2010 Interview Discussion

[supafield]

Lol... this goes to show ya the evolution of some threads can be quite unpredictable.

 

How about some thoughts and questions about the Queen's 2010 interview in favour of creating racial tensions between Asian ethnic sub-communities?

 

1) Do any Queen's students know about a potential interview weekend information website similar to those created in previous years? It seems that the acceptance e-mail was very bare bones as has been posted, where last year there was a link at the bottom of the invite to a medtech website set up with info for the interviewees.

 

2) Any word on the number of interviews in total this year? I had been told on the phone more than a month ago by the admissions office that while the interview number had not been set yet, she expected it to be AT LEAST as many as last year. However, with the potential cutoffs we're dealing with, it seems highly unlikely that they could pull 760 people out.

 

07/08 - 9,9,9 - R (28) ~ 500 interviewees. (However, only 1850 applicants)

08/09 - 9,10,9 - Q (31) ~ 760 interviewees

09/10 - 9,10,9 - R (30) = ???

(There is some wiggle room and those cuts aren't absolute, but it's something close at least, so this is my best guess)

 

The moment I saw they only had 4 interview days scheduled, I guessed the number of interviews was declining. These cutoffs also seem to be the most competitive of the ones I listed. Due to the scaled nature of the MCAT changing a Q to an R will be much more limiting than moving a 30 to a 31. Is it possible that they are still interviewing a tonne of people and the MCAT cutoff is inflating like crazy?

 

Anyone with some inside info out there?

If not, we can go back to the topic of WWII high school calculus while taking in the social and cultural ideology of sfinch which coincidentally dates back to about WWII as well.

[sfinch]

You're harsh supafield...;-)

 

I didn't start the race conversation. Someone started talking about asians and browns being better than whites, and then some prof claimed the reverse. I just stated that 'asian' in the data is a wide term, and that most people think east asians as 'asians' and that other asian groups may not, for whatever reason (poverty, religion and culture), perform as well and artificially lower results.

 

There are tons of smart people from all races.

[sv3]

Lol... this goes to show ya the evolution of some threads can be quite unpredictable.

 

How about some thoughts and questions about the Queen's 2010 interview in favour of creating racial tensions between Asian ethnic sub-communities?

 

1) Do any Queen's students know about a potential interview weekend information website similar to those created in previous years? It seems that the acceptance e-mail was very bare bones as has been posted, where last year there was a link at the bottom of the invite to a medtech website set up with info for the interviewees.

 

2) Any word on the number of interviews in total this year? I had been told on the phone more than a month ago by the admissions office that while the interview number had not been set yet, she expected it to be AT LEAST as many as last year. However, with the potential cutoffs we're dealing with, it seems highly unlikely that they could pull 760 people out.

 

07/08 - 9,9,9 - R (28) ~ 500 interviewees. (However, only 1850 applicants)

08/09 - 9,10,9 - Q (31) ~ 760 interviewees

09/10 - 9,10,9 - R (30) = ???

(There is some wiggle room and those cuts aren't absolute, but it's something close at least, so this is my best guess)

 

The moment I saw they only had 4 interview days scheduled, I guessed the number of interviews was declining. These cutoffs also seem to be the most competitive of the ones I listed. Due to the scaled nature of the MCAT changing a Q to an R will be much more limiting than moving a 30 to a 31. Is it possible that they are still interviewing a tonne of people and the MCAT cutoff is inflating like crazy?

 

Anyone with some inside info out there?

If not, we can go back to the topic of WWII high school calculus while taking in the social and cultural ideology of sfinch which coincidentally dates back to about WWII as well.

 

I was told a similar thing two months ago. I was also told that they did not want to really have a high WS cut off. Lastly, it was indicated to me that they did have more applicants than last year.

 

So i figured the cuts would go up, but didn't think it would be the WS. Perhaps BS or the total numerical score needed. Either way, with the R, I'm sure they have cut down interview spots even if more people applied.

 

somthing must have changed between then and now.

[nemesis]

With a WS=R cut-off, I doubt that Queen's will need to interview an applicant pool as large as last year (i.e. 760 ppl).

 

My prediction, with such a cut-off (esp., VR=10+WS=R), is that approximately 500 ppl will be interviewed.

[sv3]

With a WS=R cut-off, I doubt that Queen's will need to interview an applicant pool as large as last year (i.e. 760 ppl).

 

My prediction, with such a cut-off (esp., VR=10+WS=R), is that approximately 500 ppl will be interviewed.

 

true. even 500 is a large number for just 100 spots - it is good of Queens to interview tht many. I just wish I got cut for some other reason - this one is tough to take. they must have had a lot of applicants or didn't find value in interviewing so many last year

[nemesis]

It's still insane that Queen's nearly interviews as many applicants as Toronto, despite the latter having 250 seats compared to 100 spots at Queen's.

