What were some stupid questions that you were asked at interviews?

[dark knight]

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Hi Guys & Gals,
So what was some stupid questions that you were asked on your interviews? I will start.

Interviewer: Why do you work so much? Do you just love money?
Me: WTF?

 

[midwest77]

How have you overcome your good looks while in school? He seriously asked me this and I was like "do you mean that I have problems with people taking me seriously???" I had no idea what to say. I guess it didnt matter cuz they ended up accepting but, jeez, it was weird. He also asked if I thought my school was sexist. Truly strange

 

[dilated]

The standard Duke question: "who are you?"
"Uh.."
"No, really, in a few words or less, who are you?"

 

[Scalpellum]

What was your SAT/ACT score? (I thought I was done with high school)
Did you interview anywhere else?

 

[Depakote]

I've always hated this question:

"There is a healthcare crisis in America, what would you do to fix it?"

 

[Chinorean]

I've always hated this question:

"There is a healthcare crisis in America, what would you do to fix it?"

Hahaha I was asked that, and later when he asked me if I "had any questions," I turned it back on him...and he looked stunned and didn't come up with anything good.

 

[HC05nmd]

I was talking about how my undergrad really encouraged us to be involved in community service and the different service programs that students participated in--tutoring, women's shelters, homeless shelters, hospitals for example.

Inteviewer: What do you do in a homeless shelter? All those guys want is food, drink, and shelter. How can you really do something there?

Me: Volunteers would help serve meals, maybe do clerical work. (I then went on to explain how I had never volunteered at a homeless shelter, so I wasn't quite sure of all of the duties, but went on to talk about what I did when I volunteered at a youth center and why i thought it was important)

Inteviewer: Blank stare, no response, moved on to something else (don't remember what)


uuuummm yeah. I'm not sure what this guy was getting at. Either he thought volunteering at places like homeless shelters was pointless or really had no idea what went on in one. He didn't ask the question in an inquistive tone either--something a little more harsh. Absolutely no clue what to make of that.

 

[anniemal]

How have you overcome your good looks while in school? He seriously asked me this and I was like "do you mean that I have problems with people taking me seriously???" I had no idea what to say. I guess it didnt matter cuz they ended up accepting but, jeez, it was weird. He also asked if I thought my school was sexist. Truly strange

i think this sounds a bit like a pick up line.

 

[lilymoo]

My interviewer: Why do we have to wait so long when we go to the emergency room? What is your solution for that?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

My interviewer, completely out of nowhere: "Have you ever done anything dumb in your life?"

In all honestly is wasn't a stupid question because one's response is quite telling of their attitude/ego, but it certainly was a strange question.

 

[BooMed]

"Have you ever comforted someone?"

Umm, who has never comforted another person? 😕

 

[andi_cvr]

I got stumped on: What was the last book you read?

I think it is a stupid question. I don't really read much for pleasure except during the summer when I'm not in school.

 

[Kimka83]

I got stumped on: What was the last book you read?

I think it is a stupid question. I don't really read much for pleasure except during the summer when I'm not in school.

Ha! 🙂 I would have said Harry Potter. I don't think that would have helped my application.

At one interview, at my state school:
"Do you think that all men should have access to Viagra? (as in, for free from the ER)

Seriously? I'm a girl. I don't know! Are you hitting on me? 😛

 

[DrKitty]

Instead of asking about my EMT experiences, my interviewer was very interested in what counties I worked as an EMT. That was 8 years ago in a city that I haven't been living in for the past 6 years. I told him it was around the city of Philadelphia but I could not remeber the damn counties and just went blank, trying to recall them. The interviewer kept waiting until I name the counties. Uhm, WTF?

 

[MrBurns10]

My interviewer, completely out of nowhere: "Have you ever done anything dumb in your life?"

In all honestly is wasn't a stupid question because one's response is quite telling of their attitude/ego, but it certainly was a strange question.

