Is it bad form to ask this question in an interview?

[alexlearning]

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Hi gang - I was just reading through the interview responses (which are AWESOME! Thanks a million to all those who have posted comments) and I was wondering about asking a bold, but not unreasonable question.

Let's say I was interviewing at GW and things were wrapping up - would it be a bad idea to ask your interviewer why I should choose GW over Georgetown? Or Stanford? I know it will put them on the spot but I feel as though it might force the interviewer to cut to the quick and explain the kernal of what it is that makes the school great.

Thanks in advance to those who read/respond to this!

Cheers,
Alex

 

[flash]

I would not be as specific. I don't think a) he/she knows the other school well b) he/she would be honest. Bottom line, you're not going to REALLY learn anything specific and possibly put them on spot. Better question for here or students one-on-one.

I would recommend a more general why pick u over other schools or name a few to keep it general.

my .02

 

[rockstar2525]

I find it a little tacky to pit two schools against each other in an interview, so I wouldn't say why GW over g-town, this isn't llike bargaining for a new car price. However, there are tactful ways you could fish for the same information like; "what do you think students like most about this school? What are the schools greatest assests? Or What features of this school makes it unique compared to other schools in the area?"

 

[alexlearning]

That makes sense. Cheers Flash.

 

[leiface]

I think that a interviewer could possibly take it the wrong way and assume that you are over confident and very presumptuous about those choices you are going to have to make. I would just ask a bunch of questions about the school.

 

[Khenon]

That's a good question, and I have one along the same lines. I heard that one of the schools I applied to has a problem with their students passing the USMLE boards (the implication is that the students are inproperly prepared via their education). Apparently steps are being taken to rectify that, but I was wondering how appropriate it would be to ask 1) if this truly is a problem at their school; and 2) exactly how are they dealing with this issue. I wouldn't want to sound like a jerk, but it does genuinely concern me that I would work my ass off only to fail a test that I had no chance of passing due to a poor curriculum. Food for thought, I guess. 🙂

 

[alexlearning]

I should've mentioned that I went to Georgetown undergrad - which the interviewer will most likely know - so I guess I would try to have my interviewer sell me on moving down a few blocks. Apparently the new hosptial just blows away Gtowns. 😳

 

[oniwindu]

That's a good question, and I have one along the same lines. I heard that one of the schools I applied to has a problem with their students passing the USMLE boards (the implication is that the students are inproperly prepared via their education). Apparently steps are being taken to rectify that, but I was wondering how appropriate it would be to ask 1) if this truly is a problem at their school; and 2) exactly how are they dealing with this issue. I wouldn't want to sound like a jerk, but it does genuinely concern me that I would work my ass off only to fail a test that I had no chance of passing due to a poor curriculum. Food for thought, I guess. 🙂

I wouldn't ask that in an interview. You are right to be concerned about the school's curriculum if their students do have trouble on the USMLE. However, I feel like asking that during an interview would be like walking on eggshells. You might be implying that you are looking down on the school or worst of all, that this school isn't one of your "top choices." Too much of a focus on the negatives during an interview might not be such a good reflection of how you view the school. I would ask this question one-on-one with medical students there. Or, if you don't get that chance, you can wait until you get accepted into this school and then grill the admissions committee/curriculum committee about this. I think once you do have an acceptance, you do have more of a reason to question the educational approach of the school (I mean, this is your future).

At most of the schools that I have interviewed at, I usually leave the nitpicky questions for the medical students because they were once in our position as well, so they are more understanding and are usually very very honest when they answer. Again, the students at the medical school you are interviewing might not necessarily know as much as a curriculum committee if this is a work in progress. So if you can wait until you hear back from the school...I would do that.

 

[ellia08]

I wouldnt compare schools although you could ask the same question in a more general/friendly way like "so, as a researcher/professor, what made you choose school x?"

 

[MeowMix]

I would never ask this type of question in a med school interview.

This is not a job interview where you are a uniquely qualified applicant, highly sought after by two companies, and they will outdo each other to make their offers attractive.

This is a med school interview where there are thousands of applicants for the position, and (unless you are exceptional) the school doesn't care at all whether you or Ms X takes the spot. Most schools are not going to waste their time convincing you (there are some exceptions); adcoms will never sit around saying to each other, "Wow, I can't believe that alexlearning didn't come here. What can we do next time to convince people like that to attend our school?"

It's not the interviewer's job to tell you why their school is a good fit for you; it's your job to figure that out, based on your research. Like someone else said, save these questions for students and others who are not at all involved in interviewing.

As far as USMLE pass rates, curriculum problems, etc., ask the students now; ask the faculty once you are in. Honestly, nearly every school in the US is in the middle of some kind of curriculum revision, and USMLE pass rates are usually worse during the first couple of years of a major curriculum change. You are not going to get any kind of honest answer during an interview, because the faculty know what kinds of problems they have and they don't want to talk about them. They don't even want to talk about them to med students.

You can look for the big clues to a mature curriculum, like how long they have been doing problem-based learning (it takes a few years for the facilitators to really learn how to do it; the first couple of years will be miserable), how major the changes are going to be in the next year or so (e.g. big changes in early patient exposure, integration of major amounts of new clinical content, etc. are signals of new curriculum). Do a web search and find out if they have been on LCME probation during the last couple of years. This signals long-term problems with curriculum or other issues that will take a few years to address.

 

[liverotcod]

I wouldnt compare schools although you could ask the same question in a more general/friendly way like "so, as a researcher/professor, what made you choose school x?"

That's my favorite question to ask. It shows your interest not only in the school, but also in the interviewer. And the answers are usually interesting and unexpected.

 

[PookieGirl]

I wouldn't ask about that school versus another school but you should ask them what makes them a good school, and why you should choose them over other options. Would you make an $200K investment in a stock without finding out more about it? No. The same should be true of medical school, no matter your grades or MCAT score. And an interviewer damn well better be able to say why they think their school is a quality school. If they can't, then maybe it's not a quality school.

 

[Khenon]

I wouldn't ask that in an interview. You are right to be concerned about the school's curriculum if their students do have trouble on the USMLE. However, I feel like asking that during an interview would be like walking on eggshells. You might be implying that you are looking down on the school or worst of all, that this school isn't one of your "top choices." Too much of a focus on the negatives during an interview might not be such a good reflection of how you view the school. I would ask this question one-on-one with medical students there. Or, if you don't get that chance, you can wait until you get accepted into this school and then grill the admissions committee/curriculum committee about this. I think once you do have an acceptance, you do have more of a reason to question the educational approach of the school (I mean, this is your future).

At most of the schools that I have interviewed at, I usually leave the nitpicky questions for the medical students because they were once in our position as well, so they are more understanding and are usually very very honest when they answer. Again, the students at the medical school you are interviewing might not necessarily know as much as a curriculum committee if this is a work in progress. So if you can wait until you hear back from the school...I would do that.

This is a good idea. If I ever get an interview ( ) I don't want to ruin my chances of getting in by pissing off the interviewers. Thanks for the advice!

 

[CanIMakeIt]

I think the best way to ask the question would be:

As a prospective student i am aware of program at GW,.... as a faculty what what do you think are GW's strengths and weaknesses/shortcomings/things you are improving upon ....