How Does The Candidate Selection Process Actually Work?

[circlecircledotdot]

I'm genuinely curious as to how decisions are made. Is this like a "pitching a pitch" system whereby you are first and foremost your own advocate as to why you want to into medicine, then the interviewers advocate for you for the entire committee to decide? (I'm assuming this is the purpose of why they write down notes, to compare how different people answered questions, etc.)

 

Because I think that if this is this the likely scenario, it probably explains why some people get accepted despite thinking they performed poorly and vice versa. The impression of the interviewers is not necessarily the impression of the committee.

 

If anyone has more insight on the process i'd love to hear it !

[RicardoKaká]

Or some people are just harsher critics of themselves compared to others

[premed989]

Well, personally, I thought my interview was a disaster. I got extremely flustered by the first question, got kind of caught off guard, and responded with an answer I still cringe about to this day. As a result, I was nervous for the rest of the 40 minutes, and ended up walking out of there shaking a little. It also made me less confident and more withdrawn for the whole interview. So yeah, one bad question can really put you off your game, and it sets up the "tone" for the rest of the interview, and this tone will set your impression of how well you did. Also, my panel was stone cold. I did a panel interview at UWO and it was very different - I felt the panel was really warm and actually I felt like I did really well there. Overall, I thought it went terribly, but started feeling a little better about it afterwards.

​Now just like anyone else in my situation, I've been crazy overanalyzing my answers. Some of my answers to the ethical questions for example were at little "gambly" (they're not the traditional sorts of things I'd imagine a typical premed would say, but I was honest and made a best guess to what the right thing to do was, and gave my reasons), and at the time I wasn't sure at all if they were reasonable answers. After googling a few of these scenarios I realized to my complete surprise that I wasn't totally off, and actually I made insights on a few points that even surprised myself. So if they're really marking the quality of your answers, then perhaps I actually did well?

​So who knows how well I actually did? Maybe I did median, despite thinking I did really poorly. Maybe I did actually do really poorly. But there's nothing to really do until May 9. But this just goes to show that there's a big difference between how you "feel" about an interview, which is set by the tone and style, versus how good the content of your answers are.

​ANYWAY, I would imagine the process is a little more formal than "rate candidate on a scale of 0 to 4". They probably have some sort of evaluation scheme, like a rubric. Specifically, I remember that the package us candidates were given mentioned: the ability to communicate well, a demonstrable interest in others, critical thinking, awareness of ethical concepts, self-awareness and resilience, and other things I can't recall right now. A shy and nervous candidate who demonstrates these will likely score higher than a super-confident candidate. They might even have sample answers that touch on the most important points to a particular ethical scenario or personal question, and the interviewers mark using those. So the content, I bet, really matters.

 

Lastly, interviewers probably take on the same demeanor for every candidate. Ultimately, I'm sure interview panels "rank" their interviewees more or less "relatively". A cold panel will not give a poor score to everyone they interview. Even a few of the candidates that they made **** themselves will actually get ranked well.

​At the end of the day, I don't think there's actually a big faculty get-together where they pick candidates. I'm pretty sure your interview score is added to GPA and they hit sort list on Excel and go from there.

​TLDR: You can get really nervous and freak out thinking you did poorly, but actually give some pretty good answers. You can go through the whole thing rapid-firing shitty answers with full confidence, and you'll walk out feeling GREAT. The content of your answers actually means a lot, I'm sure. Despite my immediately terrible feelings about the interview, I feel like at least some of my answers were decent.

​POST MAY 9 EDIT: 
​I can personally confirm that it's impossible to judge how well you did. I actually got good waitlisted here (which I thought was a miracle, considering all of the above). The medical school at which I thought I interviewed well (UWO) put me on their low waitlist. Who would've thought?

[End Poverty]

You can get really nervous and freak out thinking you did poorly, but actually give some pretty good answers. You can go through the whole thing rapid-firing shitty answers with full confidence, and you'll walk out feeling GREAT. The content of your answers actually means a lot, I'm sure. Despite my immediately terrible feelings about the interview, I feel like at least some of my answers were decent.

 

 

This is a great point, that a lot of people underestimate. Your interview performance feelings are  NOT accurate predictors of your interview score. Interviewers are looking for specific content, and specific thought processes.

[RicardoKaká]

I definitely think being able to articulate yourself well is really important in an interview setting, you want to get your point across concisely. At the same time I think your overall demeanour or persona should not be overlooked. I am sure they are trying to get a grasp as to whether or not you'd be a suitable person in medicine and future physician. I feel like one of the things they are asking themselves is "What is his/hers bedside manner going to be like?" "Can we trust this persons interpersonal skills with a patient?"

