Worst Interview, How to respond?

[SushiCupcake]

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I need some advice. During the course of an interview day, I had 3 open-file, one-on-one interviews. I felt really good about the first one, so-so about the second, and absolutely awful about the last.

Recap:
The final interview was with a fellow and he really just didn't seem to care about the whole process in general. For starters, he showed up 20 mins late to my interview because he ran home to set up an animal trap for his wife. He then started off the interview asking me what I was interviewing for MD or MD/PhD and said that he would probably look over my application over the weekend or something afterwards. Our entire interview ended up being a walk to the library because we were going to meet up with everyone for lunch. I was expecting something more formal so I didn't realize that was going to be our entire interview until halfway through. He was very curt and asked me what was on my application- my gpa, mcat, ecc, etc. and told me that based on my application I was probably in the middle of the pack and had a 50/50 chance of getting in. I didn't really know how to respond to that... I tried to tell him traditional/important interview answers like why I wanted to go into medicine and why I want to be a doctor while we were walking, but he was looking at his phone (possibly texting?) and kind of tuned out. It was rude. He asked me where else I had interviewed and if I had heard back from them. I told him that I had at one other school so far and that they put me on their alternate list and he responded "Really? hm, interesting." I also didn't know how to respond to that…. Finally, he asked me what I would do if I didn't get into medical school. I told him I would try to improve my application and reapply but that if I truly was not able to become a physician, that I might pursue something else in healthcare. He then scolded me and said "that is the wrong answer. There is only one right answer to that question and it is to reapply and reapply and reapply until you are a doctor." I was shocked. Of course I want to be a doctor more than anything but I was trying to be realistic as some people don't get in after reapplying 3 years in a row… And I think to say there is only one right answer doesn't seem fair. It was really awful and awkward from that point on. He ended the interview and asked if I had any questions. I felt so awful and just went with how does he like living in the area. He said that was probably the easiest question to answer- the area is great and has everything- which I already knew. So I just felt dumb to boot. He didn't ever smile the entire time we interviewed (he was always direct and curt) but as soon as we got to lunch and he was talking to other admissions coordinators he was all smiles and laughs. I felt like he was putting on a face for them. Either that or he was trying to be particularly cold/mean to me.

Sorry to include such a long description and I don't want to sound like a big complainer but it was just awful and I wish it would have gone so much better because I really liked this school 🙁


So my question is do I just let it go and wait to tell the admissions committee about this experience after they decide whether to accept/reject me so it doesn't seem like I'm complaining/trying to alter their decision or do I call now and let them know that this interviewer seemed rude to me and maybe even ask if it's possible to reinterview?

 

[NontradCA]

It could be that he was just testing you and see how you handle a stressful situation. I had something similar happen and I replied in kind to the interviewer. I was rejected. So I think you shouldn't worry too much so long as you kept your poise.

 

[Microglia]

Sounds like the fellow is an angry and bitter person. Who does this stuff to interviewees?

Don't sweat it, OP. I had a very similar interview at a school and I ended up getting in somehow haha. No worries, if he's a jerk they probably take everything he says with a grain of salt anyway.

 

[Ogmora]

It could be that he was just testing you and see how you handle a stressful situation. I had something similar happen and I replied in kind to the interviewer. I was rejected. So I think you shouldn't worry too much so long as you kept your poise.

This.

It was likely a designed part of the interview. You prepared your premeditated answers and were able to give them to the interviewers. When they give you an informal/unorthodox interviewer, it usually because they want to see how you handle a stressful situation and to invoke some non-premeditated responses that show them who you really are.

Plus, I'm sure they spent a good amount of time deciding on who will help with the interview process, so it's unlikely someone who is actually as rude as the fellow is picked to perform interviews.

Edit: Personally, I wouldn't mention it to the admissions committee. What's done is done. The best you can do is thank your interviewers, even the fellow. I think it'll show your above any kind of mistreatment.

