Columbia Dental School Mock Interview

Master 30 Columbia Dental School interview questions covering clinical judgment, patient care philosophy, and academic rigor.

Question 16 of 30

Columbia University's DDS program is challenging, and you will face academic disappointments. How are you impacted when you encounter a setback or roadblock?

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Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

Everyone handles the stress and disappointment of setbacks differently. While attending university, these setbacks can feel even more amplified since your grades can significantly determine your success as a dental professional. Discuss with the Admissions Committee at Columbia University how you typically react to and cope with setbacks.

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"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 to everyone - despite their level of expertise or years of experience. If I experience a major setback, I will take a few moments to debrief internally, 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."

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30Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Interview Questions & Answers

Job Satisfaction

1.Talk to the CMD admissions team about your passion for dentistry and what appeals to you most about working in this field.

Common

2.Why should we accept you over another dentistry student with the same qualifications?

Critical Thinking

3.What do you feel is the single most important quality a dentist should possess?

Diligence

4.At Columbia University College of Dental Medicine we believe in the continual development of our students, both professionally and personally. What is your self-development plan?

Education

5.Talk to us about your current GPA.

Ask The Interviewer

6.What questions do you have for us about Columbia University College of Dental Medicine?

Common

7.What do you know about Columbia University College of Dental Medicine?

Common

8.Tell us about an area of weakness that you would like to improve on while attending Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Diligence

9.What research did you conduct on our school before choosing to apply to Columbia University College of Dental Medicine?

Discovery

10.Talk about something you read recently, and what it taught you.

Competency

11.As a dental student you will encounter difficult scenarios involving blood, other bodily fluids, and more. How do you feel about this reality?

Common

12.What other dental schools have you applied to and where does Columbia University College of Dental Medicine rank?

Discovery

13.How does your family feel about you attending dental school? Do you have a great deal of support?

Behavioral

14.Describe a situation where your work was criticized. What was your immediate reaction to the situation?

Direct

15.How well do you think you have performed in this interview today?

Behavioral

16.Columbia University's DDS program is challenging, and you will face academic disappointments. How are you impacted when you encounter a setback or roadblock?

Career Goals

17.What area of dentistry interests you the most, and why?

Discovery

18.Have you ever had significant dental work? Tell me about your experience as a patient. What made it memorable?

Stress

19.There is a high suicide rate among dentists. What is your plan for ensuring you remain emotionally grounded and healthy during your career?

Education

20.What was your DAT score? Were you happy with it?

Scenario Based

21.Are you aware of cases of medical malpractice in the dentistry field? How will you cope if you are faced with one of these situations?

Critical Thinking

22.What major issues do you think dentistry will face a decade into the future?

Critical Thinking

23.How has COVID-19 and other pandemics of the past impacted the dentistry profession?

Diligence

24.Talk about the last dentistry-related article you read. What did you learn?

Competency

25.Do you possess the manual dexterity required to be a skilled dental professional? How do you plan to boost this dexterity during your dental training at CDM?

Direct

26.What advantages do you believe come with our DDS Program?

Diversity

27.How will you support Columbia's commitment to Access, Equity, and Inclusion if accepted into the College of Dental Medicine?

Direct

28.What do you know about our Community Outreach efforts, and how do you plan to participate as a Columbia student?

Direct

29.Columbia's College of Dental Medicine has a deep commitment to its Global Initiatives. If accepted to our dental program, how will you be an active contributor?

Education

Columbia Dental School Mock Interview

Columbia University's DDS program is challenging, and you will face academic disappointments. How are you impacted when you encounter a setback or roadblock?

30Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Interview Questions & Answers

1.Talk to the CMD admissions team about your passion for dentistry and what appeals to you most about working in this field.

2.Why should we accept you over another dentistry student with the same qualifications?

3.What do you feel is the single most important quality a dentist should possess?

4.At Columbia University College of Dental Medicine we believe in the continual development of our students, both professionally and personally. What is your self-development plan?

5.Talk to us about your current GPA.

6.What questions do you have for us about Columbia University College of Dental Medicine?

7.What do you know about Columbia University College of Dental Medicine?

8.Tell us about an area of weakness that you would like to improve on while attending Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

9.What research did you conduct on our school before choosing to apply to Columbia University College of Dental Medicine?

10.Talk about something you read recently, and what it taught you.

11.As a dental student you will encounter difficult scenarios involving blood, other bodily fluids, and more. How do you feel about this reality?

12.What other dental schools have you applied to and where does Columbia University College of Dental Medicine rank?

13.How does your family feel about you attending dental school? Do you have a great deal of support?

14.Describe a situation where your work was criticized. What was your immediate reaction to the situation?

15.How well do you think you have performed in this interview today?

16.Columbia University's DDS program is challenging, and you will face academic disappointments. How are you impacted when you encounter a setback or roadblock?

17.What area of dentistry interests you the most, and why?

18.Have you ever had significant dental work? Tell me about your experience as a patient. What made it memorable?

19.There is a high suicide rate among dentists. What is your plan for ensuring you remain emotionally grounded and healthy during your career?

20.What was your DAT score? Were you happy with it?

21.Are you aware of cases of medical malpractice in the dentistry field? How will you cope if you are faced with one of these situations?

22.What major issues do you think dentistry will face a decade into the future?

23.How has COVID-19 and other pandemics of the past impacted the dentistry profession?

24.Talk about the last dentistry-related article you read. What did you learn?

25.Do you possess the manual dexterity required to be a skilled dental professional? How do you plan to boost this dexterity during your dental training at CDM?

26.What advantages do you believe come with our DDS Program?

27.How will you support Columbia's commitment to Access, Equity, and Inclusion if accepted into the College of Dental Medicine?

28.What do you know about our Community Outreach efforts, and how do you plan to participate as a Columbia student?

29.Columbia's College of Dental Medicine has a deep commitment to its Global Initiatives. If accepted to our dental program, how will you be an active contributor?

30.Columbia's faculty engages in a wide range of research areas. Which area of research is most interesting to you at this time?