 

Its more than just what you say or how you say it, it's the vision you put inside their head about who you are.

 

Just MO

[premed989]

Is this good waitlist? Because, if you'll scroll and read above, my interview was a train wreck (or at least I thought). I'd honestly be really happy to be on the good waitlist. THIS IS THE GOOD WAITLIST RIGHT?
 

May 9, 2017

 

OMSAS NO [MY NUMBER]

 

[NAME AND ADDRESS]
 

Dear candidate,

 

Your application for admission to the Faculty of Medicine for the academic year 2017-2018 was carefully considered by the Admissions Committee.  At the present time, offers have been made for admission in the Anglophone stream to the top one-hundred and sixteen (116) candidates on the list of excellence.

 

Your name has been placed on a waiting list.  You will be notified by telephone or by e-mail communication if your name appears at the top of the list, should a vacancy occur before September.

 

Candidates on the waiting list will be notified by e-mail as soon as the class is filled.

 

Although the sequential order of the waiting list does not change, rankings will change on a daily basis as students confirm acceptances.  For this reason, candidates are requested not to call our office for their ranking position since this information cannot be given.

 

If you are offered admission to another medical school (outside the province) and wish to withdraw your name from our list, please advise us in writing or by e-mail.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[sCAN OF SIGNATURE]

 

Geneviève Lemay, MD, MSc, BScN, FRCPC

Assistant Dean, Admissions

 

GL/cr

[cnguyen]

 

Is this good waitlist? Because, if you'll scroll and read above, my interview was a train wreck (or at least I thought). I'd honestly be really happy to be on the good waitlist. THIS IS THE GOOD WAITLIST RIGHT?

 

May 9, 2017

 

OMSAS NO [MY NUMBER]

 

[NAME AND ADDRESS]

 

Dear candidate,

 

Your application for admission to the Faculty of Medicine for the academic year 2017-2018 was carefully considered by the Admissions Committee.  At the present time, offers have been made for admission in the Anglophone stream to the top one-hundred and sixteen (116) candidates on the list of excellence.

 

Your name has been placed on a waiting list.  You will be notified by telephone or by e-mail communication if your name appears at the top of the list, should a vacancy occur before September.

 

Candidates on the waiting list will be notified by e-mail as soon as the class is filled.

 

Although the sequential order of the waiting list does not change, rankings will change on a daily basis as students confirm acceptances.  For this reason, candidates are requested not to call our office for their ranking position since this information cannot be given.

 

If you are offered admission to another medical school (outside the province) and wish to withdraw your name from our list, please advise us in writing or by e-mail.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[sCAN OF SIGNATURE]

 

Geneviève Lemay, MD, MSc, BScN, FRCPC

Assistant Dean, Admissions

 

GL/cr

 

 

That's the good waitlist.

 

If it doesn't have the line "it is unlikely that you will receive an offer," than that means you're on the good waitlist.

[RicardoKaká]

 

Is this good waitlist? Because, if you'll scroll and read above, my interview was a train wreck (or at least I thought). I'd honestly be really happy to be on the good waitlist. THIS IS THE GOOD WAITLIST RIGHT?

 

May 9, 2017

 

OMSAS NO [MY NUMBER]

 

[NAME AND ADDRESS]

 

Dear candidate,

 

Your application for admission to the Faculty of Medicine for the academic year 2017-2018 was carefully considered by the Admissions Committee.  At the present time, offers have been made for admission in the Anglophone stream to the top one-hundred and sixteen (116) candidates on the list of excellence.

 

Your name has been placed on a waiting list.  You will be notified by telephone or by e-mail communication if your name appears at the top of the list, should a vacancy occur before September.

 

Candidates on the waiting list will be notified by e-mail as soon as the class is filled.

 

Although the sequential order of the waiting list does not change, rankings will change on a daily basis as students confirm acceptances.  For this reason, candidates are requested not to call our office for their ranking position since this information cannot be given.

 

If you are offered admission to another medical school (outside the province) and wish to withdraw your name from our list, please advise us in writing or by e-mail.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[sCAN OF SIGNATURE]

 

Geneviève Lemay, MD, MSc, BScN, FRCPC

Assistant Dean, Admissions

 

GL/cr

 

 

I got this too, I am pretty sure it means good waitlist. But would like confirmation too

[cookacola]

soooooo...... now for the real question..... chances while being on the good-waitlist?

