Guest Namgalsip Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Hey everyone, I had my interview at UofT yesterday and I just wanted to say that all the rumours were right. This was the most relaxing, conversation-like, and enjoyable experience. I was not asked difficult questions, it was almost entirely about things I wrote in my essay, and the mood was very relaxed. I was laughing, they were laughing, it was a very pleasant experience. That being said, on my way home I started thinking about my answers and my tone and then I started to question ALL of my responses. I'm starting to think that maybe it was TOO casual. Well, I guess only time will tell but I did come out of the interview with a big smile on my face (the prof made a joke before I stepped out). All I can say is enjoy it!! Nams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest batman Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 I agree completely with Nams. The interview was a very friendly conversation, asking me about stuff in my sketch, my essay, some standard questions, and I don't think there was one difficult question (I think I overprepared with healthcare, ethics, etc. of which I was asked none of to my surprise). The students are very helpful, and the tours aren't bad either. I also came out with a huge smile on my face (unlike last year), and I don't think i could have done much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 ... my interviewers were pretty nice as well, but I think I continue to be the World's Worst Interviewee. Sigh. Just waiting now, I guess.... this whole three-months-later thing really, really sucks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 I'm glad that you both had a good interview. It sounds like my interview last year. Don't stress about anything at this point...because you can't go back and change it now! During the next few months I'm sure you will all have moments of self-doubt...when you think over an answer you gave and think "F#@%! Why did I say that! I am moron and they'll never let me in!" and other moments when you will think of an answer and think "DAMN am I good...there is no way that they can reject me!" This is entirely normal...and there is no way to anticipate what will ultimately happen based on your perceptions. (Check out some of the old threads on interview feelings and ultimate results.) So, sit back and relax...and try not to think about it...you're done and unfortunately, its gonna be a long time until May! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biochem10 Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 I completely agree with all of the above comments, I also had a very pleasant interview experience at U of T, very casual and relaxed. Actually I felt like they didn't even ask a lot of questions. There was one ethical question and mostly stuff about my travel and volunteer experiences. Anyway, I hope that everyone else also has fun. P.s. I did not get the question "why medicine?", I thought for sure I'd get that one. Although they did ask me if I've considered other careers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PDSP Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Hi Naams, Good job! Glad to hear that the first interview is out of the way and that it went pretty well. So, they weren't as hard as C and I? :rollin PD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Namgalsip Posted March 2, 2003 Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 Hey PD, No, they weren't nearly as hard as you two were on me. I was soooo much more stressed at our mocks than during the real interview. (It's a good thing too because being prepared for the worst made this experience all the more enjoyable!) Thanks for all your help guys. I hope we can get together for more grueling mocks next week. Nams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest doctorfunk Posted March 2, 2003 Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 Just finished my interview at UofT. As with the others, it was extremely relaxed and informal. No 'why medicine' question, and it seemed as if the student did most of the questioning, with the faculty member intently observing me. Overall, I'm pleased. Fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raid123 Posted March 3, 2003 Report Share Posted March 3, 2003 Sorry to burst your bubble, Peachy . . . but I think I am the world's worst interviewee . Anyways, at least you had fun at queens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted March 3, 2003 Report Share Posted March 3, 2003 Lol Raid123! We shall see in May. I don't think I did particularly well at Queen's, I just think it was fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Blackbird15 Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 I had my interview at U of T last week, and it went pretty badly. It was actually quite frustrating because they didn't ask me any difficult questions. QUestions were mostly based on my essay and sketch... I was just extremely nervous. Oh well... Just to make myself (and others in same situation) feel better, I've heard of people with bad interview experiences get accepted, and I've heard of people with good interview experiences get rejected... In the end, I think if you have a strong application, you'll get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ekimike Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 I was disappointed with the nature of my UofT interview. I am a graduate student with 5 years of research experience. I was not asked any questions about my research at all. I was not asked "why medicine", "why Toronto", or what my strengths and weaknesses were. Essentially, my interview was 55 minutes of hardcore bioethical scenarios and health policy questions i.e. you are in this situation - what do you do? make a decision!!! The bioethical questions were not even ones that dealt with well defined situations. I don't think that I handled the questions too badly, but I felt that the approach to the interview was totally inappropriate. On the contrary, I interviewed at Stanford this past Monday and had a wonderful experience. All of the questions were relevant to my application and I was also asked about my research in detail - very fair and relaxed interviews (as they should be). In fact, I think that Stanford actually put some thought into who should interview me - I had an Emeritus faculty member (retired radiologist) who had travelled extensively throughout Canada and I had an MSTP (MD/PhD) student who works in the same field that I did my graduate work in. Overall, I must say that I was surprised and disappointed by my Toronto