Jochi1543 Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 My interview didn't go that great, IMO. It started quite late, and they seemed really anxious to get me out of there, to the point where I thought I had gone WAY over the allotted time, even though it didn't feel like I had been there for that long. They were checking watches all the time, looking at each other all funny, etc, so I got really self-conscious and hurried through my last answer. There is no clock in the room, so I had no idea whether I was over my time limit or not. But when I finally left and got a chance to check the time, I realized I had only been there for 40 mins from start to end (and as I said, 1) I started 15 mins late 2) they started checking their watches and looking at me with reproach like 5 mins before I eventually left)!!! That left me feeling pretty ****ty, to be honest. Anyone else get the same type of vibe? I don't mind the fact that the interview was shorter than 1 hour in itself, but their behaviour in regards to that kind of surprised me, in a bad way. I also got asked one question of the "tell me about a time when..." type where I just couldn't answer, because that situation had never happened to me. No big deal, I'm sure other people ran into the same problem (I've been thinking about that question since, and I still don't have an example, so I know it wasn't just a stress-related brain fart!), but it sure would've been better if this hadn't happened. But I guess that must be a common problem with this type of interviews. Bottom line in regards to the interview itself: having experienced one-on-one, panel, and MMI interviews this year, I say MMI is the BEST format. You don't have to worry about being unable to answer a question, there is no personal bias where you either "click" with a person or you don't, and nobody will be checking their watches because you HAVE to be there for the entire time, and you can't leave early. And trust me, if you get done discussing your situation early, the awkward minute or so of silence you get with your MMI is much better than sitting in that panel interview and getting the impression that they will die if they have to listen to you for another second! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Now, about the school itself. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much when I headed to Queen's; out of the 4 schools I applied to, it was my 3rd/4th choice. I wasn't much of a fan of the 2.5/1.5 split vs. 2/2 at other schools, I'm not an Ontario type of person (I like the prairie and the mountains), it's lacking some of the opportunities I was interested in at other schools, etc. But I have to say, the students did a GREAT job of selling the school! First off, the students themselves were really friendly and welcoming; at the party on Friday, they all went out of their way to talk to us and make us feel like part of the group. I'm glad I went on Friday, it really made me feel at ease. They also answered a lot of our questions, and they highlighted some things I hadn't considered that made me feel like Queen's would be a great place for me. For example, I didn't realize that the class was fairly small and that it meant greater contact with profs (something I really valued at my small undergrad), I liked the fact that the students felt that extra 0.5 year in the classroom made for an easier adjustment to the med school workload and gave them free time to get to know their classmates, etc. Staying with a billeter is very nice, I recommend it. My student host let me sleep in her bed so I could rest properly, and her and her friend answered a lot of my questions about the school and the city. Also, the class of 2011 had a lot of hot people! Hehehe. Queen's sure knows how to pick 'em! I also liked Kingston itself. It definitely has a lot more character than this hellhole where I live right now. I would miss the mountains and the coulees, but the town itself is VERY nice. Lots of old (as old as it can get in North America, anyway) architecture, cute little shops everywhere...definitely a university town. I think it's great that it's a smaller city, I'm not a big city person; I hate traffic and I like being able to get everywhere in 15 mins. Anyway, bottom line is that I was VERY impressed with both Queen's and Kingston, and the students in particular did a really good job of convincing me to come here. As I said earlier, I used to think it was pretty much my last choice, but now, if I manage to get in here and elsewhere, it would be VERY hard to make a decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 One interviewer agreed that i used an adequate example to answer a question while the other one was not. I gave another one. I was put in a situation where I was not able to come up with a GOOD example of a situation, and i tried again , and i was told i got it (wtf?!?!). THen there was one that i used abstractly and I apologized for being abstract and promised to clarify to the best of my abilities and then i proceeded. Am i revealing too much about the interview? I dont want to violate the confidentiality breach so if I am don't hesitate to inform me. Lots of positive remarks but I h8 that we don't know LASDJL;FJADLFJDL;ASJ;LAJFL;ADSJF;DAS <---frustration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 One interviewer agreed that i used an adequate example to answer a question while the other one was not. I gave another one. I was put in a situation where I was not able to come up with a GOOD example of a situation, and i tried again , and i was told i got it (wtf?!?!). LOL, that would be horrible...I felt that some of my examples were less than stellar (although I'm sure many others would have the same problem), but I was not told that they were insufficient at any point, so I presume they fit the requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 For me, they did have a set of questions ("formal questions", as they called them). They did write as I talked (all three of them). My community member was next to me and I think (at least for one question) she wrote what I said in point form. They were smiling and nice, but you never know... The second year asked me one extra question that I believe was not on the list. My experience was that they alternated the standard questions with the questions