.. which is no bueno. Later that day the dean asked her how her day was going, she told him about the interview/race question, he wasn't pleased, she ended up getting accepted. Not that it necessarily had anything to do with the acceptance, but she did what she thought was appropriate and it turned out well.

 

[Woland]

OP,did you bring up your religion/any religion in your PS? If so, you opened a door to a fair question.

 

[NickNaylor]

OP,did you bring up your religion/any religion in your PS? If so, you opened a door to a fair question.

Yeah, agreed. Unless this person is a complete *****, asking you about your religion is a pretty big no no. If you mentioned your religion in your PS or included a religious EC in your activities then you're out of luck (although that still doesn't excuse some of this behavior). Either way I wouldn't definitely send the office an e-mail. Don't be accusatory or aggressive; just tell them who you were talking with and why it made you feel uncomfortable. DON'T COME ACROSS AS WHINY.

 

[SOMBound13]

It seems strange that this person would ask about this unless either he asks everyone or you wrote or said something that suggested that it would be a problem.

While an interviewer isn't supposed to ask if you "plan to have children" or "will having children interfere with your work," if you say, "I can't work nights because I have children," then that's going to get discussed and considered.

Don't send an email or anything unless the subject truly came up "out of the blue."

As for the post upthread regarding SLU, Loyola, etc, I don't think being Catholic or not being Catholic comes up in interviews. (It didn't come up in mine.) I don't think a person's religion is considered.

 

[mimelim]

There's an expectation that one be part of a certain religion if you apply to certain private schools (St. Louis University SOM, Loyla University Chicago, etc). This is part of the "perceived fit" factor that adcoms talk about.

This is just simply incorrect.

 

[LaCroix09]

Religion is a dicey subject in the medical profession. Approximately 60% of all physicians consider themselves religious, while 40% do not, although this dichotomy is usually kept private and behind doors.

There's an expectation that one be part of a certain religion if you apply to certain private schools (St. Louis University SOM, Loyla University Chicago, etc). This is part of the "perceived fit" factor that adcoms talk about.

I'd politely ask for a re-interview. Explain your situation in mature and polite terms, and I think you'll be fine.

Do you have a link to these statistics?

 

[manticus]

The interview was an MMI so he didnt have any access to my application. He asked what undergrad I went to (it is a religious-affiliated school) so that is how it came up.

 

[darklabel]

While I'm not advocating to lie about your religion, maybe you should have been more brief with your response. Such as saying you're willing to work weekend/any day and such and that's it. The question is definitely left field and borders on inappropriate but just play the game. Shouldn't have added "some" and such words.

But I don't blame you; that question is something medical schools shouldn't ask.

 

[AktionPOTENTIAL]

Yeah, agreed. Unless this person is a complete *****, asking you about your religion is a pretty big no no. If you mentioned your religion in your PS or included a religious EC in your activities then you're out of luck (although that still doesn't excuse some of this behavior). Either way I would definitely send the office an e-mail. Don't be accusatory or aggressive; just tell them who you were talking with and why it made you feel uncomfortable. DON'T COME ACROSS AS WHINY.

FTFY

OP, that's an unfortunate situation. I can only imagine the discomfort you must have experienced. I agree with NickNaylor. Good Luck!

 

[Woland]

Well, it seems like you did open up a way to discussion of religion.

And if your interview was anything like mine were, maybe they just wanted to see whether a person who attended a non-secular college will be a ball-busting zealot doctor completely insensitive to religious issues of his patients who might not share his/her faith.

 

[Akali]

_

 

[txMed7]

Do you have a link to these statistics?

Yeah I'll find them and get back to you on that. Off hand, the study was looking at religiosity among 1) the general population 2) scientists overall 3) physicians, and 4) members of the national academy of sciences

Off hand, the religions:not religious proportions are something like 84/16 for the general population, 60/40 for physicians, 40/60 for all scientists, and 7/93 for members of the national academy of sciences.

Here's a short snippet regarding scientists and members of the NAS - " In total, about 60% of United States scientists in these fields expressed disbelief or agnosticism toward a personal god who answers prayer and personal immortality.[97] This compared with 58% in 1914 and 67% in 1933.

