Post your odd, awkward, and difficult interview questions

[jofrbr76]

Since so many people of late have been interviewing, why not start a thread of questions you were asked that either caught you off guard or simply reinforced the stereotypical med-school interview type question. Eiher way i think a lot of pre-meds would be interested.

P.S. I know we've had a link like this in the past, but i'd like to hear some recent 0nes.

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[moo]

At a certain school they asked "What other schools did you apply to?" I thought this info was confidential and hesitated to give an answer.

 

[Mossjoh]

Why does everyone want to know my father's occupation? Does it matter? I've gotten this question at both my interviews.

Mossjoh

 

[rxfudd]

Moss, I got the same one at GWU - in fact, both my GWU interviewers wanted to know what my parents did for a living. I think it just makes for good conversation.

My uncomfortable question was from GWU - one interviewer asked if I wanted to explain anything from my AMCAS file. Since it was a closed file interview, this put me in a bit of a bind (I didn't want to turn it into an open file interview).

And with that, I hit the "500 posts" milestone!

 

[pre-hawkdoc]

"You're paying tuition, so we're working for you. Other than a medical education, what do you expect from us as an institution?"

I thought that put an interesting spin on things...

 

[E'01]

1. I got "what is your first choice medical school" - I couldn't very well say X - since it wasn't an interview at X (sorry but I'm paranoid about where these posts end up being read by), so I just said, "well I carefully chose the 18 (no upped to 20) schools that I applied to, and thus would be happy to attend any one of them" and he seemed satisfied with my answer.

2. Not necessarily difficult but Columbia asked me "tell me about yourself and why should we take you over the thousands of intelligent and talented...so and on and so forth...applicants".

3. At another, the interviewer was stating that at Downstate the students there have clinical exposure because they "practice on poor people". He then directly asked me if that was a school I had applied to.

4. At another interview, the interviewer leaned forward, her voice increasing in intensity and said "I mean what will you do when you're practicing and one of your patients is intoxicated, smelly, incompetent and rude...what will you do?????" I was very caught off-guard (I think we were previously talking about what specialty I wanted to do - cardiothoracic surgery- and how she was gushing and praising me since every female applicant she knows "just wants to be a pediatrician or an OB/GYN". Well after my heart stopped momentarily, I just said, "well I don't know". Then she said kindly, "of course you don't know, you haven't been in that situation". Then she gave a HUGE sigh and then cheerfully moved onto the next subject.

 

[sz]

I was asked
How many schools are you applying to.
Do you have any other interviews. ... after I answered yes to that one ...
Which school?.

I'm still reeling from the ambush! ... I was completely unprepared for that line of questioning. I answered honestly but now wonder what effect that would have.

 

[choker]

I was asked what I wanted out of life 30 years from now. No kidding.

 

[coop]

pritzker asked me what my definition of service is and whether physicians have an obligation to fufill this definition or if being a physician is service enough?

also at pritzker: what are 3 words that describe yourself and why?

go to interviewfeedback.com for lots lots more on this topic

 

[nochaser]

How I would respond to some of these:

"What other schools did you apply to?"
None of your business. Next question?

"father's occupation?"
You mean what does he do when he's not doing time?

"I was asked what I wanted out of life 30 years from now."
Probably the same thing I would want 30 years from then--to be alive!

"pritzker asked me what my definition of service is"
Anyhing that you do for someone else for which you will be compensated--otherwise, it ain't service-- it's a frickin favor!

"what are 3 words that describe yourself and why?"
cutthroat, gunner, ballbuster--Hey! whaddya lookin at? are you talking to me? ARE YOU TALKING TO ME??????

"I mean what will you do when you're practicing and one of your patients is intoxicated, smelly, incompetent and rude...what will you do?????"
I'd competently do my job in my normal, profesional manner, but then, of course, when nobody's looking, I'd kindly remind you to keep the fact that I sprang for the last round down at the pub before I came to work on the DL.

 

[nochaser]

I was very caught off-guard (I think we were previously talking about what specialty I wanted to do - cardiothoracic surgery- and how she was gushing and praising me since every female applicant she knows "just wants to be a pediatrician or an OB/GYN".

E'01---> I thought you were a guy! My bad...