specifically about my sketch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest begaster Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Haha, did they, point blank, hit you guys with a really hard question first? I don't want to name any particulars, but basically THE million-dollar question for medical schools? I was not expecting that! Flustered the hell out of me for a few moments there. I figured they'd start off with small-talk - "how was your trip, do you like Kingston, etc." Nope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Haha, did they, point blank, hit you guys with a really hard question first? I don't want to name any particulars, but basically THE million-dollar question for medical schools? I was not expecting that! Flustered the hell out of me for a few moments there. I figured they'd start off with small-talk - "how was your trip, do you like Kingston, etc." Nope! They asked me about smth from my sketch, so not TOO bad, but it was definitely the hardest question of all the ones they had asked me about my sketch. Yeah, it was like, WOAH! But then they relaxed as the interview continued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 LOL, that would be horrible...I felt that some of my examples were less than stellar (although I'm sure many others would have the same problem), but I was not told that they were insufficient at any point, so I presume they fit the requirements. haha that would be horrible but I was never told that it was insufficient. He just asked the same question again. I just took it a "lets try a real life example as opposed to a EC based example" and apparently, I 'hit'. There was a very very few number of outside the formal questions, but it sucked because they definitely didn't get to see my entire side, nor did they get to ask about a lot of my activities or try to see how well rounded I am. It was just too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agentchris Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 He just asked the same question again. I just took it a "lets try a real life example as opposed to a EC based example" and apparently, I 'hit'. hmm but aren't your ECs part of "real life"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Kiwi, maybe you're being hard on yourself! Keep the hope alive! Haha, did they, point blank, hit you guys with a really hard question first? I don't want to name any particulars, but basically THE million-dollar question for medical schools? I was not expecting that! Flustered the hell out of me for a few moments there. I figured they'd start off with small-talk - "how was your trip, do you like Kingston, etc." Nope! Damn! I was a bit nervous at the start, but they were pretty friendly, so that calmed me down. They started off very casual, so that got the jitters out of my system. I'll admit, at the start I was a bit shakey but as I got going I finally got a handle of my nerves (thankfully). Ahh, waiting sucks! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Omg I thought I was the only one! I misinterpreted a question and was asked it again! I am really grateful that I was given the second chance though rather than them just writing down "question - fail, can't comprehend" although I'm sure it was points deducted for me for sure. But yeah, I completely answered it wrong because I was so damn confused and just pulled the first thing that came out of mind, but I eventually gave some lame example. And I felt like there were no direct questions from my sketch either. I hated that. I felt like it was so random. But I made them laugh...like a couple of times, although the community member was SO nice and smiley, and the other two were kinda stone-faced (but still nice). Ack I wanna stop thinking about it! Gah.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 hmm but aren't your ECs part of "real life"? Yeah! I hope so! I hope he didnt think I was lying or anything. I think i meant like non EC experience, and he got it i guess - i talked about a relationship thing and then brought itback to an EC i had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallinar Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Haha, did they, point blank, hit you guys with a really hard question first? I don't want to name any particulars, but basically THE million-dollar question for medical schools? I was not expecting that! Flustered the hell out of me for a few moments there. I figured they'd start off with small-talk - "how was your trip, do you like Kingston, etc." Nope! they startid witht eh typical "get to know you" Q for me... the panel was really nice. he video was hilarious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallinar Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 mine was really short too.. only about 34 mins.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Omg I thought I was the only one! I misinterpreted a question and was asked it again! I am really grateful that I was given the second chance though rather than them just writing down "question - fail, can't comprehend" although I'm sure it was points deducted for me for sure. But yeah, I completely answered it wrong because I was so damn confused and just pulled the first thing that came out of mind, but I eventually gave some lame example. And I felt like there were no direct questions from my sketch either. I hated that. I felt like it was so random. But I made them laugh...like a couple of times, although the community member was SO nice and smiley, and the other two were kinda stone-faced (but still nice). Ack I wanna stop thinking about it! Gah.. I want to stop too, but it's hard man! haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFlare500 Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 My interviewers had to ask me a question again or rephrase it or w/e, but other than that I had no indication of how my answers were. I hope that's a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 yeah, it sucks not being able to gage how well you did! oh well. What can you do, but wait? ;p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 I think my interview went pretty well, though naturally I've spent the rest of the day thinking about all the things I could have said but didn't. One "describe a time when" question nearly had me stumped, but after thinking