"Why this school?"

[qwerty one]

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When faced with this question during an interview, would it be bad to say that the location of the school is important, although only after you give them more "primary" reasons? Or should that be avoided altogether?

 

[Wrigleyville]

Well, since people actually do make decisions based on where a school is, telling the adcoms as much probably can't hurt. After all, they want to know if you want to come to their school or not.

Unless you say you want to come because of the weather or some other vacuous reason, I think it is fine to tell them you want to go there because of the location.

 

[uclacrewdude]

coming from california, and getting only 1 interview there, i got this question all the time, and rightly so -- california is just a way better place to be than the rest of the country. dodge this bullet by saying you need breadth of experience, that you've grown up in ______ area of the country and to become more competent serving different people with different lifestyles, moving to a different area will make you a better doctor

 

[TTSD]

Truthful answer : "Sirs, because you gave me an interview and frankly I'll go anywhere that accepts me and hump as many legs as I must."

Right answer : "Places mean nothing. People are the only factors of importance. I have realized that I can get an education anywhere and what I take from it does not matter on the prestige of the location or institute but what I make of it. The only other thing that I will take away are the memories and gratefulness for the people who gave me the chance and helped me realize my dream. I've been told that I can find those people here. Have I?"

 

[quideam]

Originally posted by TTSD

Right answer : "Places mean nothing. People are the only factors of importance. I have realized that I can get an education anywhere and what I take from it does not matter on the prestige of the location or institute but what I make of it. The only other thing that I will take away are the memories and gratefulness for the people who gave me the chance and helped me realize my dream. I've been told that I can find those people here. Have I?"

You're spewing pure crap! I LOVE it!!!!

- Quid

 

[TTSD]

Originally posted by quideam
You're spewing pure crap! I LOVE it!!!!

- Quid

HA! You should read my personal statement!

But in all seriousness.. despite that's a "right" political answer. It's also very true from my experiences. I think I've had a very unique educational experience.. often moving and shifting. Sometimes from a top notch school to a lower tier school and visa versa. The differences are what you make of it.

 

[Street Philosopher]

"You are the highest ranked school to interview me."

 

[periodic]

I'd have to disagree with the assertion that you should say location is irrelevant. If you've interviewed for jobs in different locations, you know that interviewers _know_ location is important, no matter what you say. A job I interviewed for in DC spent some time making sure that I wasn't going to decline in the end because I preferred NYC. Meanwhile, the NYC employer really liked hearing that I genuinely wanted to experience life in "the city". Med school is no different. If you interview at a CA school but are out-of-state and have never lived there, you should have a good answer as to why CA fits what you want.

If you love the location of a school, feel free to say so. Many things are credible. You may have grown up there and want to be close to family. You may be looking to work with an urban population and gain experience with the diverse cases that come in. It doesn't really matter, as long as your reason ties into something worthwhile about you or your interest in medicine.

Schools don't want to admit people who will, in the end, choose somewhere else and probably knew all along they would choose somewhere else.

Short version: I agree with Wrigleyville...😎

 

[trudgingalong]

or even better, the only school to interview me

*knock on wood*

 

[TTSD]

Originally posted by periodic


If you love the location of a school, feel free to say so. Many things are credible. You may have grown up there and want to be close to family. You may be looking to work with an urban population and gain experience with the diverse cases that come in. It doesn't really matter, as long as your reason ties into something worthwhile about you or your interest in medicine.

Oh definately, location is a plus.. but it's only a perk unless you're choosing it for reasons such as family, job, health.. etc. But what if Harvard was located in the middle of farm country? Or your lifelong soulmates all ended up at Booneyville school of medicine?

The question is "why this school" and not "why this locale." I mean, I would love to go to LA or NY and hit on all the lovely lovely chicks, but my primary goal would be to become a doctor right? So addressing that primary goal is probably the best and the implicit "Sir, I would go to this school even if it was up Rumsfield's ass" would probably make them nod.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Location is on the minds of a lot of people, ESPECIALLY if you are a California resident... ESPECIALLY if you are a resident of SF, SD, or LA. Every single east coast or midwest school I interviewed at talked about the weather and the change from California to their city.

 

[Wrigleyville]

Originally posted by Street Philosopher
Location is on the minds of a lot of people, ESPECIALLY if you are a California resident... ESPECIALLY if you are a resident of SF, SD, or LA. Every single east coast or midwest school I interviewed at talked about the weather and the change from California to their city.

And now you're in Ann Arbor... doh!

 

[periodic]

Originally posted by TTSD
Oh definately, location is a plus.. but it's only a perk unless you're choosing it for reasons such as family, job, health.. etc. But what if Harvard was located in the middle of farm country? Or your lifelong soulmates all ended up at Booneyville school of medicine?

The question is "why this school" and not "why this locale." I mean, I would love to go to LA or NY and hit on all the lovely lovely chicks, but my primary goal would be to become a doctor right? So addressing that primary goal is probably the best and the implicit "Sir, I would go to this school even if it was up Rumsfield's ass" would probably make them nod.

Woops - You're right TTSD, I missed that difference. I would still say location is ok to talk about, but to be more wary. It can be more than just a perk. If you really want to learn medicine and get experience with a bilingual population (like UCLA and Spanish-speaking residents), then location (LA) is more than a perk. Harvard wouldn't be Harvard in the middle of farmland - it gains a lot from being close to other institutions/hospitals, having Boston and its surrounding areas' populations to treat (broader clinical exposure). Your point is well-taken, but if you have concrete reasons for how a particular school's location will fit into your overarching goals in medicine, it won't hurt to mention them.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Originally posted by Wrigleyville
And now you're in Ann Arbor... doh!

yeah tell me about it

 

[gary5]

A school wants you to want *their* school, which means you have good, concrete reasons. You won't impress them with "location".

 

[kilroth]

I would advise against saying such politically correct and beautiful answers. Talk normal to these doctors but with a hint of professionalism. I also see no problem with saying you love the location and weather, as long as you touch it up with the more important reasons of choosing a school.

 

[Tezzie]

As i said in another post. The easiest way to answer the "Why X school" question is : Most of the big private schools have a publication. Usually in those they include research projects and other interesting stuff. Google it or go to your library at school (or even better yet - if you know someone at X school ask them).

The location issue seems somewhat weak to me. First of all a lot of med schools are in crappy places. I mean what are you gonna say about New Haven when the people there tell you stories about how many times they have been mugged?

In other interviews they will bring up both the location and the school questions. Esp if you are say from NYC and are interviewing at SIU. And you better come up with a good answer before you even go there.

Also don't expect just the "why our school" question. It can come at many forms. For example at Yale the question that i was asked was something like "Which parts of the Yale system don't you find interesting/exciting". Or at Hopkins " Would you choose us over WashU?".

I would also like to say that during my interviews those questions such as "why medicine" or "why our school" or "why our school and not the others" took about 5% of my interview time. I used far more time answering personal questions than i did about the "why this and why that".

 

[hale-bopp]

Considering that I made my list of med schools to apply to based on location, I think that answering "Why this school?" with "the location" (at least as part of your answer) is fine, or even good, if you really do have a connection to the place and it really would be a factor for you in choosing that school over a school that was more or less equal. For example, when I interviewed at schools near where I grew up and where my Dad and brother live now, I could honestly say that I am deeply attached to the area, it is where I intend to practice someday, I want to live there, I have a good support network in place in the area...
I guess I think that there are things about every school I applied to that are interesting and make it attractive to me (mostly found by reading their websites and viewbook), and there is no "right" answer to this question, but I think location can definitely be part of a good answer (and I had interviewers who told me that it was good for them to know that) - as long as you mean it.