 

[pyra]

Why does everyone want to know my father's occupation? Does it matter? I've gotten this question at both my interviews.
Mossjoh

i think when the adcoms ask this it is to make sure that your decision to be a doctor was your own and not forced by your father or mother who is a physician. they get suspicous if this is the case

 

[Scooby Doo]

E'01...how do you know you want to do cardiothoracic surgery?????
Even if you shadowed a doctor who did this and you did research on cardiology I don't think you should say that at your interviews. Every single interviewer who has asked me "what specialty/do in 10 years" has said, "I am so happy to hear someone who doesn't want to become a 'bling bling bling'...Of course you aren't going to know what you want to do...you haven't been in it long enough."
I don't know..just be careful when you state something like, "I want to be this..."
and it's somethign that you won't even be able to start on your own until 12 years from now! While you can say, I have been exposed to this profession and I find it appealing...in reality, I don't think there is any way for me to know for sure...
ah well...keep saying what you want

 

[Gator]

Rxfudd,
So what did you say when you were asked if there was anything you wanted to say about your AMCAS file? I got a similar question and I still do not know if I said the right thing or not.
Thanks.

 

[rxfudd]

Originally posted by Gator:
•Rxfudd,
So what did you say when you were asked if there was anything you wanted to say about your AMCAS file? I got a similar question and I still do not know if I said the right thing or not.
Thanks.•

It was a pretty strange moment because they student interviewer asked me the question, pretty much out of nowhere, and I just sort of stared at her for a few seconds while I began rapidly going through every possible outcome in my mind (sort of like in the end of Wargames). I then told her that there was really not much to discuss because I have been consistent from semester to semester. This is true - I have been consistent as far as grades go. My MCAT score leaves much to be desired, but I really didn't want to bring that up. She seemed satisfied with my answer and went on to the next question.

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by Gator:
•Rxfudd,
So what did you say when you were asked if there was anything you wanted to say about your AMCAS file? I got a similar question and I still do not know if I said the right thing or not.
Thanks.•

So Gator, what did you say?

 

[Gator]

My grades have been consistent throughout my undergraduate but I did not do so hot in one religious class. I explained the reason why. I did not really get a response from the interviewer.

 

[E'01]

Well scooby your advice was excellent - I will keep on saying what I want

Yet if an interviewer specifically asks you what specialty you think you would like to pursue, to sit there and say "er I don't know" doesn't sit too well either. After saying that I wanted to do cardiothoracic surgery I normally say well after clinical rotations that may change, but I definitely want to stay in the surgical arena. I think that's perfectly fine. I've mentioned this in more than one interview and the response that I have had has not been negative whatsoever.

Yep nochaser I am a female

 

[praying4MD]

Some of my harder questions:

- What do you think about slave reparations?
- How do you feel about evolution?
- How can you believe in God if you believe in evolution? Aren't they mutually exclusive? (After some discussion)
- What are your feelings on the racism conference in South Africa? Who do you think is right?
- How much money will you be making 15 years out of residency? Will it be enough to pay off your loans?
- What will you do if start failing out of med school?
- What other schools have you applied to? (I thought that was off limits as well.)
- What was the happiest day of your life?

 

[csgirl]

I wonder why any med school would care about how one feels about evolution... and if you believe in God... how is that relevant?

 

[gooloogooloo]

quoted=
I wonder why any med school would care about how one feels about evolution... and if you believe in God... how is that relevant?
=

ha ha ha ha ha,
ha ha ha ha ha....
anyway, i guess i will say, "the fact is that I don't believe in evolution at all."

about the specialty question, I think they will be satisfy with anything you answer, whether a specefic field or an i don't know. Being not knowing is perfectly fine, and they will perfectly understand it. However, there certainly are people who have dreamed to be a surgeon since very young too. For example, Dr. Judah Folkman, the father of angiogenesis, enrolled Harvard Medical School at age 19, (broke 2 records: 1. first student got into Harvard Med in OSU history, 2. broke the age limit of admission.) He performed his first surgery in his undergrad. year when shadowed the Chief Surgeon in OSU hosp. He already performed open heart surgery on a cow at age 14.
So, I think interviewers are only looking for your honest answer. Don't think they are judging you by the way you answer or expecting some correct answer out of you. Even they are, you and they are in a sense pretty equal. An interview can be considered as a conversation between two adults. It's just a conversation after all. Whatever answer they like or dislike, you really should just speak freely of what you really think with courage and composed temper.

 

[kobe8]

Worst question: "Take me from your days growing up in L.A. as a child to you sitting right here in front of me. Go!"

 

[kobe8]

Oh yeah,by the way I went for about 25 minutes.

 

[dustinspeer]

That had to be the worst! I dunno, I hate sitting there and talking about myself for a long time. At a job interview once, I had the guy ask me what I thought my reference would say about me? I didn't like that one much.

 

[liberty]

What would you do if you knew you were going to be dead in five years?

How would your parents feel if you suddenly had an epiphany that you wanted to be a manicurist?