What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Bonus Thoughts

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

Throughout this series, we’ve reviewed the key question types that you should expect to answer in your medical school interview. Now, some final thoughts:

• Know who you are presenting. The “you” at your interview should align with the one you presented in your primary and secondary application materials. Some of your interview questions will be like ones you answered in your application, so review your application to stay on message. We even recommend that you take a copy with you on interview day so that you can review it as you wait.

• Everything is on the table. All of the information you included in your application is fair game. The interviewer can ask about a hardship, emotional experience, or disciplinary action. Be prepared to address it calmly. During a Q&A, one dean shared that a prospective student cried during his interview. However sympathetic an interviewer may be, this lack of emotional regulation is not a good look. If there's a topic that could throw you off your game or elicit an emotional response, practice talking about it. 

• Use stories to make your point. We know this has come up a lot, but it’s important. Every answer you give should include a story about one of your experiences or something you've learned, even if the question doesn't outwardly demand a story. (For example, "Why medicine?") 

• Be direct. Keep your answers to most questions between one-and-a half and three minutes. Practice responses to our sample questions aloud. You don't have to memorize your answers. Just acclimate yourself to the topics and time limit. We like using flashcards to prepare for interviews. Put the Q on one side, and bullet points of what you want to say on the other.

• Medical schools are looking for real people. You don’t have to be perfect. Just be you. And within appropriate limits, don’t be afraid to expose some vulnerability.

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Wildcard Questions

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

Wildcard Questions

In any interview you should expect something… unexpected. It could be a fun question about what makes you special, or it could be a logistical question like: "How will you pay for medical school?" 

As with all interview responses, how you back up an answer matters more than the answer itself. So, even if the question is something like "What do you do for fun?" it should subtly hint at one or two of your finer qualities. You don't have to say, "I study extra hard for fun! All I love is studying because I am a serious person!" That's disingenuous. But if you say, "I take salsa classes," share why in a revealing way: "I take salsa classes. I love Latin music and I am nothing but present on the dance floor. Having a partner reminds me to be attuned to her. And having a place to be every Tuesday night makes me even more diligent at work. I've come in early a few times just so I know I can be out the door by 5 PM to make it to my 6 o'clock class." 

Questions you may be asked:

• Teach me something.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

• How would your best friend describe you?

• Who is someone you admire? Why?

• What do you do for exercise?

• Do you think the MCAT is a good measurement of one’s readiness for medical school?

• How do you think you did during this interview?

• What will you do if you're not accepted to medical school? (Oof, right? Is your plan to gain more clinical or research experience and try again? Try a post-bacc or Master's program and try again?)

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “What are Your Thoughts on [Current Event in Healthcare]?"

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

General Healthcare News

You will not be asked medical questions during your interview. No one is going to need you to walk them through setting a bone. But you should be prepared to speak about the medical field and current events related to it. Your interviewers want to know that you're keeping up with the times and that you've deeply considered some of the big questions that come with this work.

Spend some time each day reviewing the news. The New York Times is great for current events related to health care, as are MedPage Today, MedScape, and Stat News. We also recommend that you set up Google alerts for key phrases related to healthcare and/or your research interests and desired specialty to ensure you’re up to date.

You may be asked:

• What have you been following in healthcare news lately that is of particular interest to you?

• What healthcare-related or academic publications do you read?

• Do you have an opinion on the current [X medical news] controversy?

• What would you say is a major problem in the healthcare system today?

• What do you think is the greatest medical development in history?

• What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

• What can be done about rising healthcare costs?

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Why Our Medical School?"

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

Why Our School?

Or: "Tell me why you are interested in this program," etc. This interview prompt will appear, in some form. Obviously, your response should include school-specific details, like what labs or research opportunities you'll take advantage of, what technologies or unique resources they utilize that maybe aren't available at other schools, which professors you're eager to learn from, the student clinics or affiliated hospitals you'd like to work at, and maybe even what you like about the area. And don’t forget to bridge these details with your past experiences and future goals to reinforce your interest in these offerings. 

Whatever you do, don't say something ingratiating and general: "It's an esteemed program where I'll learn from esteemed physicians who lead their esteemed fields." We're teasing about this phrasing, but "esteemed" gets thrown around a lot in responses like this, and what it reads as is essentially: "If I praise you enough, will you let me in?" 

Just answer the question with a couple of salient details and you'll be golden. 

