Num Apps for 2009

[Jochi1543]

No, but i think I know what you are getting at. It's funny how my friend who did panel got flat out rejected but when he did MMI he got in.

 

I enjoyed my MMI a lot, I thought it really gave me an opportunity to show my strengths (critical thinking, empathy, etc), and apparently, I also did well, according to U of A's file eval - and that's even though I had one minor goof, for sure. At both of my non-MMIs, I felt like I was basically wasting my time because my interviewers already had a preconceived notion of me and no matter what I said, I couldn't change their opinion. Did you apply to any MMI schools this year? I'd be curious to see what you might think of that interview process.

 

 

I had a panel for my EMT interview, as well, a thoroughly awkward experience even though I already knew all the members at least superficially. I did well enough to get in despite the 5-6 applicants per spot, but I'd hate to interview in this set-up again, lol.

[rburgundy]

It's hurts to know that my rewrite of the MCAT will be basically useless for this application cycle for Queens. Who woulda thunk we would hit the day where a 36O wouldn't be good enough.

 

But c'est la vie. Maybe I'll see one of you guys at the Jan. MCAT. Good luck guys.

[The Law]

It's hurts to know that my rewrite of the MCAT will be basically useless for this application cycle for Queens. Who woulda thunk we would hit the day where a 36O wouldn't be good enough.

 

But c'est la vie. Maybe I'll see one of you guys at the Jan. MCAT. Good luck guys.

 

And the award for melodrama goes to...

[KamG]

It's hurts to know that my rewrite of the MCAT will be basically useless for this application cycle for Queens. Who woulda thunk we would hit the day where a 36O wouldn't be good enough.

 

But c'est la vie. Maybe I'll see one of you guys at the Jan. MCAT. Good luck guys.

 

Why would you redo with 36O, i know queens might be cut (due to ws) but youre still good everywhere else right?

 

36O is 97 percentile, and is higher than the average for harvard, yale etc... just forget about queens, i dont think your score will hold you back anywhere else.

[Flame219]

I enjoyed my MMI a lot, I thought it really gave me an opportunity to show my strengths (critical thinking, empathy, etc), and apparently, I also did well, according to U of A's file eval - and that's even though I had one minor goof, for sure. At both of my non-MMIs, I felt like I was basically wasting my time because my interviewers already had a preconceived notion of me and no matter what I said, I couldn't change their opinion. Did you apply to any MMI schools this year? I'd be curious to see what you might think of that interview process.

 

 

I had a panel for my EMT interview, as well, a thoroughly awkward experience even though I already knew all the members at least superficially. I did well enough to get in despite the 5-6 applicants per spot, but I'd hate to interview in this set-up again, lol.

 

I agree with the preconceived notion associated with panel interviews. I've been to a couple of panel interviews and no matter what my answers ended up with, it didn't really change their opinion (or so I feel) about me before the interview. It seems like they're looking for some sort of confirmation of their impressions, and I think they are somewhat biased in doing so with a lot less objectivity.

 

I think it's good that a lot of the different flaws/inherent arbitrary cutoffs for the medical schools are compensated when medical schools have different systems for identifying potential matriculants. Even if one school rejects an applicant because he/she lacks focus on personal attributes, another school takes that into account and gives the applicant a better chance. I do believe that UofT's system is the most humane though, and part of the reason I speculate is that if they have the same systems, the same pool of matriculants will rank schools (a good chunk of them) based on relative rankings, and all the other schools will lose valuable potential doctors. The diversified system is both a benefit to them as it is to us.

[rburgundy]

And the award for melodrama goes to...

 

What can I say...life sucks...

[webshy]

Please keep the threads on topic. I deleted all the non-relevent comments. If you wish to discuss the American election, please do so in a separate thread, rather than in a thread on the number of applicants to Queen's for the Class of 2013.

 

Thank you.

Elaine

[The_B]

Please keep the threads on topic. I deleted all the non-relevent comments. If you wish to discuss the American election, please do so in a separate thread, rather than in a thread on the number of applicants to Queen's for the Class of 2013.

 

Thank you.

