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Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Dental School Mock Interview

Question 3 of 30 for our Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Dental School Mock Interview

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine was updated by on July 25th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 3 of 30

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

"(Situation & Task) During my first-year year English course, the professor asked us to write a paper on a topic of our choice. We were to meet with the professor periodically to go over our progress. After meeting with this professor a few times, it felt like nothing in my paper was structured correctly. (Action) I felt frustrated, but I took the situation as an opportunity to take an online course through Udemy on academic writing. I took what I learned from the online course and blended in the suggestions from my professor. (Result) The last time I met with the professor, they discussed how well I had taken their structural criticism and commented on the improvements, which felt great. I soon realized that all they were trying to do was to push me to write to the best of my ability. I thanked this professor and told them I respected them for taking the time and energy to ensure my growth and success. I am a much better writer today because of the feedback and coaching I received."

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How to Answer: Describe a situation where your work was criticized. What was your immediate reaction to the situation?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Dental School interview.

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

      How to Answer

      Feedback will not always come gently. When that happens, we can feel criticized. Then, it's easy for human nature to take over and for us to become defensive. Columbia University's Admissions Committee wants to know that you can accept feedback or criticism productively and with maturity.

      This behavioral-based question asks you to describe a time when you received feedback or criticism and outline how you responded. Consider forming your story-based answer using the STAR framework. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.

      Remember, it's important to highlight that you were able to take the criticism and learn from the situation. You can achieve this by speaking in detail about how you implemented change after becoming aware of the criticism.

      Written by Rachelle Enns on July 25th, 2022

      Answer Example

      "(Situation & Task) During my first-year year English course, the professor asked us to write a paper on a topic of our choice. We were to meet with the professor periodically to go over our progress. After meeting with this professor a few times, it felt like nothing in my paper was structured correctly. (Action) I felt frustrated, but I took the situation as an opportunity to take an online course through Udemy on academic writing. I took what I learned from the online course and blended in the suggestions from my professor. (Result) The last time I met with the professor, they discussed how well I had taken their structural criticism and commented on the improvements, which felt great. I soon realized that all they were trying to do was to push me to write to the best of my ability. I thanked this professor and told them I respected them for taking the time and energy to ensure my growth and success. I am a much better writer today because of the feedback and coaching I received."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on July 25th, 2022

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I appreciate feedback and criticism because I am very self-critical and always looking for ways to improve. It can be hard to find an audience that gives unbiased, genuine feedback, but when I do receive criticism, I tend to already know what to expect as I have usually already found the flaws in my work. I most appreciate criticism that focuses on something I did not already find. When shaping my surfboard, all of my friends were so impressed that they did not realize the many mistakes in my work. However, a local shop owner gave me genuine criticism, and I appreciated the learning experience."

      Chad's Feedback

      Good answer! It sounds like you welcome honest criticism of your work and the chance to improve and are confident and mature enough to accept the feedback positively. To strengthen your response, elaborate on the example you provide by discussing how you successfully implemented changes after receiving criticism on your surfboard from the local shop owner. This will further support your assertion that you react positively to feedback.
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