Worst/Funniest Interview Experiences

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members do not see this ad.
Rik1111 said:
I do not get this. There are only a few things you should never say in a medical school interview:
1. "I'm a rapist/pedophile/Nazi/etc"
2. "You're a <negative thing>"
3. "I like another school more than this one because..."
4. "I don't like this school/area"

I can't believe how much this happens! I'm literally going to advise people of "the big 4" when they ask me for interview advice from now on. This thread has both inspired and depressed me.
Click to expand...
Trust me, I know. But,

1. I'm no where near AZ
2. I've mentioned in before and am holding an acceptance to my top choice school, so it's clearly not a deal breaker
3. The reasons I hate AZ pertain to education/cultural awareness, and I have received feedback from others that it's an interesting and well-thought out stance

Remind me when I solicited your advice?
 
Rik1111 said:
I didn't mean you specifically; this thread is full of answers like this.

My apologies for offending you.
Click to expand...

Accepted, and thank you for extending it. Next time, if you mean to refer to the bulk of the thread, not quoting one individual would probably serve your purpose better.

Also, AZ sucks. Just trust me.
 
DrCharlemagne said:
Accepted, and thank you for extending it. Next time, if you mean to refer to the bulk of the thread, not quoting one individual would probably serve your purpose better.

Also, AZ sucks. Just trust me.
Click to expand...
Now you may have offended the Arizona natives....
 
Back on topic!

In reference to a proposed financial regulation bill:

Me: Well, I like to think of [blah] and [blah] as the proverbial 'icing on the cake'. Everyone loves the icing, even if the rest of the cake is bad. But we bought the cake. We have to live with the cake. I just hope 5 years from now it still tastes good.
Interviewer: What if it doesn't taste good, but fits our needs? What if some people get indigestion, but other people love it? It's almost a moot point because we really have no way of knowing what's inside. Anything could be in the cake.
Me: Like maybe a stripper
...
 
Jabbed said:
Back on topic!

In reference to a proposed financial regulation bill:

Me: Well, I like to think of [blah] and [blah] as the proverbial 'icing on the cake'. Everyone loves the icing, even if the rest of the cake is bad. But we bought the cake. We have to live with the cake. I just hope 5 years from now it still tastes good.
Interviewer: What if it doesn't taste good, but fits our needs? What if some people get indigestion, but other people love it? It's almost a moot point because we really have no way of knowing what's inside. Anything could be in the cake.
Me: Like maybe a stripper
...
Click to expand...

oh man, you gotta tell us what the interviewer's reaction was to that.
 
Jabbed said:
Back on topic!

In reference to a proposed financial regulation bill:

Me: Well, I like to think of [blah] and [blah] as the proverbial 'icing on the cake'. Everyone loves the icing, even if the rest of the cake is bad. But we bought the cake. We have to live with the cake. I just hope 5 years from now it still tastes good.
Interviewer: What if it doesn't taste good, but fits our needs? What if some people get indigestion, but other people love it? It's almost a moot point because we really have no way of knowing what's inside. Anything could be in the cake.
Me: Like maybe a stripper
...
Click to expand...

:laugh: I laughed way to hard at this
 
SilentSoldier said:
oh man, you gotta tell us what the interviewer's reaction was to that.
Click to expand...

[5 second silence]
Me: Well.. it's probably not a stripper.. but..
[Internal monologue]: For the love of god, STOP TALKING ABOUT STRIPPERS.
[I smile politely through another 5 sweaty seconds of silence]
Interviewer: We can agree on that at least. It's probably not a stripper.
 
If an interviewer asks what you do in your free time, is that a question asking about your ec? or does the free time u decide to spend volunteering no longer count as free time?
 
chillaxbro said:
If an interviewer asks what you do in your free time, is that a question asking about your ec? or does the free time u decide to spend volunteering no longer count as free time?
Click to expand...

I think it could go either way, but I'd probably answer with hobbies/interests
 
chillaxbro said:
If an interviewer asks what you do in your free time, is that a question asking about your ec? or does the free time u decide to spend volunteering no longer count as free time?
Click to expand...

ECs are not done in free time, since they have a time commitment that you are obligated to. They want to know about your hobbies and personal interests.
 
