Worst/Funniest Interview Experiences

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I'd imagine that if the interviewer asked you "Tell me about a time when you failed", the worst possible answer would be "I don't think I've had one"

Just saying...
 
futuremdforme said:
I think the secret videotaping is what they meant. Either way...ugh.
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That's what I meant. It's legal if you have a hidden camera set up in your house but it would be illegal if you had it set up at someone else's house bc that's spying/an invasion of their privacy. Yeah that was an awkward situation lol
 
livinginlalaland said:
That's what I meant. It's legal if you have a hidden camera set up in your house but it would be illegal if you had it set up at someone else's house bc that's spying/an invasion of their privacy. Yeah that was an awkward situation lol
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Wow, that's pretty horrible that it is legal. Either way, I kind of get the point of the interviewer that "Wow, these are the people you associate with?"

I hope you can find friends who are better people. That guy is not going anywhere good.
 
somsoup said:
>5:30am, waiting at a Dunkin Donuts across the XSOM for my 8:00am interview day to start.
>Drinking coffee.
>6:30am now.
>Notice I'm not wearing a suit jacket.
>Panics, considers bailing out on interview.
>Goes through interview day hoping nobody cares.
>Accepted.
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This made my stomach drop just thinking about it!
 
livinginlalaland said:
A fellow interviewee told me this happened to him

Panel: You're in a frat?
Him: Yes
Panel: *Googles his frat* so I see your frat had a rape allegation last fall
Him: Ummm the charges were dropped
Panel: So do you condone rape?
Him: No! It was dropped bc he secretly videotaped the whole thing and the police agreed that it was consensual
Panel: Ummmmm next question

I can't imagine being asked/answering that kind of question...
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Ugggg! Glad an innocent person was acquitted of rape, but NOT condoning secret videotaping. That in itself is a gross violation.
 
Public service announcement! This is an interesting interview conversation because of the huge jump from allegation (in red) to the assumption of guilt in the following question. The answer about the videotaping is, well, novel, but the interviewee could have also handled the Q by saying that "we're innocent until proven guilty" or "there was no proof that the charge was valid" or something along those lines.

This does seem to wander into a law school interview, but my key point here is that interviewees should be very flexible in mental gymnastics during a stress interview (which this clearly was).

livinginlalaland said:
A fellow interviewee told me this happened to him

Panel: You're in a frat?
Him: Yes
Panel: *Googles his frat* so I see your frat had a rape allegation last fall
Him: Ummm the charges were dropped
Panel: So do you condone rape?
Him: No! It was dropped bc he secretly videotaped the whole thing and the police agreed that it was consensual
Panel: Ummmmm next question

I can't imagine being asked/answering that kind of question...
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Goro said:
Public service announcement! This is an interesting interview conversation because of the huge jump from allegation (in red) to the assumption of guilt in the following question. The answer about the videotaping is, well, novel, but the interviewee could have also handled the Q by saying that "we're innocent until proven guilty" or "there was no proof that the charge was valid" or something along those lines.

This does seem to wander into a law school interview, but my key point here is that interviewees should be very flexible in mental gymnastics during a stress interview (which this clearly was).
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I keep hearing about these "stress interviews" but I haven't seen anyone defend the rationale behind it. The stress of MMIs makes sense, but aren't schools worried about creating a poor impression with these faculty interviews? Or about perpetuating an aggressive atmosphere in medicine?

I had a stress interview and it really made me question whether I'd want to go to such a school. Especially after other schools emphasized that they valued their students and wanted us to know about all the resources they offer to cope with emotional and academic stress.
 
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pageantry said:
I keep hearing about these "stress interviews" but I haven't seen anyone defend the rationale behind it. The stress of MMIs makes sense, but aren't schools worried about creating a poor impression with these faculty interviews? Or about perpetuating an aggressive atmosphere in medicine?

I had a stress interview and it really made me question whether I'd want to go to such a school. Especially after other schools emphasized that they valued their students and wanted us to know about all the resources they offer to cope with emotional and academic stress.
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As @Goro said elsewhere when he had to restrain his hungry student from devouring an interviewee for having little clinical experience, interviewers being angry jerks to interviewees is a good thing because they care for them in the end.

For me, i'll probably give them a hypertension medication so that they don't die from a heart attack during the interview 😛
 
Lawper said:
As @Goro said elsewhere when he had to restrain his hungry student from devouring an interviewee for having little clinical experience, interviewers being angry jerks to interviewees is a good thing because they care for them in the end.