Among members of the National Academy of Sciences, only 7.0% expressed personal belief, while 72.2% expressed disbelief and another 20.8% were agnostic concerning the existence of a personal god who answers prayer.[99]

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/news/file002.html

I don't have a source for the physician 60 religious/40 not religious break down off hand. I remember passively hearing the statistic on some documentary a couple of years ago, but I'm pretty confident that it is, indeed, 60/40.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

If you felt discriminated against then you should 100% contact the dean and be humble in expressing your concern. At least ask if that is standard policy by the admission committee to openly discuss religion in such a way.

If your religious values caused you to not gain an admission that seems to be a very serious problem of discrimination. You should have said something immediately after the interview, but I understand that you don't want to shake things up as an applicant.

I would love to get LizzyM's perspective on this one.

 

[mimelim]

Yeah I'll find them and get back to you on that. Off hand, the study was looking at religiosity among 1) the general population 2) scientists overall 3) physicians, and 4) members of the national academy of sciences

Off hand, the religions:not religious proportions are something like 84/16 for the general population, 60/40 for physicians, 40/60 for all scientists, and 7/93 for members of the national academy of sciences.

Here's a short snippet regarding scientists and members of the NAS - " In total, about 60% of United States scientists in these fields expressed disbelief or agnosticism toward a personal god who answers prayer and personal immortality.[97] This compared with 58% in 1914 and 67% in 1933.

Among members of the National Academy of Sciences, only 7.0% expressed personal belief, while 72.2% expressed disbelief and another 20.8% were agnostic concerning the existence of a personal god who answers prayer.[99]

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/news/file002.html

I don't have a source for the physician 60 religious/40 not religious break down off hand. I remember passively hearing the statistic on some documentary a couple of years ago, but I'm pretty confident that it is, indeed, 60/40.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8318894/

76% for physicians, 83% for general population.

 

[txMed7]

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8318894/

76% for physicians, 83% for general population.

Ah, thanks for the data 👍

 

[LizzyM]

If you felt discriminated against then you should 100% contact the dean and be humble in expressing your concern. At least ask if that is standard policy by the admission committee to openly discuss religion in such a way.

If your religious values caused you to not gain an admission that seems to be a very serious problem of discrimination. You should have said something immediately after the interview, but I understand that you don't want to shake things up as an applicant.

I would love to get LizzyM's perspective on this one.

The question was asked, "Do you have a problem working on your Sabbath?" and the answer was, "I do not; physicians are one of those professions like firemen, who are expected to work on the Sabbath when needed."

To me, the major concern was that the applicant might have an unrealistic expectation of being exempt from work on his Sabbath. The interviewer got the answer to the question and there is no reason to make that an issue regarding the candidate's suitability for admission.

Yes, they asked you a question about whether you would be willing to accept specific assignments (perhaps given prior experiences with people from your school or schools like it who were difficult to work with given their personal interpretation of religious law) and IMHO your answer was a good one. You shouldn't be concerned that you will be subject to discrimination.

 

[Narmerguy]

The interview was an MMI so he didnt have any access to my application. He asked what undergrad I went to (it is a religious-affiliated school) so that is how it came up.

Perhaps it's just me, but I didn't read anything that seemed particularly alarming about that exchange. It's not surprising that religion can come up in an interview, but that doesn't mean you're going to be discriminated against. I would not contact the admissions department about this unless you got serious indications that the interviewer was behaving irrationally and antagonistic specifically towards you, not your religion. Given that this was an MMI, it increasingly seems that even if he was less than thrilled about you, his weight is diminished (but again, I haven't seen anything to indicate that this person has an issue with you because of your religion).

 

[Camy99]

OP, I got into a similar situation where after telling my interviewer I went to a small private high school, she went on to ask what kind (what's that even supposed to mean?) The only answer I could think of--aka the truth--was that it was a Christian high school. But I left it at that and we moved on. Idk whether it'll affect my chances or not... I surely hope not though, because I made sure not to expend on my religious beliefs whatsoever.

 

[manticus]

Thanks for all of your replies everybody! I am leaning towards not calling attention to it. I really have no idea (or way to know) if I was discriminated against. So if I make a big deal out of it and the interviewer really was just trying to find out if I would be one of those guys who wants special treatment for the rest of his career (which I am not) then I will seem like an idiot. Probably not worth the risk.

 

[sector9]

The interview was an MMI so he didnt have any access to my application. He asked what undergrad I went to (it is a religious-affiliated school) so that is how it came up.

I think that the fact that this was an MMI changes things. There were probably 8-10 different interviewers who each gave you a score and they were all equally weighted. At least that's how my MMI was.

On the other hand, UVM's interview was only one interviewer with a 45 minute slot so it would seem to be a much bigger deal then.