experience, and I sincerely hope that my interviewers interviewed the others in my group in a similar way such that fair comparisons can be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biochem10 Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 ekimike, sorry to hear about your bad experience! I talked to a couple of people on interview day who also had a similar experience to yours, perhaps it is just one interviewer who has this 'method' of interviewing. My interview was very relaxing, so I guess some people just lucked out with who was interviewing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OT5er Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Ekimike, I am an interviewer for UofT, (I did not interview you though!). It goes to show you and all the future applicants/interviewees (and I don't mean this in a bad way) that although you may have a pre-planned idea of how the interview will go, and preplanned answers to the basic questions that is not necessarily what we want to see in an interview. Also keep in mind that the student who interviewed you, was in this boat only two years ago, and remembers what it was like and also knows the tricks, and the checklist, preplanned interview answers, etc. that is why they are going to try to come up with questions or situations that you are not PREPARED to answer. The purpose is to try to get to know the real you in about a half hour and understand how you will deal with conflict, ethical situations, and who you are in general. The end of the interview we must decide if "we" would like to have the candidate as a collegue or not. Truthfully that is not based on the preplanned answers, and my decisions although all applicants told me why toronto, and why medicine, was not based on that answer. Bottom line, guys and gals - be prepared for the unexpected. Do not have planned answers to ethical situations, have AN APPROACH PLANNED because you will get stumped, and as I mentioned above, especially the student interviewer knows when an answer is preplanned/rehearsed or truthfully being thought out and reasoned. It does make a difference! Good luck to future applicants, and remember Ekimike that nothing is as it seems, there are plenty of people who are in my class who thought that they had a crappy interview. Hopefully others will have a great experience at their UofT interviews, the school is great, the teaching is excellent, and the hospital resources are second to none. GOOD LUCK ALL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 Hi there ekimike, As mentioned above, try not to worry about it too much since self-perception can be a twisted thing! Your Stanford interview sounds impressive though--did you apply to the MD/PhD program or the straight MD program? If you don't mind my asking here, what are the Stanford facilities like? (I've never had the chance to visit the campus, although I'd love to.) Cheers and good luck, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ekimike Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 Kirsteen, I'm not terribly worried about my UofT interview - I think that I handled the questions fine. I was, however, disappointed with the focus of the interview, and left UofT with the feeling that they really didn't ask questions that would allow them to find out more about who I am. As I have already completed my graduate work, I only applied to the MD program at Stanford. The most impressive thing about the Stanford program is its inherent flexibility (and financial aid iff you are an American citizen). The program is very responsive to student interests and there are plenty of opportunities to do research at Stanford and abroad (for which you are paid the equivalent of about 1/4 tuition). The main medical school building itself is not new, I would say that it was built in the 1960s. There is a new building that houses a number of study rooms and the anatomy labs. For anatomy it is one cadaver for every 2 students, and there are also computer terminals with 3D goggles to do virtual anatomy! Also, all of the lectures are video-taped and can be watched in real-time over the internet or downloaded and watched at your leisure. There are only 86 students per class and there are a lot of resources - twice as many faculty as students. The campus is extremely large (8600 acres) and very beautiful. Also, San Francisco is an amazing city. Obviously the major drawback is the expense. And to tell you the truth, I was equally impressed, if not more, with the quality of medical student that I met during my UofT experience, as compared to the quality of student that I met at Stanford. Even though Stanford has the resources to offer a great education with lots of opportunity for research and other unique opportunities, I left Stanford with the distinct sense that there is NO WAY that the quality of education at major Canadian institutions such as Toronto is inferior to any of the top schools in the US, either at the undergraduate level, or in medical school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 Hi ekimike, Thanks for your synopsis. Do you mind if I ask what contributed to your impression of the Stanford meds students? Also, it sounds like you've completed your PhD... at Toronto? Cheers and good luck with UofT, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ekimike Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Kirsteen, During my interview day at UofT I had the opportunity to interact with a number of students, and to talk to them in greater detail about the program and their experiences. At Stanford, I was only able to meet with a few students - I wasn't particularly impressed with the student who ran the tour of the facilities. I can tell you that everyone that I met there was very friendly, and the administrative staff in the office are extremely accomodating and friendly. I completed my M.Sc. at Toronto - I applied to medicine at a few schools last year and was sorely disappointed. Had I known I wasn't going to get in last year I likely would have reclassed since I had two very good first author publications out of my M.Sc. (2/3 of the way to the Ph.D.). This year I made sure to apply to as many schools as possible (13), and have received interviews from Stanford, UofT, Calgary, and MAC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Hi ekimike, Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm assuming that you may have applied to some other universities in the US aside from Stanford? If so, do you mind if I ask which? Good luck on your interviews. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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