For me, i'll probably give them a hypertension medication so that they don't die from a heart attack during the interview 😛
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There are a lot of pronouns here and I'm on NyQuil so I'm interpreting this to mean I'll be on compassionate care detail when my interviewer finally goes to the great curriculum vitae in the sky, which is kind of morbid of you, @Lawper.
 
pageantry said:
I keep hearing about these "stress interviews" but I haven't seen anyone defend the rationale behind it. The stress of MMIs makes sense, but aren't schools worried about creating a poor impression with these faculty interviews? Or about perpetuating an aggressive atmosphere in medicine?

I had a stress interview and it really made me question whether I'd want to go to such a school. Especially after other schools emphasized that they valued their students and wanted us to know about all the resources they offer to cope with emotional and academic stress.
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I'm curious too because I had two interviews at one school that I loved, up until the second interview. The first interview was conversational whereas the second interview was a ton of ethical and off the cuff questions. The interviewer even said they were "needling" me. The only positive way I can possibly spin it is to think that they really liked my application and just wanted to test me? Otherwise I just think about it being my worst interview. It really changed my opinion of the school.
 
justdoit1234 said:
Interviewer: If you could be a kitchen appliance, which appliance would you be?
Me: A fork, because it's multipurpose.

Just completely botched the answer by giving a utensil instead of an appliance.
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Was accepted to the school! Guess it doesn't matter that I'm the lonely fork in the appliance department
 
Goro said:
There are lots of interviewers who want to see how you perform under pressure.

And believe it or not, not all interview answers are perfect, and as such, require follow up. Sometimes poor answers deserve a skewering, too.
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Nah I don't buy it. Not enough justification for making the school seem aggressive and irrational. I think "stress interview" is a euphemism for an interviewer temporarily drunk with power.
 
I would agree to some extent that it can be to see how one reacts under pressure. But on the other hand I just didn't appreciate the follow up comments where they basically said that certain medical fields would just be too hard for me. Seriously? How am I supposed to respond to that? "Thank you?"
 
pageantry said:
Nah I don't buy it. Not enough justification for making the school seem aggressive and irrational. I think "stress interview" is a euphemism for an interviewer temporarily drunk with power.
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If you give a bad answer, you can't expect the interviewer to coddle you out of your own mistakes, its perfectly within their operating theatre to probe your weaknesses.
 
I just feel there is a pretty clear difference between a follow up question and forced stress questions.
 
I feel confident in my answers and accept my screw-ups. But I've been around long enough to know when people are screwing with me.

That's the part I find inappropriate. And I think the students who accept that paradigm will go on to themselves become the all-too-common abusive doctor stereotype.
 
What I'm trying to get across is an extension of the observation that most people are poor judges of their own interview performance.

One's answers might very well be poor, and thus trigger a riposte from the interviewer. For example, when I ask a question, I expect an answer. Thus, I'll pounce upon someone for not answering the question.

Drunk with power, indeed.:laugh:

pageantry said:
Nah I don't buy it. Not enough justification for making the school seem aggressive and irrational. I think "stress interview" is a euphemism for an interviewer temporarily drunk with power.
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it was for a competitive internship...

Interviewer: So you have an okay GPA
Me: That is true, but what do you think about my extracurriculars?
Interviewer: Well they are all short-term. Nothing that is substantial.
Me: Compared to your other applicants, overall do you think I have a competitive application. I want to know for future opportunities :O
Interviewer: Uncomfortably* yeah its good! I like the way you formatted it and everything
:S
Awkward silence all around. I don't know what I was saying, and neither one of us knew what was happening.

Interviewer: You are expected to volunteer for 12 hours a week for a year!
Me: hmmmmm that is a lot! :O

Awkward.. Interviewer looked pissed af


was accepted... but she treated me like her bitch
 
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In general, there are no med school interview questions where it is acceptable to refer to anyone involved in your answer as a "jabroni".
 
anhtimmy said:
Me: "I see you mentioned your SAT and MCAT score in your personal statement. Why was that?"

Interviewee: "Because I did well and I wanted to emphasize that."

Please never do this.
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I mean other than the fact that it can be seen as pretentious, it is also a huge waste of PS space!
 
JMMTB said:
I would agree to some extent that it can be to see how one reacts under pressure. But on the other hand I just didn't appreciate the follow up comments where they basically said that certain medical fields would just be too hard for me. Seriously? How am I supposed to respond to that? "Thank you?"
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"I respectfully disagree, [insert reasoning]..."
 
That's a pretty obvious challenge prompt where they insult you and try to see how you react.
 
