Class size to increase to 125

[Guest happy2bme]

Lurker,

 

Out of curiousity did anyone in Admissions mentioned whether, strictly from an Adminstrative point of view, they preferred the MMI format or did they find less work with the old system? Of course anything new takes getting used to but I'm wondering if it was alot easier for them to organize the volunteers and scheduling, and subsequent standardizing scores from the interviewers...

[Guest Stalin]

My apologies for not being clear. I didn't hear "270" from just some doctor. I heard from Dr. Leimeux (however, you spell his name). On my interview day, he told my group, that 270 people were being inteverviewed.

 

Also, I spoke with the U of C medical external communications, and they said u of c is going up. As well, I know that the prescribed amount of seats promised at other institutions is happening, for example, at SAIT. If the government hands out extra money to increase the size of the med school, the medical school isn't going to refuse. Besides, its nonsense that med school had no idea about the possiblility of increasing class size, as I can assure you there have been consultations between the medical school and the government(who, as a body, for sure is lobbying for more spots).

[Guest arjuna83]

This may be minor observation, but the main lecture hall (Clara Christie?) DID have 125 chairs

[Guest Stalin]

Read the following link:

 

www.advancededucation.gov...growth.asp

 

The above link is from the Alberta Government website, indicating how many spots are alloted next year (2400) across Alberta. Including in the number are 25 spots at u of c.

 

I rest my case.

[Guest Stalin]

To the comment about the lecture theatre? Who @#%$ cares (don't mean to insult you). The med school would make people stand or bring in a few extra chairs. Alberta is so rich. The baby boomers want doctors because they are getting old and fat, so there shall be more spots at u of c.

[Guest happy2bme]

Stalin,

 

No one is disputing that announcements from the government and from the UofC have been made. I have already posted them previously in this thread. Approvals were also granted last year2005-2006, but there was no increase even though there was alot of hype....

 

Until you see it in writing direct from the Faculty of Medicine, it just cannot be assumed that it WILL take place. I think, like everyone, that it will actually happen this year, but until I see something concrete from the Faculty itself I'm not banking on it.

 

Cheers!

[Guest HP]

Stalin, chill out, you don't need to be adversarial to get your point across. happy2bme already pointed that website out on the first page of the thread. There's another document that strongly supports the increase here: www.ucalgary.ca/VPA/docs/...ndix_c.pdf

 

Can't we all just acknowledge that it looks very promising and wait patiently for the bureaucratic red tape to clear?

[Guest Lurkergonepublic]

Stalin,

 

Yes, I knew which doctor you were talking about, and I would still suggest that he was not the one scheduling and counting interviewees. I still think those putting the schedule togther know more about the final numbers, although he would certainly know more about the seat increase. If you've met Adele you know she has a phenomenal memory. Really though, 270 or 288 isn't going to make a huge difference. I'd be happy if it was the lower...

 

I'm glad to hear that you heard other sources saying the seat count is going up - it certainly seems it is. All I can tell you is that the admissions office itself has not yet been told to offer any new seats (and they have been told to wait for an announcement). Naturally that would be the last step in their implemetation, so I wouldn't worry about it. I know their office is not involved in making the decision, but once they are actually instructed to send out 125 acceptances instead of 100 is when you know for sure that no unforseen Snafu's are going to delay the whole thing. Of course the University isn't turning down new seats - they've asked for them for three years now. Only some major delay in resource availability would force them to put it off for another year. I'm not suggesting the new seats won't happen, I'm just spreading the information anyone would be told if they called the admissions office so that everyone doesn't have to.

 

Happy,

 

I know Adele felt a lot more stressed out for interview scheduling this year. That's because, as I mentioned, they had to offer the exact number of interviews to the exact number of people. She was worried about accidently offering someone an interview and then later discovering that they were the one person too far down the list. I guess in past years if the last couple of interview spots were a tight competition, they would just give one to everyone at about that level, and worry about finding extra panels later. There were also a lot more scheduling details to arrange on such a structured day, which I think gave her a headache. I don't know about the follow-up evaluation end of things, I never asked about it.