[FifthBusiness]

It's still insane that Queen's nearly interviews as many applicants as Toronto, despite the latter having 250 seats compared to 100 spots at Queen's.

 

Likely to ensure they never have to swallow the humiliation of accepting previously reject applicants ever again.

[sv3]

Likely to ensure they never have to swallow the humiliation of accepting previously reject applicants ever again.

 

doesn't this happen all the time?

[FifthBusiness]

I don't think so ... There was one year where Queens had so many students turn down their offer of admission, that they went through the entire waitlist and then even had to accept students that they already rejected, in order to fill the seats.

It must have been humiliating for them. I for one can't fathom this happening but that's likely because Queens would my #1 choice if, of course, I had the luxury of choosing.

Sorry Supafield for not actually contributing anything useful considering the original intent of the thread. My new year's resolution must be to stop wasting time on this site!

[sfinch]

Happened at western many years ago too! 1997 apparently.

[MD2014]

I know Queen's strictly sticks to MCAT and wiggle around with GPA quite a lot FOR GRAD STUDENTS ONLY. They explicitly say that on website and I was told on the phone. Grad or undergrad, no exception whatsoever for MCAT cutoffs.

 

So in other words, undergrads/bachelor-only holders must meet MCAT AND GPA cut offs. People with grad degrees are given a significant lee-way, because you receive a full review. In other words, if you are a grad student, know your GPA is below yet you still received an invitation to interview, you are in pretty good standing so long as you don't utterly bomb your interview.

 

I personally don't think the WS cutoff is a racial issue. Queen's is actually quite sensitive about that - a student society leader almost got impeached for uttering a racial joke on FB. I have hard time imagining they will do something so outrightly racial, even just to cover their butt. I think it's more because Queen's is trying to pick doctors who can communicate. This is NOT a racial comment at all by me. Native speakers can be poor communicators while people who speak English as a second language can be soul-shakers. Perhaps Queen's just feels that high WS scores are a good indicator of communication skills.

 

I hope blindly that interviewee number would be smaller this year. 1:5 ratio isn't that bad already, but smaller would be even better. Given that they scheduled 30 minutes for each person and there are only 4 days, they must run at least 8 interviewing teams per day for 8 hours of the day without breaks if they were to interview 500 again. That's intense. Perhaps the harsh writing sample cut may have been aimed at downsizing interviewee number.

 

Also, I don't think it was that people rejected Queen's so much that they had to re-accept rejectees - I hear of a year where the OMSAS system (may have been all of Canada, not sure) was totally wacked and there were a lot of glitches. Frankly, in Canada, we can't often med school shop so I doubt so many people got accepted to multiple schools and said no to Queen's that consistently. But, who knows. Maybe people really didn't like Queen's.

[JC5]

Personally, I'm happy that the higher cutoffs mean there will be fewer interviewees and therefore everything will seem slightly less like an exercise in how much your interviewer likes you/your first impression the moment you walk through that door.

 

 

Not QUITE taking part in schadenfreude here, as I honestly could care less _how_ the numbers were reduced (statswise or not), but 760 for 100 spots is ridiculous to begin with.

 

 

 

....equally ridiculous is all this race talk. Read this thread again in two years and see if you still believe what you are saying. If you do, I sure hope you aren't a doctor.

[MD2014]

....equally ridiculous is all this race talk. Read this thread again in two years and see if you still believe what you are saying. If you do, I sure hope you aren't a doctor.

 

As in what I said about the race talk being ridiculous is ridiculous...? Not sure if you are lending support to my theory or attacking it :S

[supafield]

Also, I don't think it was that people rejected Queen's so much that they had to re-accept rejectees - I hear of a year where the OMSAS system (may have been all of Canada, not sure) was totally wacked and there were a lot of glitches. Frankly, in Canada, we can't often med school shop so I doubt so many people got accepted to multiple schools and said no to Queen's that consistently. But, who knows. Maybe people really didn't like Queen's.

 

 

If you read back on these boards... it was in 2001. They had a class of 80.... and made a waitlist of 100 people. They then exhausted all 100 waitlistees and started offering some people that were initially rejected.

 

As a result, the waitlist grew substantially from 100 that year, to 260 people the next year.

 

There used to be a time when the Queen's waitlist was quite the good news. You were looking at a 1 in 2 or better odds of still getting in (or 1 in 1 odds in 2001 lol)

 

If there is anything I would want changed about the process at Queen's, it would be a shorter more transparent waiting list. While it would stink to be flat out rejected on May 15th, it beats holding on to false hope when you may be 300 people down the list.

