Guest Interviewee Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 Hi all, In the absence of Interviewfeedback.com, I'm wondering if anyone would like to share with us the question(s) that surprised them the most during their interview(s). Please let us know which school this took place at, as well. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest medicator007 Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 During my McGill interview they asked me "what have i seen about how doctors practice medicine that I dont like" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MDCY Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 At my UC interview, it was "if you could be any vegetable, what would you be and why?" You could say that I was surprised by that Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 Here you go, from UBC: "Being in neurology I have worked with a number of sociopaths and it is known that a sociopath can hold things together in common society for about an hour. So how do I know that you're not a sociopath?" What a cracker!! That one stood out. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 Hey Kirsteen, Just curious, how did you answer that one??? I'd probably sit there in stunned silence for a moment, then mutter something to the effect of "nuts to this charade", and then spend the rest of the afternoon scouring the faculty for garbage bags. Timmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Champ Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 I was interviewed at a school in the UK....and the usual question was posed....WHY DO YOU WANT TO STUDY MEDICINE? One that we all have prepared for no doubt. My answer had all the usual points...help others, teach, learn, intellectual challenge and numerous other points that in my my opinion were valid for me as a mature applicant. The interviewers replied....NO..NO...Why do you REALLY want to study medicine? How do you deal with this? champ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeterHill0501 Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 TimmyMax, how about: "If you want to find out...keep me here for more than an hour :rollin ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 Hey TimmyMax and Peter, Beezer question, eh?!! I can't recall my exact response but I remember smiling or laughing (although not hysterically!) and telling the interviewer something along the lines of "That's a valid point, but as far as I know, I don't think I'm one!"! I think from there she went on to pursue another line of questioning regarding interview styles, etc.; however later on she mentioned that she had worked with a couple of doctors who did end up being sociopathic, etc. It was an interesting point of view to be exposed to. An interesting endnote: I doubt if it was to pursue the sociopath point but I did end up spending close to 90 minutes with the interviewer and managed to avoid reaching across the desk and playing what I felt was a good rendition of Chopin on her computer keyboard! 8o Ciao, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Beaver Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 Hi When I entered the room before I had a chance to sit down, the interviewer asked me now quick "if you could have any job in the world what would you be?" I said "Goalie for the Leafs!". He laughed and said great answer if you had said doctor, I would have asked you to leave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 On the other hand, a different interviewer might have marked you down if you HADN'T said doctor. . . interviewers are people with varying personalities, and you don't know what they expect going into the interview room. It's better to be true to yourself and hope the interviewer, pardon the cheeze, "likes you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beaver Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 Thats true You dont know what the interviewer wants so just tell the truth, instead of trying to figure out what they want you to say. Luckily in my case my answer saved me....whew! Of course Mr. Rader would advise everyone to never ever answer the question the way I had..........he would say captain of the Sens of Course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlueWooster Posted May 8, 2002 Report Share Posted May 8, 2002 I should have been prepared for this one but it took me off guard (and it hurt me).... "Why don't you become a nurse?" I found this a difficult question to answer truthfully while still not appearing to be an a$$hole... I tried to talk about how I felt my skills were more of an analytical nature rather than a nurturing nature and that I was a bit of an overachiever who needed constant academic challenge. Unfortunately, as terrible an answer as that is, it came out more like, "I'm too selfish......ohWHOa! No...I mean....uh.....I don't have a nurturing personality....WHOA!No! That's not what I meant!" Yeah, it was a pretty low point of the interview.... I still feel its an excellent question and I find myself thinking about it a lot - has anyone else been troubled by this question? (I know my reasons for not wanting nursing - I'm just worried that my reasons are shallow and indicative of a poor career choice!) Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missing Manitoba Posted May 9, 2002 Report Share Posted May 9, 2002 A number of my extracurrics relate to music (piano and cello lessons, band, accompanying, playing for seniors and cancer patients), and I was a provincial finalist in piano. At the University of Manitoba, I was asked why I didn't want to be a musician or music teacher. It was difficult to explain *not* wanting a career in something I'm so passionate about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 An excellent question. . . nursing is a great profession and I'm getting the impression nurses get more real patient contact than doctors. The key to answering that question without the $$ answer is to understanding the different roles nurses and doctors play in the delivery of health care. . . there is a substantial difference between what nurses and doctors do. On the other hand, it's possible that if that is the primary reason for choosing medicine over nursing, they might appreciate your honesty. There's more than one story of someone answering that question as partially "money" and impressing the committee for their honesty. To go into medicine strictly for the $$ is absolutely ridiculous, but choosing meds over other similar health care professions I don't think is as bad. . . after all, you do have to pay the bills! Of course other interviewers might not see it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 Hi all, Regarding the "Why not a nurse?" question, a while back I was wondering the same thing and so I posed the same to a doctor with whom I work at PPT. Her response: "Because I want to call the shots!" (The views expressed above do not necessarily reflect those of the