Organic Chem Interview Question

[Massari]

Hey for those who interviewed (2008 - 2009) year and were asked the chemical compound synthesis question, how did you answer it?

[xylem29]

Hey for those who interviewed (2008 - 2009) year and were asked the chemical compound synthesis question, how did you answer it?

 

They asked people science questions on the interviews?

[EricCartman]

Hey for those who interviewed (2008 - 2009) year and were asked the chemical compound synthesis question, how did you answer it?

 

i think out of the seven CDA questions, generally one of the questions is dedicated to general chem, not o chem. You must answer this question correctly to pass the interview....Massari, i think those g chem questions are very tough and you are likely to fail if you didn't get 95% in g chem courses at your university, haha.

 

.....yeah, why the hell would they ask you o-chem questions during a dental admissions interview...unless i misinterpreted your question you are talking about some other interview?

[widedentist]

What are you guys talking about ive never heard of this before... I cant see them asking chemistry questions in the interview . Dont they only ask situational questions and questions about your experiences? That was my understanding...

[AllSmiles]

Ummm....there's no science questions. It's all behavioural and situational (and sometimes some extra ice breaker questions). I've had 3 interviews (and 2 acceptances) and I've never had a scientific question. Why would they even need to ask such things? They already know we're good at science based on GPA and DAT. They do need time to figure out if we are decent people however...which is what the interview is used for.

[Massari]

No it was a situational question. A professor gives you a chemical compound to synthesize in the lab, how do you go about synthesizing the compound?

[Mare]

Sounds like they just wanted to hear how you'd approach the task/problem at hand... would you refer to previous documented research? Ask for advice from someone more educated in that area? Do some trial and error experiments? Etc.

[Arnie]

This question is not beyond belief.

 

I had an interview question something along these lines:

 

You've been involved in basic science lab research and you're ready to publish. You see there's data supporting your conclusions, but also data refuting what you claim. How do you go about your publication?

 

 

Mare made some great suggestions on how to handle the Chem synthesis question. Think about things from multiple angles, don't leave anything that runs through your mind unsaid. Think of hurdles you might encounter and how you'd overcome them, etc.

 

I'll just add one thing (take/leave as you will).

 

For this question, I wouldn't be afraid of throwing in something that reflects your personality:

 

ex) I find that learning is most meaningful to me and retained best when I try things on my and learn from my mistakes. So I would initially try to figure out a solution to the problem with my own knowledge base and then follow that with a literature search and using that to augment my knowledge, etc. etc etc.... The last stage would be approaching my supervisor, etc.

 

that was just a rough throw together, but in the answer I tried to give you a brief glimpse about my learning style and made myself more like an individual rather than a number on a list by opening up that way. That make sense? Involve yourself and make the answer seem less like a flowchart and series of steps that must be reflexively followed. (maybe I did a poor job of conveying myself here)

 

Just my thoughts is all.

[Massari]

I appreciate your insight, however, the interview answer requires clarity and a sound conclusion.

[OzP]

Come on guys, there is no science question on the interview. For the lab question, they want to know your problem-solving skill and integrity, so you do not make up some random data. Also, they want you to see the bigger picture, ask for help and work as a team in the lab.