Alastriss Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Nice to see you like kingston! Btw, do we even have the chance to say closing remarks or ask questions regarding the school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smore Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 they didn't ask me if I had any closing remarks, but they did offer the opportunity to ask them questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retsage Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Not so standardized then. lolz Nothing to do with it not being standardized. The interviewee mentioned an activity while answering a standard question and the interviewer gave a quick response saying he had read it about him before and found it interesting. Then went to the next standardized question. They had a booklet in front of us with each question they would ask, and it was left in the room for the next applicant when we left. It was as standardized as you can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky222 Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 My interview was about 20 minutes and I thought I nailed it! Time isn't much of a factor. If you say everything you need to in 10 minutes, what's the point of wasting another 30 minutes of their life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Btw, do we even have the chance to say closing remarks or ask questions regarding the school? Yes, you can ask questions. I asked the exact same questions as last year, because last year my panel couldn't answer either. This year they were able to answer both, which was refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcwxyz Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Since I started this thread: I had an extremely positive impression of Queen's and my interview. The bus tour was interesting and the video that they showed at the presentation was well done. I think that most of the students that I talked to were both friendly and helpful. The writing assignment was fair and relevant, and I think that it went well. My interviewers were both exceptionally responsive to what I had said in terms of body language, smiles, nods, etc. I got asked one or two follow-up questions because the interviewers were interested in my experiences, but they lasted under a minute each. I felt that the content of the interview was pretty fair and relevant, and I think that my answers and their delivery were better than I could have hoped for. I had a good amount of time at the end, and we just talked about the school for a bit; they were both very eager to tell me about their positive experiences at the school and how great it would be for me to go to Queen's. I had an exceptionally positive impression of them and the school as a result of their friendliness and conversation, but I am entirely sure that the next interviewee would get the same song and dance. My only gripe is with the interview process in general. 7.6:1, even accounting for the waitlist, is just too many. I felt my performance was good but what does this mean, really? If the ratio was 2:1, I would be pretty confident that I did my best and that it would mean something. When it comes to 7.6:1 (or 4:1), I feel that the interviewers must be splitting hairs to decide who gets a spot. Only with significant hubris could I assume that my "good" performance in a subjective evaluation was better than 6.6 others. So now we wait for May then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I was done in 15 minutes. There was a sense of awkwardness, I think it's because the US interviews I have had was so friendly, back and forth, you know. I think it went tremendously better than last year. I had an interviewer that was looking at the clock, but payed close attention the moment I started speaking passionately about one question, which upon reflection, may have been the best single answer to a question I have ever delivered. With that said, I doubt I am more than a wait list this year. But, I don't see how any interview I could have delivered would make me feel any better. I just don't think I have those tear-jerking experiences that *may* be needed. (I did miss a few points and I could have elaborated a little more but everyone misses something, so I am not killing myself over it). Good luck to all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcwxyz Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I was done in 15 minutes. There was a sense of awkwardness, I think it's because the US interviews I have had was so friendly, back and forth, you know. I think it went tremendously better than last year. I had an interviewer that was looking at the clock, but payed close attention the moment I started speaking passionately about one question, which upon reflection, may have been the best single answer to a question I have ever delivered. With that said, I doubt I am more than a wait list this year. But, I don't see how any interview I could have delivered would make me feel any better. I just don't think I have those tear-jerking experiences that *may* be needed. (I did miss a few points and I could have elaborated a little more but everyone misses something, so I am not killing myself over it). Good luck to all! I am glad that your interview went well; your PM a while ago about Queen's was very helpful to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 lol @ the edit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 lol @ the edit Double LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcwxyz Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 lol @ the edit Double LOL. huh? what are you guys talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00b Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 what was the original post lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjey Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I thought I had a great interview today (lots of small talk and laughs)..both the physician and student were very friendly. However, my writing