Lied at interview

[RevDM]

About how many schools I applied to. Am I screwed?

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[VOP]

i think they can only check how many schools you got accepted to

 

[BlueElmo]

No. But why'd you lie?

 

[RevDM]

No. But why'd you lie?

I was embarrased about how many and didn't want them to think I didn't think highly of the school.

 

[Morsetlis]

No. But why'd you lie?

That line of questioning always lead to "so why do you think you had such a low number of blah". Then you have to justify yourself.

Of course, lying to interviewers who probably had years of experience interviewing isn't such a good idea...

 

[Ischemic]

Just say you forgot how many you applied to if it comes up. Quick fix. You're at an interview and interviews are stressful ... stress leads to temporary stupidity and viola you're good.

 

[The Enchanter]

i think they can only check how many schools you got accepted to

+1

There's no way they can find out. Schools that have accepted you can see who else has accepted you in February and schools that haven't accepted you can see who has by mid-April. I don't think they're ever able to see schools to which you've applied (or haven't applied) but haven't been accepted.

 

[drizzt3117]

I think the best way to answer this question is to be purposefully vague about it. If they press you, just tell them, it's not going to make a big difference one way or another. If I asked this question to an interviewee it'd just be because I was curious.

 

[phoenixsuns]

yeah there's no way they can find out.

in the future just be vague. when they ask me how many i applied to, i always said "oh you know all of my state schools and a couple east coast schools i'm really interested in. i don't remember the exact number"

 

[red10]

sometimes I think interviewers ask this as filler. They know you'll have an answer and they're just trying to come up with their next interesting/meaningful Q so they ask just to fill time. When I was asked I said I just applied to the state schools and then a few others around the midwest. I don't think they care the exact number, they just wanna know if they're your safety among 30+ schools or whether you thought a little before applying to them specifically.

 

[startswithb]

Why do they even ask that question? What are they trying to glean from it?

How competitive do you think you are?
How interested are you in this school?
What are the chances you'd actually accept this acceptance?
Morbid curiosity?

 

[bannie22]

Lying cannot be condoned.

 

[Livestrong51085]

Even if you did apply to 20-25 schools, why would they infer from that that they are a "safety" school for you. Obviously, among the 20-25 schools you applied to, you are going to have the ones you are genuinely interested in going to. So how would they differentiate between the two and think "Oh, well you applied to so many, we must be a safety school." I don't get it.

 

[drizzt3117]

Why do they even ask that question? What are they trying to glean from it?

How competitive do you think you are?
How interested are you in this school?
What are the chances you'd actually accept this acceptance?
Morbid curiosity?

I ask it mostly because I'm curious what other schools the student is considering. I usually won't ask the number, but more simply "where else did you apply?" I can tell how competitive someone is by reading their file, and will hopefully have an idea how interested they are in my school by talking with them.

 

[theWUbear]

Even if you did apply to 20-25 schools, why would they infer from that that they are a "safety" school for you. Obviously, among the 20-25 schools you applied to, you are going to have the ones you are genuinely interested in going to. So how would they differentiate between the two and think "Oh, well you applied to so many, we must be a safety school." I don't get it.

P(school i is one's first choice) is decreased as "n" (the number of schools to which one applies) increases. I'm not saying its right, but if mr. interviewer wants to play the "who's most likely to decline acceptance" game, he might factor in the fact that you've applied to 25 schools. Obviously, this shouldn't weight into his decision if you've otherwise shown your genuine interest in the school

 

[JJMrK]

I think the best way to answer this question is to be purposefully vague about it. If they press you, just tell them, it's not going to make a big difference one way or another. If I asked this question to an interviewee it'd just be because I was curious.

Yep.

 

[Tutmos]

So what do you say if you've applied to exactly one school? Uhhh I really like this school!

 

[BBender716]

And the way to be vague (because I've been asked this before), is to respond with something like, "well, you know how it is, I applied mostly in and around the midwest with some out east and a couple in the west, really looking for a good fit."

Translation: I really just said nothing, but it sounds/feels good, lol

 

[BlueElmo]

And the way to be vague (because I've been asked this before), is to respond with something like, "well, you know how it is, I applied mostly in and around the midwest with some out east and a couple in the west, really looking for a good fit."

Translation: I really just said nothing, but it sounds/feels good, lol

Nice. But what if he asks, "well then, how many?"

 

[RunningDiva]

what is so wrong with showing your hand here? i gave an honest answer when asked. i also gave a legit reason when questioned about this number. IMO, being obviously vague or evasive opens the door for them to question the sincerity and/or honesty of other responses you give.

 

[bannie22]

^Absolutely nothing wrong.

