If you had a personal conflict with a fellow student during your time in our dental school, how would you effectively work through that situation?

As you acknowledge to your interviewers that you are aware of the competitive environment that you will be joining in their program, there are a couple of key points about yourself that you want to highlight for them. First, talk about your ability to collaborate with others despite differing thoughts or viewpoints and explain why this is important. Then, talk about your ability to compromise when conflict arises. Don't hesitate to give examples of times you've used these tactics throughout your life to reiterate your ability to bring them to your experience in dental school.

"I fully understand that my dental student colleagues and I will be competitive in a healthy manner. I also realize that this competition could lead to some conflicts down the road. I am all about learning together and learning from each other's points of view. If I had a conflict with a student colleague, I would be upfront in talking through our differences and use this situation as a learning opportunity. If we were unable to solve the conflict, I would be respectful of my colleague and their opinion moving forward."