Interview Advice

[TheBrahm]

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[Depakote]

Hey, I'm kind of new to this forum and I'm not sure if this question has been asked before, but to the best of my knowledge and searching for an answer it hasn't been. I know in all the BA/MD Programs there is an interview if you make it that far, and I've been told that a common interview question is for the interviewer to inquire about an inconsistent grade. My grades are fairly good with a GPA of 4.71 making it mostly A's with three or four B's, I'm a rising senior and last year as a junior i got a C for second semester chemistry, I got a B for the first semester. I was thinking that a possible interview question would be pertaining to that C, and I was wondering if anyone in the forum had any advice as to how to answer the question. I don't want to blame the teacher, but I'm not exactly sure how to answer the question tactfully without coming off as an undesirable candidate. I know it's a little early to be a asking a question about a BA/MD Program interview before having applied, let alone accepted but I wanted to get a head start. I really appreciate any answers I may receive.

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So, tell me why you got the C?


Go ahead and tell me how you'd answer that question outside an interview and then we can tell you how you'd want to frame the response for an interview. It's a little hard to answer now without knowing the circumstances surrounding the grade.

(but yes, in general blaming a past professor/teacher is a very bad idea)

 

[pingouin]

Totally agree with Depakote. Whatever happened, figure out a way to own it. Like Dep, I'd like to see your understanding of how you earned the C and could give more feedback from there.

 

[TheBrahm]

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[ShaneK]

Thats actually kind of crazy. The same thing happened to me my junior year in chemistry. Everyone got low grades and the teacher's teaching style was more of a college professor than hs teacher. Our grades we're based solely on our tests and our notebook (working problems out of the book, how many was the students decision). I think it was partly his teaching style but it was also the fact I slacked off some that yr due to things going on in my life. I even had an encouter with him where he personally told me he graded my notebooks (grades were at his disgretion) harder because he didnt feel I was pushing myself and knew I was capable of much more.
And I regret my slacking off lol. But I really dont know how I would answer either I partially blame it on myself and have no problem doing so, but your story is told as though it was no responsibility of your own. I would probably tell them I didn't give my studies my all during that time period, and highly regret that.

 

[TheBrahm]

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[ShaneK]

To be honest with you, I am not completely sure how I would go about it, but I do know you would want to take some kind of responsibility for it rather than dishing out blame. Sorry I can't help you more.

 

[Mark4275]

So ShaneK, your advice is to blame it on a lack of effort on my part? Wouldn't that make me out to be a weaker candidate? Does anyone else have any more advice? Thanks again for your time.

It is better to blame yourself for lack of maturity, or willingness do to any reason then to blame someone else. Saying it is your fault will show maturity and show that you know you did wrong and regret how you did it. If you blame it on an outside source like the teacher they will think you cannot take your own responsibilities.

 

[TheBrahm]

Thanks guys that's good advice. So I guess I'll take responsibilty for it and not blame the teacher as you guys said. Thanks for your advice.

 

[pingouin]

Given what you've said, I would think on what you might have done differently in that class that could have changed things once you realized your grade was lower. Were there opportunities to get tutoring from your teacher? Extra credit projects? What were other people doing differently that they were able to get As and Bs? Did you do EVERYTHING you could do to raise that grade? If not, own it- "I could have done more". It's also OK to have done absolutely everything and say "I worked really hard, I did everything I could, and this was just a really difficult subject for me."

Personal note, I was quizzed at all of my med school interviews about some Cs on my undergrad transcript. One interviewer asked me about each of them individually (there were 5, and the most recen was 14 years old) and requested all 5 stories. When we finally got to one where I didn't have a prepared answer, I looked at him and said "You know what? I really don't remember what happened there." He suggested perhaps I had a bad teacher. I said "Perhaps, or maybe I just didn't study hard enough." We had a very positive conversation after that, and I just finished my first week at that school.