At one school, I actually offered to tell my interviewer all the schools I had interviewed prior to that school.

At another interview, I was asked where I interviewed and whether I had got in already. I responded to interviewed, but gave a wry smile with the got in already. Which right after the interview, I knew was wrong.

So for the next interview, I was once again asked where I interviewed. This time, I asked, Do you want to know every school? And he nodded and I listed them all out!

Interviews are much more fun and enjoyable if you can open yourself up and share with your interviewer. Just like any other conversation in real life.

 

[RunningDiva]

^Absolutely nothing wrong.

At one school, I actually offered to tell my interviewer all the schools I had interviewed prior to that school.

At another interview, I was asked where I interviewed and whether I had got in already. I responded to interviewed, but gave a wry smile with the got in already. Which right after the interview, I knew was wrong.

So for the next interview, I was once again asked where I interviewed. This time, I asked, Do you want to know every school? And he nodded and I listed them all out!

Interviews are much more fun and enjoyable if you can open yourself up and share with your interviewer. Just like any other conversation in real life.

Agreed! Hooray for a little bit of transparency in this process.

I had a similar experience with interviewers asking where I interviewed and if I was accepted. I really couldn't hold back a grin so it gave it away anyway. But, this led to an interesting conversation about why I chose to still interview at this specific school. It allowed me to tell them why I thought their school was awesome and what this school had to offer that was unique. I feel like this line of questioning may happen again during residency interviews...any med students out there know?

 

[longhorn09]

yeah there's no way they can find out.

in the future just be vague. when they ask me how many i applied to, i always said "oh you know all of my state schools and a couple east coast schools i'm really interested in. i don't remember the exact number"

It's too obviously that you are lying. I dont believe anyone would forget about how many schools they apply to.

BTW, I got asked the same question once, and I asnwered in this way, but my interviewer kept pressing me for more details...Now I'm waitlisted by this school.

 

[bannie22]

Agreed! Hooray for a little bit of transparency in this process.

I had a similar experience with interviewers asking where I interviewed and if I was accepted. I really couldn't hold back a grin so it gave it away anyway. But, this led to an interesting conversation about why I chose to still interview at this specific school. It allowed me to tell them why I thought their school was awesome and what this school had to offer that was unique. I feel like this line of questioning may happen again during residency interviews...any med students out there know?

Very interesting!
I was asked what I thought about one of the schools I listed. So in some sort of way, also "comparing" them from my point of view for the interviewer.
Haha

 

[longhorn09]

I ask it mostly because I'm curious what other schools the student is considering. I usually won't ask the number, but more simply "where else did you apply?" I can tell how competitive someone is by reading their file, and will hopefully have an idea how interested they are in my school by talking with them.

Do you actuallly factor in the desire of the applicant to go to your school when evaluating the applicant?

 

[Morsetlis]

Do you actuallly factor in the desire of the applicant to go to your school when evaluating the applicant?

That goes into the "fit" category and is actually kinda important.

 

[bannie22]

Do you actuallly factor in the desire of the applicant to go to your school when evaluating the applicant?

I say yes longhorn, do you say yes?

But then I feel that some schools might not...

 

[longhorn09]

I say yes longhorn, do you say yes?

But then I feel that some schools might not...

I think it's okay to assume that if someone spend couple hundreds to interview @ a school, he/she is seriously considering going to that school.

 

[red10]

You don't need to say you applied to 2 if you applied to 20. But I don't think it's wrong to say "o a couple here and a couple there that i thought would be a good fit" If the interviewer presses for details then you can go ahead and give them to them, but usually they will not press you.

I wouldn't go around name dropping either though. If you at interviewing at X State U, and you keep talking about how you applied to JH, Havard, etc etc, they're going to go "well why should we give them a spot here that could go to someone who really wants to go to X State U. They'll prob turn us down anyway." Your interviewers aren't dumb. they know where their school ranks.

If nothing else, when you get this Q you should turn it into why you love THEIR school. When I got asked I said here and there around the midwest and then went into how I'm from a town not too far away, how I'm really looking to stay in the area, close to my family and that was part of what appealed to me about that school. Then we got talking about what's great about the school and not about the application process and other places.

 

[RunningDiva]

I was embarrased about how many and didn't want them to think I didn't think highly of the school.

That was very noble of you, though, trying to spare their feelings. I know I made what I consider mistakes in a few interviews and had the "oh s***, i'm screwed" feeling afterward. They know we're all nervous and are prone to word vomit or other mishaps. Hopefully this school works out for you OP!

