what is your weakness?

[laya533]

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I have heard that adcom asks you this Q. However, my advisor told me: dont start your sentence by saying your weakness. because they will emphesise on it whatever it is. So she said, you have to say it in a positive matter to show that although it exists, it is not such a big deal. For example, patience. I dont have a virtue of patiance. How doyou say it to the adcom?

 

[DownonthePharm]

Perhaps something like this:

I am usually a very efficent/high speed/whatever person, so it can be frustrating when I have to wait.

 

[Avalanche21]

Perhaps something like this:

I am usually a very efficent/high speed/whatever person, so it can be frustrating when I have to wait.

Sounds good. You want to be honest and admit a weakness, but you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot at the same time.

 

[psipsina]

maybe start with a story about when your weakness bit you in the butt

 

[anystream]

maybe start with a story about when your weakness bit you in the butt

my REAL weakness is chocolate.

 

[LJDHC05]

Personally, I'd try to relate where and why you're impatient. I mean I know that my vulnrability to kryptonite is because I was born on Krypton and my parents sent me to earth to save me from its distruction. 😛

If you can rationalize where your impatience comes from, it's easier to spin it as something positive!

 

[hnbui]

sushi and smoothie combo 😍

 

[it.]

I have no weaknesses.

 

[pseudoknot]

If I were interviewing someone and he answered that question in a positive way, saying something like "oh, my biggest weakness is that I'm a perfectionist and it makes me work too hard," I'd kick him in the balls. Seriously.

 

[swimerpaco]

I can't do a pull-up. That's weak.

 

[BlinkyCat]

I have heard that adcom asks you this Q. However, my advisor told me: dont start your sentence by saying your weakness. because they will emphesise on it whatever it is. So she said, you have to say it in a positive matter to show that although it exists, it is not such a big deal. For example, patience. I dont have a virtue of patiance. How doyou say it to the adcom?

I'm a bad driver and I lack eye hand coordination....which may be the reason why i'm a bad driver..... 😛

 

[jammin06]

how would i put a positive spin on "trying to juggle too many things at once?" the obvious answer would be to say that I'm overambitious...but that just sounds like a crock of mess

 

[aragonh]

Television is my weakness. So is the internet 😀

When I did my interviews, I did get this question. I said that my biggest weakness is being blunt. I said that I like telling the truth, but there were times that I didnt add kindness to the truth. I gave them the example of being kicked out of a team for being too blunt.

 

[LJDHC05]

how would i put a positive spin on "trying to juggle too many things at once?" the obvious answer would be to say that I'm overambitious...but that just sounds like a crock of mess

besides kryptonite, filling every hour of every day is my other weakness, and I have no idea how to spin that as positive. My roomate calculated out the hours I committed myself to at one point, and if I was working on a standard 24 hour day, I only had 5 hours a night to sleep and the rest of the day was full...and he was right, so I cut back a little bit to 6 hours of sleep and a few hours to relax. Anyway, if you come up with something good, lemme know so I can plagarize the hell out of it

 

[TheMightyAngus]

If I were interviewing someone and he answered that question in a positive way, saying something like "oh, my biggest weakness is that I'm a perfectionist and it makes me work too hard," I'd kick him in the balls. Seriously.

Right on. I'd pin him for you. Seriously, if you can't find something to criticize yourself besides working too hard....God help you and your vanity.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Perhaps something like this:

I am usually a very efficent/high speed/whatever person, so it can be frustrating when I have to wait.

That's probably the lamest, most overused answer on this planet. Do you think that interviewers buy this crap? If they scribble something down on their notepad after you say that, they're probably writing "*****" down. Everyone thinks they're being sly when they say that they work too hard, or are a perfectionist, or get too caught up in their work, or blah blah blah... They're asking for your GREATEST WEAKNESS, people, and they sure as hell know when you're giving them a BS answer. Just my $0.02.

