Interview question

[Guest SherriONT]

I've been reading over some sample interview questions, and one question in particular has been bothering me. Why would they ask how you plan on paying for med school? I'm just trying to understand the relevance of this question to the admissions process, and what they can learn about a candidate from their answer. Some people may even get annoyed by the question because they consider it very personal. Any thoughts?

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of maturity-related reasons why an interviewer might ask this: 1) to assess an applicant's level of maturity and communication skills, by how they respond to a slightly risque topic; 2) to see if an applicant has put some thought towards what med school life will be like outside of attending classes and studying for exams, i.e., the unfortunate practicalities of high tuition and costs-of-living.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest fizzicyst]

To add to what Kirsteen said, I was asked a variation of this question in part because I was going from an engineering job into medicine. The interviewer seemed to want to see if I was really ready for the shock of going from substantial income to substantial outflow of cash. Think of it as an opportunity to convince them how much you want to be a doctor, even if it means a temporary decrease in your standard of living.

[Guest Littlest Zooropa]

When I interviewed (many years ago), they always threw in a couple of really goof-ball questions (U of A was terrible for doing this).

 

If you could be any kitchen appliance, what sort of appliance would you be?

 

They just want to rattle you. If you don't like a question and think it's stupid, just remember - it may be an attempt to see how you respond to being shaken up. Consider it, and answer seriously. And once you've responded, stick by your answer - the venerable old docs I interviewed with would challenge you if you told them the sky was blue.

 

PS - Do they still do this nowadays?

[Guest Lactic Folly]

I think it depends what interviewer you get. Just give each question your best shot.