Was this an inappropriate interview question?

[HeyNapkin]

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Long story short, I recently interviewed at a school. Now decisions just got released, and several of my friends who interviewed at the same time got accepted but all I got was silence. We all had roughly the same stats and ECs and from the same school. As I ponder why I got silence, I started to replay the interview in my head and one thing that stuck out was this.

At the end of the interview, my interviewer asked if I had any questions. Now my interviewer and her SO had different specialties in medicine. I asked her about what it was like working in her field, compared to her experiences from her husbands field, and then I asked "So, if you were to go back in time to the start of college with all of the knowledge you have now, would you still choose the same career path?"

I asked the question because I was curious since she had exposure to many different routes, but would it have come off as "do you regret your career?" or "do you regret going into medicine?" or even worse, can it be misconstrued as me not knowing why for sure that I wanted to go into medicine, and that by asking her, I was seeking validation/a second opinion?

Or am I just worrying too much....

 

[lall]

To be honest, it was a weird question on your part. But overall, I think you're worrying too much.

 

[exitonly29]

Long story short, I recently interviewed at a school. Now decisions just got released, and several of my friends who interviewed at the same time got accepted but all I got was silence. We all had roughly the same stats and ECs and from the same school. As I ponder why I got silence, I started to replay the interview in my head and one thing that stuck out was this.

At the end of the interview, my interviewer asked if I had any questions. Now my interviewer and her SO had different specialties in medicine. I asked her about what it was like working in her field, compared to her experiences from her husbands field, and then I asked "So, if you were to go back in time to the start of college with all of the knowledge you have now, would you still choose the same career path?"

I asked the question because I was curious since she had exposure to many different routes, but would it have come off as "do you regret your career?" or "do you regret going into medicine?" or even worse, can it be misconstrued as me not knowing why for sure that I wanted to go into medicine, and that by asking her, I was seeking validation/a second opinion?

Or am I just worrying too much....

I wouldn't worry at all yet. Last year people at one school I interviewed with on the same day received word on a decision weeks apart. This was due in part to not all members who were involved in certain interviews being able to make it to the admission meetings.

 

[deleted407021]

I've never interviewed before, but it seems to me that you are worrying about it too much. They would definitely understand where you are coming from.

 

[newborn11]

I doubt that question was the determining factor of the silence. However, I would not have asked that question if I were you. In general, I only asked my interviewers questions that pertained to the school (i.e. opportunities offered by the school, curriculum, camaraderie, etc.).

 

[Doctor Strange]

I think it's a fair albeit risky question to ask a doc if they would still choose medicine knowing what they know now. I doubt it was a negative mark on your candidacy.

 

[pyrrion89]

I echo sentiments that the silence does not necessarily mean anything.

That being said, let's imagine that the silence does mean something, and it means something at least slightly negative. In terms of what was negative, it could be any number of things, some of which are unrelated to the interview entirely. It just seems strange to me that a vaguely unusual question would somehow gut your application.

 

[HeyNapkin]

I doubt that question was the determining factor of the silence. However, I would not have asked that question if I were you. In general, I only asked my interviewers questions that pertained to the school (i.e. opportunities offered by the school, curriculum, camaraderie, etc.).

I guess that's good to hear. In otherwords, if i was to get rejected, that one question wouldn't have been the reason, right?

 

[Reckoner]

That sounds like a normal question given the context. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[HeyNapkin]

I wouldn't worry at all yet. Last year people at one school I interviewed with on the same day received word on a decision weeks apart. This was due in part to not all members who were involved in certain interviews being able to make it to the admission meetings.

I guess why I'm worried is one of my friend interviewed later than me and he got accepted as well.

 

[GoPelicans]

The silence might mean nothing. That being said, it comes off as kind of an antagonistic question OP, and I would feel uncomfortable being in an interviewer's shoes and being asked the same thing. Some people also ask "what is your least favorite part of working at xxx medical school?", which gives me the same vibe. IMO, do your best in the future to avoid injecting any negativity into an interview. For the "Any question for me?" kind of questions, doing 1-2 hours of research on the school's website should be able to generate 3-4 good questions.

 

[HeyNapkin]

The silence might mean nothing. That being said, it comes off as kind of an antagonistic question OP, and I would feel uncomfortable being in an interviewer's shoes and being asked the same thing. Some people also ask "what is your least favorite part of working at xxx medical school?", which gives me the same vibe. IMO, do your best in the future to avoid injecting any negativity into an interview. For the "Any question for me?" kind of questions, doing 1-2 hours of research on the school's website should be able to generate 3-4 good questions.

I didn't really have any school specific questions because both of my parents work for the university and i've grown up around it. Many of my friends are also at the med school/dental school so I know the campus, classes, and curriculum inside and out.

