is it bad if the interviewers play good cop bad cop?

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If it seems like an interviewer is playing devil's advocate, what does this mean? Are they just playing with your head or are you just messing up the interview and they dont like u?
 
If it seems like an interviewer is playing devil's advocate, what does this mean? Are they just playing with your head or are you just messing up the interview and they dont like u?

Looks like you encountered a strange experience today? You wanna share with us?
 
If it seems like an interviewer is playing devil's advocate, what does this mean? Are they just playing with your head or are you just messing up the interview and they dont like u?

Good cop, bad cop interviewers are the best. They are definitely playing with your head.

You gotta be able to deal with stress, and that's why the bad cop is there. To doubt everything you say. Bad cop is there to pretty much try to detect BS, while good cop will keep you sane enough to not punch the bad cop in the face from their redundant questions.

If you are completely honest, you have nothing to be scared of. Just remember when you make a statement, make sure to have something in your application to back it up.
 
basically one was agreeing with a lot that i said and the other one was making fairly rude comments about some of the stuff i said.. it was very confusing and a little frustrating. However, I kept my cool. I was just wondering why the other was always in disagreement.
 
Bear, you had a similar experience?
 
definitely had an experience like this. the professor interviewing me kept changing things about a certain situation, and then eventually i shifted from my original answer because the situation was so different, and then he was pretty rude about me switching my answer. i wanted to really rude back and say YOU HAVE CHANGED THIS SITUATION 2323 TIMES. but naturally i smiled and said yes you're correct i did.
 
Can you just say something like, "hey, are you two playing good cop, bad cop?" with a smile.

This would throw them off and then they'll probably cease to continue with this childish approach.

This would be a prime example of you taking control of the interview.
 
I had this happen to me. One interviewer would grill me about everything, like it felt like he was trying to make sure I wasn't lying? It was very uncomfortable, but I calmly answered all of his questions with a smile. The other interview just smiled, nodded, and agreed with everything I was saying. It was definitely an uncomfortable experience but I guess they want to make sure you can handle stressful situations? I don't know, I wasn't a fan of this technique.
 
I don't like when they purposely try to put you under pressure. I had an interviewer that played devils advocate as well. The way I look at it is that they are evaluating me, but I am also evaluating the school. Now the attitude during an interview may or may not accurately mimic a school's learning environment, but I can't know really know that. It really doesn't give a good first impression, though. Hopefully, I'll be able to choose between a few schools when December 1st rolls around. When I do choose a school my experience at the interview will be a major deciding factor. I just don't appreciate the mind games, I guess.
 
This happened to me too...I don't like it when interviewers get sassy. It's too easy to lose control of your thoughts and words when you're nervous.
 
My one interviewer kept pressing the issue of what I would do if a patient was "unhappy" with an implant. She didn't specify if it was failing, the wrong color, placed wrong, etc. I kept telling her generically that I would schedule the patient for an appointment to fix the issue and she kept retorting that it was expensive and I didn't know what I was talking about.

IMO: What undergrad should know how to fix an implant?
 
My one interviewer kept pressing the issue of what I would do if a patient was "unhappy" with an implant. She didn't specify if it was failing, the wrong color, placed wrong, etc. I kept telling her generically that I would schedule the patient for an appointment to fix the issue and she kept retorting that it was expensive and I didn't know what I was talking about.

IMO: What undergrad should know how to fix an implant?

O jeez, I hope I never get a question like that...
 
My one interviewer kept pressing the issue of what I would do if a patient was "unhappy" with an implant. She didn't specify if it was failing, the wrong color, placed wrong, etc. I kept telling her generically that I would schedule the patient for an appointment to fix the issue and she kept retorting that it was expensive and I didn't know what I was talking about.

IMO: What undergrad should know how to fix an implant?

I think interviewers forget that in the end, it is the student who chooses the school... I don't see why they would create an atmosphere that is anything but welcoming. 😕
 
I think interviewers forget that in the end, it is the student who chooses the school... I don't see why they would create an atmosphere that is anything but welcoming. 😕

Lol. You got it the other way around buddy.

If you don't want to attend their school, there are tons of other students that would kill to have that opportunity.

I know you're big on UW because it's your in-state school, but if the interviewer spat on your face, and still accepted you, would you pay an extra 120k to go out of state? lol
 
Lol. You got it the other way around buddy.

If you don't want to attend their school, there are tons of other students that would kill to have that opportunity.

I know you're big on UW because it's your in-state school, but if the interviewer spat on your face, and still accepted you, would you pay an extra 120k to go out of state? lol

I think I should clarify: 🙂

I already know the UW and their faculty pretty well, so yes, if the interviewer spat in my face and accepted me, I would still go. This is only because I know how the rest of the faculty and students behave. HOWEVER, i don't know the other schools that I am interviewing at nearly as well. If an interviewer spat in my face and accepted me at any other school that I interviewed at, I would not attend. Simple as that. Plus, for those who are interviewing this early in the cycle, they will likely have multiple offers, so I still maintain that in the end, it is the student who ultimately decides. 👍
 
As Brian Hahn says at Temple, if you don't like the school for any reason, it's "On the the next one". That goes for any school...you're hardly irreplaceable as a candidate.
 
As Brian Hahn says at Temple, if you don't like the school for any reason, it's "On the the next one". That goes for any school...you're hardly irreplaceable as a candidate.

I guess I just don't think its good business to have potential students leave the interview thinking its a bad school. This is encouraging the good students that do get multiple offers will go elsewhere. 😕
 
I think its all part of the game. A "psyche out" during an interview might or might not mean that the school has some "bad apples." I think you just have to roll with the punches and take it from there. I don't think 2 faculty members should be enough to disqualify a whole school. I think after an interview, a tour, and lunch with faculty; a student should have enough foresight to make a proper decision. If you absolutely hate it then you probably shouldnt go there, but again even if an interviewer or 2 are mean that doesnt mean I should disqualify all the other positive merits about a school, in addition to the cost of a school.

If a 400K school was mean to be me, I might disqualify them, but if a 250K school was mean, i might have to turn the other cheek. 😎 but hey thats just me.
 
I think its all part of the game. A "psyche out" during an interview might or might not mean that the school has some "bad apples." I think you just have to roll with the punches and take it from there. I don't think 2 faculty members should be enough to disqualify a whole school. I think after an interview, a tour, and lunch with faculty; a student should have enough foresight to make a proper decision. If you absolutely hate it then you probably shouldnt go there, but again even if an interviewer or 2 are mean that doesnt mean I should disqualify all the other positive merits about a school, in addition to the cost of a school.

If a 400K school was mean to be me, I might disqualify them, but if a 250K school was mean, i might have to turn the other cheek. 😎 but hey thats just me.

I would agree to this 👍
 
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