Appeal

[Guest mdhopefully]

Has anyone ever appealed there decision? I am on the waitlist and I dont want to appeal and then get "blacklisted" for it. I assume the adcoms are very professional but still med school admissions is not public knowledge and kept very secret. How many people on the appeals board review the appeal? Moderators if you have any knowledge on this it would be apprecated.

thanks!

[clkt]

is it regarding the interview? If you feel you were unfairly treated you should talk to the admissions office...

[Guest mdhopefully]

Would Darla be the one I should talk to before I appeal?

thanks for the reply

[bioboy2007]

I don't mean to offend with this post, but why would you wait till now to file an appeal? If you feel you were unfairly treated wrt to the interview, why didn't you contact the admissions office right away (i.e. the week following your interview)? My first impression after reading your post is that you are simply appealing because you were put on a waitlist. Personally, I wouldn't be too happy if someone was trying to file an appeal at this point; it's just too late in the game.

[Guest mdhopefully]

I understand what your saying but I only had one interview and that was with western. it is extremly hard to compare and know if your interviews were bais or not. I have good stats and i dont think i could come off as a bad candiate after 45mins. I read all the time on this board that " i thought it was my worst interview and got accepted here" etc etc. I left the interview feeling unconfortable and felt the interviewers were defintly not up to par which i commented on in the interveiw evalutation. The interview is supposed to be confidential so I didnt really talk to anyone about it for their opinion. From the interview email:

12. Under the Ontario Human Rights Code you are entitled to equal opportunities

without regard to:

race or colour

national or ethnic origin

religion

age

family or marital status

sex (including pregnancy or childbirth)

pardoned convictions

disability

sexual orientation

 

Interviewers have been advised they may not directly question you on any of the above and that you have been advised you may refuse (WITHOUT PREJUDICE) to answer any such question.

 

Its diffucult to be ur self without having to address some of these. when they were mentioned in my interview the interviewers would look away or not follow up and then try to press forward. I figured that it was just me stressing out about the interview. Im not saying Im better then the 147 people that were offered spots. But coming from a SWOMEN area with strong qualifications good people skills and getting waitlisted just seems contraditroy to western policy.

[Smurfette]

I understand what your saying but I only had one interview and that was with western. it is extremly hard to compare and know if your interviews were bais or not. I have good stats and i dont think i could come off as a bad candiate after 45mins. I read all the time on this board that " i thought it was my worst interview and got accepted here" etc etc. I left the interview feeling unconfortable and felt the interviewers were defintly not up to par which i commented on in the interveiw evalutation. The interview is supposed to be confidential so I didnt really talk to anyone about it for their opinion. From the interview email:

12. Under the Ontario Human Rights Code you are entitled to equal opportunities

without regard to:

race or colour

national or ethnic origin

religion

age

family or marital status

sex (including pregnancy or childbirth)

pardoned convictions

disability

sexual orientation

 

Interviewers have been advised they may not directly question you on any of the above and that you have been advised you may refuse (WITHOUT PREJUDICE) to answer any such question.

 

Its diffucult to be ur self without having to address some of these. when they were mentioned in my interview the interviewers would look away or not follow up and then try to press forward. I figured that it was just me stressing out about the interview. Im not saying Im better then the 147 people that were offered spots. But coming from a SWOMEN area with strong qualifications good people skills and getting waitlisted just seems contraditroy to western policy.

 

Do I understand your post correctly? You mentionned some of those areas (race, ethnicity, religion, etc) and then the interviewers did not press you on them. And because of that you feel they were prejudiced?

 

As far as I can tell, the interviewers are not allowed to ask you specific questions about your race, ethnicity, etc. They are also not allowed to use this information do judge you. But, if I understand your post correctly, then they didn't really do anything wrong if you brought up these issues yourself and they didn't press you on them (and presumably didn't judge you on them).

[aclementine]

...what exactly is the the basis for your appeal?

[katerade]

the thing with western is that if you get an interview one year, you are guaranteed to get an interview the next time you apply because they use a very objective method to evaluate candidates pre-interview. you will always have your mcats/grades and so you will always have your western interview (until your mcat scores run out of course). so take this year as an opportunity to do something you have always wanted to do, and then reapply next year with som experience and maturity under your belt. if you want it badly enough it will eventually happen. good luck.