Carl Seitan said:
ECs are not done in free time, since they have a time commitment that you are obligated to. They want to know about your hobbies and personal interests.
Click to expand...

Well, it depends on how you define free time. If you mean time outside of class, then an extracurricular is defined as that time. Literally.

Personally I listed several hobbies on my list of activities that I will occasionally bring up when asked, but I'll have others too. Generally i will not talk about shadowing or volunteering as things that I do in my free time because there's other stuff that I do for fun. If you're passionate about volunteering though, by all means.

And now let's get back on topic. More worst answers!
 
I'm not really sure how bad this is but I figured I'd post anyways. It's more of a story than a dialogue.

So during the interview, she smiles big and asks me what I would do to solve the healthcare crisis. So I answer it as best as I can and she's kind of smiling still while I'm answering because I'm probably not answering it as best as it could be answered. After I answered, she kind of just acknowledged it and said something along the lines of "the problems in health care are very complicated and if it were that simple they would have been solved." I realize it was a question geared more towards seeing if I'm educated on the problems in medicine and how I can talk myself through something. I was slightly annoyed for her asking a question just to try and stump me and when there was no real answer... although I had been asked this question in previous interviews and it didn't bother me then for some reason. So after my answer she changed the topic of the interview to questions I had for her.

The first thing I ask her is "so, what would be YOUR solution to the healthcare crisis?" I could tell that question took her totally by surprise and then I got to sit there and watch her ramble out an answer that was probably worse than mine while I was smiling at her. It was very satisfying for some reason.

result: accepted
 
Last edited:
yoyohomieg5432 said:
I'm not really sure how bad this is but I figured I'd post anyways. It's more of a story than a dialogue.

So during the interview, she asks smiles big and me what I would do to solve the healthcare crisis. So I answer it as best as I can and she's kind of still while I'm answering because I'm probably not answering it as best as it could be answered. After I answered she kind of just acknowledged it and said something along the lines of that hte problems in health care are very complicated and if it were that simple they would have been solved. I realize it was a question geared more towards seeing if I'm educated on the problems in medicine and how I can talk myslef through something. I was slightly annoyed for her asking a question just to try and stump me and when there was no real answer, salthough I had been asked this question in previous interviews and it didnt bother me for some reason. So after my answer she changed the topic of the interview to questions I had for her.

The first thing I ask her is "so, what would be YOUR solution to the healthcare crisis?" I could tell that question took her totally by surprise and then I got to sit there and watch her ramble out an answer that was probably worse than mine while I was smiling at her. It was very satisfying for some reason.

result: accepted
Click to expand...

I rate this post "Cool & Tough"
 
Interviewer: What would you do if a kid needed a blood transfusion but his parents refused because they were Jehovah's Witnesses?

Me: [avoiding answering the question because I can't think of the answer]...umm...

Interviewer: He's bleeding out now! You need to make a decision.

Me: I'd honor the parents' wishes.

Interviewer: So you'd let him die.

Me: Well, I wouldn't just let him die. I'd do everything in my power to save his life.

Interviewer: Ok... [as he scribbles "die" on his notepad].


There goes that application.


Result: Waitlist
 
Last edited:
I think I beat everyone here. Keep in mind this was my first interview ever, so cut me a little slack.

Interviewer: So have you ever said a racial slur?

Me: Uhhhhhhhh.......... Yes?

Interviewer: Ok what did you say?

Me: Well I think in our culture today its when you're talking to your friends to say................... what's up my *****?

Interviewer: ..................Ok well I think thats about all the questions I have for you do you have any for me?
 
Last edited:
Master Chief Cell said:
I think I beat everyone here. Keep in mind this was my first interview ever, so cut me a little slack.

Interviewer: So have you ever said a racial slur?

Me: Uhhhhhhhh.......... Yes?

Interviewer: Ok what did you say?

Me: Well I think in our culture today its when you're talking to your friends to say................... what's up my *****?

Interviewer: ..................Ok well I think thats about all the questions I have for you do you have any for me?
Click to expand...

You could have spun it better like "I think we live in an age of tolerance, which is good for me because I'm a racist!"
 
