Personal Questions in Interview

[kammykat91]

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During my junior year of college, I broke up with my boyfriend of 6 years. It was a terrible breakup and I ended up doing badly in my classes during the semester. I have an interview for dental school and I have a feeling that they are going to ask why this semester stands out so badly. I don't want to answer with "I broke up with my boyfriend" but I don't want to lie either. Is there a good way to explain the situation?

 

[lwen5]

You should just say there was some very personal issues and then move on. Talk about how you were able to do better the next semester.

 

[Teeths]

I agree with Iwen to a certain extent- I would keep it general and mention that you had a rough spot and you were dealing with personal things at the time. Focus on what you've learned from the experience and how you'd prevent such a dip in academic performance from happening again. If it's very uncharacteristic of you to do poorly in a semester, then they probably already know it was just a bump in the road and would only ask to measure how you view that time and that you've been able to get over it. If they ask specifically what happened, by all means let them know. I wouldn't worry about it so much- your interviewers are human too! 😛