[cnguyen]

soooooo...... now for the real question..... chances while being on the good-waitlist?

 

 

If history serves right, the good waitlist generally moves very well, especially at uOttawa.

[AAAmeds]

Has ANYBODY received the bad waitlist email this year? Can't find a single post about it.

[ibelieve.icanmed]

Has ANYBODY received the bad waitlist email this year? Can't find a single post about it.

 

...or has anyone not received a response yet? Perhaps bad waitlist isn't sent out yet?

[ingoditrust]

 

 

...or has anyone not received a response yet? Perhaps bad waitlist isn't sent out yet?

 

loool can someone take one for the team and call and confirm if there are two waitlists?

[AAAmeds]

I have a low key feeling that there is a giant general waitlist this year, and no good or bad waitlist, which seems stupid given that they don't reject anybody either.

[EthicsForBreakfast]

At the information meeting during interviews, they specified that there were good and bad waitlists this year and even told us what a bad waitlist looked like. They want you accepting opportunities at other schools if you have no chance so I don't think they randomly lied and changed the system.

[premed989]

By, "they", you mean the admissions officers right? Not the students? 

[EthicsForBreakfast]

Chantal Renaud herself yeah lol. It was part of the "admissions" slide show information where they discussed tuition, acceptance, all that

[AAAmeds]

Then how come no one has got the bad waitlist email yet (or that's how it seems anyways)?

[EthicsForBreakfast]

Maybe they're just not in a rush this year to post what they perceive as a failure (it isn't, but it's hard to be happy when you get news like that) and don't really want to talk about it. If you look at past threads, there are very few bad waitlist postings. It'll take just one I think for people to have the courage to accept and post their results.

[premed989]

It's not that much of a surprise, but people who get bad-waitlisted are probably having a difficult time right now and are understandably reluctant to post. Give 'em some time.

​ANYONE WANT TO TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM AND CALL?

[Pyruvate123]

My friend is on the bad waitlist. It's not a myth... Good luck to everyone!!!

[Sincere]

My friend is on the bad waitlist. It's not a myth... Good luck to everyone!!!

 

What's the wording on the bad waitlist?

[Sincere]

If anyone is wondering, the french waitlist is as follows:

 

Subject line : Statut de demande d'admission - Faculté de médecine - Université d'Ottawa

 

Bonjour,

 

Suite à votre demande d’admission à notre Faculté de médecine pour l’année 2017-2018, le Comité des admissions a maintenant complété l’étude de votre dossier.

 

Nous avons maintenant offert l’admission au volet francophone pour les quarante candidates et candidats les plus haut placés sur la liste d’ordre séquentiel d’excellence.

 

Votre nom a été placé sur une liste d’attente.  Au fur et à mesure que les étudiantes et les étudiants acceptés refuseront nos offres, les sièges disponibles seront alors offerts  aux candidates et aux candidats sur la liste d’attente selon un ordre de priorité établi par le Comité des admissions.  Dans l’éventualité qu’un siège vous serait offert, vous en serez informé soit par appel téléphonique ou par communication courrier électronique.

 

Les candidates et les candidats dont le nom aura été placé sur la liste d’attente seront informés par courriel dès que la classe sera complète.

 

Nous vous rappelons qu’une fois établie, la séquence des noms sur la liste d’attente ne change pas.  Toutefois, au fur et à mesure que des candidates et des candidats sont admis à partir de la liste d’attente, le numéro de la position sur la liste change.  Pour cette raison veuillez vous abstenir de nous téléphoner pour connaître votre rang sur la liste car nous ne le donnerons pas.

 

Si vous recevez une offre d’admission (hors province), et vous désirez retirer votre nom de la compétition veuillez nous aviser par écrit ou par courrier électronique.

 

Sincèrement vôtre,

 

La doyenne adjointe des Admissions,

 

 

Geneviève Lemay, MD, MSc, BScN, FRCPC 

[ibelieve.icanmed]

It's not that much of a surprise, but people who get bad-waitlisted are probably having a difficult time right now and are understandably reluctant to post. Give 'em some time.

 

​ANYONE WANT TO TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM AND CALL?

 

 

To be fair, last year on May 12, no one posted about a bad list in the Accepted/Waitlist/Reject thread either.

 

Still hoping a few people do, so that it can be confirmed. 

[EthicsForBreakfast]

Bad waitlisters: we love you and we support you. You are stronger than everyone combined if you have the balls to tell us your spot. It brings no benefits for you and yet by posting you're helping a bunch of others. There is always next year!