[Darkfalz]

... unless they bump up the cutoffs. heh

 

My MCAT scores expire after next year, so i've only got 1 more chance if I don't get in off this waitlist. Writing the MCAT again is definately not something I am looking forward too.

[ploughboy]

Hey,

 

I get the impression from your posts that you're a little bit upset and stressed out, so the first thing I'd suggest is to sit down and take a few deep breaths. I'm not being facetious -- it would be a really good first step to collect yourself and your thoughts.

 

It might feel like it right now, but this is not the end of the world. First-round offers went out on Wednesday. Western traditionally goes deep into its waitlist, so unless you were rejected outright, there's still a good chance that you'll be in UWO Meds 2011. Lots of people in my class got in off the waitlist, and they're all going to make fine physicians. Please do keep in mind however, that there are many more qualified candidates than there are spots in the class.

 

Like others here, I'm not entirely sure I understand why you feel that you have grounds for an appeal. If you're not comfortable discussing your interview further in a public forum that's fine.

 

You can certainly talk to Darla in Admissions and Student Affairs about your situation. I'm sure you'll find that she's the very epitome of helpfulness and professionalism. Maybe wait a few days before talking to her though, perhaps even until the waitlist starts to move, simply to give yourself some time to collect your thoughts.

 

pb

 

PS - talking to Darla doesn't constitute a formal appeal. However I'm sure that she can advise you about what the appeal process is and whether it is appropriate to your situation...

[Guest mdhopefully]

Thanks for the replies. I am not going to say exactly what the grounds are on the forum but I talked to some proffessors at western and asked their opinion. They told me that what I said could go up as a red flag to some. I am going to take a breathe and wait at least until after the weekend just to relax and figure things out though. I just wanted some opinions on the appeal and fellow forumers thoughts because most if not all relpies to topics on this forum are very helpful.

Thank you.

[blinknoodle]

Hey there,

 

I wanted to echo many of the great comments you have already received. Anyone who got a first round acceptance should feel really proud, but those on the waitlist still have a chance and in fact, many students on my class came from the waitlist. Just because you didn't hear this week, doesn't mean you won't hear come June. Just because one has a great GPA, great MCAT (VR+WS mainly), does not mean that you will automatically get accepted. It will likely help you to get another interview next year, as an astute poster noted. In fact, your interview is the most important piece of the puzzle because all applicants will have great GPAs and MCATs, because otherwise they wouldn't have been invited for an interview.

 

How the interview is scored/marked/etc is a mystery and confidential. It is natural for applicants to have a difficult time determining how their interview went - people who think it went terrible still get admitted and those who think it was fabulous can be left on the waitlist. However, if you genuinely feel like you were mistreated, I would look into it. I imagine it may be difficult to separate paranoia from any prejudice. As far as I know, interviewers cannot ask you explictly about things from the list you posted, but if you said you became interested in medicine after your child had meningitis - it would be fair to ask you about your family and how you plan to juggle a family with studying medicine. If you spoke about your religion, it would be fair to ask how you plan to deal with situations that may not jive with your religious beliefs. But they don't have to ask you questions if they don't want to... I know that during my interview for UWO, I found it rather structured for a closed-file interview. I didn't get too many spin-off questions. When I mentioned my mother had a progressively degenerative disease, I didn't get any follow-up questions at all.

 

The summer after you graduate can be a very stressful time. Obviously you would like to know what you will be doing come September. It sounds like UWO was your only interview, which makes things even more high stress. I think taking the week to debrief and let things cool down is a great idea. See what you think about this at that time. Furthermore, take the time to reflect on what was actually said/done during the interview. How do you normally react to similar situations? Are you one to overreact or more likely to let things slide (think of when you've had exams) - and what is likely happening here?

 

If you think something really happened, I would definitely contact Darla. She would know what to do.

 

Good luck.

[HandSolo]

Appeal. If you've been wronged, then you'll have a case...and factoring in your people skills, you'll be able to handle it diplomatically and professionally. And if this were the case, i understand why you might have waited to appeal, as you didn't want to risk your chances in case you were going to be accepted.

 

If you haven't been wronged, then you're basically being presumptious and, without knowing the other candidates (as you did not interview them), are trying to tell the adcom that you are so qualified that you are certain that you do not belong on the waiting list.