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Make a Claim”

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

Make a Claim and Back it Up Responses

Claim Questions are simple and direct—but your answer should be complex and direct. Just like with your Situation-Action-Result (SAR) responses, you will want to use stories here, not just statements. The question may ask you about attributes or skills you have, but do not be fooled, they're not looking for a list. The interviewer wants to hear examples of when you’ve exhibited those things. Go ahead and use multiple examples! They don't all have to be long, but they should be detailed. 

Some questions will be about the hypothetical future, things you'd do as a medical student or doctor. Think: "What would you do if a colleague made a serious clinical mistake?" An ethical question like this should still be backed up with experiences, if possible, or anecdotes that prove that you have the qualities you claim to have. "In the past, I've been quick to remedy others' mistakes. During my work at a university lab…" You want to show your critical thinking too. Explain your thought process, "If I was close to this colleague, I would…”

Questions could also seem to require opinion-only responses. Something like: "What are your feelings about euthanasia?" But don't get it twisted. This is a "make a claim and back it up"-question. You believe or don't believe in it “because…”

One question that you'll almost certainly be asked: What qualities do you have that will make you a good physician?

Other “make a claim and back it up”-questions that you may be asked:

• How will you add to the diversity of our school?

• What is your greatest strength?

• How do you deal with stress?

• Explain your academic path. (Here, focus on the positives and how they led you to medicine. Illustrate this with maybe three poignant experiences.)

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (Here, you can share both past experiences and what you hope to learn in medical school that will help you achieve this goal.)

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: "Tell Me About A Time When..."

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

Situation, Action, Result Responses

Using stories to make your point engages your interviewer, brings your personality and background to life, and makes your responses more memorable. Almost every answer you give should include a story about one of your experiences or something you've learned, even if the question doesn't outwardly demand a story. (For example, "Why medicine?")

However, there are some questions that you MUST answer with a story. These are "SAR responses" because you'll describe the situation (20% of the response), the action you took, and the result (collectively, 80% of the response). SAR questions are easily identified as they typically lead with prompts such as “Tell me about a time when…” However, questions such as “Tell me about your biggest failure/mistake/weakness.” also fall into the SAR category. Some SAR prompts will be familiar because many schools use them as Secondary questions. Go right ahead and reuse any applicable application responses. Those were your experiences and your takeaways, after all. 

Practice responses to prompts like these:

• Describe a failure and what you learned from it.

• Tell me about a time when you challenged the group consensus.

• Tell me about a time when you took on a leadership role.

• Tell me about an experience when you've learned from people different from yourself.

• Tell me about an ethical dilemma and what you decided to do.

• Tell me about a time when you came up with an imaginative solution to a problem.

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Tell Me About Yourself”

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

The First Response: The Three-Minute Elevator Pitch

The first question your interviewer asks will likely be something general that invites the widest-ranging answer. This question comes in many forms. It could be as short and blunt as: Tell me about yourself. It could be: Walk me through your resume. It could be: Can you talk to me about anything you believe will enhance your candidacy for admission? We had a client who told us her first interview question was: “So…?"

These opening questions require a three-minute answer. Think of it as an elevator pitch response. Naturally, you want to reiterate your commitment to studying medicine. It is okay to stay in a linear timeline: I did X and transitioned to Y. What's important is explaining the motivation behind your decisions. You can also share who you are via your three most impactful experiences. Practice some possible responses to ensure you're not going wildly under or over the three-minute mark. Don't try to memorize anything word-for-word as this will lead to fumbling with your words or coming off as wooden. But have an outline in mind—some milestones you know you want to pass. 

Some sub-questions you might answer to build your "Tell me about yourself"-answer are:

• What was your path to wanting to study medicine?

• How did your undergrad experience prepare you for medical school?

• Do you know what specialty you'd like to study? Why?

• Do you want to take this opportunity to expand on any meaningful clinical or research experiences and how they've impacted you?

• What fun fact about you could you close on?

Admissions committees like it when applicants include personality in their answers, especially when answering this question. Revealing something fun about yourself encourages a connection between you and the interviewer.

The Medical School Interview: Osteopathic Interviews

This week we’re providing information on the various medical school interview formats.

The Osteopathic Interview. The interview process for osteopathic programs is basically the same as that of allopathic programs. Some schools will have you in-and-out of a one-on-one interview, others utilize the MMI, others will have a day-long extravaganza. “During our interview process, we have the first half of the day be an informational session,” says one administrator. “In the morning, we have presentations on the curriculum and professionalism, financial aid, learning services, and inclusion. We also schedule a medical student panel where interviewees have the chance to ask questions of current medical students.” This is followed by a traditional behavioral interview.