 

[Overeducated]

SDN is my weakness

 

[Overeducated]

If they scribble something down on their notepad after you say that, they're probably writing "*****" down

 

[Shredder]

I have heard that adcom asks you this Q. However, my advisor told me: dont start your sentence by saying your weakness. because they will emphesise on it whatever it is. So she said, you have to say it in a positive matter to show that although it exists, it is not such a big deal. For example, patience. I dont have a virtue of patiance. How doyou say it to the adcom?

ive read that a trick to this is veiling a strength as a weakness. or at least conceding a half weakness, but something that might be seen as a virtue in a certain light. for example, my weakness is holding people to impossibly high standards. or, in my pursuit of perfecting every detail i can lose sight of the big picture.

looking over the thread, other people have also brought this up. i think its important that you phrase it well or you will look bad. but i believe you shouldnt reveal weaknesses to people, let them figure that out on their own without you volunteering it, even if they ask. i think weakness spinning is fun actually--can you guys think of any other examples?

hmm some ppl seem to be on the opposite side. i dont know, do you really think its wise to admit to your greatest flaw and leave it at that? i think you should always try to bring something positive out of it, even if its like "i suck" you could at least say "i suck, but by acknowledging this i believe i will be a more humble medical student/doc"

 

[Shredder]

how would i put a positive spin on "trying to juggle too many things at once?" the obvious answer would be to say that I'm overambitious...but that just sounds like a crock of mess

hmm..."my biggest weakness right now is that i try to juggle too many things at once. sometimes this leads to me overloading myself and making sacrifices in certain areas to accomodate others. however, i feel like i have improved in this over the last few years, and in the future it will allow me to handle many tasks at once."

weaknesses are a dynamic thing, i can only imagine that it would reflect well to show that you are trying to address the weakness rather than accepting it as fixed. and if it is a weakness you dont plan on changing, it just doesnt seem too smart to mention it. so thats my ".02" maybe im all wrong--thoughts?

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm a bad driver and I lack eye hand coordination....which may be the reason why i'm a bad driver..... 😛

Be sure to follow this up by how you want to do neurosurgery. 😱

 

[humuhumu]

Really, it's a lame question and it seems pointless to ask it. But honestly, it's not hard for me to think of real personal weaknesses. For example, I'm easily distracted by the internet, especially if I have high-priority tasks to complete. A related weakness is that often have a hard time focusing completely on the task at hand, i.e., my mind wanders, thinking about other things i could or should be doing.

And I focus too much on being productive or achieving goals. There usually has to be a good reason for doing something; I rarely do something just for the fun of it. And I'm not always good at managing stress. I'm prone to losing my sense of humor and worrying too much. Yes, I know, I need to lighten up, but for me that's easier said than done.

In addition, I find it exceedingly hard to give honest, constructive feedback -- it's a lot easier for me to focus on someone's strengths and gloss over weaknesses so that I don't hurt their feelings.

And I'm not particularly creative or innovative; I prefer to learn one good way of doing something and sticking to it as long as possible.

And I'm not good at remembering or telling anecdotes. I'm planning to make a list of them before any interviews so I don't have to stress about recalling them!

And I could go on...

 

[Law2Doc]

I have heard that adcom asks you this Q. However, my advisor told me: dont start your sentence by saying your weakness. because they will emphesise on it whatever it is. So she said, you have to say it in a positive matter to show that although it exists, it is not such a big deal. For example, patience. I dont have a virtue of patiance. How doyou say it to the adcom?

Just look the interviewer straight in the eye and say, "That depends -- do you consider canibalism a weakness" 😀

 

[AxlxA]

^ LOL dude. Good one.

Maybe i should use that during my interviews.

I've read this thread 4 hours ago and now i finally came up with an answer to my weakness. -> Takes me too long to judge myself and that's the truth. Will you guys trust your lives in my hands?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Just look the interviewer straight in the eye and say, "That depends -- do you consider canibalism a weakness" 😀

That's awesome 👍 Follow up the statement by licking your lips 🙂

 

[angietron3000]

Just look the interviewer straight in the eye and say, "That depends -- do you consider canibalism a weakness" 😀

it is if your patient has kuru 😛

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

sushi and smoothie combo 😍

eww!!

