Lied at interview

[Narmerguy]

^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.

I agree. I'm wholly against BSing at interviews in any manner. I'm going to tell them how it is if they ask me (tastefully of course) and if that's grounds for rejecting me, I wouldn't have been good for that school anyway.

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[red10]

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.

i can't imagine someone only applying to one school being that much of a good thing though(I guess maybe it wouldnt necessarily be a negative from an Adcom standpoint either, but just in general it seems to be kinda dumb) . Its like I really really really want to be a doctor and help people and cure AIDS- but ONLY if I get to go to my state school? It seems strange not to even have a back up or 2. but that's just me

 

[drizzt3117]

i can't imagine someone only applying to one school being that much of a good thing though(I guess maybe it wouldnt necessarily be a negative from an Adcom standpoint either, but just in general it seems to be kinda dumb) . Its like I really really really want to be a doctor and help people and cure AIDS- but ONLY if I get to go to my state school? It seems strange not to even have a back up or 2. but that's just me

I dunno, if you look at the numbers for my state (WI) 714 people applied, and 325 were accepted anywhere which is about ~46%. Of those people, about 2/3 of them matriculated in state. I think the numbers would be far higher for a state like TX which has even more seats per applicant.

 

[BBender716]

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

Then you tell him the truth and he's being an ass. lol

 

[RunningDiva]

Then you tell him the truth and he's being an ass. lol

But an ass who can significantly contribute to your admission decision.

 

[Narmerguy]

But an ass who can significantly contribute to your admission decision.

The one's with power always seem to have that problem don't they?

 

[BBender716]

If you guys really wanna hear a whopper try this:

My first interview and it was at my state school. He asked the "where did you apply" question earlier in the interview. As the interview ends, he closes my file and looks at me and says, "You have a strong application. This is your state school. If we admit you, are you going to legitimately consider this school or are we just your safety?"

I was practically peeing my pants since it was my first interview and I couldn't believe what came out of my mouth next:

"Dr. X, I wouldn't be here right now if I weren't seriously considering it. It'd be a waste of your time and mine. That would be incredibly rude of me and I promise you if I am admitted I will genuinely and seriously consider attending."

holy ****. Admitted.

 

[BBender716]

But an ass who can significantly contribute to your admission decision.

Yeah but he asked for it (literally) and you just have to respond pleasantly and reiterate your interest in School X.

 

[slowbutsteady]

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.

See this is why lying is a very bad idea. You have to lie to cover up the lie, rinse, repeat.

 

[PanicAttack]

When I got this question I was honest and actually tried to spin it positively by saying "I'm a reapplicant and I was very humbled by my first application process, so I'm not taking any chances this time and applied to 20 schools." I think not giving a number is a little sketchy, when you really shouldn't have any reason to hide this information. Use the question to your advantage and turn it into a positive attribute (I did my research about the process, I applied to this other school similar to yours because of my interest in whatever, etc.)

 

[red10]

I dunno, if you look at the numbers for my state (WI) 714 people applied, and 325 were accepted anywhere which is about ~46%. Of those people, about 2/3 of them matriculated in state. I think the numbers would be far higher for a state like TX which has even more seats per applicant.

it's great that people are getting into their state school and matriculating there but I still can't imagine applying to ONLY that school without any other backup.

 

[Tutmos]

I dunno, if you look at the numbers for my state (WI) 714 people applied, and 325 were accepted anywhere which is about ~46%. Of those people, about 2/3 of them matriculated in state. I think the numbers would be far higher for a state like TX which has even more seats per applicant.

That's an astonishing number. Minnesota needs more medical schools obviously. The U of M twin cities had approximately 3300 applicants and only ~ 200 accepted. That 46% is the acceptance vs. interviewed rate here. I'm jealous.

 

[drizzt3117]

it's great that people are getting into their state school and matriculating there but I still can't imagine applying to ONLY that school without any other backup.

WI has two medical schools.

 

[RunningDiva]

Yeah but he asked for it (literally) and you just have to respond pleasantly and reiterate your interest in School X.

Oh I agree. And nice job with your response in the story above. I'm all for being straighforward with interviewers and honestly answering this question (well all questions, too). Ass or not, it behooves you to be nice to the guy and answer appropriately (just like you did!).

