"...their Admissions office people really seem to care."

[slowly_but_surely]

Their Admissions office people really seem to care quite a lot.

[Athina021]

I'm really sorry all this happened to you.

 

I felt the same way when I got no interview at Queens' and ended up on the phone trying not to bust out crying to the poor secretary who had answered.

 

I think not giving individual feedback on applications is the standard at many schools, and while it really blows for the applicants, I don't think there's anything that can be done about it! Unless you want to write a strongly worded letter to the Dean, or something.

 

I do understand, however, that they can't make an exception for one person, no matter how heartbreaking it is, and I don't think it reflects on the admissions staff. I think they probably do care and are especially touched by stories like yours, but they just have to follow the rules.

[Dr. E77]

Its difficult for me to understand andmakes me wary of the admissions selection process. I wasn't looking for feedback on my application, but for answers to 4 questions specifically that could have been asekd by someone who has not applied yet. I think its just a matter of either choosign to address my questions or choosing to say "Im sorry we cannot provide you information."

 

Who do I ask? How do I fill in my application? Their website is vague. I've searched the threads on here but still have questions. I thought they'd answer the dam questions and give me some closure.

 

Hi SBS,

 

I truly feel for you. This was my fourth yr applying and not even an interview. It sucks because I interviewed two years ago and was placed on the good "waitlist". I mean think I'm pretty a pretty good candidate: 3.74 wGPA, Masters, two publications, work at the at the ottawa hospital, plenty of hospital experience and volunteering such as doctor shawdoing...etc...So really there is no magic formula. As for them not providing feedback well what you can do is go to Nicole at the end of this year's cycle and see her face to face and ask her to look at your file. My significant other did that the year before she got into medschool and sure enough what she learned really helped her. So maybe timing is just the issue here. Give it a try and see what she says. If she declines then what can you do, it's a business. Good luck to you.

 

Kind regards,

 

Dr. E77

[Julie]

IMO, it depends on what you asked. As was said many times, there are no magic formulas. I have a bit of trouble coming up with things you could have asked about improving your application that they could actually answer. Maybe your specific questions didn't actually have a specific answer, or one they could divulge anyway. It's not like they'll tell you how they grade the sketch or anything, I don't think they tell that to anyone. Maybe you asked something much easier to answer though, I just have a hard time imagining what...

 

I think Dr. E77's advice is good. This is a super buisy time for them, so maybe later they will have more time to help you. Either way, the best thing to do is probably to try again & give it your best shot once more! I know it's hard, but it could be sooo worth it!

 

I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. The admissions staff really do seem to care, & I hope you get a chance to meet them in person at an interview sometime!

 

Best of luck!

[mbene085]

Thank you Julie and Dr. E77, you guys are probably right. I just have to keep my cool. Its HARD!!! I guess people act differently when they are busy and stressed out, as I know I do.

 

During the summer months the admissions people are probably alot easier to talk to.

 

Thanks for cooling me down --- a sign of a good potential doctor. lol

 

Also, don't forget - while you may have been looking for answers to 'friendly' questions, at this point in the year the admissions people are dealing with a LOT of hostility and frustration. Many people didn't get interviews, and next month, many more are getting rejections. I'm sure they get berated by a lot of angry/depressed/frustrated applicants. In the summer, they'll not only have more time, but will probably be in a much better mood after the wave of angry phone calls ends.

[mbl]

They have been by far the friendliest admissions staff I've dealt with over my two applications, Memorial coming in second. Like others have said, it's probably the time of year. Rejected premeds must be the worst. I've heard stories of parents and family members calling to complain.

[Talon01]

Sometimes it takes more than 1 shot to get in. Try to keep the spirits up (easier said than done I know).

[medwannabe08]

Months ago when I received my rejection for an interview I was devestated because a person I know with a lower GPA and less EC's at my school got one. While I was working my tush off this ...I feel cheated.

 

SBS, I'm sorry to hear about your rejection, but asserting the system is unfair because someone you feel is less qualified than you got an interview and you didn't doesn't cut it.

 

a) You don't know EVERYTHING this person may have done

You don't know all the qualities this person may have presented that UofO found compelling enough to invite for an interview.

