We Are Some First Year Year Ubc Medicine Students - Ask Us Anything!*

[JohnGrisham]

Cool idea. Thanks a lot everyone. Just a few questions.

 

How's the work/life balance going for you all? Do you find that you have significant time to pursue other interests and social engagements, or is the time commitment to studying pretty heavy?

 

What's one thing about medicine/becoming a doctor you've experienced that you weren't expecting/weren't prepared for?

 

Does the 'race' ever end in medicine? Getting into the program is a great step, but are residencies a major thing on your mind? I really want to believe that after the bottleneck in the premed stage, everything chills out a little.

If you want a competitive residency, it doesn't end.  

[46dr]

If you want a competitive residency, it doesn't end.  

 

Are any residencies not competitive? Not that it factors in for me, but I was under the impression that all of them are pretty competitive. 

[Maruo]

I agree with Commons.

 

Are any residencies not competitive? Not that it factors in for me, but I was under the impression that all of them are pretty competitive. 

 

Something I learned is that geographic location of the program is as important as the program itself. For example, family medicine is usually thought of as one of the more popular 'less competitive' residencies. But from what I've been hearing, getting a spot in Metro Vancouver is becoming increasingly difficult.

 

Flexibility seems to be the most important thing when it comes to residency. If you really want a speciality, you shouldn't be resistant to spend some time in a new place to get trained in it. At least that's my opinion (and obviously I'm not very far along the path!)

[JohnGrisham]

I agree with Commons.

 

 

Something I learned is that geographic location of the program is as important as the program itself. For example, family medicine is usually thought of as one of the more popular 'less competitive' residencies. But from what I've been hearing, getting a spot in Metro Vancouver is becoming increasingly difficult.

 

Flexibility seems to be the most important thing when it comes to residency. If you really want a speciality, you shouldn't be resistant to spend some time in a new place to get trained in it. At least that's my opinion (and obviously I'm not very far along the path!)

For most of the "lesser competitive" specialties(FM and primary care in general, IM, Psych etc) if you apply broadly across the country, you should match fine.

 

For the more competitive specialties, you should EXPECT to apply all over the country, and likely to match - but no guarantee. 

 

Even for the lesser competitive specialties, most big cities are very competitive. So if you want to be in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto  etc in the city- it is still competitive.  

[wallaroo]

Guys, shouldn't we be prepping for CBL and 419? Now I'm super curious as to who these classmates are. I'm also here to answer any questions if you guys have any more.

 

 

First of all, thank you to all the med students who are participating in answering our questions!

My questions is: What do you think about the new curriculum? What advice would you give about the new curriculum (in terms of preparing and so on) to those who will start next year?

 

The new spiral curriculum is great! I really do believe it will help us become better physicians in the long run. It's also super interesting to learn the clinical applications early on, and revisit concepts over and over again throughout the course of our education. However, since we are the first year it's implemented, there is a bit of a guinea pig mentality - the administration is a bit rough and sometimes we don't quite know what's going on. But the staff and faculty are great at asking for feedback and responding to our needs. I hear some rumours that other medical schools are thinking of switching to spiral curriculums as well. 

 

Advice: keep an open mind, and understand that while this is a great new curriculum, it is NEW. Think about what would suit your learning needs the most when you pick the school to go to. In terms of preparation... because we are introducing concepts so early on, there's less review and we jump into application pretty soon after reviewing the basic sciences, so reviewing your sciences (physiology, biochem, etc) on your own would be helpful to not get lost in the fast pace curriculum.

[wallaroo]

Questions:

1. Is there a competitive atmosphere in med school (I've noticed that this can happen during undergrad sometimes)?

2. What's something you now know about med school that you wish you knew before?

3. How did you guys prepare for interviews? 

 

Thanks

 

1. I actually found there to be less competition than I expected. Maybe it's because my undergrad program was very cutthroat - I find that here, since we've already gotten in, and it's pass fail, people are very helpful and share notes often. Of course we're still pretty type A and everything, but classmates are always down to help each other out, and we're super active on the facebook group in terms of posting clarifications and notes to help study.