 

Funny, enough, searching through the threads to find what year the waitlisted exhausted itself, I also read that in 2002, they proposed a dedicated 2 year pre-med program (25 spots) that you were accepted into out of high school and then guaranteed entrance into the MD program after the 2 years based on sufficient academic standing. This proposal as you can guess was defeated.

 

edit: in 2004 the same waitlist exhaustion thing happened.

http://premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17725&highlight=waitlist

[itimebomb2]

I feel the need to clarify that the fact that asians and possibly brown students perform better in academics is not a matter of racial superiority from a genetic point of view. Some people may argue this, though. But what~s more important and plain to see is the cultural mindset of asians and browns. Theres no deny that the average asian immigrant family heavily emphasizes education - particularly that of the sciences and maths. This has resulted in a disproportionately large number of asians in some of the top university programs in science and engineering. WaterWoo is not a statistical anomaly - its a cultural phenomenon. The countries best engineers today are by and large asian. Same goes with pre-meds to some extent - and Health Sci and Mac (where I am) is a plain example as well.

 

Its not genetics - no one is arguing that white people, or black people, or any people are intrinsically less intelligent... the bottom line is that they just dont care as much as a culture. Its not really fair to label this conversation as racist, unless you also believe that stating the obvious fact that black people dominate professional basketball and football is racist.

 

Perhaps why people percieve an argument about cultural emphases in academics as racist is because they are reading it through their own racist goggles to begin with.

[future_doc]

I also read that in 2002, they proposed a dedicated 2 year pre-med program (25 spots) that you were accepted into out of high school and then guaranteed entrance into the MD program after the 2 years based on sufficient academic standing. This proposal as you can guess was defeated.

 

In Quebec, from 2 years of Cegep (college) for the very top students, if selected, you are guaranteed a med school spot, subject to doing well in one year of UG. So, there is a two track path to med school - and the system works well.

[supafield]

When I say as you can guess it was defeated, I only meant... because Queen's doesn't have this system now, the outcome of the motion is fairly obvious.

 

The U.S. has similar programs as well BSc/M.D.

While I really have no opinion on programs like this one way or another, they must be doing alright given these schools haven't abandoned the approach.

 

At Queen's though, with 25 of the 100 spots already taken... haha I can only imagine how fierce the competition would get for the remaining 75.

[future_doc]

Perhaps another day - it would revolutionize the process in Ontario and perhaps start a dual track approach across the province, shortening the process for the fortunate few. In Quebec, millions are saved in educational costs with this approach, many doctors go on-stream earlier than othwerwise (good for the population) and there have been no adverse effects.

[supafield]

More invites on Christmas eve morning haha, who would have guessed.

If I were them I would send out e-mail to the most borderline applicants that just barely made the cuts so they could all attribute it to a Christmas miracle haha.

 

One has to wonder if they'd consider also sending rejections the day before Christmas... haha, it seems like that would be a little harsh given the timing.

[xIcewind]

Yeah, I'm glad I didn't get rejected the day before Christmas.

 

"Merry Christmas! You got rejected!"

 

That would be a bummer...

[MAKOTOZ]

Hi everyone,

 

This is my first time writing a post here. I received an interview offer from Queen's yesterday on the 24th.

 

My MCAT is 13/11/12/S

My cGPA is 3.79.

 

Btw, I go to school in the States and I have currently finishing up my 4th year in Biology and Chemsitry.

[h1yao]

Lol... this is sooooo unfair.... waiting is so hard.... anyone know on what basis the rolling admission is made on (OMSAS ID? Last name? The second letter of your uncle's first name?)

[rmorelan]

Lol... this is sooooo unfair.... waiting is so hard.... anyone know on what basis the rolling admission is made on (OMSAS ID? Last name? The second letter of your uncle's first name?)

 

Don't think any one has noticed a pattern yet. I hate rolling admissions, or rather hate ones that are not necessary

[nemesis]

It's pretty clear at this point what the MCAT cutoffs are, and GPA-wise, I'd use last years cutoff as a benchmark.

 

If you haven't received an email yet, but your MCAT/GPA meets or exceeds those who posted here, then rest assured that you'll land an interview eventually.

[RandomGuy]

It's pretty clear at this point what the MCAT cutoffs are, and GPA-wise, I'd use last years cutoff as a benchmark.

 

If you haven't received an email yet, but your MCAT/GPA meets or exceeds those who posted here, then rest assured that you'll land an interview eventually.

 

I agree... unless you're very borderline, we already know the general cutoffs. Although I'm sure there are people with <R on their WS trying to convince themselves otherwise.