 

[flip26]

"Dr. X, I wouldn't be here right now if I weren't seriously considering it."

This is all you needed to say - he was asking for an expression of your interest in attending their school - if you think about it, it is a softball question, lobbed right over the heart of the plate, giving you the chance to make your case. I suppose that is a legit question, but I don't really see the value in the answer, unless someone gets asked, freezes like a deer in the headlights, and pinches off a turd in the punch bowl with some stupid response.

But in reality it goes without saying, doesn't it? I mean, who in the hell goes to the expense and trouble of attending interviews at schools where they have no interest?

And this is a far cry from the questions cited on this thread of "how many schools did you apply to / where did you apply / where have you interviewed / where have you been accepted" that I think are bogus and deserving of whatever answer you want to give.

As I said before, I got asked these questions at 2 schools, and I gave limited responses like "I applied to my state schools and then several regional and national schools that interested me..." And while I found this line of questioning to be quite offputting, I answered with a smile, and I got accepted at both schools, FWIW.

The most important thing is to have some response in mind in case you get asked.

 

[flip26]

it's great that people are getting into their state school and matriculating there but I still can't imagine applying to ONLY that school without any other backup.

There are other states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, where applicants often apply only to their state schools and maybe any private med schools in their home state.

 

[ThaliaNox]

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...

Why would a school or an interviewer be insecure about this? Believe me, schools have plenty of applicants to choose from, even if some applicants decide to go elsewhere. Lets say that you know the applicant's family all live somewhere near another school and they go on about how family is important to them. You find out they interviewed at that school last week. Its something to think about.

It can also work in an applicant's favor. Lets say that you find out that their significant other is doing grad work in your city... POOF, you know they're really interested in your school. Notice that these factors are not the silly "curriculum and fit" stuff that any applicant can parrot off of a website, but tangible factors. An applicant who grew up in NYC is likely not to want to live in Nebraska without a darn good reason, so what made them apply there? Maybe their parents got moved there for work, or maybe that's where their husband is from, or maybe their sister lives a mile from the med school and will let the applicant live with them for free. Interviewers just want a better reason than you applied to 35 schools and this is the only one that interviewed you.

 

[drizzt3117]

+1

basically just like you'd like as much info as possible to make a decision, so does an interviewer.

Why would a school or an interviewer be insecure about this? Believe me, schools have plenty of applicants to choose from, even if some applicants decide to go elsewhere. Lets say that you know the applicant's family all live somewhere near another school and they go on about how family is important to them. You find out they interviewed at that school last week. Its something to think about.

It can also work in an applicant's favor. Lets say that you find out that their significant other is doing grad work in your city... POOF, you know they're really interested in your school. Notice that these factors are not the silly "curriculum and fit" stuff that any applicant can parrot off of a website, but tangible factors. An applicant who grew up in NYC is likely not to want to live in Nebraska without a darn good reason, so what made them apply there? Maybe their parents got moved there for work, or maybe that's where their husband is from, or maybe their sister lives a mile from the med school and will let the applicant live with them for free. Interviewers just want a better reason than you applied to 35 schools and this is the only one that interviewed you.

 

[flip26]

Why would a school or an interviewer be insecure about this? Believe me, schools have plenty of applicants to choose from, even if some applicants decide to go elsewhere. Lets say that you know the applicant's family all live somewhere near another school and they go on about how family is important to them. You find out they interviewed at that school last week. Its something to think about.

It can also work in an applicant's favor. Lets say that you find out that their significant other is doing grad work in your city... POOF, you know they're really interested in your school. Notice that these factors are not the silly "curriculum and fit" stuff that any applicant can parrot off of a website, but tangible factors. An applicant who grew up in NYC is likely not to want to live in Nebraska without a darn good reason, so what made them apply there? Maybe their parents got moved there for work, or maybe that's where their husband is from, or maybe their sister lives a mile from the med school and will let the applicant live with them for free. Interviewers just want a better reason than you applied to 35 schools and this is the only one that interviewed you.