 

2. I kind of assumed that the hard part was getting in - and then it'd be pretty chill afterward (since I heard the graduation rate in medicine is like 97% or something), but it's A LOT of hard work. Thank god for pass-fail! Haha.

 

3. I practiced with friends and strangers (found others in the same area prepping through premed101) in mock MMI format. One thing to keep in mind for UBC is that the interview questions are really different from other schools - in a way they're more "natural" interview questions, less med-y and perhaps harder to "study" for. But just be yourself, and work on skills that are transferrable, ie, being organized in your answer, being approachable, and never answer in definitives, always keep an open mind.

 

Also - shameless plug for our awesome interview video!! IT LOOKS AWESOME (THAT'S ALL I'M ALLOWED TO SAY) so definitely look forward to it in February! 

[wallaroo]

Cool idea. Thanks a lot everyone. Just a few questions.

 

How's the work/life balance going for you all? Do you find that you have significant time to pursue other interests and social engagements, or is the time commitment to studying pretty heavy?

 

What's one thing about medicine/becoming a doctor you've experienced that you weren't expecting/weren't prepared for?

 

Does the 'race' ever end in medicine? Getting into the program is a great step, but are residencies a major thing on your mind? I really want to believe that after the bottleneck in the premed stage, everything chills out a little.

 

1. It's busy, let's just say. But there's definitely time to pursue other interests. There's a TON of clubs and interest groups both in medicine and in Vancouver/UBC to join, and I have joined a few. There are always talks to go to at the MSAC - though maybe some would say that still sort of counts as doing "school work", but it's so interesting that it doesn't count to me. Haha. There's usually time to commit to volunteering, sports, and family things. Of course around exam time there's a lot of cramming, but it's not unmanageable. It's all about the self care!

 

2. I wasn't prepared for how people treat me differently now. It's really weird. Friends ask me for medical opinion (though I just tell them to go see an actual doctor) a lot and even my own parents seem to take me more seriously. It's almost rude, as if I didn't matter before or something... =.= But the topic of medicine is awesome - so interesting, and the clinical experiences we've had have been very enlightening.

 

3. Well, it lightens up a bit. There's a fair bit of comradery in med school - since it's pass fail and grades don't matter so much anymore. Everyone helps each other out, it's really nice. But yes, if you're aiming for a competitive specialty, then the race doesn't end. But it's not pitting against classmates - in residency match it's all about extracurriculars and reference letters - so we still help each other out. And of course it depends on your personality, I know some people who are already gunning for plastics, and I also know others who are just enjoying life right now. It's all about how you see it.

[JohnGrisham]

Guys, shouldn't we be prepping for CBL and 419? Now I'm super curious as to who these classmates are. I'm also here to answer any questions if you guys have any more.

 

 

 

The new spiral curriculum is great! I really do believe it will help us become better physicians in the long run. It's also super interesting to learn the clinical applications early on, and revisit concepts over and over again throughout the course of our education. However, since we are the first year it's implemented, there is a bit of a guinea pig mentality - the administration is a bit rough and sometimes we don't quite know what's going on. But the staff and faculty are great at asking for feedback and responding to our needs. I hear some rumours that other medical schools are thinking of switching to spiral curriculums as well. 

 

Advice: keep an open mind, and understand that while this is a great new curriculum, it is NEW. Think about what would suit your learning needs the most when you pick the school to go to. In terms of preparation... because we are introducing concepts so early on, there's less review and we jump into application pretty soon after reviewing the basic sciences, so reviewing your sciences (physiology, biochem, etc) on your own would be helpful to not get lost in the fast pace curriculum.

New curriculum has a lot of potential, but it is far from polished. Many other medical schools have been doing an integrated/spiral approach since the late 1990s and early 2000s, there is nothing special or new about our Curriculum Renewal. Its their accreditation year, its been in the talks for a while now - and it is still a work in progress. It will be MUCH better for the class of 2020, it isn't terrible right now though.