 

[DrBirdFriend]

Wow that realllllly stinks. It's not fair for us to prepare for an interview, travel to the school (likely involving a pricey plane ticket), show up on time looking our best and ready to put our best foot forward.....only to be interviewed by someone who clearly got roped into this and doesn't care. You= potentially life-altering day. Them= just some annoying errand they had to do for politics. It comes down to the whole "well life isn't fair" idea and that doesn't make you feel any better obviously. I guess I'm trying to say I'm truly sorry you had that experience, but you aren't the first or the last. 🙁

As for what you can do- depends on the school. One of the schools I interviewed at specifically says on their interview day webpage that if you feel your interview was unfair or unsatisfactory in some way you can request a new one BEFORE the decision, probably to guard against busy/bored/not caring/discriminatory interviewers. So I personally would call the admin office, explain what happened and say you didn't feel you had a fair chance, and see what they say. Maybe they'll respond positively, maybe you can't do anything about it. Either way, I don't think it will hurt you as long as you don't call angrily or whine. That's my two cents, will be interested to hear what others have to say too.

 

[starkidbee]

I had a similar experience - my interviewer made eye contact with me once, and it was to tell me that my answer was wrong... I figured out pretty quickly it was a "stress" interview, but I agree it's still unnerving. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, it seems like he was acting to try and throw you off your game.

 

[Microglia]

This.

It was likely a designed part of the interview. You prepared your premeditated answers and were able to give them to the interviewers. When they give you an informal/unorthodox interviewer, it usually because they want to see how you handle a stressful situation and to invoke some non-premeditated responses that show them who you really are.

Plus, I'm sure they spent a good amount of time deciding on who will help with the interview process, so it's unlikely someone who is actually as rude as the fellow is picked to perform interviews.

Edit: Personally, I wouldn't mention it to the admissions committee. What's done is done. The best you can do is thank your interviewers, even the fellow. I think it'll show your above any kind of mistreatment.

Usually it's a lot less planned than that- and often times there's slim pickings when it comes to who is willing to voluntarily take time out to interview for the med school. I wouldn't be surprised if he was just a jerk, haha.

 

[nyc1990]

OP, I'm really sorry to hear this. I would be furious if something like this happened to me, especially because you seemed to have prepared for the interview, as well as seemed to have acted completely normal throughout the interview.

Honestly, don't get caught up on this. There are plenty of stories of this happening to an applicant initially, followed by an acceptance.

One thing to note: if something like this ever happens again, I would go to the admissions office immediately, and report it entirely as you said it here - without complaints - just very straightforwardly. It simply isn't right to the aspiring applicant to be treated like this, and you should be granted an additional interview without repercussions.

 

[boomshaketheroom]

Had something similar. An interviewer told me doctors are just exploiting people to keep them sick and paying for meds. The same interviewer told me a machine can do a better job than a doctor anyway so why be a doctor?

I treated it like a challenge to defend my point of view and think about the interviewer's as well. It actually ended up being a pretty fun one.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

I totally agree with Microglia's post above: it probably wasn't planned. The fellow was busy and has another life beyond interviewing. In fact, he may have forgotten about it until too late. It probably wasn't because he's just a rude person, but having to deal with so many other issues at once … an upcoming exam, the next grant to write, the next research paper to read, the professor he needs to meet with, where is that trap, why can't his wife do those things? where will he work after his fellowship?

Remember this when you're in this same situation. Then let it go.

 

[malaika]

It's all in your head. It's your perception of the Interview/Interviewer. Alter your perception of the event. Hold him high in your thoughts, thank him daily in your thoughts and think positively about the experience and only positivity will come out of it. You get more of what you give. You see only what you focus on. If you give or focus on negativity, you get & see negativity. If you give and choose to see positivity...guess what?