I have clearly differentiated the questions of "why our school?" versus "how many schools did you apply to?" In your post, you seem to be mixing the 2 questions together, but in reality your examples point to the legit "why our school?" and not the not so legit or meaningful "how many" question.

"Why our school?" is legit - it gives the applicant the chance to shine. Of course state schools are interested in this for OOS applicants - most of these schools heavily screen OOS applications in the first place, requiring some "connection" to the state for OOS applicants to be considered.

"How many schools?" is a pretty useless question for informational purposes - or do you conclude different things about the motivations of applicants and their interest in your school who report that they applied to 10 schools vs 20 vs 30? - and it is meaningful to me that AMCAS does not provide this information to schools for a reason, the reason being that it is none of their business.

The only schools where I was asked the "how many applied to / where have you interviewed?" questions were the unranked, "we have a chip on our shoulder" schools - you may feel differently, but I thought it was an inappropriate, defensive, insecure question that reflected poorly on the school.

 

[BBender716]

This is all you needed to say - he was asking for an expression of your interest in attending their school - if you think about it, it is a softball question, lobbed right over the heart of the plate, giving you the chance to make your case. I suppose that is a legit question, but I don't really see the value in the answer, unless someone gets asked, freezes like a deer in the headlights, and pinches off a turd in the punch bowl with some stupid response.

But in reality it goes without saying, doesn't it? I mean, who in the hell goes to the expense and trouble of attending interviews at schools where they have no interest?

And this is a far cry from the questions cited on this thread of "how many schools did you apply to / where did you apply / where have you interviewed / where have you been accepted" that I think are bogus and deserving of whatever answer you want to give.

As I said before, I got asked these questions at 2 schools, and I gave limited responses like "I applied to my state schools and then several regional and national schools that interested me..." And while I found this line of questioning to be quite offputting, I answered with a smile, and I got accepted at both schools, FWIW.

The most important thing is to have some response in mind in case you get asked.

Trust me. It wasn't just an expression of interest question. He already (more directly) asked me that question previously in the interview, and the manner in which he closed the file, then looked at me very seriously almost with an off the record type tone (but we all know that's never true) when he asked the question.

 

[Mace1370]

Why would a school or an interviewer be insecure about this? Believe me, schools have plenty of applicants to choose from, even if some applicants decide to go elsewhere. Lets say that you know the applicant's family all live somewhere near another school and they go on about how family is important to them. You find out they interviewed at that school last week. Its something to think about.

Applicants can, and will, get nervous and worked up over anything.

That said, I think the best way to answer this question is to is to use it to show a positive trait about yourself. A previous poster gave an example as a reapplicant and I think that was a good one.

 

[z31]

I got a similar question - "What other schools did you interview at and why?". I think this is when I realized that any question that concerns other schools is really a "Why our school?" question.

My approach was to explain what I was looking for in a medical school, name two or three of my favorite schools so far, and then in what ways the interviewer's school was superior .

 

[searun]

There are other states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, where applicants often apply only to their state schools and maybe any private med schools in their home state.

I have noticed that as well. People from the South seem more reluctant to apply to med schools outside of the South. Curious. Folks from Alabama seem to have no interest in New York City or Boston or San Francisco. Why is that. I say that as someone from Oregon who moved to the East Coast. But Southerners pretty much stay home. Some kind of comfort zone thing, I guess.

 

[Tutmos]

What do you guys think of this one? I'm a non traditional with a couple kids, a good sized house, a small business (8 employees) and my wife has been an RPh at a local hospital for 10 years. The interviewer and I were talking about my company and it became obvious that I really couldn't go to any other school. I told him, just to go to a different school would cost me as much as all of medical school, so my home school is my obvious choice. My stats are the exact median for last years matriculants.

Will letting them know that there's no risk of my going elsewhere this year put me on the slow boat to a late acceptance or waitlist? I decided I had to be honest about everything. My life is too complex to try and make things up. With only one choice I wasn't about to lose my home school for making anything up.

 

[searun]

What do you guys think of this one? I'm a non traditional with a couple kids, a good sized house, a small business (8 employees) and my wife has been an RPh at a local hospital for 10 years. The interviewer and I were talking about my company and it became obvious that I really couldn't go to any other school. I told him, just to go to a different school would cost me as much as all of medical school, so my home school is my obvious choice. My stats are the exact median for last years matriculants.