I guess lesson learned was to BS some questions 🙁

 

[newborn11]

I guess that's good to hear. In otherwords, if i was to get rejected, that one question wouldn't have been the reason, right?

The only people who would know the answer to this question would be the adcoms of the school. I would not worry too much about the silence. Just wait it out. I used to worry a lot about my interview performances, but I realized that my perception of my interview performance was rarely correlated with the schools' acceptance/waitlist decisions. For example, I had done very well during the interview at a school but I was only waitlisted (probably because of the misfit in terms of geographical area, my religious views, my research-focused application, and that my MCAT scores were above the 90th percentile of their matriculants). On the other hand, I was accepted to a school that I thought I bombed my interview at.
There are many factors in medical school admissions. The interview is merely one aspect of your entire application. You might just as well stop worrying about your performance.

 

[tantacles]

I didn't really have any school specific questions because both of my parents work for the university and i've grown up around it. Many of my friends are also at the med school/dental school so I know the campus, classes, and curriculum inside and out.

I guess lesson learned was to BS some questions 🙁

Honestly, I think it's a great question and that you're overanalyzing.

 

[Ismet]

1. I don't see a problem with the question you asked. I'm an interviewer at my school, and I've been asked something similar (of course I don't have the experience of a physician...it was more along the lines of "would you have chosen a different school?"). I didn't take offense to it.

2. As for your friends receiving decisions, keep in mind that admissions committees aren't constantly meeting. They might meet once a week, twice a month, once a month, etc. They probably go through X number of applications in a meeting, and maybe yours missed the cutoff for the meeting that all your friends were reviewed at. Also, your interviewer might have procrastinated on writing her report.

3. Quit worrying.

 

[Goro]

Concur. Quit fussing and be patient.

To be honest, it was a weird question on your part. But overall, I think you're worrying too much.

 

[Bear Grylls]

I think that's a great question.

 

[Omppu27]

To be honest, it was a weird question on your part. But overall, I think you're worrying too much.

I don't think it's a weird question at all... You're over thinking it. However, if you are worried that the ADCOM now doubts that you are fully committed to medicine, next time you aks this question, just ask if the doc would choose that specialty again.

 

[sunshine02]

OP,

I do not think that's a bad question, and I think you are fine.

However, to those who do think that this question is weird, can I just ask (out of curiosity) why it is risky to ask a doctor if she would still choose the same career if she had known then what she knows now?

 

[Doctor Strange]

OP,

I do not think that's a bad question, and I think you are fine.

However, to those who do think that this question is weird, can I just ask (out of curiosity) why it is risky to ask a doctor if she would still choose the same career if she had known then what she knows now?

Think of how awkward it would be if they had said "No, I would not have chosen medicine knowing what I know now."

It's a personal question with an answer that might leave a bad taste in the interviewer's mouth. Not only that, but you (hypothetically) gain no benefit from the question as you already should have done enough research to decide that medicine is definitely for you.

 

[Samir Desai]

I'm curious. How did you come to know that the interviewer was married and that her husband was also in medicine? Was it something the interviewer volunteered during the interview on her own? Or did you ask the interviewer whether she was married?

Samir Desai

 

[HeyNapkin]

OP,

I do not think that's a bad question, and I think you are fine.

However, to those who do think that this question is weird, can I just ask (out of curiosity) why it is risky to ask a doctor if she would still choose the same career if she had known then what she knows now?

I talked over it with my father who is also an interviewer and he told me that since he enjoys his specialty, the question to him would be seen as positive since it "feeds his ego" and gives him a chance to brag about how much he loves it and how he'd choose it again. On the flip side, if the interviewer does not like it, it can be seen as rude and "if you hate it, why did you choose it?" I asked the question because I got a good vibe off of my interviewer, but i'm scared I may be wrong.

 

[HeyNapkin]

I'm curious. How did you come to know that the interviewer was married and that her husband was also in medicine? Was it something the interviewer volunteered during the interview on her own? Or did you ask the interviewer whether she was married?

Samir Desai

She talked about it and it was also disclosed to us because we got a packet with information on our interviewers before each session.

 

[jm192]

I've asked the same question to 100 doctors. No one has ever taken it in any negative light. Yes, you're interviewing for medical school. But you don't have to have tunnel vision. If you meet someone in a field that you're potentially interested in--you should absolutely ask if they're glad they went into it.

I've had people tell me to not go into their field. That rings pretty heavily.

 

[Frazier]

Totally legit question. In fact, I would give bonus points to an applicant that asked it to me since it shows that the person is actually accumulating data to actively weigh their decision to pursue medicine...in opposition to approaching it as an ostrich with its head in the sand.

Whatever your outcome be, it isn't due to asking that question.