That was totally offensive and highly unprofessional remark made by that interviewer! I strongly urge you report that to the Admissions Dean. It's the only way they can get rid of bad interviewers.

tabtleborn said:
In one of my interviews, the interviewer asked me about my family, and when he found out my brother was in law school, he expressed a strong dislike for my brother. When I laughed and said something about how great my brother was, he said "Oh don't worry, law school will beat that out of him." And then there was an awkward pause.

Later in the interview, he was asking me about my training for a marathon. He then asked if my brother would be running with me. When I told him that he was, he dropped this little gem:
"Oh, hopefully he dies."

Obviously it was a joke but I couldn't even pretend to laugh so I just paused for a very long time and finally said:
"You know... I really hope he doesn't." And then there was another really long, awkward pause and he changed the subject. He ended the interview very shortly after that.

I honestly don't know what the appropriate response would have been, but I do think the whole situation was really funny now.

I also hate myself a little knowing that someone expressing a death wish towards my brother made me ask the question "Now, how to I respond to this so that they will love me enough to let me in here?" The application process needs to be over.
Click to expand...
 
That was totally offensive and highly unprofessional remark made by that interviewer! I strongly urge you report that to the Admissions Dean. It's the only way they can get rid of bad interviewers.

tabtleborn said:
In one of my interviews, the interviewer asked me about my family, and when he found out my brother was in law school, he expressed a strong dislike for my brother. When I laughed and said something about how great my brother was, he said "Oh don't worry, law school will beat that out of him." And then there was an awkward pause.

Later in the interview, he was asking me about my training for a marathon. He then asked if my brother would be running with me. When I told him that he was, he dropped this little gem:
"Oh, hopefully he dies."

Obviously it was a joke but I couldn't even pretend to laugh so I just paused for a very long time and finally said:
"You know... I really hope he doesn't." And then there was another really long, awkward pause and he changed the subject. He ended the interview very shortly after that.

I honestly don't know what the appropriate response would have been, but I do think the whole situation was really funny now.

I also hate myself a little knowing that someone expressing a death wish towards my brother made me ask the question "Now, how to I respond to this so that they will love me enough to let me in here?" The application process needs to be over.
Click to expand...
 
In one of my interviews, the interviewer kept ragging on me for not knowing who Mike Mansfield was (he was a fairly influential politician and Ambassador to Japan 40 or 50 years ago). At first I just laughed it off and went along with it, but after awhile he seemed to actually be holding it against me. He also openly discouraged me from going to Brown and said I should apply to other schools. The second interview that day, my interviewer was late and cut me off early. We talked about nothing to do the with school. It was a pleasant conversation, though.
 
I got the "If you could bring back 3 people from the dead, excluding family, who would you have dinner with?"

I knew that was a pretty common question, but hadn't prepared for it whatsoever. Caught my off guard and kinda stumbled through with a cliche answer. Hopefully it wasn't too horrible
 
I got the "If you could bring back 3 people from the dead, excluding family, who would you have dinner with?"

I knew that was a pretty common question, but hadn't prepared for it whatsoever. Caught me off guard and kinda stumbled through with a cliche answer. Hopefully it wasn't too horrible

EDIT: SORRY FOR DOUBLE POST. COMPUTER GLITCHING. CANT DELETE?
 
Master Chief Cell said:
I think I beat everyone here. Keep in mind this was my first interview ever, so cut me a little slack.

Interviewer: So have you ever said a racial slur?

Me: Uhhhhhhhh.......... Yes?

Interviewer: Ok what did you say?

Me: Well I think in our culture today its when you're talking to your friends to say................... what's up my *****?

Interviewer: ..................Ok well I think thats about all the questions I have for you do you have any for me?
Click to expand...

You should have asked him if he has ever said a racial slur.
 
I've only had 1 interview so far, but I have a story to contribute:

I have to preface this by saying that my interviewer was very cool and it was super conversational. However she did ask me an ethical question to which during my answer I started to get really nervous and even felt a little dizzy. I felt myself starting to ramble REALLY badly.

Me: (pause) "I'm sorry, if you could give me a second to collect my thoughts, I'm just a little nervous right now and you're kind of intimidating." (why the f*** did I just say that?!?!)
Interviewer: "I've NEVER had anyone call me intimidating before..."