Will letting them know that there's no risk of my going elsewhere this year put me on the slow boat to a late acceptance or waitlist? I decided I had to be honest about everything. My life is too complex to try and make things up. With only one choice I wasn't about to lose my home school for making anything up.

Actually, it will probably help you get into this school. Med schools like to think that they are the princess and that you will come if accepted. But my question is why become a med student for 4 years and spend all of that money on med school and then work for $10 an hour as a resident for 3-5 years, slave labor for 80 or 90 hours per week. Keep doing what you are doing since you appear to be successful. Focus on your business and keep making the bucks. And don't tell us that you have wanted to help people since you were in grade school. Run the numbers, and I will bet that med school makes no financial sense.

Sounds like you have a good gig. Why make yourself miserable.

 

[Tutmos]

Actually, it will probably help you get into this school. Med schools like to think that they are the princess and that you will come if accepted. But my question is why become a med student for 4 years and spend all of that money on med school and then work for $10 an hour as a resident for 3-5 years, slave labor for 80 or 90 hours per week. Keep doing what you are doing since you appear to be successful. Focus on your business and keep making the bucks. And don't tell us that you have wanted to help people since you were in grade school. Run the numbers, and I will bet that med school makes no financial sense.

Sounds like you have a good gig. Why make yourself miserable.

It's not about money. You're right, if I was thinking primarily of money, I wouldn't have even considered going back to school. I would have made far more by applying the same focus to my company than I could ever make as a physician, barring things like writing books, patents on devices or drugs etc. As I said though, this hasn't been about money. I am intending to keep my company through and after medical school, as long as it's making money, it'll make residency a little more tolerable.

My reasons are probably the science / intellectual stimulation, job and industry security, the ability to provide a valued service later in life at reduced hours if I like until my brain turns to mush. The ability to help people that appreciate it does factor into it. I do get a charge out of it when I'm able to help people out and they genuinely appreciate it. The people that don't, well helping them will be just like a job, but I'm getting paid to help them regardless of attitude so I'll grin and bare it. There's also a little desire for respect that isn't attached to money but the hard work I've done. Nobody knows if you were just lucky in business or had things given to you on a plate, but when there's an MD after your name people know you've worked hard for it and can be taken seriously, for the most part. (edit: I also like the research. Being involved in trying to figure out how the brain actually works is pretty amazing. How could anyone not love that?) In short ego plays a part I guess.

I know a lot of you guys are motivated by money, which I don't disagree with at all. That's the reason I didn't follow a traditional path. I knew I could make more as a business owner than virtually any other profession working for someone else so I jumped on it right away, out of an early 20's craving for money, cars, lovely young ladies etc.

Thanks for your opinion, I hope you're right and they like it. Missing a year of practice having to reapply in your 30's will hurt more than as a 20 something.

 

[StormingWynn]

But what if he/she said he/she applied to 5 Schools and when schools can check to what schools they've been accepted to and see that he/she was accepted to 7, then I think they'd be questioning. LOL Just saying. I hope that made sense.

 

[Morsetlis]

That's why you give a high estimate.

 

[riverjib]

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

Probably not. And if it's not your top-choice school, move it down a rung. That question is loaded at best. I'd like to think that I'd answer, "A lot. I think about XX? (I'd probably be honest, here) But I was thrilled to get an interview offer here, because this school is my top choice because XYZ."

When I interview, I'll be working full-time, which means that I can randomly search the website for information that I can use to tell that school that I'm particularly interested in it for whatever reason. I'm still reasonably sure that I'll completely screw up on questions like this, that are designed to separate those who LOVE this school from the rest of us, who haven't had time to research the 20-30+ schools we apply to in hopes that we're casting a net that is wide enough this year.

You already know this. You were caught totally off-guard. Your lie probably won't be revealed as such. I'm learning from you and those who post similar interview questions, so that I might have some hope of being prepared.

Don't worry too much. ADCOMs (if you didn't blow it and they're interested enough to learn more about you) will probably be more interested in making sure you didn't lie on your application than anything else.