McMaster question 5

[mcater2006]

"What course(s) of action have you already considered or might you consider in the future in order to improve your time management abilities? Given your particular personality, why have you chosen (or would you choose) this course(s) of action?"

 

-- What exactly is McMaster asking of me for this question? How can I give examples for this question? (It seems to be asking about the future).

 

Thanks,

 

mcater2006

[uofthopeful07]

bump....

 

if you talk about something you've already CONSIDERED, is that something you've actually executed, or is it still referring to the future?

 

whether you choose to discuss a course of action you've considered, or a course of action you MAY consider --> if they are both referring to the future, aren't the same thing? (one you've considered and one you MAY consider).

 

this is why i'm thinking the one you've considered is one you have carried out.

 

sigh. confusing wording. any clarification would be appreciated.

[Tornado]

Just curious, is bump a forum term used if the thread hasn't been active for a while?

[uofthopeful07]

sure if its been inactive.

 

or if its been pushed to the bottom of the page (due to high activity of the other threads), and you want to push it forward to the top of the thread list.

[Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

Time management skills are great to have when you enter medical school. I'd argue, more so than in undergrad or grad school simply because there is a large diversity of activities and to-dos to schedule throughout medical school, e.g., shadowing, arranging electives, the residency application process, volunteering, committee work and having a life, all outside of attending lectures and completing clerkship rotations and studying to pass each course. Therefore, if you feel that your time management skills could use a bit of work, for example, if you're a chronic procrastinator, then it's good to think of strategies to improve your skills before heading into medical school (and apparently, before interviews).

 

I addressed this question in a number of interviews both, during medical school and grad school interviews. One of the tacks that I took and described to the interviewers was the use of a to-do list which I relied on and updated a couple of times per day. At that time (and now) it helps me keep everything in check and provides a glaring reminder that I need to keep motivated to cross things off of it. That's one example of of a course of action that improves time management skills. There are numerous others that work as well.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[uofthopeful07]

hey kirsten....the course of action isn't a problem.

 

i'm just wondering if mcmaster is looking for a course of action that we've already taken and executed.

 

or is it specifically looking for the future?

 

or both the past and the future? any advice on this would be great

 

just the wording of the sentence is throwing me off, not the concept of time management.

[uofthopeful07]

i'm only asking because i know its a big deal to answer the question.

 

so i want to make sure i understand exactly waht the question is asking

 

a) time management action we've considered and executed?

or

time management action we've considered to use in the future?

or

c) time management action we MIGHT consider for the future?

 

a combination of these?

 

not sure. i was planning to use A)

[Kirsteen]

Hi again,

 

It might be an idea to mention a strategy that you've used in the past, and which you might hone or add to for the future busy-ness of medical school. That approach might more neatly address all of the above.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[astroboy5]

I took the same approach as well. I too was very confused about the wording initially, but I ended up describing strategies that I have used and something that I should hone to improve my time management skills.