A few questions about the sketch

[Guest Draff]

i) I'm a bit confused about what to put in what section. How do I make the distinction between extracurriculars and volunteering? Would something such as playing tennis once a week (but not part of a team/club) or camping go under extra-curriculars or under the "others" section?

 

ii) If my name is going to be on a paper that isn't published yet, can I still put down that it's "currently on a manuscript that will be published at a later date"? If so, does it go in the awards/achievements section or in the research section?

 

iii) I was under the impression that you only list what you did at each job and your responsibilities, but at the UOttawa presentation today, the person mentioned that you should also put down what you gained from the job and why... Is this right?

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

Regarding your scientific paper question, given your situation, I would include information surrounding that research and manuscript in the "Research" section.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest leafs123]

Hi

I am also wondering about Draffs point # 3. We have 150 characters to describe our role AND list what we got out of the activity? Can people who got into Ottawa or got interviewed at Ottawa comment on how they approached their sketch? Thanks

 

leafs123

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

With respect to the Ottawa sketch, the year I received an interview from UofO I spent a heck of a lot of time editing my sketch. For each activity I tried to include a description as well as a brief comment on what I managed to gain or learn from the experience. In fact, I ended up using pretty much the maximum number of characters for most of the entries as, if the description is short, then you can always say more about what you gained from the experience. Some entries where more words are used for the description are obviously a little more challenging, but it is almost always possible to add a bit of insight to each.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest blinknoodle]

Yup, I would definitely encourage you to spend a but more time encorporating what you learned into each item...

 

Just think of it this way - you have two nearly identical applications, yet one student included what they learned from their experiences and the other did not... who would you invite for an interview? This actually happened to my friend. One year she just included her role and did not receive an interview and the subsequent year she included what she learned with a nearly identical sketch/GPA/etc and was offered an interview.

 

Hope this helps!

[Guest Scholastica]

Okay, so, this means I need to describe BOTH my responsibilities AND what I learned from the experience.

 

I have a few questions about the sketch as well. How should I approach the "Hours" section? Should I combine all the hours I spent, or should I break into # of hours spent/week? Which would look better? IF I can't remember the EXACT hours, is it okay to approximate (say 20 hours for being a tour guide)?

 

For "Summer/Academic Year", Ottawa allows 100 characters. I am wondering what you have put down under this category. If an activity lasted for two years, is it okay to put down "two academic years", or should I add more details like what days I worked, how many weeks were spent in preparation, etc.?

[Guest girlygirl]

Hi

Im also confused about Ottawa's detailed sketch... regarding the research it says "Indicate the type of publications: paper, abstract and presentation at a scientific meeting etc., accepted or published with a reference, BUT not submitted or in preparation. "

 

So I did an NSERC term this summer, and obviously my research is not in published yet, does this mean that I cannot include this project in the research section? OR am I reading this incorrectly?

 

Thanks

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

The above stipulation re: not including papers that have been submitted (but not yet accepted) or in process is a relatively new one. That being the case, unless you can have your NSERC research accepted to a conference or by a journal prior to the OMSAS submission date, no, it does not look like you can include the paper in the publications section. You could still benefit from listing your NSERC experience in another section, e.g., awards.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest leafs123]

but thats just Ottawa....what if u want other med schools (like UofT, Queen's) to see that you have some sort of research productivity by showing some stuff has been accepted or is in preparation for submission ...

 

leafs123

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi,

 

For UofT, if you are not a graduate applicant, i.e., you will not have the liberty to submit a productivity package, and you would like to demonstrate your research productivity then there are at least 3 ways to do it:

 

1) include the information in your autobiographical sketch;

2) include it in your essay;

3) ask your reference writers if they can mention it, especially if one of them is the person with whom you have conducted the research.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest girlygirl]

Hi

That seems very weird that because one school does not recognize research not yet published I should exclude the NSERC position from my research criteria.

 

If I list the NSERC in an Award section, i can't explain my duties, so that would make me put the work I did under :employment", when I clearly did research. I will contact Ottawa tomorrow and post their response.

[Guest Scholastica]

girlygirl - I've been wondering the same thing... if you find out, please let us know.