Worst/Funniest Interview Experiences

[yogglo]

someone mentioned this above
I had a similar situation

Interviewer: So is this your first interview?
Me: Oh no, I have had a few so far...

WHOOPS haha

I’ve had one where the interviewer specifically asked what schools. Didn’t matter cause it was one of my top choices and my interviewer was pretty adamant on why I’d like the school afterwards.

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[Eponine1912]

Classic mircoagression. Totally uncalled for. Complain to the Admissions Dean...it's the only way we can get rid of bad interviewers.

Thank you for your advice! I ended up reporting it to the admissions dean thanks to the feedback I've gotten since posting.

 

[readmypostsMD]

forgot my tie!

 

[Cornfed101]

clogged a toilet before the interview

Please tell me you asked your interviewer for a plunger

 

[deleted1001426]

clogged a toilet before the interview

This is why the curtesy flush was invented. 1 flush after you’ve finished bringing the browns to the Super Bowl and then a final flush to take care of the toilet paper

 

[deleted1001426]

this isnt necessarily the worst experience but definitely one of the strangest. I walk into the admissions waiting room a bit early and took a seat in a fairly isolated part of the room. A few minutes later one of the applicants comes over and sits next to and starts up some fairly typical small talk. "where are you from, urgad, any family around here, did you see the game last night, etc". After the usual pleasantries are finished he asks "so why are you applying here?" Not the most normal of questions for one applicant to ask another but w/e, I figured he was just nervous and wanted to keep the small talk going. So I give him the brief, sparknotes version of why school x. As I'm talking he pulls out a pen and starts to write down notes. At this point I'm a bit weirded out so I quickly conclude and then he stands up, says something along the lines of "that's cool" and walks back to his old seat and starts talking to one of the other applicants. At first I thought it could've been like an impromptu interview and he was actually one of the med students but he ended up going through all of the mmi stations with the rest of us.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

this isnt necessarily the worst experience but definitely one of the strangest. I walk into the admissions waiting room a bit early and took a seat in a fairly isolated part of the room. A few minutes later one of the applicants comes over and sits next to and starts up some fairly typical small talk. "where are you from, urgad, any family around here, did you see the game last night, etc". After the usual pleasantries are finished he asks "so why are you applying here?" Not the most normal of questions for one applicant to ask another but w/e, I figured he was just nervous and wanted to keep the small talk going. So I give him the brief, sparknotes version of why school x. As I'm talking he pulls out a pen and starts to write down notes. At this point I'm a bit weirded out so I quickly conclude and then he stands up, says something along the lines of "that's cool" and walks back to his old seat and starts talking to one of the other applicants. At first I thought it could've been like an impromptu interview and he was actually one of the med students but he ended up going through all of the mmi stations with the rest of us.

Gunner in training ....geez

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

this isnt necessarily the worst experience but definitely one of the strangest. I walk into the admissions waiting room a bit early and took a seat in a fairly isolated part of the room. A few minutes later one of the applicants comes over and sits next to and starts up some fairly typical small talk. "where are you from, urgad, any family around here, did you see the game last night, etc". After the usual pleasantries are finished he asks "so why are you applying here?" Not the most normal of questions for one applicant to ask another but w/e, I figured he was just nervous and wanted to keep the small talk going. So I give him the brief, sparknotes version of why school x. As I'm talking he pulls out a pen and starts to write down notes. At this point I'm a bit weirded out so I quickly conclude and then he stands up, says something along the lines of "that's cool" and walks back to his old seat and starts talking to one of the other applicants. At first I thought it could've been like an impromptu interview and he was actually one of the med students but he ended up going through all of the mmi stations with the rest of us.

Did he tell you to slow down while you were dictating ?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Gunner in training ....geez

Man I never saw anything like that on the interview trail. The only things I saw were the typical posturing people do when they are nervous and feel like they are competing for a spot, but mostly everyone was super cool lol.

Even my med school class has like zero gunners. I actually can’t think of anyone in my class who is a real gunner, though I’m sure there is at least one.

 

[jhmmd]

*bumping this thread cuz it's too good to pass up*

 

[FalconSlice]

Man I never saw anything like that on the interview trail. The only things I saw were the typical posturing people do when they are nervous and feel like they are competing for a spot, but mostly everyone was super cool lol.

Even my med school class has like zero gunners. I actually can’t think of anyone in my class who is a real gunner, though I’m sure there is at least one.