 

[longhorn09]

If nothing else, when you get this Q you should turn it into why you love THEIR school. When I got asked I said here and there around the midwest and then went into how I'm from a town not too far away, how I'm really looking to stay in the area, close to my family and that was part of what appealed to me about that school. Then we got talking about what's great about the school and not about the application process and other places.

I said the same things in my state schools' interviews. I felt bad though casue they were lies. One of the state schools was like 12 hrs drive away from my home.

 

[red10]

I think it's okay to assume that if someone spend couple hundreds to interview @ a school, he/she is seriously considering going to that school.

Especially early in the season though, most people will go to any school just hoping to get ANY acceptance. Because in the end, you're still an MD.

I've also known people who have applied and interviewed at places just so they could say that got in, but never intended to go there because of costs, distance, etc. They just wanted to be like "yea i got in but i turned them down cause i'm too cool for school."

 

[longhorn09]

That was very noble of you, though, trying to spare their feelings. I know I made what I consider mistakes in a few interviews and had the "oh s***, i'm screwed" feeling afterward. They know we're all nervous and are prone to word vomit or other mishaps. Hopefully this school works out for you OP!

Sometimes I felt "oh snap" right after I said something.

 

[RunningDiva]

I said the same things in my state schools' interviews. I felt bad though casue they were lies. One of the state schools was like 12 hrs drive away from my home.

texas is gigantic afterall.

 

[longhorn09]

Especially early in the season though, most people will go to any school just hoping to get ANY acceptance. Because in the end, you're still an MD.

I've also known people who have applied and interviewed at places just so they could say that got in, but never intended to go there because of costs, distance, etc. They just wanted to be like "yea i got in but i turned them down cause i'm too cool for school."

I have better ways using couple hundreds dollar to make myself feel good

BTW, if you go to an interview late in the process, it also shows you really intend to go to that school: you will choose to go there over some other schools you already got in.

 

[RunningDiva]

Especially early in the season though, most people will go to any school just hoping to get ANY acceptance. Because in the end, you're still an MD.

I've also known people who have applied and interviewed at places just so they could say that got in, but never intended to go there because of costs, distance, etc. They just wanted to be like "yea i got in but i turned them down cause i'm too cool for school."

these fools get eaten alive on here if found out!

 

[afugazzi]

You may need to be concerned if you say you applied to 2 and then they see that you have been accepted to 5...

 

[RunningDiva]

You may need to be concerned if you say you applied to 2 and then they see that you have been accepted to 5...

haha that would really blow your cover!

 

[red10]

I have better ways using couple hundreds dollar to make myself feel good

BTW, if you go to an interview late in the process, it also shows you really intend to go to that school: you will choose to go there over some other schools you already got in.

If you're waiting for multiple decisions though, going to an interview isn't a 100% indication that you want to go to school X. You may just want X over one school you're already in at, but you may like 8 other schools better than either of those but you're still waiting for a decision.
All it means at this point is that they aren't at the bottom of your list based on what you know about them before interview day. It is possible to go to a school to interview thinking you'll love it and hate it after you see what the people there are like.

 

[RunningDiva]

Yeah, agreed, if you're undecided or you're not completely smitten with an acceptance from one school in particular. I just find the trophy acceptances in bad taste.

 

[drizzt3117]

Do you actuallly factor in the desire of the applicant to go to your school when evaluating the applicant?

Yes, obviously you want to find the best candidates possible but also want people who want to attend your school. You're not accomplishing anything by filling your class initially with people who have no intention of attending and waitlisting people who really want to go there. It's definitely not the most important consideration though.

 

[ThaliaNox]

I usually ask this question when I'm curious about why they applied to my school. I'm in school in Michigan, so when I see an applicant from Utah or Georgia, I need to get an idea of whether or not I think they'll really go here, or if they applied all over the country and are not more than superficially interested in my school. I always follow it up with more specific questions about why they want to go to my school in particular.

 

[Infinitydrop]

I accidently did this as well. I told a school that I only appiled to their school in that particular city, but i MEANT was I am only interviewing for that school in that area. And by the time I said it, it was kinda of too late to take it back, so I went on with it. I hope the interviewer didn't detect my lie and thought it was on purpose.

 

[JJMrK]

And the way to be vague (because I've been asked this before), is to respond with something like, "well, you know how it is, I applied mostly in and around the midwest with some out east and a couple in the west, really looking for a good fit."

Translation: I really just said nothing, but it sounds/feels good, lol

 

[flip26]

I usually ask this question when I'm curious about why they applied to my school. I'm in school in Michigan, so when I see an applicant from Utah or Georgia, I need to get an idea of whether or not I think they'll really go here, or if they applied all over the country and are not more than superficially interested in my school. I always follow it up with more specific questions about why they want to go to my school in particular.