 

[LaCroix09]

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8318894/

76% for physicians, 83% for general population.

Hrmph. I expected that 76% to be lower. Oh well.

 

[SpecterGT260]

This is just simply incorrect.

Not necessarily.... you don't think that religiously affiliated schools like Creighton can ask about religion? It happens at the highschool and college levels. Medical school isn't exempt so long as the school isnt taking state funds.

 

[SOMBound13]

Not necessarily.... you don't think that religiously affiliated schools like Creighton can ask about religion? It happens at the highschool and college levels. Medical school isn't exempt so long as the school isnt taking state funds.

Are there any medical schools that aren't taking federal funds?

 

[Narmerguy]

Not necessarily.... you don't think that religiously affiliated schools like Creighton can ask about religion? It happens at the highschool and college levels. Medical school isn't exempt so long as the school isnt taking state funds.

Sure they can ask, but that's very different from there being an "expectation" that one be religious when you apply.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Are there any medical schools that aren't taking federal funds?

To subsidize tuition, I think most private schools fit that bill. But I am not sure. You can usually tell when there is in state and out of state tuition differences.

Sure they can ask, but that's very different from there being an "expectation" that one be religious when you apply.

Who said anything about an expectation? I know at the HS and college level they can't exclude you for not being of their religion, but they can still expect you to participate in any religious school-sanctioned activities (daily chapel, whatever) and as it is a private institution, privately funded there is no problem with this. If someone isn't going to play by the house rules they simply need not apply. It is nothing but personal choice.

State schools are another issue.... I would think if the admissions committee at a state school became aware of an interviewer asking about religious preference in an interview they may extend an acceptance just to avoid a discrimination suit. But I'm not certain of that one.

 

[skiing]

I doubt it will hurt you. He was probably just asking you to see how you THOUGHT about your response - how you would intellectually think through the situation. It is true that academia values procedural rigor and hard sciences, but religion is also a part of culture; medicine is a profession that embraces pluralism and serves a diverse society; you can't separate a patient's faith from who they are and their beliefs often are an important part of their needs. I don't think that we as doctors have to be silent about belief, as it is inseparable from the patient experience. Of course, as members of society we should remain thoughtful/critical, balanced and considerate.

Most reasonable people won't discriminate against belief in and of itself, but do want to make sure that you've thought through the issues if they will reflect on your practice. I spent almost the majority of one of my interviews at Harvard talking about religion and my interviewer totally loved it... another friend talked about his religion at his Yale interview and his interviewer gave him a hug and he got in lol

 

[txMed7]

Sure they can ask, but that's very different from there being an "expectation" that one be religious when you apply.

"Expectation" is probably too strong a word, but as a case example, there's a discussion in another thread about the secondary essays for Loma Linda -

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=982237

Discuss how your spiritual experience has influenced your life and how you integrate it into your daily life. (750 characters max)

What experiences in your life would illustrate your perspective on service to others? (750 characters max)

As a Christian educational institution the medical curriculum integrates spiritual, ethical, and relational issues from a Christian perspective into the practice of medicine. Weekly chapel services and religion courses are part of this program. Please respond to the above as it relates to your personal educational and career goals. (750 characters max)

Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution that has lifestyle expectations that include abstinence from alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs/substances in all forms. In the past year, have you used any of these substances? If so, which one(s)? (250 characters max)

If accepted to LLUSM, are you willing to abide by the lifestyle policies of Loma Linda University School of Medicine? (250 characters max))

Maybe I should've said "it's strongly suggested that you be part of X religion" rather than it being an "expectation."

If they had 2 comparable applicants fighting for one seat and one applicant was a practicing seventh day adventist and another applicant was, I don't know, of some other religion (or no religion at all), isn't it reasonable to assume that this would be relevant to the adcom?

Nevertheless, I do agree that "expectation" was probably too strong of a word.

 

[SOMBound13]

I don't think it's strongly expected that applicants/acceptees to SLU, Loyola, G'town, or Creighton be Catholic. I'm not even sure it's expected for the faculty to be Catholic.

 

[cinamin]

I think it's an odd question.. but IMO there really is nothing you can do about it.. I wouldn't say anything.. someone once asked me about my age which I felt was inappropriate but I think best it's to try to remain professional under those circumstances and hope for the best.. I mean what can you really do you know? I know age and ethnic/racial background are off limits.. but religion I"m not sure.. it's on the amcas no?