is illegible and I DIDN'T finish the sample (stopped mid-sentence)..given the fact that they're interviewing 760 people, I feel like that may be sufficient to cut me :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I thought I had a great interview today (lots of small talk and laughs)..both the physician and student were very friendly. However, my writing is illegible and I DIDN'T finish the sample (stopped mid-sentence)..given the fact that they're interviewing 760 people, I feel like that may be sufficient to cut me :/ That stinks.... who knows how much weight the question actually holds though... cross your fingers and hopefully the good interview will make up for it... Were you concluding at least or were you caught mid point? One would imagine if you were nearing the very end you wouldn't be penalized too badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjey Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Well I guess I was making my last point but my greater concern is that the last five lines just looked like scribbles (even to me ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcwxyz Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Warning: this is all just my speculation. I am guessing that the writing is 20-40%. I think that the writing assignment would be worth at least as much as one or two questions in the interview. I think that Queen's will have a very regimented marking scheme. Every question likely has a rubric that your interviewers were provided with, and you will get a mark for each question. You will also likely get a mark for your expressed interest in the school (questions that you ask, how enthusiastic you are) and your overall demeanor during the interview. I think that they will mark such things as the quality of your examples, how directly you answered the question, your level of thought and composure when being confronted with an unknown question, your level of elaboration and specificity of example, among others. It is possible that interviewers will have been instructed how to award marks for each of these questions (average, standard deviation) but I doubt there will be a standardization after the fact, since, with such low numbers, it's entirely possible that one group of interviewers will have an exceptional group of interviewees by random chance. The writing assignment will also be marked according to a rubric. The combined score then determines whether or not you get an offer. I am almost certain of this method, and the only thing that remains unknown is the weighting of each component. I don't think being cutoff mid-sentence is going to penalize you excessively. If you had enough content (which I'm guessing you did if you spent all 15 mins writing) I think you're fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princess19 Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 did anyone not have the opportunity to ask questions at the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Warning: this is all just my speculation. I am guessing that the writing is 20-40%. I think that the writing assignment would be worth at least as much as one or two questions in the interview. I think that Queen's will have a very regimented marking scheme. Every question likely has a rubric that your interviewers were provided with, and you will get a mark for each question. You will also likely get a mark for your expressed interest in the school (questions that you ask, how enthusiastic you are) and your overall demeanor during the interview. I think that they will mark such things as the quality of your examples, how directly you answered the question, your level of thought and composure when being confronted with an unknown question, your level of elaboration and specificity of example, among others. It is possible that interviewers will have been instructed how to award marks for each of these questions (average, standard deviation) but I doubt there will be a standardization after the fact, since, with such low numbers, it's entirely possible that one group of interviewers will have an exceptional group of interviewees by random chance. The writing assignment will also be marked according to a rubric. The combined score then determines whether or not you get an offer. I am almost certain of this method, and the only thing that remains unknown is the weighting of each component. I don't think being cutoff mid-sentence is going to penalize you excessively. If you had enough content (which I'm guessing you did if you spent all 15 mins writing) I think you're fine. Glad you found it helpful. I think it will be worth 1 question. Why? because it was pretty much a question along with basically all of the questions asked in this years interview LAST year. It was a tough question. I listed 1 experience in detail, and another in supplement, then I must've spent like 2 sentences connecting it back to medicine. It was pretty difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
see-those-stars Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 two things I wish I'd known before my interview: 1. bring earplugs if you're flying to Kingston from Toronto late at night - the tiny plane is very noisy! 