Dental School Mock Interview
Prepare for your dental school admissions interview with 40 questions covering clinical judgment, ethics, and patient care scenarios.
Question 24 of 40
When you suffer a setback, how does that emotionally affect you and your work?
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Nisha Yadav is a Talent Advisor & People Specialist with a focus on global talent attraction. Her earlier career experience includes HR and recruitment roles where she specialized in contract and permanent IT recruitment opportunities.
Everyone handles the stress and disappointment of setbacks differently, and a few are sure to come your way during the next four years of attending dental school. Your interviewers ask this question in hopes that you would come to their program with the ability to put your head down and get to work harder when you face a setback or challenging time during your time with them.
Nisha Yadav is a Talent Advisor & People Specialist with a focus on global talent attraction. Her earlier career experience includes HR and recruitment roles where she specialized in contract and permanent IT recruitment opportunities.
"Experiencing a setback is always disappointing and can be very disheartening, especially when involving a project that I have put a lot of time and effort into. I understand that setbacks happen often, and to everyone - despite their level of expertise or years of experience. If I experience a major setback, I will take a few moments to internally debrief, get some fresh air if possible, or discuss what I could have done differently with a mentor. Then, I move on. Rather than dwell on my mistakes, I choose to learn from them."
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
Discuss with the interviewers how you typically cope with setbacks in your work. That can include both your classwork and your on-the-job work throughout your past. If you give an example, highlight how you powered through the situation with a positive attitude and came out stronger and better in the end. Reiterate to your interviewers that you are ready to tackle any challenge that will come your way during your time in their dentistry program.
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Jaymie
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Anonymous Answer
It bothers me at first, but I quickly talk myself out of the situation and see how can I improve from that setback. I learned in the past to not dwell too much on what happened but come out of that setback with a lesson learned. It is important to learn from your mistakes so they can be avoided next time.
Rachelle's Feedback
It sounds like you are great at adapting to setbacks and recovering from them! One suggestion is to avoid 'You' language and use 'I' language, which will make your answer feel more personal and less like a lesson you are teaching the interviewer. If you have an example of a time when you overcame a setback, it would be great to provide a story-based example using the STAR framework. I've provided a starter for you below.
"Setbacks can bother me at first, but I quickly talk myself out of disappointment and look for ways to improve from the setback. I have learned not to dwell on what went wrong but to come out of that setback with a lesson learned. I must learn from my mistakes to avoid the situation from happening again. One example of a time when I overcame a setback was when...(give your story-based example using STAR)."
Anonymous Answer
I learned to view and accept setbacks as essential to professional and personal growth while working in the F. lab. I could see that dwelling on my mistakes and hyper-analyzing each decision and step could thwart future success. The best way to approach a setback is to step back, recalibrate and always be open to seeking help from team members/ mentors. Thus, having a sober tack to setbacks can lead to new approaches and perspectives in one's work.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent! The interviewer will be pleased that you view setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve. To further strengthen your answer, can you give a specific example of a time when you encountered a setback and discuss how you successfully handled this? Adding specifics will make your response more impactful. Great job!
Anonymous Answer
Even though my initial reaction is disappointment. I would try to shift my outlook to see failure as lessons waiting to be learned rather than just failing to get end results. I would reflect and see what I could have done differently in order to succeed and to be better prepared the next time I have the same encounter. I would ask for feedback from trusted peers and superiors. And I would make an effort to move on rather than dwell on something that has occurred.
Jaymie's Feedback
Excellent! You covered all aspects that the interviewer would be looking for in the answer; acceptance, acknowledgment, a desire to grow and learn from mistakes, to seek feedback, and to move on and not dwell.
Anonymous Answer
When I suffer from setbacks, I usually examine them carefully. By reflecting on the experiences, I can figure out what I did wrong, how could I do it differently, and learn from my mistakes. Also, as long as I believe that I gave my best shot in my current situation and ability, I would not let the setbacks put me down but will instead learn the lesson and move on.
Marcie's Feedback
It's great that you emphasize how important it is to you to learn from your mistakes. The interviewer will be pleased to hear this. Can you provide a specific example of a time when you successfully navigated a setback?
Anonymous Answer
I sometimes tend to be hard on myself, so suffering a setback can be disappointing. Regardless, I use setbacks as an opportunity to better myself and my work and persevere through them.
Jaymie's Feedback
The interviewer understands that setbacks happen, and they are more concerned with how you react and overcome them. You did a nice job reassuring them that you don't dwell and use those as opportunities to learn and grow.
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