They'll def manifest themselves during third-year lol... trust me

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

They'll def manifest themselves during third-year lol... trust me

Yeah some of them have started to come out over the past year and a half. We don’t have anyone who intentionally throws people under the bus or anything like that, but we have a handful of students who try to answer every single question and will talking over you to do so, or chime in with the answer (or what they think the answer is anyway) if it takes you more than a second to get it. It’s super annoying, but it’s probably like 10 people total out of 170.

 

[CavsFan2016]

*I point to my lower leg*

Me: "I broke my femur freshman year of college and it was tough."

*awkward silence*

Interviewer: "Femur?"

Me: "Fibia, sorry"

(later realized I meant to say fibula)

Result: Waitlisted

Guys, I finally redeemed myself. During a residency interview last week, I told this story again and was asked which bone I broke. I basically screamed "FIBULA". The interviewer was probably concerned for my well being, but I don't even care lol

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

*bumping this thread cuz it's too good to pass up*

I think covid kinda put a damper on this thread.

 

[bioboy23]

Guys, I finally redeemed myself. During a residency interview last week, I told this story again and was asked which bone I broke. I basically screamed "FIBULA". The interviewer was probably concerned for my well being, but I don't even care lol

Tbh after 3.5 more years of intense medical training I may still not say it correctly

Edit: should have said “I may still say it incorrectly”

Words r hard

 

[sunshinefl]

Guys, I finally redeemed myself. During a residency interview last week, I told this story again and was asked which bone I broke. I basically screamed "FIBULA". The interviewer was probably concerned for my well being, but I don't even care lol

This is my favorite update ever!!

 

[borrawin95]

Recent virtual interview at a school that prides itself on its faculty reading through AMCAS applications very closely:

- Got my dates of activities wrong
- Thought I was from California (I have a pretty thick NE accent and there isn't a single mention of California on my application

When it came time for my questions:

Me (east-coaster): So what activities do folks generally engage in around the city of 'X' (large city in the midwest)?

Them: Eh, you won't have time to engage in hobbies as a medical student. Wherever you go they'll have something nearby though.

Me: Okay, and what would you say is a defining feature/trait that would describe a student at school 'X'?

Them: I don't think you can describe students under a single defining trait at a school. The school selects for diverse students.

>_> Really sold me on this school

 

[MoTx333]

The virtual nature of this year's interviews have added an interesting dimension in the fact that neither applicants nor interviewers can completely control their environment. In my case, I had a recent interview (on Zoom, of course) where my interviewer's (very heavy) dog came barreling into the room and jumped on her lap, promptly causing her to flip backwards in her chair and land on the floor. Apparently her husband came home early from work, didn't realize she was doing an interview, and let the dog in. After I made sure she was okay and not injured, we had a good laugh about it. As a bonus, it gave us a chance to talk about how social changes due to COVID have given us all some increased flexibility and sense of grace with how we approach communication with each other these days.

 

[theendisnigh]

Bumping the thread, during a recent interview the interviewer looked at my EC's (one of which was a waitress head trainer during college), and he asked,

"Do you think you could have made a livable wage as a server trainer?"

I swear I must have looked dumbfounded for a whole minute. My response was along the lines of I think so? But it's not the career field I'm aspiring too...

I had prepared for all sorts of questions on my EC's. Something along the lines of, describe how you handled a conflict with a guest or between your crew? What did you take away from the experience? I had a great comparison of how I would take 12 tables at a time and it reminded me of my rounds scribing in an ED. Definitely did not prepare for THAT just bizarre-o question.

 

[hosie618]

randomly came across this thread.... just want to put it out there

Interviewer cut me off in the middle of speaking and said "btw Doctors dont actually have sex in closets"

i was dumbfounded, I was not even on a topic like that. i said haha and kept speaking.

surprise surprise, I was rejected. however i regret never reporting the interview. I didn't know it was a thing back then. sucks for me

 

[jhmmd]

randomly came across this thread.... just want to put it out there

Interviewer cut me off in the middle of speaking and said "btw Doctors dont actually have sex in closets"

i was dumbfounded, I was not even on a topic like that. i said haha and kept speaking.

surprise surprise, I was rejected. however i regret never reporting the interview. I didn't know it was a thing back then. sucks for me

Maybe the interviewer wasn't a doctor; she just plays one on TV

 

[Proudfather94]

randomly came across this thread.... just want to put it out there

Interviewer cut me off in the middle of speaking and said "btw Doctors dont actually have sex in closets"

i was dumbfounded, I was not even on a topic like that. i said haha and kept speaking.

surprise surprise, I was rejected. however i regret never reporting the interview. I didn't know it was a thing back then. sucks for me

Lol maybe you said something cliche about what doctors do on TV thats not real and that's how she responded to let you know?