 

 

Manitoba implemented theirs last year: http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/education/undergraduate/media/FRAMEWORK_CHART_-_FINAL-Nov2015.pdf

 

 

Come in with an open mind, a good work ethic from day 1, and you will be fine. 

 

[PremedToronto]

Also willing to help those OOP (and IP) applicants.  Good luck!

[medrock]

Hi guys - thanks so much for doing this!

 

I know many people say not to worry about the essay during the interview, but I am, mainly because I am pretty poor at writing. Any advice on the essays you could give? Did any of you follow a certain structure, for example, maybe the old MCAT style of providing two sides of viewing the statement, followed by a final paragraph that brings these sides together?

[JohnGrisham]

Hi guys - thanks so much for doing this!

 

I know many people say not to worry about the essay during the interview, but I am, mainly because I am pretty poor at writing. Any advice on the essays you could give? Did any of you follow a certain structure, for example, maybe the old MCAT style of providing two sides of viewing the statement, followed by a final paragraph that brings these sides together?

I am terrible at writing, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but i just followed the typical 5 paragraph structure format...there wasnt a lot of time (and no gaurantee this year will be anything like what we had to do). I dont even think i finished mine, just re-iterated in my concluding paragraph then drew a smiley face.

 

No one knows what they even use it for or how it works - my theory is to make sure you have a decent enough grasp at english language written communication... but thats a theory and who knows.

[medrock]

I am terrible at writing, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but i just followed the typical 5 paragraph structure format...there wasnt a lot of time (and no gaurantee this year will be anything like what we had to do). I dont even think i finished mine, just re-iterated in my concluding paragraph then drew a smiley face.

 

No one knows what they even use it for or how it works - my theory is to make sure you have a decent enough grasp at english language written communication... but thats a theory and who knows.

 

Five paragraphs in 30mins!? wow dude, that must have been intense! 

 

I dont know how its graded, and more importantly, how it influences the overall interview score. Im also not sure whether it influences the score or is used as a red flag sorta deal. I would suspect it gets a grade, probably out of 10, and that is then factored into the total interview score. However, I do think the score is more based on the sentence structures rather than the overall essay structure. This would make sense to me, as when you must exercise written communication to patients you dont write in essays but in statements. So it is probably to ensure you can write clearly. Thats my opinion, anyway. 

[foozer93]

woa nostalgia

[JohnGrisham]

Five paragraphs in 30mins!? wow dude, that must have been intense!

 

I dont know how its graded, and more importantly, how it influences the overall interview score. Im also not sure whether it influences the score or is used as a red flag sorta deal. I would suspect it gets a grade, probably out of 10, and that is then factored into the total interview score. However, I do think the score is more based on the sentence structures rather than the overall essay structure. This would make sense to me, as when you must exercise written communication to patients you dont write in essays but in statements. So it is probably to ensure you can write clearly. Thats my opinion, anyway.

They weren't very long paragraphs

[wallaroo]

I just wrote everything I could think of. I had an introduction "paragraph"  - it was like 4 sentences long, after that, I had 2 points to make, and then I just summarized the stuff I said. I don't have any writing background - only took english in high school and hadn't had an arts course in all of undergrad. You'll do fine.

[MedZZZ]

I

[JohnGrisham]

Hi All, 

 

I am a non-trad applicant. I applied to UBC twice, last year, I was so close to the interview cut off (less than one point) but this year, to my surprise, my TFR dropped by 1 score!!! I added 2 more meaningful jobs, 1 first author research pub, and about 3-4 volunteer activities compared to the previous cycle so I don't know what else I need to do. I really need some advice. My AGPA is 84-85. I would appreciate if you could suggest how i could improve my NAQ as this is the only way I could improve my application. 

 

Thanks,

Ghazal

Keep volunteering and getting involved in leadership roles. Broaden your scope and expand responsibilities. It may take time, but you'll get there. You already have a strong GPA which won't limit you, just need to keep improving the NAQ.