See, It wasn't so bad. Only good can come out of it.
If you were rejected, it's because it wasn't your place to be there. It's because it is not that place that will bring you the highest most grandest experience of your life. Life continues and everything is awesome. Send positive thoughts and let go. Stop thinking about it. Stop the negative attachment. It pushes your luck further away. Focus on what's next. Focus on now. Interview is done. And no matter what happens, you will get into the best place for you. Your idea of best may not be the ultimate best. For every time I have been rejected from something in my life, I always look back a few years later (and sometimes just months) and get extremely grateful for that rejection.

I wish you the very best. Only good will come out of this. You'll see. Just relax.

 

[moisne]

My interviewer was just like that. Late, talked about his coffee, talked about dogs for half the time. Real awkward. To be honest, I couldn't understand his questions half the time but I answered them anyways - haha. He put in a "strong recommendation". Was extremely shocked.

If it was truly terrible, you can tell the ADCOM and sometimes they will do an alternate interview.

 

[kevin2400]

I actually had a similar interview experience. My interviewer was very harsh and asked almost the same questions ("Where else did you get in? Nowhere? Hm interesting. What are you going to do if you don't get in?.... no no you didn't answer my question"). I was sure I didn't get in.... but I did. You really never know!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I don't care if they are tying to stress you or what, but I wouldn't attend a school that disrespects me. I would definitely complain in the off chance it's only him being the jackass.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

It's all in your head. It's your perception of the Interview/Interviewer. Alter your perception of the event. Hold him high in your thoughts, thank him daily in your thoughts and think positively about the experience and only positivity will come out of it. You get more of what you give. You see only what you focus on. If you give or focus on negativity, you get & see negativity. If you give and choose to see positivity...guess what?

See, It wasn't so bad. Only good can come out of it.
If you were rejected, it's because it wasn't your place to be there. It's because it is not that place that will bring you the highest most grandest experience of your life. Life continues and everything is awesome. Send positive thoughts and let go. Stop thinking about it. Stop the negative attachment. It pushes your luck further away. Focus on what's next. Focus on now. Interview is done. And no matter what happens, you will get into the best place for you. Your idea of best may not be the ultimate best. For every time I have been rejected from something in my life, I always look back a few years later (and sometimes just months) and get extremely grateful for that rejection.

I wish you the very best. Only good will come out of this. You'll see. Just relax.

I'm from San Francisco and had never seen something so hippie as this.

 

[malaika]

I don't care if they are tying to stress you or what, but I wouldn't attend a school that disrespects me. I would definitely complain in the off chance it's only him being the jackass.

Complaining can't get you anywhere. People attach unnecessary meaning to everything. And you wouldn't accept a school that disrespects you if that's the only school you that has given you a chance?

Our ego is our biggest enemy.

 

[pyrrion89]

Had a similar experience at Cornell. Interviewer came in 50 minutes late. When I introduced myself he just said he was having a bad day and ignored my handshake offer. When my research came up he said all my research was "crap" and my topic was a "psuedoscience." I did some overseas volunteering and he said all I did was prop up a failing third-world healthcare system that would be better off collapsing. My mother is an immigrant and he asked if I spoke her native language, when I said I didn't, he just made fun of that the whole interview. Asked how to say "stupid" in that language, I knew it, so I told him the word. Throughout the interview he'd use the foreign word and then used it on me when he didn't like my answer.

I felt like it was a game though, when I saw how often he would glance at the clock to my side, so he did seem to care about time and the interview (either that or he was eagerly awaiting it to be over). Then at a lunch a med student told me she had the same interviewer and he used the same attack phrases he used on me. Seems like a game some interviewers like to play---to see how you act when placed with a hostile person (esp. one who has power over you).

I'm thinking OP had a similar situation, but sometimes the exigencies of medical school life create situations in which bad interviewers and hurried interviewers don't give proper consideration to interviewees, I think. Life can be unfair. I remember a girl at Pritzker complaining to me that for her student interview, the M3 or M4 was doing clinical rounds while interviewing her! She was awkwardly tailing him as he walked around the hospital.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Complaining can't get you anywhere. People attach unnecessary meaning to everything. And you wouldn't accept a school that disrespects you if that's the only school you that has given you a chance?