 

 

Just make sure to be very explicit in your approach, because your post (which i understand was purposely vague) made me (and i'm sure others) picture you as somewhat immature. If I were on the waitlist at Western, i would probably be reasonably offended....

[Guest mdhopefully]

Hey.....yeah I am going to think about it this weekend and then see what my thoughts are. Like you said its hard to know whats paranoia and whats prejudice. The examples you gave of how something on that list could come about hit the nail on the head! Like I said its difficult to answer some of the open ended questions without touching on some of those. The advice I seen on all these forums for interviews was be yourself and you'll do fine! I couldnt be myself and not look like I was holding something back if I didnt touch on one of those from the list. Thats when things went down hill from my point of view. I just thought it might be paranoia but when I tell people the situation (profs at Western and other professional friends) they all give me the same answer that what came from me answering the questions which had to do with the list could lead to bais which is not right since you should not be judge from it according to point #12. Im going to think it over and then consult Darla if I feel the need still.

Thanks for the replies they have all been very helpful.

[Guest mdhopefully]

If I didnt feel that I was pre-judge I wouldnt have thoughts to appeal or appeal just because. You have to have a darn good reason to appeal. I highly doubt there has been any sucessful appeals ever because the marks from the interview will not explicitly say he/she cant be a doctor because he/she is a jew, catholic, black, white, native whatever. That would be ridiculus. I met alot of the canidates and they were wonderful brilliant people. I dont deserve it more then or anyless then anyone on the waitlist.

 

Handsolo I like your opening line.......hidden insult through fake support. Good stuff. I had to re-read my posts twice just to catch it.

 

If your on the waitlist sorry If I offended you.

[HandSolo]

Handsolo I like your opening line.......hidden insult through fake support. Good stuff. I had to re-read my posts twice just to catch it.

 

If your on the waitlist sorry If I offended you.

 

Sorry to disappoint....no hidden insult, and not on the waitlist. Just honest feedback. I wouldn't have bothered replying unless I wanted to contribute something. Everyone else was being so diplomatic, I figured you might appreciate knowing how some people would react.

 

But thanks for insinuating that I'm both phony, and malicious. Besides, if I wanted to slide in an insult, I would've just humbly suggested that you make sure to spell check any emails you send to Western about the appeal.

[crackers]

An appeal at this point is probably a gut reaction to a response you didn't like from UWO, mdhopefully. It may not be in your best interests at this time (my opinion, take it or leave it as you will). Having been someone who got in on my third try, off the waitlist several years ago (and in JULY), waiting sucks, but the outcomes are usually pretty good.

 

If there was something explicitly wrong or dismaying about your interview, there was an opportunity to address it on your interview weekend. To bring it up now, immediately after the first round of acceptances go out, seems a little late, and perhaps only because you weren't happy with the results.

 

It's a bitter pill to swallow, being waitlisted. I empathize with you. But pulling the trigger now on an appeal seems to me to be a little rash. The first round of waitlist offers will come out in a couple of weeks, and the second rounds of waitlist offers will come out a couple of weeks after that. Have faith in your own abilities, find activities that will occupy you and give you joy, and try not to check your e-mail more than 1000 times a day.

 

Also, if your interviewers raise an issue that's on the list of prohibited questions from OHRC, that's not allowed; but if you bring up such information yourself, it is fair game.

[Guest mdhopefully]

Handsolo I spaced the line between what I personally said to you and the waitlist people. I never thought you were on the waitlist. Personally I dont care and what you said wasnt helpful at all. If your opening line wasnt a dig then good for that but the choice of your words were odd. Thanks for the spell check tip.

[clkt]

I believe Western had a policy where you have to bring up issues regarding the interview within a week of your interview. If you plan to appeal, be prepared to give a valid reason why you didn't do so back then.

[HandSolo]

Personally I dont care and what you said wasnt helpful at all. If your opening line wasnt a dig then good for that but the choice of your words were odd.

 

Forget doctor, you should be Canada's ambassador to the UN.

[Guest mdhopefully]

Sorry to disappoint....no hidden insult, and not on the waitlist. Just honest feedback. I wouldn't have bothered replying unless I wanted to contribute something.

 

Thanks for your contributions.