There are just two questions that you will be asked in an osteopathic medical interview that don't come up in allopathic interviews, for soon-to-be obvious reasons. That’s because they are:

• Why are you interested in attending osteopathic medical school?

A great answer will emphasize what you'd gain from an osteopathic program, why osteopathic values mean something to you, and highlight an osteopathic clinical experience and how it impacted you.

• Are you also applying to allopathic medical school?

Just be real. If the answer is yes, and it probably is, say you're exploring all possible paths to becoming a physician.

The Medical School Interview: Multiple Mini Interviews

This week we’re providing information on the various medical school interview formats.

Multiple Mini Interviews. The MMI is like an obstacle course. It can be a lot of fun—or it can lead to you flailing and tripping all over the place. Many applicants find the MMI stressful but that often changes after their first experience. “We survey applicants after their MMI and most say they enjoyed it,” one admissions team member told us.

During the MMI, interviewers are at different "stations." The number of stations varies; a school might have only a handful and follow them with a short one-on-one behavioral interview or they could have 10 stations and no behavioral interview at all. While some stations are less common than others, you will 100% have to address character-proving moral and ethical scenarios.

Interviewers will not test your medical knowledge but could seek to suss out your awareness of healthcare policy and will put you in hypothetical patient-facing situations to assess your critical thinking and communication skills. Beyond verbal Q&A sessions, there could be an actor interaction or role-playing element, a team-based challenge, a picture station where you describe an image, or a writing station where you respond to a presented scenario.

There could also be wild card discussion topics that have nothing to do with medicine. “Sometimes applicants are stumped by arguably super-easy prompts like ‘Explain the plot of your favorite book,’” one admissions officer told us. “They spiral and think: What am I really being tested on here? Will they hate my taste in books? One applicant asked in a panic: ‘What if I don’t read? Can I do a movie?’” The admissions pro assured us that the book a candidate chooses has zero impact on their score. “A prompt like this is to test how clearly you can explain something,” she said. “And the reason we ask that you tell us about your ‘favorite’ is only because it’s something you’re well-versed in—this is meant to take off pressure, not add it.”

At each station, you'll have one or two minutes to consider your answer and five to eight (depending on the school) to respond. They're giving you so much time so you can weigh the pros and cons of every scenario and/or decision you're considering. It's the thought process that they're testing you on here. How you think exemplifies certain skills and traits. In your responses, you can bring in examples from your personal experiences to back up your reasoning. If you finish early, don't panic. Your interviewer will likely ask follow-up questions regarding your answer. These questions will tell you what to extrapolate on and emphasize.

Sometimes what you're being evaluated on will be obvious, other times, not so much. "We do not tell applicants what characteristic we are testing them on in a given MMI prompt," an admissions team member told us. You don't have to emphasize all of these in every response, but qualities and abilities they're looking for you to express during the MMI are:

• Critical thinking skills

• Communication skills (This means being good at listening, not just talking.)

• Ethical judgment

• Empathy

• Interpersonal skills (Patience, collaboration, etc.)

• Self-awareness

• Teamwork skills

The Medical School Interview: Behavioral Interviews

This week we’re providing information on the various medical school interview formats.

The One-on-One Behavioral Interview. This 30-to-45-minute interview is mostly a getting-to-know you session, but it's also the school making sure that you're the person you presented in your application. They'll be assessing whether your values and passions align with their goals for their incoming class too.

The school might have you do two or three one-on-one interviews with different folks: a faculty member, a current student, and/or a practicing physician. Your interviewer might have your application open, semi-open (just one section), or closed. Sometimes when an interview is open-file, prospective students feel like they shouldn't repeat anything from their application. But you must repeat some biographical information and experiences. That's the stuff that's relevant to your interview.

You're going to walk them through how you sought out experiences that helped you grow. Emphasize your commitment to life-long learning. Having an identified passion—an area of interest in medicine that you're especially eager to pursue—is a bonus. And evidence of critical thinking, teamwork, compassion, empathy, and leadership should be present throughout your answers. 

The Medical School Interview: A Day-Long Extravaganza

This week we’re providing information on the various medical school interview formats.

The Day-Long Extravaganza. In a day-long session, there's more than an interview happening. A member of the admissions committee might give you a rundown of the program, there could be a student led tour, an optional session on applying for financial aid, a meal with first-year students, and you could even get to sit in on a class. (If your interview time conflicts with a class you'd like to sit in on, you can request to come back to campus in the future.) Sometimes an interviewer will need you to meet them off-campus, perhaps at a nearby teaching hospital.