I had a question similar to that once (unfortunately, at my top choice school). It was: "What was the worst thing you've ever done?" It wasn't a dumb question at all, but it was easily the hardest question I've been asked at any interview...not because I've never done anything wrong, but because I've never really thought about what my worst transgression would be. I just sat there for a good 10 seconds before I came up with an answer that I hoped didn't sound too lame.

 

[jaylicious]

I was asked if I was in a fraternity...for my first question. When I said no, the doctor said "why not?" What does that have to do with medicine???

 

[ashabee4]

Question: What are some things you were told to do and not to do during an interview?

This definitely freaked me out - it made me feel like I had done something he didn't approve of. Apparently that wasn't the case at all, but I felt really stupid talking about that topic.

 

[bubbleyum]

"so what brings you to my office?"

??!!??

 

[DrKitty]

"so what brings you to my office?"

??!!??

 

[UMP]

My interviewer: Why do we have to wait so long when we go to the emergency room? What is your solution for that?

Why is that first part stupid... it's called triage, and I wouldn't change it unless you want to hire more staff

 

[midwest77]

i think this sounds a bit like a pick up line.

the guy was really bizarre throughout the whole interview. I hope this was the worst of his pickup lines or i truly pity the women he meets when he goes out.

 

[LizzyM]

I was asked if I was in a fraternity...for my first question. When I said no, the doctor said "why not?" What does that have to do with medicine???

I agree that it seems like a stupid question ... but ... what proportion of the students at your school are in fraternities? If you are at a school that has a big Greek scene (and maybe the interviewer is an alumnus or has a kid that goes there or something) then it was an opening to make a connection with you based on a mutual knowledge/fondness for your school on that level.

 

[coco]

"so what brings you to my office?"

??!!??

hahaha, that is TOO funny...you're like, oh i just felt like stopping by to say hello, see how you've been....lol

 

[ladydoc2be]

"were you poor growing up?" and "what's your credit like?"

I'm black, but damn. Not all black people are broke with bad credit.

 

[UMP]

"were you poor growing up?" and "what's your credit like?"

I'm black, but damn. Not all black people are broke with bad credit.

wow... that's ****ed up

 

[1SwtWrld]

What Would You like on Your Gravestone when You Die?

And He would not move on until I gave an answer.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

the worst question i was asked at an interview was... well there is a tie...
at one school, after they invited me for an interview, which means they must have seen SOMETHING redeeming in me, my interviewer asked, after I started discussing my interest in clinical research said...

"don't you know you need to be good at math for that?" and then just stared at me, as if i couldn't add. I kindly told him that if he would look down at my file he would see that i have A's in all my calculus classes
and he just kept staring at me at said.
"its not for the faint of heart. it takes a lot of hard work. why are you interested if you haven't even started med school?"

i was just sitting there schocked. he was the one who asked if i had any interest in special programs!!!

my other odd questions were

1) have you come to terms with your own mortality?

2) if you could be any kind of animal, what would it be? to which i answered giant squid, because i used to want to be a marine biologist and they get to go deeper in the oceans then humans ever have. the interviewer didn't really know what to do with me after that. then he asked
um, if you could be any OTHER animal, what would you be? bird. i said. bird. thats normal, right? everyone likes birdies. 😉

 

[DrKitty]

2) if you could be any kind of animal, what would it be? to which i answered giant squid, because i used to want to be a marine biologist and they get to go deeper in the oceans then humans ever have. the interviewer didn't really know what to do with me after that. then he asked
um, if you could be any OTHER animal, what would you be? bird. i said. bird. thats normal, right? everyone likes birdies. 😉

 

[Renoir]

Describe, in detail, the process of photosynthesis (seriously?)

and use any of the laws of thermodynamics to refute darwinism (huh?) So I thought, well, entropy is increasing disorder... 🙄 whatever

 

[drmota]

"what was it like being a latchkey kid?"

not even "were you a latchkey kid", just straight up assuming i was a latchkey kid and asking me what it was like. that f*cker.
-mota

 

[BlinkyCat]

😕 😕 😕

 

[ESzczesniak]

What Would You like on Your Gravestone when You Die?

And He would not move on until I gave an answer.