about it for a 30 seconds to a minute, I was able to spin a pretty good answer out of it. I think. On the happy side, the panel was incredibly friendly, surprisingly so, especially the community member. By the end everything felt very relaxed and friendly, to the point that I was asked questions that would fit better in a casual chat than in an interview. Of course, whether it *actually* went well enough is hard to say. I hope so. Kingston is not at all an unfamiliar place to me, but I loved how friendly everyone I met was. Now I just need to think about MMI No. 2 at Mac next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 My community member was THE MOST awkward, glaring elderly man I have EVER encountered (it's kind of funny now, looking back at how disgruntled he seemed, but awful at the time). I know what a lot of you are talking about, having an interview that wasn't quite conversational. For the most part, my panel seemed somewhat interested I guess (who knows ), but didn't seem engaged and interactive at all. Who knows...they seemed to give positive feedback when I threw out some key words, but overall I don't think I developed my answers as well as I could have and there is NO WAY based on my interview that they could get a full picture of who I am. Ah well...time to wait..../prepared for western... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 This is weird...how it's SO dependent on the interviewers and how they perceive your answers. I mean, you could say the exact same thing, have someone video tape it, and play it to 10 different interviewers, and likely you're gonna get a whole range of reactions/scores. I really hope they take into consideration the HARD FACTS, like the fact you have done x activity for y number of years and accomplished z with it. I know EC's aren't about numbers/facts, but even if you've done something for 2 weeks that meant SO much to you, I think if I was on a panel, and someone could get more out of an experience they've done for 4 years versus 2 weeks...that says something to me. And some people are really GREAT interviewees regardless of what they've done, it's just part of their personality..which is VERY important, but I think the facts should come into play too to account for discreptancies in terms of interviewers and general bias/subjectivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 This is weird...how it's SO dependent on the interviewers and how they perceive your answers. I mean, you could say the exact same thing, have someone video tape it, and play it to 10 different interviewers, and likely you're gonna get a whole range of reactions/scores. It's been shown that the variation between interviewee scores can be highly dependent on the interviewers themselves. This is one of the main arguments for MMIs. I think the fact that schools are starting to switch over indicates that they see this as an issue as well and are attempting to rectify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 It's been shown that the variation between interviewee scores can be highly dependent on the interviewers themselves. This is one of the main arguments for MMIs. I think the fact that schools are starting to switch over indicates that they see this as an issue as well and are attempting to rectify it. Not fast enough for me haha...j/k Just to make it clear, I'm not complaining about the fact that I didn't get "nice" people as interviewers or anything. Nothing of that sort. I think the discreptancy most of the time, isn't so much in the attitudes of the interviewers, but rather just how they perceive certain things. A lot of it is based on what they're interested in, whether your views connect with theirs, etc. Sure, there are more commonly accepted views than others...but I think a lot of the time, one anecdote may sound touching/mature to one interviewer, and to another person, they're going "This person is trying WAY too hard". It just really depends... But then again, you get that in life as well, not just for med school interviews, although for most jobs postgrad, I suppose a lot more of it is dependent on experience rather than interview performance. I do agree that the MMI, although certainly not perfect, does wash away some of this bias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webshy Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 I do agree that the MMI, although certainly not perfect, does wash away some of this bias. I agree with you. However, when I finished my MMI (at Dal), I didn't think that the interviewers really got a sense of who I am, or what makes me tick. On the other hand, after my Queen's interview, I felt that the interviewers truly got to know me. I hope that my interviewers believe that I would be a good fit at Queen's, but if they don't admit me, then at least they were able to make the decision based on who I actually am. Obviously, I had a really good experience at Queen's yesterday. Perhaps I would have a different opinion had I not believed my interview went so well. However, I just didn't think that my best traits came out at the MMI. Elaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 I can't stop thinking about it. I feel like my answers keep getting stupider the more time i reflect on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 My community member was THE MOST awkward, glaring elderly man I have EVER encountered (it's kind of funny now, looking back at how disgruntled he seemed, but awful at the time). I know what a lot of you are talking about, having an interview that wasn't quite conversational. For the most part, my panel seemed somewhat interested I guess (who knows ), but didn't seem engaged and interactive at all. Who knows...they seemed to give positive feedback when I threw out some key words, but overall I don't think I developed my answers as well as I could have and there is NO WAY based on my interview that they could get a full picture of who I am. Ah well...time to wait..../prepared for western... I completely empathize with you. Nor was there a chance for me to show them who I was because of the preset questions. So hit or miss. A lot of them were way to specific to allow room to envelope more than one physician merit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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