Guest artef Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 The primary purpose of an interview is to demonstrate who you are; a sincere interviewee would answer questions to the truest nature possible. Yet does absolute truth outweight the risk that the interviewers might look with disdain at what you've done in the past? Of course, there the "they will respect you for telling the truth!" aspect of it - and we hear stories all the time of people saying that they've cheated on an exam, or smoked pot, etc and gotten in to med school. But that's not a controlled expt of course, and there's no multivariate analysis to see if other factors are at influence. What about the people who didn't get in because they said they drink too much - we don't know how many because you can attribute the rejection letter to a number of other things in the interview as well. The only conclusion to be made is that saying you've done 'bad' stuff doesn't always rule you out - but we don't know if it may with some interviewers. So for example, if you're asked what's the most embarrassing thing you've done and your most embarrassing story really happened when you were drunk (because we ARE more vulernable then) - and it's a funny story - would you say it? And for the med school student moderators, is there any risk in telling the story? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sil Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Hello Artef: For me the way that I would think about it: Is it a story that I would tell the press if I was running for office? Is it a story that I would tell my ultra-conservative grandmother and that she would be OK with it? Remember that you want to show yourself in the best possible light. I am not telling you to lie in your interview (I think most people are unable to sustain a lie for 45 minutes which is the lenght of the interviw) but to think that in a way it is like applying to a job, would you like to employer to think that you may perhaps have a substance abuse problem (not that I am saying you have as I think most people drink too much once in a while) but I would not want my interviewers to think that about me. That is just my opinion and I am in no way connected to the admission process with any university in Canada Sil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cramguy Posted February 17, 2003 Report Share Posted February 17, 2003 I have to agree with Sil. You should remember when you walk into the interview room you are not walking into a confessional to see a priest. You are the judge of what your most embarassing or worst mistake is. I am sure we all have had multiple experiences which we can draw from. Take one which they cannot fault you for (ie. that they might have also done if they were in your shoes, and that, like Sil said, if you were running for office the media would not pound on you). Again, Sil is right: what you're doing is like going for a job (if not exactly). You don't impress anyone by telling them a really poorly chosen answer. Why? Because you cannot say afterwards, "Oh, I was trying to portray my 'honest' self, and so you can understand why I have used such an answer in response to your question." Of course you would not be able to actually say that! Good luck! Cramguy UBC Med I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biochem10 Posted February 17, 2003 Report Share Posted February 17, 2003 Hey, I totally agree with the above posts. Sure, I've had a couple of embarassing drunken moments, but I think I'd rather mention the time I walked into a concrete pillar instead of going over my *crazy* high school days...those are behind me, however, the pillar was not. :eek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted February 17, 2003 Report Share Posted February 17, 2003 Hmmm. One of the med students I talked to before my Queen's interview told me during his interview he was asked what he did in his spare time. He suffered one of those brain farts that comes from time to time and replied "I drink." He then went on to explain on friday and saturday nights he enjoys going out for beers with the boys. He got in. Not surprising, considering it's highly likely at least some of the interviewers did the same when they were his age. Heck, myself and my classmates went out a couple of times WITH our profs. On a somewhat related tangent, one of my classmates stayed with friends for his interview at one of the schools, and got dragged out by the friend the night before the interview. Sufficed to say, it was a late night and he went out HARD. He's not sure, but it's possible he was actually drunk for his interview. I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS APPROACH - he got waitlisted there. But it is curious to note that year that particular school went through it's entire waitlist - meaning everyone waitlisted was accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest artef Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 Hi UWOMEDS2005 et al, That's precisely it! I mean, I'd be reluctant to talk about partying if it was the first question, but if it's in the middle or end of the interview, I think it may just show one more side of me. I work hard and play hard. Medicine will be stressful and demonstrating I'm not 100% work might be a good thing. I don't think it'd be bad showing that I can fit in typical 20-something behaviour along side with all the nerdy interview-qualifying attributes I've put in my application. For the "against" people - take a look at any picture collection of the medical school students' web sites. There's always a lot of partying (not neccessarily always drinking but sometimes it's quite obvious). Do you really think the reluctance of showing all sides of yourself will help in coming across as being sincere? Do you think the med students would find you easier to relate to, or worse? Yours (more or less taking a devil's advocate approach at this point.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sil Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 In the end it is your call, it is your interview after all. I would not bringing it up others may. I think that with all that goes on in med school: students who are alcoholics, suffer from eating disorders, are depressed, etc, I would try to show myself in the best light possible. It was my opportunity to shine. But your interviewers my appretiate your story, who knows (hey you may not even be asked that question). