Interviewers sending mixed signals during interview

[StevenRF]

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Well I just had my interviews today for a school. The student interview went well, but I don't think the prof interview went well. My other interviews have all been fairly calm, laid back. This guy went on the attack. All was well until he asked me what my biggest weakness is. I said I was a fairly quiet guy, etc. He said, "I'm glad your honest, but Medicine has no room for introverts." He asked me what my worst subject was, I said writing, and he said "I teach the ICM and writing skills are the most important part of it..." Then he proceded to tell me how nonunique I was being straight out of undergrad and how the school prides itself on diversity.

The whole thing felt something like a prostate exam. Then he asked me where I applied and interviewed. I told him, and then he spends the next half hour telling me why I should come to the school over others. The whole time I was thinking "is this guy digging me or does he think im a f'up?"

Anyone have any similar interviews?

 

[argonana]

Was this at Keck? Thinking about my interview there last week still gets my blood boiling.

 

[Med01]

Well I just had my interviews today for a school. The student interview went well, but I don't think the prof interview went well. My other interviews have all been fairly calm, laid back. This guy went on the attack. All was well until he asked me what my biggest weakness is. I said I was a fairly quiet guy, etc. He said, "I'm glad your honest, but Medicine has no room for introverts." He asked me what my worst subject was, I said writing, and he said "I teach the ICM and writing skills are the most important part of it..." Then he proceded to tell me how nonunique I was being straight out of undergrad and how the school prides itself on diversity.

The whole thing felt something like a prostate exam. Then he asked me where I applied and interviewed. I told him, and then he spends the next half hour telling me why I should come to the school over others. The whole time I was thinking "is this guy digging me or does he think im a f'up?"

Anyone have any similar interviews?

I think he was just trying to see how you handle stress, if you remain composed or are flustered. (to test how you'd react to patients who would challenge / disagree with everything you say)

The comments he gave were directly attacking you, and a normal person with average social skills who doesn't know you wouldn't say something so extreme and direct. (like telling someone how "bad" they are by being "nonunique").

In an interview I went to, the interviewer was antagonistic to my response of "why medicine?" and he cut into my answers before I finished speaking. When he asked ethical questions, he really put me on the spot, saying "Well, and what else would you do?" (basically like "pimping" in the wards). BTW, I got accepted to this school.

Just be prepared to not take it so personally, and have a good comeback. I had some experience interviewing for i-banking jobs in the past, and they deliberately find something to "bash" you on, just to see how you handle stress. (like "Why did you get a B- in xxx class?)

 

[StevenRF]

Was this at Keck? Thinking about my interview there last week still gets my blood boiling.

Yep

 

[Risa]

I question the character of a school whose attitude is that it's justified to treat you like that. Does that philosophy roll over into other parts of how they run their institution? I want to attend a school that makes it clear that they treat their students with respect.

 

[argonana]

Here's my little theory--what do you guys think?

Based on the four interviews I've attended so far, I've concluded that the "lower ranked" schools like to play hard to get. A tough interview gives an applicant the impression that it's really hard to get into the school, or that s/he is significantly weaker than the other applicants...leaving him/her thinking that the school must be really good.

I have to echo Risa's sentiment that schools that conduct interviews like this must have a slightly different overall educational philosophy. Whatever it is--I don't like it.

P.S. StevenRF--I could PM you the details of my interview if you like, just to make you feel better. But basically, it went like this:
1) First half of interview--interviewer argues that I've never experienced the "little fish in a big pond" feeling that pervades the first years of med school
(WTF?!!)
2) Second half of interview--interviewer takes issue with the fact that I don't expect to make a lot of money as a physician. Proceeds to argue that it's a gross misconception that MDs don't make a lot of money, and talks on and on about money and my future career. (I'm like, I don't care, ok?!!)

And I flew across the country for this ****.

 

[Risa]

Based on the four interviews I've attended so far, I've concluded that the "lower ranked" schools like to play hard to get. A tough interview gives an applicant the impression that it's really hard to get into the school, or that s/he is significantly weaker than the other applicants...leaving him/her thinking that the school must be really good.

I just read about this phenomenon in my intro psych class! It's called effort justification: if you have to go through hell to get something, you're going to perceive that you like it much more than you would have if it were easy to get. Daaaaaamn these schools manipulating our thoughts!

 

[LuisitoMD]

I had an interviewer role his eyes at me... the interview went down hill from there 😡

 

[Minerva25]

I was talking to some classmates yesterday about our interviews for med school. Several of them had similar stories - and almost all of them ended with 'and then I got accepted there.' I don't know what the explanation of that is...

If you do have a really bad interview someplace, or one person that is just being unjustifiably difficult, you should call the dean of admissions for the school. Generally, they will review the interviewers comments, and may even make them of lesser importance in the admissions committee if one person's comments really don't match with the others. The deans should know who the confrontational interviewers are...

 

[Elastase]

Was this at Keck? Thinking about my interview there last week still gets my blood boiling.

What went wrong with your interview?

 

[tkdusb]

I had an interviewer tell me I was an excellent candidate and that I would have many acceptances to sort through. The next thing she said was that her school's letter would not be one of those. OUCH.

P.S. - This was one of the lower tier schools in the nation.

 

[Camillekc]

did she say why?

 

[Minerva25]

I've heard that it is common for schools to not accept you if they think you will be going somewhere else. It looks bad on their matriculation percentages and things like that.

 

[tkdusb]

did she say why?

She didn't think I'd go to her school. My repeated reassurances that I would weren't enough to convince her otherwise.

 

[Turkeyman]

Question about interviewing --> have any of you ever thought you did moderately to really well in some/all your interviews, and end up getting rejected? Cause that would probably suck the most. Probably like what's going to happen to me :-(.

 

[jbrice1639]

Question about interviewing --> have any of you ever thought you did moderately to really well in some/all your interviews, and end up getting rejected? Cause that would probably suck the most. Probably like what's going to happen to me :-(.

i didn't get rejected, but i had an interview that felt like i was practically being recruited it went so well, and it was in september at that, and i ended up getting waitlisted a month later...

i think the feeling on how an interview goes has more to do with the school's interview style than individual performance.

 

[Moto]

My interviewer spend most of the time telling me why I should go to school X, and then concluded our interview with: "Well, you'll be fine no matter where you'll end up"

Gulp, I sorta took this trip to have you tell me that I'll be fine coming to THIS school, not others.
That felt like a kick to my stomache because I felt like he was telling me: "Well, I don't think you'll end up in OUR school, but don't worry, you'll be fine...."

 

[argonana]

What went wrong with your interview?

Oh, I just felt like I was arguing with my interviewer the whole time. For instance, while they gave StevenRF a hard time about not planning to take time off after undergrad, my guy gave me a hard time about taking time off to do research after college.

Risa, it's funny to think that there's a formal term for this strategy! It's a very risky one--primarily because it's easy to see through, but also because it can majorly backfire!!