 

[jhmmd]

Lol maybe you said something cliche about what doctors do on TV thats not real and that's how she responded to let you know?

I guess you had to be there

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

"btw Doctors dont actually have sex in closets"

Why the hell am I doing all this for then?

 

[Stagg737]

Why the hell am I doing all this for then?

Because call rooms are more spacious than closets

 

[LizzyM]

Bumping the thread, during a recent interview the interviewer looked at my EC's (one of which was a waitress head trainer during college), and he asked,

"Do you think you could have made a livable wage as a server trainer?"

I swear I must have looked dumbfounded for a whole minute. My response was along the lines of I think so? But it's not the career field I'm aspiring too...

I had prepared for all sorts of questions on my EC's. Something along the lines of, describe how you handled a conflict with a guest or between your crew? What did you take away from the experience? I had a great comparison of how I would take 12 tables at a time and it reminded me of my rounds scribing in an ED. Definitely did not prepare for THAT just bizarre-o question.

The best questions for an interviewer to ask are those you could not have anticipated. We like to see how you think on your feet.

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

Why the hell am I doing all this for then?

Chicks, cash, and cars. Keep your eye on the prize!

 

[Sharknad0]

Chicks, cash, and cars. Keep your eye on the prize!

Chicks, money, power, and chicks

 

[viralhiker]

I have something to add from the virtual interview trail:

At one of the schools I interviewed at, a member of the admissions staff had a knack for telling "dad" jokes between presentations. Real corny stuff, but since we were all polite and hyper-attentive applicants, each one got a chuckle or a response out of most of the 40-odd screens in the zoom meeting. After maybe the second or third joke an applicant unmutes and says, "ooh I got a good one!" Still, everyone is all smiles and the admissions guy says okay go for it.

The interviewee then tells an extremely off color joke with some less-than-PC language. Think "a hooker walks into a bar" kind of thing.

Stunned silence. No laughter, I can't remember if the admissions person said anything more than "...alright then."

Thankfully another applicant immediately jumped in and told an innocent groaner of a pun, and boom, all hoots and hollers again.

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

I have something to add from the virtual interview trail:

At one of the schools I interviewed at, a member of the admissions staff had a knack for telling "dad" jokes between presentations. Real corny stuff, but since we were all polite and hyper-attentive applicants, each one got a chuckle or a response out of most of the 40-odd screens in the zoom meeting. After maybe the second or third joke an applicant unmutes and says, "ooh I got a good one!" Still, everyone is all smiles and the admissions guy says okay go for it.

The interviewee then tells an extremely off color joke with some less-than-PC language. Think "a hooker walks into a bar" kind of thing.

Stunned silence. No laughter, I can't remember if the admissions person said anything more than "...alright then."

Thankfully another applicant immediately jumped in and told an innocent groaner of a pun, and boom, all hoots and hollers again.

Maaaaaaaaaaaaan, I'd hate to be that guy!

 

[Proudfather94]

I have something to add from the virtual interview trail:

At one of the schools I interviewed at, a member of the admissions staff had a knack for telling "dad" jokes between presentations. Real corny stuff, but since we were all polite and hyper-attentive applicants, each one got a chuckle or a response out of most of the 40-odd screens in the zoom meeting. After maybe the second or third joke an applicant unmutes and says, "ooh I got a good one!" Still, everyone is all smiles and the admissions guy says okay go for it.

The interviewee then tells an extremely off color joke with some less-than-PC language. Think "a hooker walks into a bar" kind of thing.

Stunned silence. No laughter, I can't remember if the admissions person said anything more than "...alright then."

Thankfully another applicant immediately jumped in and told an innocent groaner of a pun, and boom, all hoots and hollers again.

Not being able to read the room is not a great doctor trait lol just imagine nurse one "you're about to have a beautiful baby" nurse 2 "they're going to be so precious" this guy as the doctor "let's get that blood soaked baby and nasty placenta out of you right?"