Checking contacts

[Guest UBCstu]

Do you guys know when UBC phones our contacts to validate the activities we listed on our application? Is this before or after the interview?

[Guest TKP 123]

This is done after the interview, at least for last year.

 

So, it won't be cool to lie to get the interview, resulting in that they may find out the truth during your post-interview period.

 

This is not done on all applicants, but on a subset or by random.

[Guest UBCstu]

Ok, thanks. I was just wanted to know so that if they were calling soon, I could notify the ppl I had listed that they may be receiving phone calls sometime in the near future (just so that nobody would be in for a surprise if they received a call from UBC med).

[Guest eg77]

My understanding is that they only call people listed for activities that seem very starnge or unknown. For example if you put down a volunteer activity for , say, 2 months but your hours listed were 1000s, then that would be flaged and they would contact the person you listed. They would also call people for activities that are not well described/listed. For example if you only put abbreviations (SMSA, for example) and never really exaplined what kind of organization that was, then they would find that out by calling the contact.

That's just my understanding.

[Guest thatuvicguy]

Hi there,

 

From my experience last year I don't think this is quite correct. One of my contacts for a pretty standard volunteer activity for a rather normal number of hours was contacted.

 

Cheers,

thatuvicguy

[Guest not rex morgan]

They called the organisation that I did international volunteer work with (pre-interviews). I found that out when a friend of mine, who also did volunteer work with the same organisation, called the organisation to ask them a question. They told her that the school had contacted them about us. My friend didn't even get an interview that year. Of course this was years ago. It is good form to alert people that they may be getting phone calls.

[Guest Jochi1543]

Yeah, it's my biggest fear that they'd call and for whatever reason the person in question won't remember me.8o I mean, I'd like to hope I left a lasting impression among people I've worked with, but some people, like myself, are horrid with names.

[Guest kupo]

in my opinion, it would be unwise not to contact the people who you are putting down in your EC activities, even you did work/volunteer for them.

 

It would be an awful shame if admissions called your contact and they don't know/remember you. this is one potential mishap than can be easily avoided with a simple call to your contact and inform them of what you are doing.

 

okay now back to principles in human biology. my head can't simply absorb anymore information right now....

 

kupo

[Guest Paulchemguy]

so for everyone, the experience is that they call AFTER your interview?

 

Thanks and happy holidays,

[Guest Jochi1543]

Not rex morgan said they contacted his/her organization before interviews, though.

[Guest GundamDX]

he said that's a few year ago. From what I have heard it's after the interviews. And it's really random.

[Guest TKP 123]

Last year, from what I heard, they called some people's referees/verifiers RIGHT AFTER the interview.

 

So, before the interview period, make sure you contact all the referees and verifiers, and notfiy them of the potential calls from UBC Medicine.

 

Not only that your referres are contacted, but also the verifiers in your list. They randomly picked items sometimes. Sometimes, they just called one verifier out of your 20 other verifiers. It would not be a nice thing if that referee said that he/she couldn't remember your name, because the event was back in 1998.

 

Since these verifiers only verify your volunteering there, they won't be able to comment on you. The admission office understands that. When you realize that the volunteer coordinator from an old event (say in 1998) no longer works there, make sure you call the organization again and ask the name of the current volunteer supervisor. Contact that person, and see if he/she has a record that you volunteered there 7 or 8 yrs ago. In one of my activities, I had to do it last year.

 

In the case where the school cannot contact your verifier because of unavailability, they likely try it again, but they probably won't frown on you. It is far better than when the verifier says "I don't know this person. I can't prove it for you, etc...".

[Guest Jochi1543]

What if you can't find a record of your volunteering anywhere? I have one activity I did fall freshman year where I was just going out with several classmates to do this one thing, and I don't remember their names at all (plus they were all older than I was, so they have already graduated). I also doubt the community service office would still have these records. What do I do, do I just not write in a verifier for that activity in my application? Or should I contact one of the community service office employees I know relatively well and explain to her that while no record exists, I did in fact participate in that activity, and ask her to confirm if a med school calls?8o I'm not sure how to go about that.

[Guest TKP 123]

That's what I would do - call the organization and tell them that you volunteer 6 yrs ago for an event. Tell them you are applying to med school and see what they can do.

 

If you put down the organization's phone number on your Med school CV, you have to make sure that the organization still knows you, in case the admission office calls them.

 

That's why it is very essential to put down the organization who can still proves your work when you are filling your application.

 

But keep in mind that schools won't have the resources to contact all organizations of everyone. It is merely a chance that they pick up an activity to verify. But, you know, it can happen.

[Guest kupo]

hey jochi,

 

i had one activity where i volunteered for the alberta winter games for 2 days. they dont retain records, nor will they remember all of the 100's of volunteers. i supervised the athlete's village but never got to know the supervisors. so yeah, nobody knew me, and they didnt keep records.

 

what i did do is call the games manager, but because the alberta winter games changes from year to year, i had to call the sports office of alberta in edmonton. I explained to them my dilemma and the guy there told me that ubc can call them, and the only thing he could do was tell them that i had called the sports office and that he could explain to ubc that they dont retain volunteer records. that was fine with me.

 

i think the next year i applied i put my mom down as a contact. she has the only proof that i volunteered, a alberta winter games volunteer sweater!

 

good luck! and happy holidays

 

kupo

[Guest Jochi1543]

Maybe I should put my mom down for EVERY activity I've done.:rollin We do have different last names, after all....

[Guest melNB]

I wouldn't worry too much about things. If they run into trouble contacting your verifiers they will probably contact you and ask for proof if they really need it. If you have certificates etc. or someone else that you can get to verify for you, I'm sure it will be fine. Happy holidays everyone.

[Guest kanayo101]

Direct from Admissions last year, they randomly (yes, honest-to-God randomly) choose one of your activities and call. This happens between interviews and final selection.

 

They simply verify the exact information you wrote down on your application. If the contact's response is in line with what you wrote, great. If there is a big difference (e.g. you wrote 200 hours, the referee says you worked 40 hours) they tend to wonder.

 

The impression I got from Admissions is that they do all they can to help you. They don't take everything and look at it in the worst possible light and they're not actively trying to weed people out. In fact, if there is a problem they will more likely than not contact you to resolve it before final selection.

 

Everybody take a deep breath, relax and cross your fingers that you get an interview (and, of course, do well)...Good luck!

 

[Guest UBCstu]

So do they do this for everyone or do they randomly choose applicants for who they will veryify an activity?

[Guest nucleardove]

As far as I know, *none* of my verifers were called when I applied last year (and I talked with all the major verifier-people post-acceptance). So unless they only called the very obscure ref's (which, as discussed above, had pretty tenous verification), no one called on my application.

 

My 2 cents.

 

ND