Yeah, dude, the way I see it: you're an interviewer at this giant school. You're interviewing someone who's maybe wearing their first real suit, and they can't believe how much it cost to look that boring. They've just spent four years or more putting everything they've got just to be sitting in front of you. They've spent thousands of dollars getting an application submitted, hours writing essays. They've likely spent hundreds of dollars just getting to that one interview, taking off time from work or school, with lots of pressure from people waiting back home.

Every interview is a @&$*! stress interview. The interviewer has the upper hand. If the student is falling apart, or can't answer a question, just let them show that, take note, and move on. There's no reason to be a jerk about it. No reason to pounce. They are your GUEST. Schools that don't respect that basic and soooooo obvious dynamic? I struggle to believe they'll turn out compassionate doctors.
 
pageantry said:
Yeah, dude, the way I see it: you're an interviewer at this giant school. You're interviewing someone who's maybe wearing their first real suit, and they can't believe how much it cost to look that boring. They've just spent four years or more putting everything they've got just to be sitting in front of you. They've spent thousands of dollars getting an application submitted, hours writing essays. They've likely spent hundreds of dollars just getting to that one interview, taking off time from work or school, with lots of pressure from people waiting back home.

Every interview is a @&$*! stress interview. The interviewer has the upper hand. If the student is falling apart, or can't answer a question, just let them show that, take note, and move on. There's no reason to be a jerk about it. No reason to pounce. They are your GUEST. Schools that don't respect that basic and soooooo obvious dynamic? I struggle to believe they'll turn out compassionate doctors.
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Life's tough, get a helmet.
 
what?! now we need a helmet for interviews?!
need advice, is this one too blue? are stripes ok or only solid colors? is it ok to add flair with stickers?
GuyWhoDoesStuff said:
Life's tough, get a helmet.
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Goro said:
OK, I'll play.

Me (to interviewee): So tell me about your interest in X?
Interviewee: Well, I like X because...(sound of brain seizing up)...uhh, what was the question?
Me (thinking) Reject!

Here's another:

Lucy (an MD colleague of mine): So Joe, do you ave any questions for us?
Joe: yes, Lucy, why did join the faculty here?

Lucy and me (thinking) Reject!Note: Do not, ever, address an interviewer by their first name.
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I know you said this a while ago, but I would hate to have you as my interviewer. you sound like a prick. Sorry. I don't mean to call you names, but I am just calling it like I see it!
 
Im76at711 said:
I know you said this a while ago, but I would hate to have you as my interviewer. you sound like a prick. Sorry. I don't mean to call you names, but I am just calling it like I see it!
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Shots fired!

But for real, if you think it's okay to come off as disrespectful or as an airhead, you're going to have a hard time in your interviews.
 
whatever5 said:
Shots fired!

But for real, if you think it's okay to come off as disrespectful or as an airhead, you're going to have a hard time in your interviews.
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Interviews are difficult enough. Having an interviewer who you can't connect with professionally makes it even more nerve racking. I mean deciding on an applicant because of one minor (and mind you, pretty subjective) hitch seems harsh and a very poor execution of judgement. Thankfully,
I have learned to overcome these types of people but some people just can't do it!
 
Im76at711 said:
Interviews are difficult enough. Having an interviewer who you can't connect with professionally makes it even more nerve racking. I mean deciding on an applicant because of one minor (and mind you, pretty subjective) hitch seems harsh and a very poor execution of judgement. Thankfully,
I have learned to overcome these types of people but some people just can't do it!
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I don't want to speak for @Goro , but my guess is people who make these mistakes also exude a sense of unprofessionalism and/or incompetence, and these are just some concrete examples of those intangible qualities.

Further, if you can't handle your nerves in an interview, medicine will not be an easy path.
 
So having a interview candidate who can't answer a simple question is a good thing?


Good luck with your career as a non doctor.

Im76at711 said:
I know you said this a while ago, but I would hate to have you as my interviewer. you sound like a prick. Sorry. I don't mean to call you names, but I am just calling it like I see it!
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whatever5 said:
Further, if you can't handle your nerves in an interview, medicine will not be an easy path.
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I hear this a lot but I don't believe it. The med school interview is not comparable to getting pimped on rounds, or getting yelled at by an attending during a time-critical procedure in the ED. Why? Because the med school interview is the critical decision point for an entire career, and many applicants realize that. Years of hard work at building up an application can be nullified by (apparently) not answering a single question to the satisfaction of an interviewer. Compare that to rounds: yes, a student might not know the answer to something and might get laughed at (or worse) but it is highly unlikely that the student is going to get kicked out of school for the wrong answer.
 
