I've heard of a situation where a student prepared for all the typical medical - related questions, but during the interview, the panel asked only about current events in politics. The student was completely caught off - guard as they hadn't focused on that area at all, and it led to a very awkward and unsuccessful interview.
There was this case where the interview was held in a very noisy environment. There were construction works going on right outside the room. The candidate had a hard time concentrating on answering the questions properly. The interviewers also seemed distracted, and in the end, the candidate didn't get a positive response, which they felt was unfair considering the circumstances.
One example is a student who graduated with over $300,000 in debt. He had to work multiple jobs just to make the minimum payments and still struggled to afford basic living expenses. It put a huge strain on his mental and physical health.
To avoid being caught off - guard, research thoroughly about all possible topics. Not just medical knowledge but also general knowledge, current events, etc. For example, subscribe to news platforms to stay updated.
One horror story is when a candidate was constantly interrupted by the interviewer. The interviewer would cut in while the candidate was answering a question, making it hard for the candidate to fully express their thoughts. This led to a very disjointed and frustrating interview experience.
A friend of mine once had a law school interview where the interviewer grilled him on a very specific area of law that he had only briefly studied. He was caught off guard and tried his best to answer, but it was clear that the interviewer was not satisfied. The whole experience made him feel extremely unprepared, and he left the interview feeling like he had no chance of getting in. However, he later found out that the interviewer was just testing his ability to think on his feet, but at that moment, it was a real horror story for him.
One horror story is the extreme sleep deprivation. Students have to study long hours for exams and also do clinical rotations. There was a time when I had to be on call for 36 hours straight during my internship in medical school. I was so exhausted that I could barely think straight while making important medical decisions.
Well, at another interview, a candidate was asked about a difficult medical case. Instead of answering seriously, he told a story about how his pet dog once had a similar - sounding problem and how he 'treated' it with some home remedies. The interviewers were both amused and impressed by his creativity and ability to think on his feet in a medical - related context.
Another story could be related to the quality of teaching. There have been cases where the faculty is not well - qualified. For example, some professors may lack the practical experience in the medical field that they are supposed to teach. This leads to students being ill - prepared for their clinical rotations and future medical practice. The lack of proper equipment for teaching and hands - on training also plagues some Caribbean medical schools.
There was this one time when a student was asked to describe a time when they showed leadership. And the student told a story about leading his friends in a food - eating competition in high school. It was so off - topic but made the interviewers laugh. In the end, they appreciated his honesty and sense of humor.
One horror story is when a student sent in all their application materials but the school's system lost their file. They had to scramble to resend everything, and in the end, they were considered late. Another is when a reference letter got completely misdirected and ended up at a different medical school, causing a big mess for the applicant. And some students have horror stories about interviews where the interviewers were extremely rude and made them feel so small that it affected their confidence for the rest of the application process.
A lot of people share horror stories about technical glitches during virtual interviews. Such as the Wi - Fi cutting out in the middle of answering an important question. Also, some have had the experience of accidentally insulting an interviewer without realizing it, like making a comment that could be misconstrued about the school's curriculum.