 

[C.P. Jones]

I'm a bad driver and I lack eye hand coordination....which may be the reason why i'm a bad driver..... 😛

where do you live? just wondering where I should avoid driving.

also, some ppl have funny answers to questions that could be asked...has anyone actually ever replied w/ a funny answer such as these?...and probably right after the joke say "on a serious note..."

 

[BlinkyCat]

where do you live? just wondering where I should avoid driving.

also, some ppl have funny answers to questions that could be asked...has anyone actually ever replied w/ a funny answer such as these?...and probably right after the joke say "on a serious note..."

Texas! 🙂 Lucky for me, the roads are wider here 🙂 😛

 

[DrHopeless]

I heard this question before, and if you answer and spin it into your strength. They might come back and said then that is not your real weakness. You really have to defend yourself.

 

[frany584]

I think my biggest weakness is that i'm always pessimistic....

 

[Shredder]

surprising--i would think that as a general interview tactic that you could never concede a weakness without qualification. like drhopeless said, you might get grilled about it, but thats where sincerity comes in

 

[riceman04]

shooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!.....my weakness is chocolate!


No really, my weakness is that I am stubborn. But it is also my strength (if that makes any sense)

 

[MadameLULU]

shooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!.....my weakness is chocolate!


No really, my weakness is that I am stubborn. But it is also my strength (if that makes any sense)

Nothing you say makes sense 😉

 

[Neurolemma]

I have heard that adcom asks you this Q. However, my advisor told me: dont start your sentence by saying your weakness. because they will emphesise on it whatever it is. So she said, you have to say it in a positive matter to show that although it exists, it is not such a big deal. For example, patience. I dont have a virtue of patiance. How doyou say it to the adcom?

There is a simple answer to this for Gemini's. We have problems finishing what we start. Not that we're lazy or anything... its just that we have at least 5 or 6 different projects/goals/expectations/leisure activities going on at once (I mean this in a literal sense)... we end up getting a bit of maybe 2 or 3 done, and the rest? Well, we find new projects to replace those. I'm not exactly sure how you'd want to say this during an interview. Using your horoscope as an excuse for personal habit might be going a bit too far. So just say you have a lot of stuff going on at once; don't make it sound like you can't manage your priorities - say that you like to get involved in a lot of stuff at once.

 

[Zong117]

The thing about characteristics is that they lie (lay? I can never remember the difference) on a sliding scale. So for instance being overly blunt is a weakness, but being straightforward is a virtue, and being evasive is the weakness at the other end. Another example is:

pessimistic <--> realistic <--> optimist

Both ends also extend out to being way too pessimistic and way too optimistic. The way I think I'd answer this question is to state a weakness with a one sentence explanation that then segues into how I've challenged myself to bring myself more towards the center of the scale. So mine is that I naturally defer to others to a fault, but I've taken on leadership positions that have challenged me to voice my opinions more strongly. These experiences have made me less of a pushover, but I still listen to what people say and consider their opinions before making decisions.

The key to this prompt is to really do some introspection and find something that you can sincerely talk about and give honest examples of. I would think that it would help if you also talk about how you've worked on challenging yourself to change and grow as a person.

Shred, I think it's fun to spin these, too. Anyone have anything they'd like us to tackle?

 

[laya533]

👍

The thing about characteristics is that they lie (lay? I can never remember the difference) on a sliding scale. So for instance being overly blunt is a weakness, but being straightforward is a virtue, and being evasive is the weakness at the other end. Another example is:

pessimistic <--> realistic <--> optimist

Both ends also extend out to being way too pessimistic and way too optimistic. The way I think I'd answer this question is to state a weakness with a one sentence explanation that then segues into how I've challenged myself to bring myself more towards the center of the scale. So mine is that I naturally defer to others to a fault, but I've taken on leadership positions that have challenged me to voice my opinions more strongly. These experiences have made me less of a pushover, but I still listen to what people say and consider their opinions before making decisions.