Where was this? I worked for one of the interviewers at Northwestern that talks about asking a question very similar (he actually says obituary). I am just curious if this may have been him.

 

[bbaek]

"so what brings you to my office?"

??!!??

this is so funny. did you freak out, maybe thinking that you went into the wrong room?

 

[sama094]

My interviewer: Why do we have to wait so long when we go to the emergency room? What is your solution for that?

This interviewer may have indirectly been asking you about the health care crisis with the uninsured. Most people who don't have insurance rely on emergency rooms for care because they know they will not be turned away, or because an illness has not been properly managed and has resulted in an emergency. This would lead to longer lines in the ER. Proponents of the current health care system always say that the uninsured can always rely on the ER if they need to be seen by a doctor. The problem with this is that it will cost the 'system' (and indirectly you and I) much more to care for the individual in the ER than if that individual had received primary care in the first place. If this was what the interviewer was asking, it was a pretty clever way of getting at a typical question...

 

[Moto]

Not a question, just an incredibly weird way of saying something:

"Don't worry, we have people like you"

I should add that it was out of the blue, not in reference to something that we were talking about. Weird. Didn't have the balls to inquire.

 

[browniegirl86]

These were the questions, verbatim.

"Why do you want to be a doctor? How much debt do you anticipate as a result of attending medical school? How much do you think your monthly payments will be once you're a resident?"

The guy was a dick, and was at one of my lowest-ranked schools. He was all about trying to scare me with his grim outlook. Must be bitter about having to take out the big loans, who knows.

Later in the same interview, I asked what about the institution he enjoyed the most, and what attracted him to/kept him working at that school:

"Well, mostly the ortho residents. I don't like medical students."


Oh, ok. Then WHY ARE YOU INTERVIEWING THE MED APPLICANTS??!


I finally won the guy over when I realized that he didn't like anyone who wasn't in love with orthopedics (which may be my least favorite field). So, I ended up winning him over by talking about some of the nasty ortho cases I saw in India. That guy definitely made me rank that school LAST on my Texas match list.

 

[dr.pinky]

I've got one for you.....

I was asked whether or not one of my supervisors was a celebrity simply
because she shared the same name as this person.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

Well, Dr. Pinky, its possible. I did my first year of research at the Cher Institute for Photosynthesis. Currently I work for the Michael Jackson genetic manipulation research facility. I'm behind the keystone work that has turned jackson into... well... maybe i should admit to that.... but he's only mid-transformation....it can only get better from here?

 

[etf]

if you were President Bush's advisor, what would you do?

i mean, what the hell do you expect me to say to that?

 

[QofQuimica]

I had just finished explaining my dissertation research to the interviewer. I ended by saying that I would be graduating with my PhD this May, and I wanted a career in academic medicine. To which the interviewer replied, "If you're so interested in research, why didn't you apply for the MSTP program?" After a few seconds, I said that I figured one PhD was probably enough to last me a lifetime, that it's been hard enough earning one.

 

[MrBurns10]

if you were President Bush's advisor, what would you do?

i mean, what the hell do you expect me to say to that?

haha well, at least whatever you said was most likely an improvement.

 

[SailCrazy]

My interviewer: Why do we have to wait so long when we go to the emergency room? What is your solution for that?

Why is that first part stupid... it's called triage, and I wouldn't change it unless you want to hire more staff

I'm guessing that the interviewer was referring to those without insurance using the ER as their primary care physician, causing a backup in the ER, rather than to triage.

 

[SuzieQ3417]

"what was it like being a latchkey kid?"

not even "were you a latchkey kid", just straight up assuming i was a latchkey kid and asking me what it was like. that f*cker.
-mota

I was a latchkey kid. Is there something seriously wrong with that? (and why would anyone just assume someone was...it's not like there is some physical characteristic that gives it away) Weird and totally random question.

 

[deuist]

First question: (After arriving twenty minutes late) What can I do for you?
Me: Well... this is an interview. I was hoping that you would ask me some questions and I would give you some answers and then you'll tell the admissions committee what you think about me.