Elaine

 

A gentle reminder would have sufficed Elaine, now I can't read what Law (I assume it was him) was ranting about (although I know it was something to do with the greatness of Obama.

 

As to re-writing the MCAT when you have a good score. IF you think...strike that, are confident that you will get a better one, then do it. Otherwise, trying to predict future cutoffs is usually an exercise in futility.

[The Law]

A gentle reminder would have sufficed Elaine, now I can't read what Law (I assume it was him) was ranting about (although I know it was something to do with the greatness of Obama.

 

As to re-writing the MCAT when you have a good score. IF you think...strike that, are confident that you will get a better one, then do it. Otherwise, trying to predict future cutoffs is usually an exercise in futility.

 

Psychic??

Anyway, I agree and I apoligize for derailing this thread, must admit it was becoming awfully PMSy here.

Everyone should calm down until we see the new cuts. I'm betting they won't be as bad as some are thinking.

[rburgundy]

Psychic??

Anyway, I agree and I apoligize for derailing this thread, must admit it was becoming awfully PMSy here.

Everyone should calm down until we see the new cuts. I'm betting they won't be as bad as some are thinking.

 

They'll be...worse...

[The Law]

They'll be...worse...

 

Aaaargh... I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion!

 

Anyway, I am of the opinion that not all of the new applicants have very competitive statistics and I do not expect a significant increase in the traditional cutoffs. People are probably inspired by last year's anomally (along with the fact they had no essays)... it's easy to see why the number would increase dramatically.

[Alastriss]

Aaaargh... I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion!

 

Anyway, I am of the opinion that not all of the new applicants have very competitive statistics and I do not expect a significant increase in the traditional cutoffs. People are probably inspired by last year's anomally (along with the fact they had no essays)... it's easy to see why the number would increase dramatically.

 

Looks like we may just be right law, take a look at the UWO forums! UWO's increase was not as much as Queen's

[CAS]

unfortunately, i think the reqs may indeed increase

i spoke to one of the adcom members yesterday and he informed me that

1) indeed there was a 'dramatic' increase in the number of apps and

2) to expect correspondingly 'dramatic' increases in the cutoffs

 

.........

[Alastriss]

unfortunately, i think the reqs may indeed increase

i spoke to one of the adcom members yesterday and he informed me that

1) indeed there was a 'dramatic' increase in the number of apps and

2) to expect correspondingly 'dramatic' increases in the cutoffs

 

.........

 

um well they haven't received applications yet so I don't know what he's talking about.

It's just pure speculation.

 

The only reason I say this was 2 adcomm members last year told me that there would be no changes in the cutoff and look what happened 9 9 9 R.

[rainman]

Applications are submitted. I'm sure most people know by now that the application process is well-suited to uncertainty-oriented people (from "Have my documents been received?" to "Will I make it off the waitlist?" . Make productive use of your time instead of speculating about cutoffs. Or, just pop some Xanax.. whatever does the trick. Knowing the cutoff can't change much at this point. With Canada's unpredictable admissions process, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

[Jochi1543]

Make productive use of your time instead of speculating about cutoffs. Or, just pop some Xanax.. whatever does the trick.

 

Speculating about cutoffs does it for me.

[Exia]

You bring up some interesting points, Exia:

You need to separate populations: MCAT writers, medical school interviewees, and medical school matriculants. Lots of people write the MCAT; being in the 90th percentile of that group might sound good, but that's probably average when compared to those who interview or those who are in medicine.To be frank, it sounds like self-sabotage.This is the most interesting point you bring up. Queen's doesn't do any of this pre-interview. UBC, on the other end of the scale, does exactly this pre-interview. At Queen's, it's simple: get the numbers, get the interview. At UBC, it's far less transparent. For those of you who have applied unsuccessfully there (myself included), you're witness to the esoteric descriptors they use to judge someone's non-academic qualifications. Further, these same non-concrete evaluations follow you throughout the application process. At Queen's, all the soft stuff is in the panel interview, where it's inescapable. So my question to you, Exia, is how do you evaluate these "diverse backgrounds" of 3000 applicants?

