Where did you have your worst interviews?

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Pkboi24

Pkboi24

Don't laugh at my SN
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1. interviewer was 20 minutes late and asked me questions to which he already knew the answer. "Are you #1 in your class? Top 1%? Top 10%? You know, primary care doesn't make a lot of money, why do you want to do it?"

2. asked me to describe myself using 3 adjectives. What a wanker...
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Pkboi24 said:
UCSD - interviewer was 20 minutes late and asked me questions to which he already knew the answer. "Are you #1 in your class? Top 1%? Top 10%? You know, primary care doesn't make a lot of money, why do you want to do it?"

U of Colorado - asked me to describe myself using 3 adjectives. What a wanker...
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hung, handsome and humble.
 
dynx said:
hung, handsome and humble.
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Idk, his SN sounds like something from pokemon ... and you know what they say about asians and their ... ummm ... yeah.

Anyways, I agree, first interview scenario sounds like a dud.
2nd one is legit, I've had that asked, and "what can you bring to our program that's different from our current residents" ... really? I dont know your freakin residents to know what they do/don't bring to the table. :idea:
 
Doctor4Life1769 said:
Idk, his SN sounds like something from pokemon ... and you know what they say about asians and their ... ummm ... yeah.

Anyways, I agree, first interview scenario sounds like a dud.
2nd one is legit, I've had that asked, and "what can you bring to our program that's different from our current residents" ... really? I dont know your freakin residents to know what they do/don't bring to the table. :idea:
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lets not be racist. you're better than that. maybe.
 
Not naming any programs, but my worst (and also best due to how ridiculous the day was) was a program who gave us a 50 question multiple choice test with questions that are used to prep residents for their inservice exams. And then had our scores read out loud, and also told that part of our ranking will partly be based on it. Both interviews were essentially oral exams on case scenarios. M&M also had attendings standing up and pointing/shouting/cursing at each other.
 
braluk said:
Not naming any programs, but my worst (and also best due to how ridiculous the day was) was a program who gave us a 50 question multiple choice test with questions that are used to prep residents for their inservice exams. And then had our scores read out loud, and also told that part of our ranking will partly be based on it. Both interviews were essentially oral exams on case scenarios. M&M also had attendings standing up and pointing/shouting/cursing at each other.
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... that's amazing.
 
braluk said:
Not naming any programs, but my worst (and also best due to how ridiculous the day was) was a program who gave us a 50 question multiple choice test with questions that are used to prep residents for their inservice exams. And then had our scores read out loud, and also told that part of our ranking will partly be based on it. Both interviews were essentially oral exams on case scenarios. M&M also had attendings standing up and pointing/shouting/cursing at each other.
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Lol..sweet.
 
braluk said:
Not naming any programs, but my worst (and also best due to how ridiculous the day was) was a program who gave us a 50 question multiple choice test with questions that are used to prep residents for their inservice exams. And then had our scores read out loud, and also told that part of our ranking will partly be based on it. Both interviews were essentially oral exams on case scenarios. M&M also had attendings standing up and pointing/shouting/cursing at each other.
Click to expand...

General Surgery I presume?
 
Worst interview question: "What do you DISLIKE about ENT?"

Dude, I'm still in the puppy dogs and ice cream medical student phase. It's all cool and nifty and neat-o and exciting to me still. Don't rain on my parade.
 
There's a pre-lim program in NYC which

1) Serves basically left over cookies from lunch and old apples/oranges as their "light refreshment."

2) Made applicants wait HOURS before getting their first interview

3) Had only basically only 3 people interviewing 20 applicants, 1-on-1, 30 minutes each. Then the 3rd person left early.

4) Made us write an essay regarding why we want to go to their program. I called it my second personal statement.

5) Had a tour guide that would NOT SHUT UP

6) Ended 2 hours past their predicted end time.
 
ZagDoc said:
Worst interview question: "What do you DISLIKE about ENT?"

Dude, I'm still in the puppy dogs and ice cream medical student phase. It's all cool and nifty and neat-o and exciting to me still. Don't rain on my parade.
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I was asked that question in plenty of my interviews. I think they just wanted to make sure you had a realistic view of the field you are going into. I just chose a very obvious concern and clarified how I worked out that it wasn't that important to me in the long run.
 