Later, the same person: I see here that you're Native American. How much Native American are you? Is that something that you put on your application to try to win sympathy for diversity?
Me: I also said on my application that I'm Caucasian. I'm not going to go around saying, "The White man stole my land." Most of my ancestors are white. That would make for a very awkward family reunion.

I got waitlisted and never off of the list.

 

[chandelantern]

These are great! Very funny, especially the "why are you in my office?" questions!

The most difficult/random one I got was at a panel interview (Northwestern) and I was the first speaker (aka, no time to think and I'm NOT creative!) Q="It's ten years from now and your on the front page. Give me the name of the headline and the coverstory." I realized later he was just looking for "where do I see myself in 10 years?" but i was trippin over my thoughts.

Another question at a different place: "So you just expect your husband to follow you around the country?" (he was an old sexist prick) Same interviewer (with my application sitting in front of him) "so, have you actually ever shadowed a real doctor?" Um...did you LOOK at my application?!?! I have at least 3 long-term clinical experiences that included physician shadowing, and two of my LOR were from MD's. While I was describing one of these experiences he interrupted me and said "moving along..." jerk. there were more that i can't remember, and i withdrew the next day.

 

[thegenius]

the worst question i was asked at an interview was... well there is a tie...
at one school, after they invited me for an interview, which means they must have seen SOMETHING redeeming in me, my interviewer asked, after I started discussing my interest in clinical research said...

"don't you know you need to be good at math for that?" and then just stared at me, as if i couldn't add. I kindly told him that if he would look down at my file he would see that i have A's in all my calculus classes
and he just kept staring at me at said.
"its not for the faint of heart. it takes a lot of hard work. why are you interested if you haven't even started med school?"

i was just sitting there schocked. he was the one who asked if i had any interest in special programs!!!

my other odd questions were

1) have you come to terms with your own mortality?

2) if you could be any kind of animal, what would it be? to which i answered giant squid, because i used to want to be a marine biologist and they get to go deeper in the oceans then humans ever have. the interviewer didn't really know what to do with me after that. then he asked
um, if you could be any OTHER animal, what would you be? bird. i said. bird. thats normal, right? everyone likes birdies. 😉

"OMGWFTBBQ! Umm...uhhhh...doooohhhhh....what other animal would you want to be?"

Umm...uhhhh.....well...........ummm.........I want to be Aquaman so I could talk to all of the fishes in the sea."

So..
what does OMGWTFBBQ stand for? I got most of it...Oh My God What The Fock...? Is the last bit barbeque? Like, OMG WTF BBQ I need to eat some now?

 

[Gotcha!]

What Would You like on Your Gravestone when You Die?

And He would not move on until I gave an answer.

I think I have a good answer to this:

"Here lies Gotcha!, Proud Graduate of Medicine from (wherever that interview was)..."

Maybe throw in how you were a kick ass doctor and you cured cancer and also won a nobel or something.. 😀 😛

 

[red dot]

hahahaha! the "what brings you to my office?" and "who are you?" can be answered as philosophical questions.

 

[SeventhSon]

not stupid, but kind of funny questions asked... both in the same interview:

1. you have an excellent academic record. so why (as in why the hell) did you go to UCSD?

hahaha

2. now i want you to interview me 😕

 

[pagemmapants]

"Have you ever failed at anything?"

Um. No?

My real response: "Well, I tried to learn how to play the guitar, but gave up after 3 months."

Him: "But you chose to give up, so that's not a real failure."

Me: "Well, to me it constituted a personal failure, because it was the first time I had embarked on an attempt to learn something and didn't achieve what I set out to do."

Him: "Well, yeah, but it's not like you tried your hardest and still failed."

Me: "No, but I can't think of a situation in which that has occurred." (Now, I could have said "I've failed to lose 10 lbs multiple times, but as I barely scrape 120 I think that's a failure I can deal with" but I don't think that would have helped my situation.)

I was being honest, but I think I came out sounding like a real egotist. Oops. Still, dumb question. Who wants to talk about their failures anyway?