A group chat mocking a friend: a medical school interview question
- Kind
- Ethical dilemma
Prompt
A friend sends you a screenshot from a group chat you are not in. In it, two people from your friend group mock a third friend, Priya, about her weight and joke about leaving her out of a weekend trip. Priya has been asking you why she was not invited. What would you do?
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How to approach this question
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Empathy and compassion
- Communication
How to approach it
This panel interview question tests whether you'll protect a friend from being hurt and excluded while handling private messages you weren't meant to see. Name the people involved: Priya, who keeps asking and deserves honesty, the two friends mocking her, the friend who sent you the screenshot, and the wider friend group. Weigh whether showing Priya the screenshot would help or hurt her, and whether you can be honest with her without forwarding the mockery itself. Consider talking directly with the two friends about what they wrote, and supporting Priya by being open that she wasn't included. Think about what you owe the friend who shared it with you. Then commit to a clear plan and explain the order you'd act in.
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