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 I'd like to repeat that I was NOT advocating for interviewees to advertise their partying abilities during their interview. Wait for O-week to do that! But seriously, med students are people too and many do enjoy the occasional tasty alcohol containing treat so it wouldn't be a huge faux-pas to admit to enjoying the occasional beer or having been inside the Ceeps in London, the Guelph Palace, Phil's in Waterloo, the Brunny in T.O, AJ's Hangar in Kingston, Minglewoods in Ottawa, Crescent street Montreal, Chez Dagobert in QC, the Lower Deck in Halifax, or the like. But I wouldn't overly advertise the fact you enjoyed such houses of ill-repute: it could easily backfire, as there are med students (and faculty, and members of the community at large) who disdain of such activities and would have responded differently to my example of the student from Queen's. And as for my friend here at UWO. . . he didn't mean to get drunk the night before his interview, and isn't too proud of what happened. I would definitely NOT recommend getting hammered the night before or morning of your interview. . . though there's nothing wrong with having a beer or two (if you so choose) the night before if invited by some of the first year med students hosting the interview weekend - it might relax and it's better than lying in your hotel or billet's bed waiting anxiously to fall asleep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biochem10 Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 I just want to point out that there's a big difference between saying 'I like to go out for drinks with the boys on Saturday night' and saying 'When I was drunk...I did such and such embarassing thing'. I think you're totally right, Artef, when you say that you want to show that you're not just a nerd but enjoy 'partying' with your friends, however, I would not elaborate too much on my 'party side'. Anyway, I said a couple of relaxed things (which had nothing to do with intoxication) in my interview and wondered afterwards if I should have refrained from being so open. I guess only time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 I don't think you should worry at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mtws Posted February 19, 2003 Report Share Posted February 19, 2003 I thought this thread was going to be about poundin back a few before your interview. That would be a story to tell the grandkids. Ha M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted February 19, 2003 Report Share Posted February 19, 2003 Check my story above from one of my classmates. . . /:( /:rolleyes while it makes for a good story, it's not really the best way to capitalize on that $$ you threw OMSAS back in the fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest McGill03 Posted March 9, 2003 Report Share Posted March 9, 2003 Actually, drinking came up at my McGill MD/PhD interview. The interviewer asked how much I could drink, and after responding (honestly) he said "Well, we can work on that." We then talked about what kind of beer we liked for a couple of minutes before switching back to more "traditional" topics. It was very weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MayFlower1 Posted March 9, 2003 Report Share Posted March 9, 2003 Hey artef, Are you interviewing at UofO? If so, it might not be a bad idea to tell them you like to get drunk until you stagger I'm just teasing...although...it would thin out the competition! Seriously, I think it would be a really bad idea to tell them about this...you don't have to lie, however, you could choose (as many have said) other more appropriate stories...to reiterate...ones you might talk about at a job interview or at a formal family function... Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grandmellon Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 I've got quite the story to tell... Last year I was accused of cheating on an exam... basically at the end of the ordeal we found out that #1 the other student who I didn't know admitted to talking to himself during that exam (and they thought he was talking to me) #2 that the proctor had made up some stuff and reported it but never wrote it down in the proctors notes... (eg. using hand signals, talking and showing someone else the scantron sheet) Anyways... I had to hire a lawyer and went through all levels of appeal and finally go to the unbiased senate review board where the arghhmm pathology department (if anyone is from UWO Dont you dare tell anyone in that dept I said this stuff!) was made to look like total idiots because none of their accusations were plausible. (The exam scan tron sheets were analyzed and were found to have no evidence of cheating... I also had 90% in that course why the hell would i cheat) ANYWAYS... the gist of this is: if they ask me what the worse thing that has ever happend to me is should i tell them about this or getting robbed at knife and gunpoint? lol... (I had a bad year last year) I'm thinking that If i tell them about getting falsely accused for cheating that they might actually think I cheated... and I dont want that... what do you think i should do? :rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MayFlower1 Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 grandmellon, I think you'd be fine talking about either, however, I'd probably pick something not school-related to talk about only to continue to demonstrate that your life doesn't revolve around academics and school. Man, that must have been a horrible ordeal though...accused of cheating...how degrading! I can't imagine the anxiety and anger you must have felt. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonaldKaufman Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Grandmellon, Of the two, I would go with the cheating story....but it's only because have a story about being robbed at crowbar and gunpoint if I were to be asked the same question. Damnit, I thought I was original!:rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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