Result: accepted! 😀
 
Interviewer: If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Me: I would be able to breathe under water.
Interviewer: Why is that?
Me:...cheaper SCUBA diving?
Interview: *blink*
Me: ...cheaper transatlantic travel..
Interview: Oookay.

I have no idea why I chose that. What a marginal super power...and who would ever use it to swim across the ocean for vacation??
 
Pose said:
Interviewer: If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Me: I would be able to breathe under water.
Interviewer: Why is that?
Me:...cheaper SCUBA diving?
Interview: *blink*
Me: ...cheaper transatlantic travel..
Interview: Oookay.

I have no idea why I chose that. What a marginal super power...and who would ever use it to swim across the ocean for vacation??
Click to expand...
At least it is an honest answer.

The super power I wished I had was the ability to speak and understand any language fluently.
 
Master Chief Cell said:
I think I beat everyone here. Keep in mind this was my first interview ever, so cut me a little slack.

Interviewer: So have you ever said a racial slur?

Me: Uhhhhhhhh.......... Yes?

Interviewer: Ok what did you say?

Me: Well I think in our culture today its when you're talking to your friends to say................... what's up my *****?

Interviewer: ..................Ok well I think thats about all the questions I have for you do you have any for me?
Click to expand...

Wow...what the heck kind of loaded question is that?
 
I gave an answer to an ethical question, and I can't figure out if it was a terrible answer or not. The general idea was: what would you do if you caught a fellow student being dishonest in an academic setting? Kind of a weird spin on the "what would you do if you caught another student cheating" question, but not quite as easy to answer IMO. Anyway, I told the interviewer I'd report the student without hesitation, and went off on a tangent about how dishonesty of any kind, whether minor or major, had no place in medical school since our training is so important. I'm wondering if I came off as a little too ruthless. Maybe I should have talked with the student first to warn him about what he was doing? Not sure.
 
Matt20 said:
I gave an answer to an ethical question, and I can't figure out if it was a terrible answer or not. The general idea was: what would you do if you caught a fellow student being dishonest in an academic setting? Kind of a weird spin on the "what would you do if you caught another student cheating" question, but not quite as easy to answer IMO. Anyway, I told the interviewer I'd report the student without hesitation, and went off on a tangent about how dishonesty of any kind, whether minor or major, had no place in medical school since our training is so important. I'm wondering if I came off as a little too ruthless. Maybe I should have talked with the student first to warn him about what he was doing? Not sure.
Click to expand...

I essentially use the "does it exemplify ethics/moral behavior unsuitable for practicing medicine" when deciding on whether to report or talk to the student.
 
Last edited:
Matt20 said:
I gave an answer to an ethical question, and I can't figure out if it was a terrible answer or not. The general idea was: what would you do if you caught a fellow student being dishonest in an academic setting? Kind of a weird spin on the "what would you do if you caught another student cheating" question, but not quite as easy to answer IMO. Anyway, I told the interviewer I'd report the student without hesitation, and went off on a tangent about how dishonesty of any kind, whether minor or major, had no place in medical school since our training is so important. I'm wondering if I came off as a little too ruthless. Maybe I should have talked with the student first to warn him about what he was doing? Not sure.
Click to expand...
You would definitely report it. But you would say that you suspected that the person cheated and let the administration take care of it. They will need to find evidence of cheating and it's out of your hands.

At my school, if you don't report cheating and it turns out you knew something you can get the same punishment as the cheater. So definitely reporting it is a good thing.

We actually had a case of cheating on our first test. It wasn't a med student, but a dental student that we shared a class with.
 
Thanks for the replies! I don't think I explained the question very well though. In the scenario I was given, the student did not cheat on an exam. To me, that is an easy one to answer. I would report that right away. The student in question was dishonest in another, more minor way (I don't want to give away the specifics). I wouldn't consider what the student did on the same level as cheating on an exam, or plagiarism, but it was still dishonest. That's what made it difficult.
 
I was asked to develop an evacuation plan for San Francisco….

Started out saying the normal routes, then said I would have boats take people out on the coast in an attempt to keep the roads from being too congested…the interviewer interrupts me "what if it's an earthquake and there is a tidal wave?" I replied that she watches too many movies, and continued with my plan.