2. you probably won't have time to do the bus tour and then the campus tour one right after the other - my bus tour came back too late for me to attend the campus tour. Plan accordingly! Best of luck to those interviewing during the second interview weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Very friendly group of people at queens! I enjoyed myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itimebomb2 Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Warning: this is all just my speculation. I am guessing that the writing is 20-40%. I think that the writing assignment would be worth at least as much as one or two questions in the interview. I think that Queen's will have a very regimented marking scheme. Every question likely has a rubric that your interviewers were provided with, and you will get a mark for each question. You will also likely get a mark for your expressed interest in the school (questions that you ask, how enthusiastic you are) and your overall demeanor during the interview. I think that they will mark such things as the quality of your examples, how directly you answered the question, your level of thought and composure when being confronted with an unknown question, your level of elaboration and specificity of example, among others. It is possible that interviewers will have been instructed how to award marks for each of these questions (average, standard deviation) but I doubt there will be a standardization after the fact, since, with such low numbers, it's entirely possible that one group of interviewers will have an exceptional group of interviewees by random chance. The writing assignment will also be marked according to a rubric. The combined score then determines whether or not you get an offer. I am almost certain of this method, and the only thing that remains unknown is the weighting of each component. I don't think being cutoff mid-sentence is going to penalize you excessively. If you had enough content (which I'm guessing you did if you spent all 15 mins writing) I think you're fine. does this mean there were 5 questions in the question book? Did the questions have multiple parts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcwxyz Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 does this mean there were 5 questions in the question book? Did the questions have multiple parts? I can't answer this, but I think that you could make an educated guess yourself based on the interview length that you have booked in addition to what people have been posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2009MD Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 I had my Queen's interview today, and although I enjoyed the tour and presentation very much, I have to say that I didn't get a good interview experience. The writing exercise was fine, but after walking into the interview room, I had a very one-sided conversation: my interviewers hardly said anything other than asking me the six standardized questions (which were typed up in a booklet they let you look at anyway). They didn't follow up on what I mentioned in my responses...when I stopped talking they just went on to the next question. Also, my faculty interviewer looked very tired and did not make eye contact with me while I was answering the questions - she just stared at the piece of paper in her hand the whole time and looked sleepy. She didn't seem interested at all. My student interviewer was really nice, but it would've been much less awkward if she had made a comment or two about what I said. After I finished answering the six standard interview questions, my faculty interviewer said a sentence or two about her experience working at Queen's...but from what she said I got the impression that she didn't even like being there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcwxyz Posted March 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 I had my Queen's interview today, and although I enjoyed the tour and presentation very much, I have to say that I didn't get a good interview experience. The writing exercise was fine, but after walking into the interview room, I had a very one-sided conversation: my interviewers hardly said anything other than asking me the six standardized questions (which were typed up in a booklet they let you look at anyway). They didn't follow up on what I mentioned in my responses...when I stopped talking they just went on to the next question. Also, my faculty interviewer looked very tired and did not make eye contact with me while I was answering the questions - she just stared at the piece of paper in her hand the whole time and looked sleepy. She didn't seem interested at all. My student interviewer was really nice, but it would've been much less awkward if she had made a comment or two about what I said. After I finished answering the six standard interview questions, my faculty interviewer said a sentence or two about her experience working at Queen's...but from what she said I got the impression that she didn't even like being there... I'm sorry to hear that this was your experience. At least it's likely that this was their general demeanor towards all interviewees. I don't think you are alone in having this kind of interview and I doubt it affects your chances, if Queen's is where you want to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flame219 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 I had my Queen's interview today, and although I enjoyed the tour and presentation very much, I have to say that I didn't get a good interview experience. The writing exercise was fine, but after walking into the interview room, I had a very one-sided conversation: my interviewers hardly said anything other than asking me the six standardized questions (which were typed up in a booklet they let you look at anyway). They didn't follow up on what I mentioned in my responses...when I stopped talking they just went on to the next question. Also, my faculty interviewer looked very tired and did not make eye contact with me while I was answering the questions - she just stared at the piece of paper in her hand the whole time and looked sleepy. She didn't seem interested at all. My student interviewer was really nice, but it would've been much less awkward if she had made a comment or two about what I said. After I finished answering the six standard interview questions, my faculty interviewer said a sentence or two about her experience working at Queen's...but from what she said I got the impression that she didn't even like being there... After all the questions were standardized, so I wouldn't worry too much if she didn't have any follow-up questions/comments for you. (My interviewers just nodded in a polite manner and moved on) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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