May 12 Countdown Thread 2020

[BernieMac]

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[MedicineLCS]

Honestly, is there anyone who looks back on their interview day experience and thinks "I got this"? I certainly don't, I managed to botch one interview (in my own feelings) HARD, but doesn't everyone feel that way to varying degrees? Honestly, I hope to get in somewhere and then laugh over some of the incredibly dumb comments I made. 

How many of us have walked out of a test/job interview thinking we did horribly only to find out it went well afterwards? I remember walking out of my MCAT thinking I bombed the B/B and C/P sections and later finding out that that was only partially true (thanks physics!). I'm sure we've all felt we've "bombed" job interviews that later went the other way. I've remember completing a competitive job interview where I was very clear that I didn't have a certification they said was optional (which they said was fine). Question 1 was a question that required a great deal of knowledge from exactly that certification, and I was left sitting there talking about "What I think would work" and how I would ask my coworkers for help. Thinking back to my own interviews, I was sure I bombed Queens as soon as I started reflecting on it. A week or so later, a panel invite (which I've now reflected on and cringed a little).

The mindset that allow someone to get top marks in school, on admissions tests, and more is the same mindset that seeks perfection and focuses on the 4% of questions you got wrong, rather than the 96% you got right. Personally, I reflected after my interviews on what I would do the same, on what I should probably not do again, and what I definitely would not do again, and then stored those reflections for future reflection if needed. Beyond that, what more can we do? Most schools accept around 50% of people, so it's not like you need to nail every single question, and you can't change anything now. 

[BernieMac]

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[BernieMac]

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[James Nystead]

1 minute ago, YesIcan55 said:

you bring up good points but from looking at past admission threads there are some people who said they knew they killed it when they finished the interview, and they ended up getting in.

Thought they killed the interview --> Got in

Thought the interview killed them --> Got in

Thought they killed the interview --> Rejected

Thought the interview killed them --> Rejected

This is a classic 2by2 table you can use to calculate sens spec PPV NPV

[James Nystead]

Look at all you studs with multiple interviews ... wow... Is there a certain number of interviews that statistically almost gurantees you admission given each schools (% of offers made)? What would that number be? Ive a friend interview at Mac Queens Ottawa UofT in 3rd and 4th year and got straight rejected x4 x2 and gave up the MD dream so

[BernieMac]

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[theevilsloth]

Yeah last year I felt pretty good about my Western interview, got rejected anyways. I know people that felt awful about their interviews and got accepted. Most of us aren't great judges of our own interview performance, especially because we don't know how others answered the same questions.

[BernieMac]

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[MedicineLCS]

8 minutes ago, YesIcan55 said:

you bring up good points but from looking at past admission threads there are some people who said they knew they killed it when they finished the interview, and they ended up getting in.

Great for them. But how do they know that? Ultimately it's not their opinion that counts, it's the opinions of the people sitting across from them. I'm sure we've all encountered confident people before who seemed to believe that they are god's gift to humanity (not to say those people are like that necessarily) who overstate their own performance in any number of areas, some to succeed, some to flop. Some people are naturally confident and feel fine about their performance, some to get in, some do not. On the same token, some people feel that they bomb everything they touch, but they end up getting in, while others don't.

If the person sitting across from you thinks your "great interview" reeks of some tendency they dislike (maybe arrogance?) you may have actually bombed it. At the same token, someone who interviewed in a way they think leads to rejection may actually have come off as a very thoughtful, careful, person. 

None of this undermines my main point, that our own perceptions are finicky, flighty things and we shouldn't put too much trust into them. 

[theevilsloth]

Just now, MedicineLCS said:

None of this undermines my main point, that our own perceptions are finicky, flighty things and we shouldn't put too much trust into them. 

YES this

[hijkl]

12 minutes ago, Casablanca said:

I looked back at last year's countdown thread and saw a few examples of people who did not see an offer on OMSAS at midnight but got an offer the next morning.

Now I'm so scared to check at midnight!!!

i’m not gonna check at midnight for this very reason - if i didn’t see any offers it would be a horrible sleepless night and a painfully long wait for the emails. 

[BernieMac]

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[theevilsloth]

Just now, inkbat said:

i’m not gonna check at midnight for this very reason - if i didn’t see any offers it would be a horrible sleepless night and a painfully long wait for the emails. 

Gonna be a horrible sleepless night for me anyways lol. I'll check, if I'm rejected then I can get it over with and actually sleep 

[short_stack]

1 minute ago, theevilsloth said:

Gonna be a horrible sleepless night for me anyways lol. I'll check, if I'm rejected then I can get it over with and actually sleep 

Are you just going to assume it’s a rejection if you don’t see an offer?  Edit: sorry, I want to clarify - because I don’t think OMSAS shows rejections or waitlist

[theevilsloth]

Just now, short_stack said:

Are you just going to assume it’s a rejection if you don’t see an offer?  

Nope! I'll assume results aren't out yet. Last year, through western portal the rejection was pretty clear at midnight.

[DrOtter]

Honestly, I was really nervous coming up to my interview. Being left to be the last few people to go to the room didn't help... But the moment I sat down and started it, I felt like I was in character and I really believe I did the very best I could. And the interview questions ended up being close and personal too. I walked out of there feeling so confident and good about it that I now I'm so so terrified of finding out 

[short_stack]

1 minute ago, theevilsloth said:

Nope! I'll assume results aren't out yet. Last year, through western portal the rejection was pretty clear at midnight.

Oh I keep forgetting that some of the schools have their own portal you can check at if you’re a student there. That’s actually really sad, I feel like it shouldn’t be revealed that way  

[theevilsloth]

Just now, short_stack said:

Oh I keep forgetting that some of the schools have their own portal you can check at if you’re a student there. That’s actually really sad, I feel like it shouldn’t be revealed that way  

Not a student at Western, but they gave interviewees logins. 

[BernieMac]

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[short_stack]

Just now, theevilsloth said:

Not a student at Western, but they gave interviewees logins. 

Aw man so I guess they kind of indirectly tell you that you can check online at midnight on their portal. That’s rough. 

[MedGoldfish]

Does anyone know if SOLUS (for Queen's applicants) updates at midnight?

[redbeanbun]

26 minutes ago, theevilsloth said:

Nope! I'll assume results aren't out yet. Last year, through western portal the rejection was pretty clear at midnight.

Was that a glitch or is that what's supposed to happen? Aka can we expect results to be up by midnight again this time? I know this year western dent results were also up at midnight and then people got the email in the morning. 

[theevilsloth]

10 minutes ago, redbeanbun said:

Was that a glitch or is that what's supposed to happen? Aka can we expect results to be up by midnight again this time? I know this year western dent results were also up at midnight and then people got the email in the morning. 

Not sure. If it happened this year for dent then its possible for med. 

[redbeanbun]

1 minute ago, theevilsloth said:

Not sure. If it happened this year for dent then its possible for med. 

Just asked dent and med friends at Schulich, both said they're pretty sure the Student Center update at midnight is supposed to happen. Well there goes my sleep!