I was asked a really odd question by an APD at one place that required some thought. You know, one of those "if you had endless amounts of money" - type questions that I never think about because, well, lets be honest... So, there was one of those 30 seconds [it was probably less] of awkward silence. THEN the interviewer says, "That wasn't meant to be a hard question." :mad:

This was also the type of interviewer who gave absolutely zero verbal/non verbal feedback to my answers. Just sat there staring at me blankly. By my far worst interview experience of the season.
 
Pkboi24 said:
General Surgery I presume?
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Yup. Also forgot to mention that they took our nametags back due to budget cuts. They also kept all their resident education book in the bathroom, literally and figuratively. It was stacked where the tub would be. And almost forgot this gem too, on that same day as we were crossing the street from M&M to interview building, someone was in a wheelchair that I guess the person pushing let go by mistake. It was easily the nuttiest day.
 
Reeeally didn't appreciate the "how likely are you to come here/how high are we on your list" question as the 2nd topic in an interview.

@braluk - your experience sounds amazing and hilarious! You sure you weren't laughing throughout the day?
 
One PD absolutely did not want to believe that I wrote my personal statement. Came at me from every angle on it, including "you know, some people buy these off the internet". "If residents don't write their own statements, when they do research later, a lot of them have trouble writing."

This was particularly humorous to me because I was a technical writer for two years. I considered that profession a weak point in my application since it doesn't relate to medicine, but apparently it wasn't enough to convince this individual that I hadn't purchased my statement from shady interweb essay gangsters.
 
I had several people ask me how in the world I could get their program's name into my personal statement. When I explained that you could write an individual statement for each program, they looked like they had never seen that done before. Made me feel a little gunner-ish...
 
gstrub said:
I had several people ask me how in the world I could get their program's name into my personal statement. When I explained that you could write an individual statement for each program, they looked like they had never seen that done before. Made me feel a little gunner-ish...
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Yeah - no one does that. It is pretty gunnerish/neurotic.
 
MountainEM said:
says the student with 4500 posts on sdn and a comment on every thread.
:thumbdown:
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Sensitive much? The person who posted sounded surprised that someone would ask him about having specific PS for different programs. I was just saying that the reason they asked is because no one does that. A few months ago there was a thread where aprogdirector said he didn't think it was a good idea.(http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=654758)

If the poster didn't want comments on what he did then he probably shouldn't have posted it. But if it will make him feel better....lots of people do that - its not weird at all - no one thought you were a neurotic gunner. Better?

And I'm not sure how the fact that I spend way too much time wasting time on the internet proves I'm a gunner. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings. Welcome to the internet.
 
No. I am not sensitive...just appreciative of irony. I was also not commenting on the gunner aspect but more the neurotic part....

I think more people add in personalized sections of PS's then we think they do...heard a bunch of people do that. (not I). Damn, some people I know going into IM and FM are only applying to 10 or so places and interviewing at 5 or so...not that hard to add a reason why a program may work well for you.
 
I made individualized personal statements for my top programs. IMNSHO, I think it is another feather in your cap that might make you ranked number 67 instead of 68, thus getting you the spot. If you're applying to 100 programs, this is neither practical nor genuine, but if you really are interested in that program, things like that help express it. There IS a lot of smoke and mirrors in this process, but remember that, for the vast majority, it works and people are happy with their matches.
 
MountainEM said:
I think more people add in personalized sections of PS's then we think they do...heard a bunch of people do that. (not I). Damn, some people I know going into IM and FM are only applying to 10 or so places and interviewing at 5 or so...not that hard to add a reason why a program may work well for you.
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I never would have even thought to do that... crazy what people can come up with to manipulate their way into a higher ranking.
 
I didn't know one could write personalized statements. Is that new? Never heard that til this year
 
13770 said:
I didn't know one could write personalized statements. Is that new? Never heard that til this year
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Nope. You can write and upload as many personal statements as you desire. If you want to personalize them and write 20+ nobody (except perhaps your therapist who is obligated by the patient-doctor relationship to try to keep you from doing dumb stuff like that) is going to stop you.

I had 4 different ones. One for straight IM programs. One for combined IM/Onc research residency programs and one each for two research residency programs that asked you to address specific questions in the PS.
 
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