An obvious but important note: Stay awake and appropriate. If you're getting sleepy or about to roll your eyes at a presentation, go to the bathroom or get some water. Sorry to creep you out, but per multiple deans of admissions, you are always being observed on campus. We don't tell you this to make you paranoid and tense. If you're behaving in a normal way, no one will blink. This is simply to say that a school's assessment of you goes beyond the interview. If you check your phone at the day's finale event, someone will clock it.

The Medical School Interview

Interview cycles run from early September through mid-January. If the school is not doing rolling admissions, your interview date doesn't matter. Non-rolling schools send out all acceptance letters at once. If they are doing rolling admissions, you want to interview as soon as possible. These schools are why we recommend turning your AMCAS application in early. 

What an Interview Day is Like. There's no standard-issue interview day. A one-on-one interview is common. (You might do two or three of those on the same day.) Or a panel of folks might interview you. Virtual interviews became more common after COVID-19 came into our lives. A group interview with other applicants in front of a panel of interviewers is also on the table. The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) involves multiple interviewers and even some acting. A school might have you do some combo of these interview types, like a mini-MMI and a traditional interview. Still, another program might have a day-long on-campus session, where the interview is just a portion of your experience. (Harvard Medical School follows this format.) 

This week we’ll provide more information on each interview type, check back daily.

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “What Do You Think About [Current Event in Healthcare]?"

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next week, we will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.  

General Healthcare News

You will not be asked medical questions during your interview. No one is going to need you to walk them through setting a bone. But you should be prepared to speak about the medical field and current events related to it. Your interviewers want to know that you're keeping up with the times and that you've deeply considered some of the big questions that come with this work.

Spend some time each day reviewing the news. The New York Times is great for current events related to health care, as are MedPage Today, MedScape, and Stat News. We also recommend that you set up Google alerts for key phrases related to healthcare and/or your research interests and desired specialty to ensure you’re up to date.

You may be asked:

• What have you been following in healthcare news lately that is of particular interest to you?

• What healthcare-related or academic publications do you read?

• Do you have an opinion on the current [X medical news] controversy?

• What would you say is a major problem in the healthcare system today?

• What do you think is the greatest medical development in history?

• What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

• What can be done about rising healthcare costs?

Take Care of Yourself: Strengthen Your Tolerance for Ambiguity

All the healthy behaviors we’ve mentioned on the blog this week can also strengthen your tolerance for ambiguity. Studies have measured this quality in medical students and physicians for years. Several studies have shown that a physician's ability to tolerate ambiguity correlates to their level of psychological well-being. Those with a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty "tend to report a higher rate of referrals, burnout, and anxiety, and lower level of satisfaction, less comfort in dealing with dying patients, and higher levels of dogmatism, rigidity, and conformism," according to a 2017 study in Medical Teacher, which utilizes many others' findings as well as their own assessments.

Schools are very interested in your reactivity and ability to handle uncertainty. In 2019, the AAMC surveyed students using a Tolerance for Ambiguity (TFA) Scale. Scores could range from 7 to 42, with higher scores correlating to a higher tolerance for ambiguity. The mean for incoming medical students across all schools was 24.9. Want to do better than that? Take care of yourself—and be ready to grow. A study published in 2021 found that strong TFA over time was associated with greater empathy and openness to diversity.

Take Care of Yourself: Try Meditation

Preparing yourself for the intensity of applying to and attending medical school is important. This week we’ll highlight healthy behaviors to incorporate into your schedule.

Meditate. We're not trying to proselytize here. If it's not for you, it's not. But you could try it. (And cynically speaking— we sound a bit scheming here—schools might be into it if you mention meditation in your application or during your interview. It shows both openness and dedication.) Meditation isn't about having a blank mind; it's about acknowledging and letting go of intrusive thoughts and accepting what is happening at the moment. This can aid performance, according to George Mumford, a mindfulness coach who taught Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan how to meditate. "Mindfulness is the process of making yourself flow-ready," he says. And don't all doctors want to be ready for whatever happens next?

Take Care of Yourself: Consider Professional Help

Preparing yourself for the intensity of applying to and attending medical school is important. This week we’ll highlight healthy behaviors to incorporate into your schedule.

Get professional help. Even if you're not feeling extreme turmoil right now, this could be something to explore. "Studies suggest medical students experience high levels of mental distress during training but are less likely than other students to access care due to stigma and concerns regarding career progression," according to a 2020 study published in BMC Medical Education. The University of Cambridge developed a mental health program for medical students. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy, or Cognitive Analytic Therapy was provided to 189 students. Stress, anxiety, and suicide risk were "significantly reduced" and students' functioning "significantly improved."

