How to Answer: Which would you choose: To travel 1,000 years into the past or 1,000 years into the future? Choose your preference and discuss.
4. Which would you choose: To travel 1,000 years into the past or 1,000 years into the future? Choose your preference and discuss.
How to Answer
There is no wrong answer to this question. The panel will be looking for your ability to communicate your thoughts clearly and present your stance firmly and with conviction. Decide which situation you would prefer and give critical reasoning to support your preference. Depending on the amount of response time given, be prepared with a few specifics regarding the ways you would make a difference, medically speaking, during your hypothetical time travel.
Answer Example
"I would rather travel 1,000 years into the past, under the assumption that I could keep the knowledge and expertise that I currently have. Being who I am today, I could travel 1,000 years into the past to help fight disease and make significant advancements in the history of medicine. I could help eliminate a lot of risk, death, and disease, better ensuring that the world is around for another 1,000 years into the future."
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
"This is a tricky question. Both traveling 1000 years in the past or 1000 years in the future would quench my curiosity of those times. 1000 years ago in the past would situate me in a time in the past that was poorly recorded and introduce me to natural beauties that may have now been paved. However, there is also the risk of becoming a victim of the times, as I would be poorly adapted to a world with unsophisticated technology and extremely different world views, in addition to the communication barriers that would take place. 1000 years in the future would be more of a gamble in the sense of would I know what I'm getting. Would I be in a world that has overcome or been defeated by the issues we have today regarding climate change, resource scarcity, international conflict, and the threat of annihilation? Or perhaps would it those threats still exist, with progress made? Would this world be like the Canticle of Leibowitz, where a society has been reborn from the ashes of nuclear war, only to fall victim to the human issues that led the world to its initial annihilation? Ultimately, I believe I would go to the future, as there is a higher likelihood that communication and transportation would be easier. Plus, I'm interested to see how the world's technology and knowledge has expanded. Just make sure that I have the necessary equipment to survive and return to the present if necessary!"
Margarita's Feedback
This is a great answer! Nice intro, straight to the point, and because the interviewer asked you to discuss your answer, going beyond 3 sentences is necessary.
A couple of your phrases can use some condensing and word changes, ie. your last sentence begins with "Plus", I would suggest changing that to "Furthermore".
A couple of your phrases can use some condensing and word changes, ie. your last sentence begins with "Plus", I would suggest changing that to "Furthermore".
"This is a tricky question. Both traveling 1000 years in the past or 1000 years in the future would quench my curiosity of those times. 1000 years ago, in the past would situate me in a time that was poorly recorded and introduce me to natural beauties that may have now been paved. However, there is also the risk of becoming a victim of the times, as I would be poorly adapted to a world with unsophisticated technology and extremely different world views, in addition to the communication barriers that would take place. 1000 years in the future would be more of a gamble in the sense of would I know what I'm getting. Would I be in a world that has overcome or been defeated by the issues we have today regarding climate change, resource scarcity, international conflict, and the threat of annihilation? Or perhaps would those threats still exist with the progress made? Would this world be like the Canticle of Leibowitz, where society has been reborn from the ashes of nuclear war, only to fall victim to the human issues that led the world to its initial annihilation? Ultimately, I believe I would go to the future, as there is a higher likelihood that communication and transportation would be easier. Furthermore, I'm interested to see how the world's technology and knowledge have expanded. Just make sure that I have the necessary equipment to survive and return to the present if necessary!"
Show More Answers
Anonymous Answer
"I would travel 1,000 years in the future if I was able to bring back knowledge about advancements. In 1,000 years, there are likely to be significant advancements in the practice of medicine as well as treatments for diseases that currently have no treatment, such as terminal cancer or Alzheimer's. Being able to help a family member live longer so that he could see his grandchildren, a graduation, or his children's wedding would be meaningful."
Rachelle's Feedback
Moving 1,000 years into the future to gather information on medical advancements is a smart approach! It seems you are bringing in a personal story of someone in your family with Alzheimer's. If this is correct, you may want to give more detail regarding this relationship to draw an even stronger connection.