NUMBER OF ENTRIES ON AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

[Guest mcatsucks]

Someone told me that they grade your detailed sketch at Ottawa by activities. Does that mean that the more entries the higher your grade because you will have more entries to be graded. help..so far I only have 35 entries and that is stretching it!!

[Guest HenryTheBig]

Hey,

Definetly not the case. I know several people with only 30 entries and they got in to U of O. Many had 48 and didn't get interviews at U of O. Quality is far more important I think than quantity.

Henner

[Guest doctorinthehouse]

I don't think you get a better score if you have more, but I think that it looks better if it's filled. I personally think that if you don't have all of them filled, you're forgetting things, and it may look like you haven't really done that much or put much thought into it.

So, my advice, is to put everything that you can think of. That is what I did this year, and this is the first year(third time applying) that I got an interview and got in (go meds '09!!!!).

Do you like to go walking in nature? Bike-Riding? Anything like that? Put it in. I actually put in my sketch that I like to feed animals in the woods. Seems like a stupid thing to put on a professional application, but it makes your application stand out and they actually mentioned it at the interview (how they thought it was interesting).

So, you don't just have to put the major life-changing events of your life in there.

[Guest wassabi101]

Hey there,

 

Doctorhouse has a good point- isn't there a section in the sketch for hobbies and/or extracurricular activities? I really don't think Ottawa gives more points for *more* activities. And they're not dumb, they'll see what activities are being a little *too* stretched to be included. On the other hand, the point of the sketch is to get a feel for what type of person you are, where your acheivements are, and that doesn't necessarily have to be academically. The way you spend your time says a lot about you. If you spend 2 hours every night practising an instrument, that shows devotion and discipline. You wouldn't write that you spend 2 hours every night practising, but that would be evident by including your music as a hobby or extra-curricular or as education. However, if your thing is photography, or feeding animals, and you're passionate for that, it's just as explemary and could easily be mentionned even if it isn't something you have formal terms for.

 

Hope that helps! Good luck!

 

Wassabi

Meds 07

[Guest 0T6]

d-inthe-h, we should start a "feed the rabid squirrels" club! I think d's got a good point in that you do want to show the adcoms a nice complete picture of you.. a 30 item list might give them a good portrait of you, but making it 40 would add those details that while may not seem so important to you, make you YOU! That said, I think there's a fine line between creating a full picture and reaching for items and it's tough to figure out where that line is, but it's probably better to reach a bit than omit a lot.

 

0T6

Meds 09 is da coolest.

[Guest doctorinthehouse]

do da...do da.

 

 

ps. I'm up for a "feed the rabid squirrels club".

pps. OT6 Nice rhymes the other night. That was awesome!