Take Care of Yourself: Prioritize Sleep and Movement

Preparing yourself for the intensity of applying to and attending medical school is important. This week we’ll highlight healthy behaviors to incorporate into your schedule.

Sleep. When sleep is in your control, try to maximize the opportunity. A study published in the December 2021 Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research found that anxiety and stress directly impacted medical students' sleep during the second wave of COVID-19. One thing that you can do to combat that right now is to put away your phone every night. You've heard it before—but it's especially relevant to you. In a study published in the January 2022 Journal of Affective Disorders, medical students’ anxiety was associated with problematic smartphone use and sleep deprivation.

Move. Do whatever you comfortably can do; this is not ableist advice. You don't need to have six-pack abs to be a strong candidate for medical school or med student—exercise is just another way to reduce your risk of a meltdown. A study published in Academic Medicine in 2017 surveyed 12,500 medical students across the country and found that those who met the CDC's exercise recommendations had a lower risk of burnout and a higher quality of life.

Take Care of Yourself

This isn't advice you expected to get from us, we know. And we're not going to share any simplistic Instagram #selfcare adages here—but if you're going to dedicate your life to healthcare, start at home.

This might seem like a non-priority right now, but it is serious. Medical students have a significantly higher rate of mental illness than similarly aged postsecondary graduates, according to a 2019 study in Academic Medicine. One harrowing quote: "Higher rates of distress and burnout in physicians and medical learners have been linked to poor academic performance, increased thoughts of dropping out of medical school, lower levels of professionalism, decreased empathy, increased medical errors, increased substance abuse, and increased suicidal ideation."

Preparing yourself for the intensity of applying to and attending medical school is important. Practicing mindfulness, getting rest, and being a person in the world are part of being ready for a rigorous academic environment. This week we’ll highlight some of these healthy behaviors.

Stay social. This is not to say that you should be partying the night before retaking your MCAT. But you do need to leave your desk—or at least have a Zoom that isn't a study group. Even if you're a natural introvert, if you want to be a physician, you will benefit from speaking to people regularly. This advice might not apply to you—you could be a social butterfly. But trust us, some applicants need to hear it, including one of our all-time favorites. (Yes, we have favorites.) Keeping your relationships strong also provides a safety net in hard times and helps you to be empathetic and less self-centered.

Common Secondary Essay Topics: School Specific

This week on the blog we’re covering common secondary essay topics. Stay tuned for a new topic each day along with pointers on how to make the most of your response.

Why our school?

This is a place to mention courses you're excited to take, potential mentors you'd seek out, clubs you'd join, what the school's hospital affiliations and research opportunities mean to you, etc. And you want to share how those offerings are relevant to your past experiences and/or passions. If you've spent the last two years volunteering at a free clinic and doing community health outreach and the school has a brand-new mobile clinic serving the unhoused, you want to be working on it. If you aim to become an OB/GYN and Professor So-And-So just published a 10-year study on geriatric pregnancy, you want her as a mentor and to become involved in her current research.

You also might share how the school's location will set you up for the kind of career you want. Say, for example, the school is in a city, and you ultimately want to practice in an urban area. If true, you could take your reasoning one step further, saying that you want to work in the school's city or state when you're a physician. State schools love applicants who are committed to practicing in their state post-residency.

Mentioning that you find other aspects of the town or city appealing or that it is located near friends and relatives is also relevant here. Schools want to know if you have a local support system.

Similar Q: Tell us about your special interest in the campus you selected.

If a school has multiple campuses, à la The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, they will likely ask you to choose a favorite. Again, you should share your interest in the local clinical opportunities and how the campus location relates to your career aspirations. A personal affinity for a larger or smaller city or rural campus is noteworthy too.

Common Secondary Essay Topics: Key Attributes

This week on the blog we’re covering common secondary essay topics. Stay tuned for a new topic each day along with pointers on how to make the most of your response.

What are the most important attributes a physician should possess?

Which one do you embody? This question is self-explanatory, but again, don't just tell, show. Share a story (or, better yet, more than one instance) where you exemplified an attribute that means a lot to you.

Describe a time where you worked on a team.

Teamwork is a huge part of working in medicine, so make this example count. Choose the best anecdote from your Teamwork and Collaboration Bucket in your brainstorm. Be detailed: What was your team's goal? What problem did you solve together? If the team was small, include everyone's first name. (It shows that you valued these people as collaborators.) What did each of them bring to the table? How did you delegate tasks? When did you choose to lead and when did you choose to follow? Did a conflict arise? How did you solve it? If you didn't, is there anything you would do differently if faced with that situation today?