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Are the interviews conducted by members of the selection committee or is there a separate group of internists that act as interviewers?

The vast majority of interviews, essentially all, are conducted by members of the Selection Committee. Very, very rarely, say because of last minute scheduling problems (such as illness) or an unrecognized conflict of interest, someone from outside the Committee may have to be brought in to do one or two interviews. Frankly, I can't even remember the last time that's happened. As I said, it's very unusual for an applicant to be interviewed by someone who's not on the Committee.
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Is selection weighed significant for preclinical grades or "class rankings"? i.e. a person who is in the top 10% of the class vs in the top 25% in preclinical grades.

 

And how much of a role do extracurricular activities play? Such as sports, volunteer, part time work.

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Is selection weighed significant for preclinical grades or "class rankings"? i.e. a person who is in the top 10% of the class vs in the top 25% in preclinical grades.
It's almost moot nowadays, since so few schools use anything other than a P/F system. Where grades are available, they are pretty much weighted the same regardless of year. So, someone with lots of 'honours' grades in yrs I and III but no so many in yr II is looked at much the same as someone with lots of honours grades in yrs II and III, but not I.

 

Now, if by "preclinical" you mean pre-medical grades, those are not really weighted at all. At best, if someone has an absolutely outstanding set of grades during their BSc studies, it may nudge them a bit higher in the ranking, and then only if the people who reviewed his/her file noticed it and were impressed by it. Some file reviewers don't even look at the pre-medical school grades as far as I can tell. Me? Oh, yeah. I look. And if I see three or four years of A+ grades (especially if the class average is given and is much lower), I tend to advocate more for that candidate. Others would disagree and ask instead how the candidate has done since entering med school. Have the A+ grades morphed into "honours" in med school, or was there no apparent effect on his/her med school performance by having such outstanding grades in the undergrad BSc years?

And how much of a role do extracurricular activities play? Such as sports, volunteer, part time work.
Some of these can definitely play a (positive) role. As I said in this thread last February, "Extracurricular interests, well-roundedness helps, especially in the gestalt. Personally, I bump up people who are accomplished (not in research, but in real life stuff) or who have unique talents/skills they'll bring to us (e.g. music, language, unique academic or social background, etc.). Again, speaking personally, I am not impressed by being active in student politics, e.g. various faculty committees." Later on I said, and still feel that,"unique and impressive life accomplishments (should and will usually help the candidate in his/her ranking). This is, of course, quite vague but, as mentioned somewhere else in this thread, I'm talking about stuff like excelling (not just participating) in a sport or a hobby such as music. I'm also referring to things like overcoming adversity at some point in their life, or doing something 'special' while in Med school (e.g. started organization to bring health care to impoverished or disenfranchised group)."

 

Finally, I said earlier, "my sense is that most people on the U of T committee share my sentiment that real life accomplishments are worth something. How much that something is worth, is going to vary among members. Now, as to what constitutes a meritorious accomplishment, that's also going to vary. I think it's safe to say that most of us would say research achievements if accompanied by outstanding clinical characteristics, are certainly going to help. Likewise, and judging from the comments made by other committee members, most of us believe that if someone has persevered through and overcome some life challenge, or somehow found the time and energy to achieve 'something special' (especially if contemporaneous with med school), then that person is going to overcome the challenges of an Int Med residency.

 

One specific case of non-medical accomplishment deserves special mention. To wit, if someone has a unique way of looking at things, and has demonstrated that their way is a productive and/or innovative one, that can make a big (positive) difference for them. As an example, if an applicant was responsible for a quality control initiative in industry (perhaps as a coop student or even in a real job before med school) and says he/she has been observing the way patients are triaged in the E.R. and now has some (practical) ideas how to improve the quality and safety of that process, that would be a plus in many committee members' eyes."

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What's the rough ratio of interviewed:matched applicants at UofT Internal medicine? Neither of us can find the stats on the CaRMS website.

In past years, I believe the approximate figure was around one to four (1:4). That is, we interviewed around 180 and were able to accept about 45 of them.

 

I may be off somewhat with these figures, but I'm sure they're sufficiently accurate to give a fair sense of things.

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  • 1 month later...

Speaking of IMGs.

 

What makes one IMG better than the other? Obviously they must be looked at differently than CMG as they have less interaction with Canadian doctors...etc.

 

Does the school reputation play a role? For example, would someone from SGU in the Caribbean be equal to a top 50 school in Ireland/UK?

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  • 3 months later...

Hello Internist,

 

I am starting med school next year, and have questions about school choices, because I really want to find a match here in Canada (Toronto preferably) when I'm done med school, but now there is a chance that I won't be attending a Canadian school.

