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Hey,

I interviewed at both UofA and UofC last year and UofC this year. The thing that made the difference for all interviews this year for me is confidence and the self-esteem.

Last year, I thought that I didn't deserve to be there and that I just got lucky. I thought that I'd never get another interview anywhere again. But as an OOP when I got the Calgary interview again this year, I thought, "Hey maybe it wasn't a fluke and I am a worthy candidate". This year I made a pump up playlist and I went in with the "I'm just as qualified as any of these other candidates, and I deserve to be here" attitude.

I think the difference is that you shouldn't be practicing to be the best that you can be, you should be practicing to most effectively show who you are as a person in the given time.

As sad as it is to say... a lot of the time it's just dumb luck.
 

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Hey,

 

I interviewed at both UofA and UofC last year and UofC this year. The thing that made the difference for all interviews this year for me is confidence and the self-esteem.

 

Last year, I thought that I didn't deserve to be there and that I just got lucky. I thought that I'd never get another interview anywhere again. But as an OOP when I got the Calgary interview again this year, I thought, "Hey maybe it wasn't a fluke and I am a worthy candidate". This year I made a pump up playlist and I went in with the "I'm just as qualified as any of these other candidates, and I deserve to be here" attitude.

 

I think the difference is that you shouldn't be practicing to be the best that you can be, you should be practicing to most effectively show who you are as a person in the given time.

 

As sad as it is to say... a lot of the time it's just dumb luck.

 

 

Confidence does help but you should be practicing to be the best you can be all the time, not just for interviews. 

 

I interviewed twice at UofA.

 

This is what I did to improve the 2nd time around: 

http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/86211-is-it-too-early-to-prepare-for-interviews/#entry959565

 

- G

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Practicing to be the best you can be all the time will result in burn out. Be effective and smart with where you put your efforts.

 

 

^Which is exactly what I meant to say, just didn't know how.

 

Practicing to be the perfect version of yourself also ends up sounding robotic and too pretentious. If there is one thing that medicine is trying to steer away from it is being a profession filled with people who are, "high and mighty". 

 

Honestly. Practice answering as comfortably as you can for any question, even something as trivial, random, and controversial as "Why do you think the NBA is now predominantly dominated by African American players when it used to be dominated by caucasians?"

 

Practice being as close to yourself as you can be. I know, It's hard to be yourself when the stakes are high.

 

Last year, if I was given the question that I just used as an example, I'd freak out because 1) I genuinely don't know why the NBA became more populated by African American players vs. caucasian players and 2) I don't want to come off racist.

 

If you're asked an opinion (i.e. what do you think about x), then say: this is what I think about "X". If "X" is something you aren't too familiar with, don't try and fake it and try to seem more intelligent than you are. You will end up sounding choppy and will ramble. Just simply say, "I first want to let you know I'm not too informed about X, but these are the steps I'd take to learn more about X. From what I already know, however, this is what I think about X and this why I think this way."

 

This isn't to say that you shouldn't go in with any preparation or structure. On the other hand, you shouldn't be memorizing "doing right" or reading through every legal case law there was related to Canadian healthcare.

 

Remember that the MMI is not an exam based on knowledge/smartness, that's what the pre-interview screening was for. The MMI is there to assess personal skills and see if you are someone that the assessors can see as being a good learner, a good teacher, a good colleague and a good physician.

 

Hope this helps,

- Bern

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This year will be my 4th application cycle at U of A ( 2nd interview at U of A / got waitlisted previously)-- and I not sure what I should do to finally get in. My GPA and MCAT are on the low side.

 

Can applicants who interviewed more than once tell me what they feel made a difference in their interview performance? I asked several people who got in after 3 + trials and most of them say that they are not sure what made a difference in their interview performance.

Are your interviews historically fairly good, or at least on par with the scores from accepted students in those cycles? 

 

It seems to me that if you are committed to getting in, you may need to upgrade your GPA or retake the MCAT to correct the weaknesses you've identified in your application. 

 

You need to use the time you have as efficiently as possible. How can you increase your aggregate score the most in the least amount of time? i.e. don't spend 5 months preparing for interviews if you do fairly well already, when you could have better used that time to re-write the MCAT.

 

Apply your finite resources on the areas which have the most potential for growth. 

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What do you think is the smartest way one can upgrade there GPA?

Depends entirely on the goals and interests of the applicant, and other factors like finances.

 

Suppose that 2 different applicants each have a cGPA (based on 3 out of 4 years) of 3.3. Applicant A obtained a 3.9, 3.9 and 2.1, whereas applicant B obtained 3.3 across the board over 3 years. Clearly it will benefit applicant A to upgrade for 1 full year more than it would applicant B, even if they were both to obtain a 4.0 that year (i.e. A would have a 3.93 and B would have a 3.53). Applicant B would be better off doing a 2 year course-based Master's or 2nd bachelors degree to increase their GPA if they were committed to doing so. It also depends on whether they actually have the capacity to increase their GPA in that upgrading year. Applicant A has proven that they have the ability to obtain a 4.0 (or at least something close), whereas applicant B may have a much harder time. This is an extreme example, but you get the idea... Depends on the individual and their unique situation.  

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This year will be my 4th application cycle at U of A ( 2nd interview at U of A / got waitlisted previously)-- and I not sure what I should do to finally get in. My GPA and MCAT are on the low side.

 

Can applicants who interviewed more than once tell me what they feel made a difference in their interview performance? I asked several people who got in after 3 + trials and most of them say that they are not sure what made a difference in their interview performance.

 

Hey sorry to ask an off-topic question, but in regards to the interview process on March 18th, how long do they usually go for? I'm sure med students hang out after the formal interviews and what not to answer any questions, etc.

 

I'm from OOP and need to fly back immediately for a midterm the next day unfortunately and booking flights has got me worried a bit... Any insight on the interview process, specifically how long it runs for would be greatly appreciated.

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Hey sorry to ask an off-topic question, but in regards to the interview process on March 18th, how long do they usually go for? I'm sure med students hang out after the formal interviews and what not to answer any questions, etc.

 

I'm from OOP and need to fly back immediately for a midterm the next day unfortunately and booking flights has got me worried a bit... Any insight on the interview process, specifically how long it runs for would be greatly appreciated.

You can see the schedule on the MMI information website. The link was included in the interview offer email.

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Hey sorry to ask an off-topic question, but in regards to the interview process on March 18th, how long do they usually go for? I'm sure med students hang out after the formal interviews and what not to answer any questions, etc.

 

I'm from OOP and need to fly back immediately for a midterm the next day unfortunately and booking flights has got me worried a bit... Any insight on the interview process, specifically how long it runs for would be greatly appreciated.

 

Depends on when you start, but you should anticipate at least half (if not more) of your day devoted to the interview weekend. 

 

- G 

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