The key to this prompt is to really do some introspection and find something that you can sincerely talk about and give honest examples of. I would think that it would help if you also talk about how you've worked on challenging yourself to change and grow as a person.

Shred, I think it's fun to spin these, too. Anyone have anything they'd like us to tackle?

Zong ,
I think your idea is the best. Good luck on your interview

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

The whole "I work too hard" stuff is really spinning an extreme positive into a negative, which is disingenuous and garbage. I would be honest: my greatest weakness is that I am a sinner, that I have lied and still do occasionally, that I lust, that I stole some things when I was a kid, that I covet, that I get jealous, envious, that I am unloving - get angry/hateful to those who hurt me, unforgiving sometimes, insult and fight with my parents at times, am greedy, gluttonous, selfish, etc. Because I AM a sinner, and that is my greatest, and really, only weakness.

I probably wouldn't list ALL of the above, but make a couple of general points. I just don't get the whole "I am a perfectionist" trash.

 

[wendywellesley]

i'm way too hard on my self and too self-critical (is that the same as being a perfectionist?) it gives me drive but it gets me down a lot. that's an easy one to turn into a positive. maybe it's one of the typically annoying ones but it's true.

 

[45408]

cleavage, beer, and the Internet

but who's asking?

I'm not sure what I'd say. I'm easily distracted if I'm doing something I have little interest in (even if it's important), I'm cynical/critical, and I have a bad habit of embezzling money out of schools I attend.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Here's a list of possible weakenesses, no positives, that interviewers probably encounter but students never admit to. They're basically stereotypes of med students I've seen.

- "I was always the kid in the class who got straight A's but never said a word."
- "I'm really shy and have difficult talking to people I don't know."
- "I don't have much of a life outside of school."
- "I've spent my whole life studying and I can't relate to people without college degrees."
- "I feel uncomfortable around people who are homeless/do drugs/smell bad."
- "I compete and compare myself to others in whatever environment I'm in."
- "I always argue, even when I know I'm wrong."
- "I don't know how to act when people don't like/get angry at/raise their voice at me."
- "I'll do anything to be the best."
- "I like the idea of being a doctor, but not the actually duties it entails."
- "I'm living my parents' dream."
- "I really really like House M.D. and E.R."

Who's got the balls to admit to them?

 

[riceman04]

Nothing you say makes sense 😉

😛 😛 😛 😛

Please....you wish you could be like me....b/c I am 😎 !


😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[riceman04]

actually I think I tend to spread myself too thin. I get involved in everything under the sun. I went sleepless in college b/c of it (trying to work 3 jobs, tutor, volunteer, study, and go out)

 

[Awill86]

My biggest weakness is that when I do well, I tend to play up my strengths in my mind and overlook my downfalls. This isn't exactly a great thing to do because sometimes there are lessons to be learned even when you do well, but it keeps me positive and upbeat.

In contrast, I also focus way too much on my mistakes when I mess something up. For instance, last night I took a practice Math test and made a small mistake and my score was an 88%. Even though I was rushing and it was a dumb mistake I knew how to fix, I couldn't get the 88% out of my head and I really felt like working the practice over and over until I got 100%. But I didn't, and I aced the test today so all is well 😀 .

I don't think either of them are terrible, and I can show them in a positive light during the interview. I think the biggest thing is that you're honest and try to tell them something they haven't heard from every other applicant.

 

[Sophie]

Hmmm...

I love researching something, figuring it out, satisfying my curiousity, and then dropping it. It seems pointless to me to write down what I've found or explain it to others when I could be learning about something else.

And then I'll tell them I want to be a research scientist. I'm sure they'd just love that. 😛

I think I'll find another weakness.

 

[Rzarecta]

People, this question is not as difficult as everyone is making it out to be! Obviously don't answer with a pseudo-weakness that any non helmet-wearing person will be able to see through. Also don't give an answer that is impossible to defend, no matter how true it is, because interviews are not heart-to-heart "Real World" confessionals! Use the happy medium! For example, I said that I am a chronic worrier, and thus obsess over the minutiae of anything and everything. I would then launch into what I was doing to remedy my situation, and that usually ended the question.