[B A T M A N]

I'm not sure if you're allowed to answer this (no worries if you cant!) but I heard the MMIs are starting to become less about coming up with solutions to ethical situations and more geared towards finding more about you as an individual and your personal characteristics/experiences (kind of like panel interviews in an MMI setting). Any truth to this? My friend told me reading Doing Right, although interesting and worth a read for anyone considering Medicine, wasn't itself particularly helpful during the MMIs because you didn't get that many situational questions. 

[hking03]

I'm not sure if you're allowed to answer this (no worries if you cant!) but I heard the MMIs are starting to become less about coming up with solutions to ethical situations and more geared towards finding more about you as an individual and your personal characteristics/experiences (kind of like panel interviews in an MMI setting). Any truth to this? My friend told me reading Doing Right, although interesting and worth a read for anyone considering Medicine, wasn't itself particularly helpful during the MMIs because you didn't get that many situational questions.

Haven't done the MMI in a few years, but I don't recall any stations that asked questions about you as a person. I think the goal of the MMI is to use situations to tease out your ability to think on your feet, communicate effectively and reveal any traits that might make you a strong candidate vs a not as strong candidate.

 

Having said that I know each year they have some odd stations that are being tested so who knows... Maybe they will have some stations that ask more personal/panel style questions.

 

good luck.

[JohnGrisham]

I'm not sure if you're allowed to answer this (no worries if you cant!) but I heard the MMIs are starting to become less about coming up with solutions to ethical situations and more geared towards finding more about you as an individual and your personal characteristics/experiences (kind of like panel interviews in an MMI setting). Any truth to this? My friend told me reading Doing Right, although interesting and worth a read for anyone considering Medicine, wasn't itself particularly helpful during the MMIs because you didn't get that many situational questions. 

It likely changes ever year - last year people were expecting all these ethical dilemmas, and were going overboard with prepping with Doing Right. Ended up being not much and more abstract and thinking/ getting to know you.

 

Just develop confidence in having conversations and thinking quick on your feet. 

 

I read the first chapter of Doing Right and put it on my shelf after that, but everyone is different. 

 

Just prep however or for whatever, to make yourself just generally calm and confident.  Don't get bogged down in what everyone else does.

[FlameGrilledChicken]

Curious on your opinion on doing an Honours degree vs. just doing a Major?

[B A T M A N]

Haven't done the MMI in a few years, but I don't recall any stations that asked questions about you as a person. I think the goal of the MMI is to use situations to tease out your ability to think on your feet, communicate effectively and reveal any traits that might make you a strong candidate vs a not as strong candidate.

 

Having said that I know each year they have some odd stations that are being tested so who knows... Maybe they will have some stations that ask more personal/panel style questions.

 

good luck.

 

 

Yeah, it used to be like that but they made a pretty big switch just last year I heard. My friend thought he wasted his time prepping...though he did end up getting in so he can't complain too much haha. 

[B A T M A N]

It likely changes ever year - last year people were expecting all these ethical dilemmas, and were going overboard with prepping with Doing Right. Ended up being not much and more abstract and thinking/ getting to know you.

 

Just develop confidence in having conversations and thinking quick on your feet. 

 

I read the first chapter of Doing Right and put it on my shelf after that, but everyone is different. 

 

Just prep however or for whatever, to make yourself just generally calm and confident.  Don't get bogged down in what everyone else does.

 

Thanks for the reply! Hopefully it stays that way because I feel I'd be more suited for those types of questions as opposed to the ethical dilemmas, where I feel like I'm just going to be rehashing generic, cookie cutter answers. 

[JohnGrisham]

Curious on your opinion on doing an Honours degree vs. just doing a Major?

Doesn't matter- only your grades do.

[Lothrandir]

Yeah, it used to be like that but they made a pretty big switch just last year I heard. My friend thought he wasted his time prepping...though he did end up getting in so he can't complain too much haha. 

 

Last year I felt the interview questions didn't require too much preparation, if you've got the abilities and experiences your EC's are meant to give, you could have nailed it. My problem was that I had prepped for something much more difficult, so I was completely taken aback and bombed it. Over prepping hurts.