"Why did you do poorly in this class?"

[indplayer]

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So I have an interview coming up, and from what I've read on these forums and elsewhere is that occasionally, an interviewer may ask why you did poorly in a particular class. I was wondering how some of you would answer this question. I'm not looking for answers where the interviewee had personal/family/financial/and the like issues, but simply, they just didnt do well because either the class was difficult or they didnt work as hard.

My situation is that I had 2 classes I didnt do too well, but they were my post-bac classes, which i think makes it worse.

 

[jeffity]

Just own up to it. You sucked it up. It happens. Don't look for any sort of excuse if there really isn't one, you know?

 

[OMF_HNS]

tell them why, honestly, and what you have done since then that has made you better. For instance, what did you learn from it? and how did it make you a better student/person to deal with future problems such as that. It's because they want to make sure you can handle their course load and not end up repeating your past mistakes. that's all! Good luck with your interviews

 

[Dainotda]

Make sure you talk about what you've learned from the experience or what you've done differently as a result. They want to see growth and improvement.

 

[autoclavemonkey]

tell them why, honestly, and what you have done since then that has made you better. For instance, what did you learn from it? and how did it make you a better student/person to deal with future problems such as that. It's because they want to make sure you can handle their course load and not end up repeating your past mistakes. that's all! Good luck with your interviews

+1, Do NOT, in any circumstances, blame your professors. Just acknowledge the importance of the sciences courses and talk about how you still have a solid foundation in pre-req courses (perhaps mention the upper-div bio courses you did well in). Also talk about what other skills/experiences you had that will help you in dental school.

 

[dentalWorks]

So I have an interview coming up, and from what I've read on these forums and elsewhere is that occasionally, an interviewer may ask why you did poorly in a particular class. I was wondering how some of you would answer this question. I'm not looking for answers where the interviewee had personal/family/financial/and the like issues, but simply, they just didnt do well because either the class was difficult or they didnt work as hard.

My situation is that I had 2 classes I didnt do too well, but they were my post-bac classes, which i think makes it worse.

if you think thats bad.... imagine your interviewer sitting there and asking you "so, you got a D+ in ethics, care to explain? we take ethics very seriously in our school"

And guess what? that D+ was from 10 years ago

😱 <-- this is the look I had when he asked me, totally caught me off guard.

I told him the truth.... I said I was a bad student back then, I didn't take college too seriously and my grades reflect that (there was no other way to answer, ANYTHING other than the truth, and they would immediately smell the B.S).

I was accepted to that same school (currently attending it as well)

 

[Stacker]

For this kind of question, you need to show that you'll take responsibility for your actions. Explain honestly and briefly why you did poorly in the class (most likely a work-ethic issue), and then most importantly, elaborate in sufficient detail as to what you have done to improve.

 

[Stacker]

I don't like my post count (66*) so here's a double-post to reiterate the point. Don't place blame anywhere else other than yourself unless there is a reasonable explanation such as a family-related issue that caused you to struggle in school.