 

So my question is, how much (%) does the fact of being an IMG (or US graduate) factor into selection of a possible match at U of T? What is the major determinant of selecting a candidate apart from where the candidate graduates from?

 

Thanks,

 

Howie

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  • 2 years later...
In past years, I believe the approximate figure was around one to four (1:4). That is, we interviewed around 180 and were able to accept about 45 of them.

 

I may be off somewhat with these figures, but I'm sure they're sufficiently accurate to give a fair sense of things.

 

 

Hi Internist, I am wondering if you know what the ratio of applicant interviewed:spots is for psych at toronto?

 

thanks!

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  • 6 months later...

Hello Internist,

 

Quick question about LORs. Does it make a difference on who writes your letter? For eg: if I have to choose from 2 referees, writing the exact same letter quality wise, does it matter if the author is professor practicing as consultant for years vs. assistant prof who just became a consultant? Does the CaRMs committee take that aspect into account or do they only concentrate on the quality of the letter?

Will they choose a student with LOR from consultant for years or does the other student with LOR from a fellow turned consultant recently with equal quality of letter considered as well?

thanks!

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Hi Internist,

 

I failed a course in my second year during my pre-clerkship years. It shows up as a "P-" on my transcript.

 

I am interested in applying to internal medicine but am wondering how much this will hinder my application, especially for more competitive sites like Vancouver and Toronto. I have multiple publications, excellent reference letters from program directors, CTU staff, etc., lots of EC involvement, and have done exceedingly well in my clerkship (I've been in top 10% for about half of my clerkship rotations, including internal medicine).

 

Are applicants accepted with my circumstances? Or will I essentially be weeded out pre-interviews due to my red flag.

 

Thanks,

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  • 4 months later...

Hello Internist,

 

Quick question about LORs. Does it make a difference on who writes your letter? For eg: if I have to choose from 2 referees, writing the exact same letter quality wise, does it matter if the author is professor practicing as consultant for years vs. assistant prof who just became a consultant? Does the CaRMs committee take that aspect into account or do they only concentrate on the quality of the letter?

Will they choose a student with LOR from consultant for years or does the other student with LOR from a fellow turned consultant recently with equal quality of letter considered as well?

thanks!

 

I'm not Internist, but the answer to the question you asked half a year ago is yes.

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  • 2 months later...

Hello Herewego,


 


I have a couple of questions for you that I am hoping that you can help me with.  I too am waiting for any news from the programs for the second iteration.  Do all programs to which I applied send an email, whether it be for rejection or invitation for interview?  Also when is usually the last day that I would hear anything?  Also, is it OK for me to contact the programs directly and inquire about my status, or offer a support for my application?  Or this generally not common practice (i.e. looked unfavorably)?  Please let me know what you guys think.  I am dying from waiting here, and I know the rank order list deadlines are coming soon, so they have the make their decisions soon, no?  Thanks a lot.

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  • 3 years later...
On 1/19/2019 at 6:16 PM, beeboop said:

all of the program descriptions ive read say something like "the interview is mandatory, candidates who decline interview will not be ranked"

https://carms.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004148783-Should-I-submit-a-rank-order-list-if-I-didn-t-get-an-interview-?fbclid=IwAR32slPUSLMJovW1_WAh7FA4lJltxhoDZbHnD_Jxgb-TUGP4Qc3JwCNhlxQ 

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9 hours ago, Saska2 said:

lol of course CaRMS would want you to rank programs you have 0% chance at, they get more money for every program you apply to. Look at the program descriptions for schools themselves for the more honest answer.

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On 1/21/2019 at 7:04 AM, beeboop said:

lol of course CaRMS would want you to rank programs you have 0% chance at, they get more money for every program you apply to. Look at the program descriptions for schools themselves for the more honest answer.

If you've already paid for those programs, you might as well rank them even if you didn't interview. There's no harm and the money is already spent.

As mentioned above, the chance of matching to a program you didn't interview at is essentially 0%, but it will absolutely be 0% if you don't rank it.

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  • 11 months later...

Hi there; how important is the PD liking you in terms of choosing the final candidates? Do they get the ultimate say / veto in terms of resident selection? I am particularly asking re: small competitive specialties with only several residents per year. I didn't make a meaningful impression on the PD at my top choice (not a bad impression, just not memorable at all), but was very well-liked by staff and residents, and got a super strong letter from one of the top docs in the program.

Can the PD - if they really love a candidate -  pretty much just go ahead and insist they get picked?

 

 

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