You think this is hard, wait till you get the "old-school" interviewers who ask you "illegal" questions about where you applied, where you got in, your GPA/MCAT, who you would vote for in the 2004 Presidential election, while writing down every single word you say, transforming a 30-minute conversation into a 1.5 hour contest of wills.

Sorry, that only happened on one of my interviews, but it made me realize how some interviews are more about one's poise rather than one's answers. Sometimes the bastards just like to see if you can sweat it out.

 

[ishaninatte]

My weakness, and I used it in my interview, was never having gone to my professors for help and my tendency to study alone. I always just felt like I could find the information I needed if I looked hard enough.

 

[Law2Doc]

also, some ppl have funny answers to questions that could be asked...has anyone actually ever replied w/ a funny answer such as these?...and probably right after the joke say "on a serious note..."

Yes, this definitely works if you do it well. I know several people who initially answered this kind of question humorously (albeit not the canibalism line) but then followed up with a rather well thought out and serious answer. But you can really only do this once or twice in an interview -- you don't want to seem too slapstick. And if you bomb on the one liner (i.e. they don't get it or realize you are joking) you are not likely to be able to recover.

 

[Thundrstorm]

hmmm... if I were honest, the answer is that I'm always late. I gave that answer in an interview once. I said, "Well, I could say something to make myself sound good, but I'll just be honest. I'm consistently a few minutes late to everything." My interviewer laughed and admitted the same thing, but I don't know how that would go over in a med school interview.

 

[fateema368]

Politicians are masters of spin. Watch C-Span to see them in action. From what I've observed, its not about avoiding the question, its avoiding the question enough to not implicate yourself in any negative sense. Bush, ******* though he is, is a case in point. (I) When asked what his mistakes were, he never admitted to making one, (II) he said he'd do Iraq over again, exactly the same way, (III) democracy (this is his viewpoint) will spread from Iraq to the rest of the Middle East, (IV) Iraq still poses a threat to the US, (V) there are no WMDs there (this was the initial justification for the invasion in the first place) but overthrowing an evil guy like Saddam easily overrules that. If you watch Bush giving a speech/answering questions, he'll never swerve from these points. The reality confounds his whole perspective, but you'll never see the man implicate himself. He has ready-made answers, which I think is true of every politician. Bush, in my opinion, is not subtle enough... I don't think he can be, given the magnitude of some of his failures. But I have seen other politicians, when asked how, give replies like, "of course we will fix social security" and then launch into a tirade about the failures of the old system. And do I love it when they end their response with "for the well-being and prosperity of all Americans." Just watch how many times they say "America." Its like a chain-smoker experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Sorry for injecting politics into this, couldn't help it. I think the basic point is not to implicate yourself during an interview.

Rumsfeld is actually the reigning king of spin, really the man is a white Jonny Cochran with incrediable political power.

[/QUOTE]mercaptovizadeh The whole "I work too hard" stuff is really spinning an extreme positive into a negative, which is disingenuous and garbage. I would be honest: my greatest weakness is that I am a sinner, that I have lied and still do occasionally, that I lust, that I stole some things when I was a kid, that I covet, that I get jealous, envious, that I am unloving - get angry/hateful to those who hurt me, unforgiving sometimes, insult and fight with my parents at times, am greedy, gluttonous, selfish, etc. Because I AM a sinner, and that is my greatest, and really, only weakness.

I probably wouldn't list ALL of the above, but make a couple of general points. I just don't get the whole "I am a perfectionist" trash. [/QUOTE]

Medschool interview is not confession, avoid subjects of lust and the religious context of sin, it may be viewed as inappropriate by your interviewer. And the "perfectionist trash" is actually documented strategy, really it was taught in all of my business courses. In the interview they will/can address obvious aspects of your academic and personal record, and when questioned you should address those instances truthfully, but an open-ended question like the one the OP mentioned should be an opportunity to highlight your ability to adapt to adversity, not a talk show tell all.