 

The admissions system has been developed by people striving for fairness and equality, but people are not perfect and thus neither is the system. Instead of shifting the problem and decrying the lack of transparency / how you weren't treated fairly / how the system isn't 100% fair etc, accept the situation for what it is: 400-550 or so people were more qualified than you this year and thus received an interview. It might not be like this next year. Work on your own skills and abilities and just kick butt in the subsequent application cycle.

 

PS: I'm sure whatever questions you might have, they are probably generic enough that you can find the answers here or post them and have someone give you the answer.

[Talon01]

To those of you who have been "wronged"... do you honestly not think there's a posibility that there are more qualified applicants than yourselves?

[clobliss]

sbs

 

nobody is questionning how heart-breaking your story is or how hard you worked. however, your perception of how hard somebody else worked isn't exactly regarded as the absolute truth. Life is unfair. Bad things happen to good people. Get back up, persevere and try again. That's all you can do.

[slowly_but_surely]

thanks futuredoc .

I feel low enough these days and unforuntately some of the responses to my posts have been polite ways of saying "shut up and stop your b**tching this happens to many people".

 

Im still reeling from teh effects of my parent's death. Its just a hard time for me, and I would have appreciated the Admissions committee reply. The rejection and their refusal to acknowledge my questions felt like a slap in the face when I already feel extremely low. Its just hard because I dont know what they are looking for in their selection.

 

I just need support. I didnt get it from the U of O admissions staff, and some people who have posted this thread have frightnened me with their responses.

 

take care

[Charlatan]

I am absolutely baffled by how non-sympathetic some people can be on this board. Slowly but surely, I feel for you really. My parent died when I was fourteen, and for financial reasons, I and my family immigrated to Canada. The pain will alleviate with time but you do need to share this emotional burden with friends and others, and it'd be great if you can provide some emotional support to your family members too. You need to stay strong during this difficult time. I know it's easier said than done, but that's what others had recommended to me back then and I think it was good advice.

 

What we all need to understand though is that sometimes life is like driving, and it's not all green lights, and it's certainly possible to run into multiple red lights at once. It is certainly not fair either. Perhaps one solution is to train yourself to intellectually separate those independent events of your parent passing away, medical school rejection, lack of support from admission staff that aren't actually related.

 

Regarding the rejection from Ottawa, if you do a search on this board, you will see that you are not alone and that is there are some rejected applicants who complain about their stellar applications being turned away, while other seemingly less stellar applications make it to the interview stage. Who knows why, some think the Ottawa admission is flawed, perhaps they are not taking a holistic approach but rather without applicants knowing, placing emphasis on a specific EC that you are lacking?

 

I don't think it's healthy for you to think that there are many more others who are more qualified than you simply because you have been rejected from one school. Instead, the different Canadian schools simply have different admission criteria. If one school doesn't work out chances are you will get into another. Have you considered applying to multiple Canadian schools or even the US? If you want medicine bad enough, then perhaps some flexibility is good. I applied to six and got interviewed at two.

 

If you are able to post those questions admission staff refused to answer, I am confident that someone on this board will be happy to answer them to the best of their knowledge. Perhaps like others have said, the admission committee is going though a difficult time (many applicants calling in to complain, an interview evaluation form had gone missing, staff getting a decrease in salary, you name it who knows what those many possibilities are), so they are behaving differently at this time.

 

Sorry for the long post, but if you need a role model to develop persistence, I suggest reading up Beethoven's life story

 

Best of luck to you in the future

[mbl]

thanks futuredoc .

 

I just need support. I didnt get it from the U of O admissions staff, and some people who have posted this thread have frightnened me with their responses.

 

take care

 

Sorry for your loss and I hope you get the support you need! I'm sure if you email them in a few months they will be happy to help you as long as your questions are reasonable. I had a bunch of questions last year and they answered everyone of them within a day or two. This was in August or September.

 

Like others have said, you could post your questions here and some of us might be able to answer you.

[peter_pan]

--what goes around comes around --

[cling]

--what goes around comes around --

 

ooh a riddle!!

Let me guess: a boomerang.

 

Yeh, yeh...I don't mean to brag but I have always been good at puzzles.