Mess up one question on interview = rejection?

[UCDavisISokay]

During my interview, I got stumped on a difficult and unexpected question. I paused, and then gave an answer that I do not feel satisfied with. So am I going to get rejected now? I want to cry. hehe

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[mindquick]

it depends. what was the question? and what did you answer?

 

[Powdermonkey]

If the question in ... question... was "why medicine? Why a doctor?" then it cant help. But if it was a tough bioethical question somethingorother, I wouldnt worry so much about it. Congrats on the interview!! I'm still waiting on my first one to come in....

 

[Aynsl156]

Was it "why did you choose to wear glasses today?"

 

[etf]

So am I going to get rejected now?

yes, most likely.

 

[blargh]

you didn't cry, did you? i imagine that would be an immediate rejection.

 

[LikeClockWork]

You could be like a friend of mine who answered "So, why do you want to be a doctor?" with "Well, I'm not really sure I want to be a doctor. I'm keeping my options open." Needless to say,no acceptances for him. He did do law school though.

 

[Phoenix.]

During my interview, I got stumped on a difficult and unexpected question. I paused, and then gave an answer that I do not feel satisfied with. So am I going to get rejected now? I want to cry. hehe

Sounds like you'll be fine. I doubt their decision will hinge on one answer you gave to a difficult and unexpected type of question in just one of your interviews. Keep your head up. No need to despair.

 

[cruz21]

i think that more than anything it'll show that you're human--i dont think they'd like someone who just robotically gave responses to every single question, thats why they throw those curve balls in in the first place!

 

[jr doctor in sd]

It might've been a question where the interviewers were seeing if you were a good BSer or normal and didnt know how to approach a hard Q like the one given...but id like to hear the Q n A to know exactly

 

[Depakote]

Interview experiences are very subjective. Your answer might not have been what you would have liked to have given but it might have satisfied the interviewer.

Honestly, it really isn't worth reading into it at this point. Worrying about it now isn't going to make any difference so I would just try not to stress over it until you hear back. It could go either way at this point, but there isn't anything you can do to change the way it went.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

You should have faked a seizure.

 

[xpinchx]

I'm curious what the question could have been.

 

[drizzt3117]

"I notice you were accepted to this school for undergrad but didn't attend. Why?"

 

[Phoenix.]

"I notice you were accepted to this school for undergrad but didn't attend. Why?"

If that is indeed the question, ouch. I did notice for UIC's secondary they ask if you ever applied to their school before. I'm guessing it might be to ask the same question.

Anyway, if this question came up for me (and I were in college) and it was in the area where I grew up, I would probably say that I felt that moving away from home would be a great learning and maturing experience, so I decided to go to an OOS school for undergrad. If it's an OOS school, then just do your best to wing it. That's definitely a tough question that puts the interviewee unnecessarily on the spot. But I think that if you answer it honestly or decently, and the rest of your interview(s) are good, it really shouldn't be the reason you don't get in.

 

[Blondnuttyboy]

"I notice you were accepted to this school for undergrad but didn't attend. Why?"

how would they know that?

 

[artaxerxes]

"I notice you were accepted to this school for undergrad but didn't attend. Why?"

thats going to happen to me at BU, got accepted, but went to another local school. One word, money.

 

[Phoenix.]

how would they know that?

Just a guess - they could ask on the secondary like UIC does.... Or, they could possibly look it up themselves in their system, although that seems....overly sly.

 

[Phoenix.]

thats going to happen to me at BU, got accepted, but went to another local school. One word, money.

Sounds like a legit answer to me. Just say you loved BU and really wanted to go there, but also wanted to be financially responsible. They know money doesn't grow on trees.

 

[Sachiel]

A friend of mine's sister's interview.

Interviewer "What do you want the most for this society"

Sister's answer after 5 mins "World Peace"

2 months later status the letter she got was something along the lines of

"Congratulations....."

I hope that helps.

 

[mvenus929]

Well, one of my interviewers asked me if I had had any bad experiences with doctors. I mentioned one where I was getting a physical, and the doctor I had wasn't even somewhat thorough. She checked my heart sounds and my lung sounds and then sent me on my way. I said that I'd like to be more thorough than that should I start my practice. The other interviewer in the room was like 'So, you thought she was a bad doctor', and I started to explain that that was the only time I had seen her, so maybe she was just having an off day or something, but he cut me off saying 'oh, it's alright to say she was bad'. I felt really bad after that response.

So at least you weren't bashing someone in the profession with your answer.

 

[SigurRos]

honestly, interviewers arent gong to write obsessively about one little error or bad answer. The important thing is giving an overall good impression. I said many little stupid things during my interviews, but doubt that it mattered much. I guess we will find out oct 15th

 

[DoctaJay]

Often times, people get into the schools where they felt that they had the worst interview. Don't worry about it at all. I don't think it will have a play in whether you are accepted or rejected.

 

[blurry]

You'll be fine. I botched a question pretty badly and still got in!

Dean: "If accepted, what will you bring to our school?"
Me: "I don't know... myself?"

 

[gujuDoc]

thats going to happen to me at BU, got accepted, but went to another local school. One word, money.

I know a girl who had this question posed to her at UF last year during her interview. They asked her why she went to USF and why she didn't go to some better school. The poor girl didn't have much money and she was qualified so I don't know why screwing around with her but she had a miserable interview there. She ended up going to one of the other Fl schools.

I agree though that it is a legit answer though.

 

[VoiceofReason]

Good to see I'm not the only one with these experiences. I just had my first interview this cycle two days ago and I was given a series of hard case questions, as well as some hard opinion questions. I don't feel like I gave crossfire caliber answers at all, and it made me pretty nervous (although I was still able to get some answer out for each one).

At the end of the interview, my interviewer said, "that went well." Which also makes me wonder if he was being sincere or if he just felt sorry for me.

 

[UCDavisISokay]

At the end of the interview, my interviewer said, "that went well." Which also makes me wonder if he was being sincere or if he just felt sorry for me.

My interviewer said " I will tell the adcoms to STRONGLY consider you." I thought it was odd

 

[VoiceofReason]

that does sound weird. If that happened to me i'd be pretty thrown off.

I can't wait for oct 15th

 

[gujuDoc]

Often times, people get into the schools where they felt that they had the worst interview. Don't worry about it at all. I don't think it will have a play in whether you are accepted or rejected.

This is true. And conversely the opposite scenario of thinking you had the best interview but had the worst interview has also happened.