Our ego is our biggest enemy.

I can understand if that's your only choice why you'd go there, but given other opportunities, I'd certainly pass.

I don't think complaining gets you nowhere. Maybe the first time they just say something to the guy, but if he doesn't shape up, they will stop inviting him to interview candidates. That would be in the best interest of the school. If I were a school official, I don't care how much of a "fellow" you are. I care about you doing your job right. You're never above doing the job you chose in the right way.

 

[DocDocGoose9]

I didn't have quite such a terrible experience like SushiCupcake but one comment my interview made has been playing over and over in my head. My interviewer was a male in his late 60s/early 70s and he was talking about living in the area and said "We do have X (sporting event) every year, but you probably wouldn't be interested." I immediately took it to be a sexist comment. I explained that I actually really enjoy going to X (sporting events) and that I used to play as well.

(I'm leaving the specific sporting event out of it just so the school/location can't be identified)

This has been bothering me for some time. Thoughts? I don't know if I'm just reading way too much into it or if it seems like it was a sexist comment because "women wouldn't be interested in sports."

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I didn't have quite such a terrible experience like SushiCupcake but one comment my interview made has been playing over and over in my head. My interviewer was a male in his late 60s/early 70s and he was talking about living in the area and said "We do have X (sporting event) every year, but you probably wouldn't be interested." I immediately took it to be a sexist comment. I explained that I actually really enjoy going to X (sporting events) and that I used to play as well.

(I'm leaving the specific sporting event out of it just so the school/location can't be identified)

This has been bothering me for some time. Thoughts? I don't know if I'm just reading way too much into it or if it seems like it was a sexist comment because "women wouldn't be interested in sports."

You need to get over it. I say that with a lot of love. If you are going to take offense at things like this, you are going to be permanently offended from your first day of medical school --> retirement.

 

[malaika]

You need to get over it. I say that with a lot of love. If you are going to take offense at things like this, you are going to be permanently offended from your first day of medical school --> retirement.

Yup! You can say that again. People get so bitter over things you have no control over. I used to be like this. These days, no one can dictate how I feel or steal away moments of joy in my day - seriously. And with this, amazing things have happened to me, what many of us will consider miracles.

 

[SushiCupcake]

Hey everyone! Thanks for all of your opinions on the matter.

I wanted to update you all and let you know how I ended up approaching the situation, especially for any future applicants who ever come across something like this. Hopefully you'll have a better sense of what to do than I did.

I emailed the other two interviewers to ask what they thought about the situation (without naming who my interviewer was) and how I should respond.
The first kept it confidential and asked admissions for me. Apparently, he said the best thing would have been to go to the admissions office and let them know right after it happened so that they could have quickly scheduled me another interview. I was also told that I had the option of telling admissions about it so that they could look over my file and see if anything could be done.
The second interviewer ended up forwarding my email right to the admissions coordinator so they figured out who it was and they looked over my file. I got a phone call from the dean of admissions sincerely apologizing for the interview. Apparently I just got my interviewer on a bad day. She told me that they screen interviewers and wish he would have told admissions that he was too busy to really do interviews. She thanked me for speaking up so that some other poor interviewee doesn't need to go through something like that so I believe he won't be interviewing again anytime soon. She also told me that they didn't suspect a thing because he had rated me just as well as all my other interviewers had. Phew, that was a relief!

In sum, many of you were right! You really just don't know how an interviewer rates you. Telling the adcom may help other future interviewees so maybe don't be so afraid to do it like I was.
I'm glad I did end up hearing from the adcom. It's such a relief to know that my application wasn't negatively affected.

 

[scarletgirl777]

Hey everyone! Thanks for all of your opinions on the matter.

I wanted to update you all and let you know how I ended up approaching the situation, especially for any future applicants who ever come across something like this. Hopefully you'll have a better sense of what to do than I did.