I haven't seen the "yeah, but interviews are stressful" meme in a long time. No doubt they are, but so is tying off a spurting artery on a MVA victim, or dealing with an acting-out psychotic patient. Thus, with all the people we interview for our limited number of seats, the seats go to those who display grace under pressure. Panic is not an option for a doctor; clear-headed thinking is.



Im76at711 said:
Interviews are difficult enough. Having an interviewer who you can't connect with professionally makes it even more nerve racking. I mean deciding on an applicant because of one minor (and mind you, pretty subjective) hitch seems harsh and a very poor execution of judgement. Thankfully,
I have learned to overcome these types of people but some people just can't do it!
Click to expand...
 
Let's stick to respectful opinions, if you would please. Thank you.

The example you provided is terrible. I understand that tying off arteries is stressful, but casting a judgement based off of one answer is a ludicrous and very sorry way to justify not accepting someone into medical school. There are two types of AdComs. Those who look at the applicant for the facts that they present, and those that just reject because they can. Unfortunately based off of what you said, you fall into the second category. People get nervous. It's life. It's a huge step for whatever 22 or 23 year old that is in front of you. Definitely not the same type of stress as having training and being experienced in a particular training. Just sitting there and thinking "REJECT" before you even had a chance to get to know them is God awful.

I hope I never run into you as my interviewer, because I would feel like I'm wasting my time.

I have said all I have to say, without personally attacking you. Let's see if you can do the same 😉
Goro said:
So having a interview candidate who can't answer a simple question is a good thing?


Good luck with your career as a non doctor.
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gyrfalcon said:
I hear this a lot but I don't believe it. The med school interview is not comparable to getting pimped on rounds, or getting yelled at by an attending during a time-critical procedure in the ED. Why? Because the med school interview is the critical decision point for an entire career, and many applicants realize that. Years of hard work at building up an application can be nullified by (apparently) not answering a single question to the satisfaction of an interviewer. Compare that to rounds: yes, a student might not know the answer to something and might get laughed at (or worse) but it is highly unlikely that the student is going to get kicked out of school for the wrong answer.
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Your thinking is a bit too short sighted to make sense. Interviewers aren't looking for candidates who make good med students, they are looking for candidates who make good doctors. Being level-headed under pressure is a must when you are responsible for someones life.

Also, answering one question stupidly doesn't disqualify you - look at earlier posts in this thread if you need proof of that. Being unprofessional or having poor social skills does.
 
whatever5 said:
Your thinking is a bit too short sighted to make sense. Interviewers aren't looking for candidates who make good med students, they are looking for candidates who make good doctors. Being level-headed under pressure is a must when you are responsible for someones life.
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If med schools were only accepting people for emergency med or critical care or such then sure, you would be right, but they are not. There are plenty of doctors who go their entire career never having to deal with the "every second counts" sort of medicine: pathology, radiology, etc. Since students can pick for themselves the level of stress and pressure they want in their specialty, the only thing that should matter for med school admission is: will this student make it through training? As I explained in my last post, flubbing a single question at any time during training is not going to be the end of a medical career, so it is ridiculous to let it be an exclusionary criterion for admission. Look into the student's application instead and find times when they were (or were not) under pressure and performed well, rather than hang everything on perfect answers at a half-hour interview.
 
And nervous applicants tend to be rejected. Outright rejected, not wait listed. One has to work at being outright rejected.

The person I referenced in my example was also s-canned by a clinician and a med student on our interview panel.

We also outright reject people who come in with attitudes as well.

Look, med school is hard. It's also stressful. We want students who can deal with stress.


Im76at711 said:
Let's stick to respectful opinions, if you would please. Thank you.

The example you provided is terrible. I understand that tying off arteries is stressful, but casting a judgement based off of one answer is a ludicrous and very sorry way to justify not accepting someone into medical school. There are two types of AdComs. Those who look at the applicant for the facts that they present, and those that just reject because they can. Unfortunately based off of what you said, you fall into the second category. People get nervous. It's life. It's a huge step for whatever 22 or 23 year old that is in front of you. Definitely not the same type of stress as having training and being experienced in a particular training. Just sitting there and thinking "REJECT" before you even had a chance to get to know them is God awful.

I hope I never run into you as my interviewer, because I would feel like I'm wasting my time.

I have said all I have to say, without personally attacking you. Let's see if you can do the same 😉
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From last year

Interviewer: What make you a good candidate for our school?
Me: My incantations have cured many diseases, and I am also a hard worker!
[Silence]
Interviewer: Anything else?
Me: I have a great sense of humor!
[Silence]
Interviewer: Moving on...

In my defense, my interviewer made some really nutty jokes and I was trying to mirror her...
 
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