What relevance is it how many schools or where someone applied to versus your questioning an applicant of "why here?" The latter question is quite legit - whereas the prior question exposes the "chip" on the interviewer's shoulder about his school's status or place in the "pecking order" of med schools.

The only schools where I got this question (or a variation of this question) were the unranked schools. It comes across, to me, as a very defensive question - made me think less of the interview and the school.

 

[red10]

What relevance is it how many schools or where someone applied to versus your questioning an applicant of "why here?" The latter question is quite legit - whereas the prior question exposes the "chip" on the interviewer's shoulder about his school's status or place in the "pecking order" of med schools.

The only schools where I got this question (or a variation of this question) were the unranked schools. It comes across, to me, as a very defensive question - made me think less of the interview and the school.

Any idiot can answer why here convincingly if they've done even a little research on the school. I can tell a school how much I love that they don't have any clinical exposure until the 3rd year and I LOOOOOVE how they still think blood letting is a cure all. Doesn't mean I actually believe it.
Both questions in combination are probably a better indicator that either one alone.

 

[flip26]

Any idiot can answer why here convincingly if they've done even a little research on the school. I can tell a school how much I love that they don't have any clinical exposure until the 3rd year and I LOOOOOVE how they still think blood letting is a cure all. Doesn't mean I actually believe it.
Both questions in combination are probably a better indicator that either one alone.

A better indicator of what?

The average applicant applies to 13 or 14 schools (per AAMC data). Are you suggesting that someone who applies to only, say, 5 schools is a more desirable applicant vs someone who has applied to, say, 20 schools? Will you extend the same reasoning to the residency match?

There is a reason med schools are not provided with this information - it is none of their business.

 

[red10]

A better indicator of what?

The average applicant applies to 13 or 14 schools (per AAMC data). Are you suggesting that someone who applies to only, say, 5 schools is a more desirable applicant vs someone who has applied to, say, 20 schools? Will you extend the same reasoning to the residency match?

There is a reason med schools are not provided with this information - it is none of their business.

I'm not saying i think they should be asking these questions for that specific reason. But if, for w/e reason, they're trying to figure out if you're realistically going to attend their school, then those 2 questions might give them a better indication of either alone.

I think they know what an average number of schools applied to is and I don't think they care if it's around that number. But, Someone who applies to 2 is probably not very educated on the system and is putting all their eggs in one basket. Someone who applies to every med school in the US, is probably not doing the necessary research and making thoughtful decisions.

Again, I don't love the questions just like I don't think that an interviewer at a closed file interview should ask your GPA and MCAT. But I think if they're trying to find out where their school ranks, and they feel the need to ask, the combination of how many and why us, will probably give them what they're looking for.

inhale. exhale. later. rinse. repeat

 

[flip26]

I'm not saying i think they should be asking these questions for that specific reason. But if, for w/e reason, they're trying to figure out if you're realistically going to attend their school, then those 2 questions might give them a better indication of either alone.

I think they know what an average number of schools applied to is and I don't think they care if it's around that number. But, Someone who applies to 2 is probably not very educated on the system and is putting all their eggs in one basket. Someone who applies to every med school in the US, is probably not doing the necessary research and making thoughtful decisions.

Again, I don't love the questions just like I don't think that an interviewer at a closed file interview should ask your GPA and MCAT. But I think if they're trying to find out where their school ranks, and they feel the need to ask, the combination of how many and why us, will probably give them what they're looking for.

inhale. exhale. later. rinse. repeat

The question says more about the insecurity of the interviewer (and perhaps by extension the insecurity of the med school adcom) than it can possibly reveal about the applicant.

Where I was asked this question, it left me with a poor impression of the interviewer and the school. Seems to me it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for these schools...

 

[drizzt3117]

I think they know what an average number of schools applied to is and I don't think they care if it's around that number. But, Someone who applies to 2 is probably not very educated on the system and is putting all their eggs in one basket. Someone who applies to every med school in the US, is probably not doing the necessary research and making thoughtful decisions.

There's quite a number of people in my class that applied to our state schools. I don't think there's anything wrong with that if it's the only place they want to go to school <shrug> That said, one of our jobs in putting together a class is getting some diversity, and I think our med school experience is much richer for having a significant amount of OOS students. Certainly for a lot of OOS students, our school wasn't their first choice growing up, so I think it's a legitimate question to find out why specifically they want to go there. I generally think asking how many schools someone applied to isn't necessarily the best approach, I'd generally like to know WHAT other schools they applied to. It's not because of insecurity but more of trying to figure out what a candidate is really looking for and what's really going through their head. It's certainly possible for candidates to fall in love with a school after visiting, the question is whether that's likely given the circumstances.