I emailed the other two interviewers to ask what they thought about the situation (without naming who my interviewer was) and how I should respond.
The first kept it confidential and asked admissions for me. Apparently, he said the best thing would have been to go to the admissions office and let them know right after it happened so that they could have quickly scheduled me another interview. I was also told that I had the option of telling admissions about it so that they could look over my file and see if anything could be done.
The second interviewer ended up forwarding my email right to the admissions coordinator so they figured out who it was and they looked over my file. I got a phone call from the dean of admissions sincerely apologizing for the interview. Apparently I just got my interviewer on a bad day. She told me that they screen interviewers and wish he would have told admissions that he was too busy to really do interviews. She thanked me for speaking up so that some other poor interviewee doesn't need to go through something like that so I believe he won't be interviewing again anytime soon. She also told me that they didn't suspect a thing because he had rated me just as well as all my other interviewers had. Phew, that was a relief!

In sum, many of you were right! You really just don't know how an interviewer rates you. Telling the adcom may help other future interviewees so maybe don't be so afraid to do it like I was.
I'm glad I did end up hearing from the adcom. It's such a relief to know that my application wasn't negatively affected.

Although that interviewer sounds horrible, he is right about one thing: the answer to what you will do if you don't get in is ALWAYS to reapply. Reapply reapply reapply until you get in. Period. End of story. You only bring up second career options if they ask what you would do if you weren't going to be a doctor.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

Did you get in? Props for standing up for yourself!

 

[Goro]

One of the hard parts of this process is that there will always be some bad interviewers. I recommend that you do due diligence and complain tot he Admissions dean because it's the only way to fix the system. Your last interviewer was 100% unprofessional and would be booted off the interviewing panel for antics like that at my school.

He was very curt and asked me what was on my application- my gpa, mcat, ecc, etc. and told me that based on my application I was probably in the middle of the pack and had a 50/50 chance of getting in. I didn't really know how to respond to that... I tried to tell him traditional/important interview answers like why I wanted to go into medicine and why I want to be a doctor while we were walking, but he was looking at his phone (possibly texting?) and kind of tuned out. It was rude.


I'm shocked too, because you gave a perfectly good answer! it's a sign of immaturity and very unrealistic thinking to say "I'm going to keep applying until I'm 90 or I get in". determination is one ting, but being realistc is another.

He asked me where else I had interviewed and if I had heard back from them. I told him that I had at one other school so far and that they put me on their alternate list and he responded "Really? hm, interesting." I also didn't know how to respond to that…. Finally, he asked me what I would do if I didn't get into medical school. I told him I would try to improve my application and reapply but that if I truly was not able to become a physician, that I might pursue something else in healthcare. He then scolded me and said "that is the wrong answer. There is only one right answer to that question and it is to reapply and reapply and reapply until you are a doctor." I was shocked.



Wait and see what happens first, but do make a complaint.


So my question is do I just let it go and wait to tell the admissions committee about this experience after they decide whether to accept/reject me so it doesn't seem like I'm complaining/trying to alter their decision or do I call now and let them know that this interviewer seemed rude to me and

 

[Ismet]

he said the best thing would have been to go to the admissions office and let them know right after it happened so that they could have quickly scheduled me another interview.

For any future applicants reading this thread, this is usually an option at schools. Don't wait until you get home to file a complaint. If it's bad enough and if you feel like you were cheated out of a good interviewing experience, report it right after and they may be able to schedule again. Be sure it's an issue with the interviewer, such as what OP described. Don't request another interview just because you think you did poorly.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Schools should consider recording their interviews in the interviewing room so they can randomly quality check interviewers and interveiwees. Additionally if a complaint is raised, they can be quickly investigated. This would cut down on a lot of the funny business.

Just a suggestion.

 

[thesauce]

I personally don't think anything was too crazy abnormal about the interview as you described it. Granted, he was an awkward interviewer but you handled it the best way possible.

That being said, I wasn't there and if you really think he's going to give negative feedback, I would let the ADCOM know.