editor! ) Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hmsdread Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 Kirsteen, You should've asked her "How do I know *you're* not a sociopath?" matso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haloo Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 Sort of along the same lines, while I was expecting some sort of 'why do you want to be a doctor?' question, my first question at U of Manitoba was far more specific. My essay said something about me wanting to be in medicine to increase my role in my community and I was asked why not be a social worker or a teacher etc? I was already prepared to answer this kind of question along the lines of the fact that it was the science that attracted me to medicine but that too was incorporated into the question. The question was :"You've stated your interest in the community, so OTHER than the science aspect, why do you want to be a doctor? Why not a social worker or a teacher? It was uncanny, as though the interviewer had anticipated my preparation and was short-circuiting my answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 hmsdread, thanks for the laugh! You know I thought of retorting with that for a quick second, but figured I'd better keep that one for when I get to know her a little better! Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shkelo Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 Missing Manitoba - I, too, have a passion for music and have been playing professionally for the last 6 years. I was also asked a similar question. My answer outlined a need to dissociate music from my net earnings. When music just becomes a job to put bread on the table, something goes amuck in the passion department. Music is my hobby but not my career. There is a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeterHill0501 Posted May 11, 2002 Report Share Posted May 11, 2002 Schlecko, I am also a musician (primarily guitar) and played professionally for about 4 years in my early 20s. I made a decision to stop playing professionally as I found the intrinsic reward of music significantly diminished while playing for pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missing Manitoba Posted May 11, 2002 Report Share Posted May 11, 2002 Hi shkelo and PeterHill, While I don't have extensive experience playing professionally (and am undoubtedly nowhere as good a musician as either of you ), I think my reply was ultimately pretty similar to yours. The most difficult part of replying to the question was trying to explain that music is something I love yet is mostly for me (even though I do love playing for others), while medicine is also something I have a passion for yet am willing to make a career out of. After all, if making a career out of music has the potential to sully it somehow, why wouldn't the same be true of medicine? Is medicine therefore less important to me? I certainly don't think it is. It was a difficult concept to explain in the interview. But, they accepted me, so I my ramblings must have made some sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlueWooster Posted May 11, 2002 Report Share Posted May 11, 2002 Not to warp the subject of this thread too much but I find it amusing that the interview panel gave you guys a hard time about your musical background (well...maybe not a hard time - but they made you explain why you WON'T run off to join a rock band). I, too, am a professional musician - two music degrees, former music professor, several high caliber ensembles, etc - but music never came up at either of my interviews! It was like the panelists were afraid to even bring it up. Yet, minor excursions in my past seemed to come up a lot. I felt like saying, "Sure, we can talk about that exchange program I did 12 years ago - but isn't there another question you'd like to ask me?" Maybe they knew I would have thought about these issues thoroughly and were trying to catch me off guard? Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jazzman Posted May 12, 2002 Report Share Posted May 12, 2002 Hey blue wooster what kind of music degrees did you do? How long did you work for and when did you graduate? I too have completed a bA and MA in music. Both with a 3.9, just wondering when you completed the science courses or did you do them with your music degrees. Good luck I wish you the best of luck in gaining acceptance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlueWooster Posted May 12, 2002 Report Share Posted May 12, 2002 Hey Jazzman, your story sounds familiar - maybe we're "alternate universe twins"? I did a B.Music Education and a M.Music Performance (saxophone) - you? After a few years of teaching, I went back to school - straight to BIOL 100! I wish I had taken the science courses throughout my music degrees but, at the time, I was pretty focused on practicing. Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted May 12, 2002 Report Share Posted May 12, 2002 Ah yes, I almost forgot these babies. I was just was chatting about another couple of interview questions with a pal. These were somewhat surprising, not because they weren't expected (at least, the first was, the second--not at all!) but because questions like these have been suggested to be off-limits during interviews: UBC: "Women in medicine face slightly more challenging situations in that they are often seemingly more burdened with family obligations as well as their careers. How, if at all, do you see a future family factoring in to your medical career?" Given my response to the above (basically, that if I was successful in entering medical school this year, then I didn't foresee anything inhibiting the goal of successfully completing the program) it was followed by something along these lines: "Well, given that you're not married, I'm sure that medical school will be an excellent place for you to "meet" interesting people (with a questioning look)". Whooo! Wee bugger! To the latter, in case it's of interest, I responded with something akin to: "Well I'm sure that I will meet some fantastic people in medical school, but I'm not sure that I'd settle down with a medic. In many ways I like the idea of coming home and having someone to chat with about things other than "shop". For example, one of my good pals--an Ob/Gyn--married a computer scientist a couple of years ago; unlike many of her pals (who are medics and did end up hooking up with other medics) she extols the virtues of being able to come home from a hard day at the hospital and natter about something other than work. That idea and the sort of balance that may be achieved by that is quite appealing." By the way, this interviewer came across as being incredibly effective, eloquent and smooth, and the way that I've remembered his words is not a mirror of his expert delivery. In total, the interview was a very positive and enjoyable experience. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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