[Guest Stalin]

Here is an article from U of C and posted on the u of c spots.

www.ucalgary.ca/news/marc...paces.html

 

If you read it carefully, it states that the spots will be open next fall.

 

I'm sorry for offending everyone- didn't everyone was so sensitive, my apologies, again.

 

Anyone know how many u of c usually goes through on the waiting list?

[Guest medsmurf]

Stalin,

 

I'm not sure if this is you're first time applying to U of C or what but you'll have to excuse some of us that express some hesitation about the 25 seat increase this year. There was approval of funding for an increase in the number of seats last year yet it didn't end up happening and there were many people including myself and happy2bme that applied and were waitlisted last year and anxiously waited all summer for an increase that never happened.

 

I remember Adele saying something last year along the lines of the fact that it's one thing for funding to be approved for extra seats but from the medical schools point of view it's quite another to actually have everything organized (lining up extra doctors for teaching among other things that I can no longer remember) to accomodate 25 more students.

[Guest Stalin]

Lurkergonepublic:

 

You write very well.

[Guest Lurkergonepublic]

Stalin,

 

Thanks, and no offense taken - I think Medsmurf put the whole thing very succinctly. I was on the waitlist last year as well, and watched the forums, although I didn't participate (back then I was just a lurker, and not gone public ).

 

I was aware of that article (I posted it earlier in the thread), and in fact that's the one that Adele says they saw, and then asked about, somewhat confused because they hadn't heard anything official yet. Hopefully it is all just read tape - it's somewhat more promising than last year.

[Guest Lurkergonepublic]

holy @#%$, i think we're all posting at once. Everytime I refresh I get a whole bunch more posts added in before the ones I just read. Hi everyone!:hat

[Guest arjuna83]

Stalin: I was actually supporting your point when I said that the main lecture hall had 125 seats. This is possibly evidence that the faculty is preparing to accomodate an extra 25 students.

 

Everything we say from now until an official announcement by the medical faculty is simply speculation. It helps us feel good but I'm afraid that we may be raising ourselves for a huge fall. You gotta admit though, the various government and university news releases sound very optimistic! Waiting waiting waiting...

[Guest happy2bme]

Arjuna,

 

How in the heck did you "notice" that Clara Christie has 125 seats.......Your powers of observation amaze me! That's it you have to definitly get in, observation of minute details are essential for a skilled diagnosis!!!

 

LOL!!!!!

[Guest jgray2]

i thought all the seats were numbered. but it could also be true arjuna has amazing powers of observation too

[Guest happy2bme]

They were numbered but so have all my university seats. And I still can't tell you how many people fit in any of my previous lecture halls, nevermind one where I visited for less than an hour under "stressful" conditions!

 

Although I did notice that there was one less person in my MMI group than the other groups! 8 rather than 9. And that only 2 people out of the green group wore something other than suits, and that 2 ladies wore suitwithskirt combo, and that there were 3 blue suits and 1 brown, the rest were of course black. Yes, maybe my powers of observation were that bad afterall! Just more of an eye for fashion that seats!

HAHAHA

[Guest arjuna83]

Hey my Kriptonian origins and super-sensory observation skills do come in handy sometimes

 

JGray is right, the seats were numbered (and I also had time to do a rough count). When my group saw this it got us thinking, "why does the lecture hall have 125 seats when each class has only 100 students? hmm maybe we are on to something..."

 

Anyways, lets hope for the best!

[Guest btrots]

The medical school complex is supposed to be built for over 125 students (theatres included)...this was built into the design from the beginning. Actually, I seem to remember hearing from various admins that the school is built for more students than the theatres we usually use hold...not quite sure how that works, but that's what they say.

[Guest el pansito]

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!

 

Seriously, everyone is just mad with excitement. Well, let's just stop the number crunching and wait, ahem....patiently, till May 15th-ish.

 

Still anxious but feeling a little happier,

 

Mike

[Guest medsmurf]

On that note of May 15th-ish, do you think we will hear on May 15 exactly or could it be a few days earlier like previous years? The only difference is that in previous years they always stated that the notification date would be "mid-May" and this year they gave an actual date of May 15.

 

Ugh...I'm so obsessed...so glad I'm going on vacation soon