Result: Rejected.
 
these are more like "worst interview questions"! Seriously. Some of these questions require being clever rather than showing your sincerity, passion and drive for medicine and humanity. I wouldn't feel too bad about your answers because they are kind of ridiculous questions. I get that some people think it is a good measure of how you handle stress, but this is a different kind of stress than the kind doctors face when they treat patients I'd imagine.
 
Warnerade said:
I was asked to develop an evacuation plan for San Francisco….

Started out saying the normal routes, then said I would have boats take people out on the coast in an attempt to keep the roads from being too congested…the interviewer interrupts me "what if it's an earthquake and there is a tidal wave?" I replied that she watches too many movies, and continued with my plan.

Result: Rejected.
Click to expand...

That's the dumbest interview question I've ever heard. I would have had to bite my tongue not to say something withering, I think you did pretty well.
 
Actually, I was driving through the Outer Sunset district of SF today and noticed tidal wave danger zone signs posted along the beach... Just saying.
 
pyrrion89 said:
Actually, I was driving through the Outer Sunset district of SF today and noticed tidal wave danger zone signs posted along the beach... Just saying.
Click to expand...
for storms, yes but considering I said use helicopters for people in sky scrapers with helipads and she let that one go...there were no stipulations to evacuate under, just a general evacuation plan.

And to my knowledge, earth quakes don't cause tidal waves
 
pyrrion89 said:
Actually, I was driving through the Outer Sunset district of SF today and noticed tidal wave danger zone signs posted along the beach... Just saying.
Click to expand...
for storms, yes but considering I said use helicopters for people in sky scrapers with helipads and she let that one go...there were no stipulations to evacuate under, just a general evacuation plan.

And to my knowledge, earth quakes don't cause tidal waves
 
Warnerade said:
I was asked to develop an evacuation plan for San Francisco….

Started out saying the normal routes, then said I would have boats take people out on the coast in an attempt to keep the roads from being too congested…the interviewer interrupts me "what if it's an earthquake and there is a tidal wave?" I replied that she watches too many movies, and continued with my plan.

Result: Rejected.
Click to expand...

Interviewer is stupid. Tidal waves are harmless and barely noticeable in deep water. The boats solution would be just fine, assuming you got to sea.
 
Warnerade said:
for storms, yes but considering I said use helicopters for people in sky scrapers with helipads and she let that one go...there were no stipulations to evacuate under, just a general evacuation plan.

And to my knowledge, earth quakes don't cause tidal waves
Click to expand...
Quakes can indeed cause tsunamis. Have you ever noticed when there's an earthquake in the pacific, news organizations always then talk about tsunami warnings?
 
Interview with a PCP:

Interviewer: So what do you think needs the biggest overhaul in medicine right now?
Sassafrass23: (I had this whole response ready about patient education, transparency, the like, but somehow this gem popped out...) Oh, you know, like, catching things earlier...
Interviewer: (Looooong pause) You mean preventative care?
Sassafrass23: Yes. Preventative care.

I think I actually gave a thumbs up when I said that last bit. I could have died. However - Result: Accepted
 
Captain Sisko said:
Quakes can indeed cause tsunamis. Have you ever noticed when there's an earthquake in the pacific, news organizations always then talk about tsunami warnings?
Click to expand...
I am from the midwest, so no. Regardless, does San Fran actually evacuate for an earthquake?
 
Warnerade said:
I am from the midwest, so no. Regardless, does San Fran actually evacuate for an earthquake?
Click to expand...
I'm from Ohio, but it's excusable. I don't believe they evacuate for a local quake because there's little to no warning. They might for a tsunami because if one is triggered by a quake across the pacific there would be a few hours notice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Most Meaningful Experiences
Replies
2
Views
561
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
M
Other Impactful Experiences?
Replies
4
Views
1K
maybefuturedoctor7
M
R
Types of Clinical Experiences
Replies
6
Views
422
LizzyM
LizzyM
S
Other Impactful Experiences
Replies
1
Views
611
LunaOri
LunaOri
T
Length of Nonclinical Volunteering Experiences
Replies
2
Views
657
candbgirl
C
Top