What qualifies at "ILLEGAL?"

Hey! Well, on almost every interview I went on, they asked me where else I applied, so I guess that one's ok to ask. I just told them the truth! The family/children thing would certainly be inappropriate to ask about, but I think the rule is that if you bring it up first, it's fair game. Even though they are asking the questions, you are the steerer of the ship. Point them in the direction you want to go. Hope that helps!

 

wow...those questions suck.

i sure wouldn't want to name all 22 schools i applied too.

But then again, I'm still waiting just for a chance to answer any questions....still no interviews

 

Yeah...I applied to 25 schools...not something I want to cover in any interviews. I wonder if there is anyway to avoid that question. I mean, the UCs appreciate why it has to be done in CA no matter your stats...other schools may not. And none of those questions would be "illegal." It would be VERY hard for any question to be considered so, even blatant sexual/racial harassment.

 

I'm beginning to get the feeling that the boundaries between illegal/ legal are obscure. I'm sure that if you're extremely uncomfortable with a question, you can contact the school afterward to explain your discomfort. And if a question is COMPLETELY off the wall and offensive, without question, then I think that a complaint is definitely in order!

I'm finding though that the "where else have you applied?", "from whom else have you heard?" questions are considered all right. I'm learning the hard way that I have no guarantee of what they'll throw at me! I was quite angry this weekend to have been asked a question that I felt was both insensitive and inappropriate. My father suffers from kidney disease and survived a heart attack and triple bypass surgery when I was a senior in high school. His experiences were really what first inspired me to pursue medicine, and I wrote about this in my essay. Most interviewers have brought him up with genuine sympathy and concern: "How is he doing? Is he able to work?"

This weekend, a very abrupt and arrogant interviewer looked me in the eye, and with a completely stone-faced expression, he asked, "So did your dad die yet?"

I was furious; those words hurt! This is my father we're talking about! The truth of the matter, though, was that this guy was a self-righteous jerk with no tact. It was his personality. I'm just glad that although inside I was angry, I didn't let him see this; somehow my indignation allowed me to maintain my composure and answer politely!

All of my interviewing experiences until this one had been on the whole quite positive, and I think that perhaps I was becoming too comfortable with the routine. The occurrence this past weekend really opened my eyes to the fact that the rules are not necessarily clear cut.

 

The "where else have you applied?" question is apparently TOTALLY legal, as it was actually on my secondary application to UF last year. Boy was I glad I only had 7 schools....there were only 10 lines to write on! On top of that, I've often wondered if ADCOMs look unfavorably on applicants that apply to "every school out there". Considering what a crap shoot it is to get in, they probably shouldn't...but I bet they do. Hence, the REALLY awful question "why do you want to go to THIS school?" (because you'll accept me!!! What other reason IS there??? )

 

MorningLight, damn that's ridiculous!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE HE SAID THAT!!!
what school was it?

tell us what the school says after.

-as for the what other schools question, at Pitt, the dean of admissions meets with each student for 10 minutes just to specifically ask what other schools they applied to. there is absolutely no right answer to this and i squirmed my way out of it by throwing out a few names, but then he asked how many total! it seems hard to convey that your interested in a school if it's 1/18 total!

 

What IS the purpose of asking which other schools you've applied to? Is it to see if you are realistic or if you really want to go there or if they are a back-up or what??

I've been asked that by every interviewer so I figure it does have some sort of significance.

 

The point is, quite honestly and unfortunately, for the school asking it to estimate what chance you have of actually coming to that school if accepted. The problem arises when schools assume you'll get accepted elsewhere, particularly if you applied to 25 schools, and you don't.

 

I can't believe they ask how many schools you apply to. Don't they respect that its none of their damn business? I mean there's a reason that they arent given a copy of the designated school list with their AMCAS app copy. And what's to stop people from lying about it? I applied to 26 schools...I'm not looking forward to telling interviewers that. First I need a an interview though