 

I know you're frustrated, and it's far easier for me to comment on the other side, but sometimes you just have to jump through the exact hoops the admissions committees want you to.

 

I don't know really (sorry for the long time to respond). But... all I know is that it seems arbitrary to cut off applicants with such a high bar. Like, i'm sure there are a ton of potentially good doctors at 3.86 when the cut off is 3.87, or something. I kinda like how the UofT does it where they do set a bar, and sort of cut off a lot of applicants. But this bar is much lower, so that there is some flexibility. IE. they basically say, alright, anything below this point, means that the person probably isn't academically capable (unless they submit a good reason why they scored low) to be a doctor. I don't know about elsewhere, but out west here, we work on a bell curve. So something like a difference between a 3.9 gpa and a 3.87 or something could just mean one or two classes where for some odd reason a ton of smart kids were registered in it and the bell curve got really competitive. or even soemthing like the prof just didn't teach in your style or something.

[kaymcee]

The "bar" as set by Toronto is misleadingly low. They say you can apply with a 3.6 GPA, but if you look at the astronomically high GPA of their matriculants, someone with a 3.6 GPA really doesn't have a shot. Someone with a 3.75 GPA probably doesn't have much of a chance either. Considering they put so much weight on GPA, it's no better than a high cutoff from Queen's.

 

Another example is UBC's GPA cutoff of 2.8... how "inclusive".

 

I went to UVic and I never had a course that was curved. It sounds like more of you taking needlessly difficult courses while all of your other pre-med gunning friends are taking the easier stuff.

[cling]

The "bar" as set by Toronto is misleadingly low. They say you can apply with a 3.6 GPA, but if you look at the astronomically high GPA of their matriculants, someone with a 3.6 GPA really doesn't have a shot. Someone with a 3.75 GPA probably doesn't have much of a chance either. Considering they put so much weight on GPA, it's no better than a high cutoff from Queen's.

 

Another example is UBC's GPA cutoff of 2.8... how "inclusive".

 

I went to UVic and I never had a course that was curved. It sounds like more of you taking needlessly difficult courses while all of your other pre-med gunning friends are taking the easier stuff.

 

Well, you are not the only one who feels this way. We had quite a big smackdown sort of discussion on Mac's forum, thread called "2011 stats" or something. Bottom line is, there should be not only a separate OMSAS grade conversion scheme for different universities, but there should be different schemes for different programs. In some cases, it is likely that the interuniversity grade variance might be actually smaller than the intrauniversity grade variance when sorted by different programs! However, whenever I try to debate the issue with some of the other premeds, they are quick to throw out the "Oh, if the current system benefitted you, you would just be silent" (which is so not the case, as I am the cookie cutter with a great gpa and great mcat and great looks ). However, I did contact several medschool people, directing their attention to however a pathetic debate we had going. Change is coming to medical school, just not as soon as you'd think

[The Law]

(which is so not the case, as I am the cookie cutter with a great gpa and great mcat and great looks ). However, I did contact several medschool people, directing their attention to however a pathetic debate we had going. Change is coming to medical school, just not as soon as you'd think

 

1. AHAHAHHAHAHAHAA!

 

2. It's okay Obama will fix it all.

If not, cling will!!

[DrBingley]

My friend in second year has told me that due to the number of applicants the Dean has decided to interview 760 people rather than the 500 applicants previously.

[kalia]

But still 100 ppl are only able to be accepted? Imagine that, an almost 1/8 chance of being excepted post-interview. That's about 13% chance of being accepted post-interview.

[redribbon]

Remember last year when ppl called in asking admissions whether their MCAT marks would get them an interview and the admissions ppl told them yes or no? Do you think that they will do that this year?

[abcwxyz]

760 interviewed?

 

What's the damn point of even going to the interview

[1234]

Schools need to put a little effort into the application process. UT puts a huge amount of time into pre-interview evaluation so they dont need an extravagent interview process.

 

Conversely, Queens has little pre-interview evaluation so they best be putting more time into interviews. And I hope they got new interviewers and a better system of interviewing. Those idiots need to get their act together.