Interview Experiences (In lieu of interviewfeedback.com)

[Guest MayFlower1]

Wow...it seems like eternity has finally come to an end (? :\ )...the first interviews at UofO are only DAYS away...

 

I'm hoping that this thread can be used to document everyone's interview experiences...

 

I look forward to contributing (and taking advantage of the contributions of others) to this thread...

 

Peter

[Guest tappety tap]

So interviews start today? I am very curious to hear about people's experiences as well

[Guest MayFlower1]

Hey M,

 

How's it going? How's the prep going? How was your trip back home? When's your interview...I forgot...

 

Peter

[Guest misagh]

Hello all,

 

Well, I had my interview today. It was supposed to be later on, but because of an exam conflict I had to have it changed.

 

Basically, the interviewers were *really* nice and really helpful. They really try to make you feel comfortable. The med student was a really chill guy, and I had a faculty member (a physician) and a member of the volunteer staff at one of the hospitals. The interview questions were not what I had expected. I did not expect many of them... the first question was straight out of my sketch, and much of the questions built on stuff from my sketch.

 

As for more mundane matters... they had a cup of water there for me during my interview, which was a really nice touch And the interview was in a PBL room...

 

The info session was very helpful as well, lots of interesting info... and they had two phat med students there presenting stuff as well. Bravo Ottawa U!

 

Overall, the experience was a positive one! However, as us pre-meds tend to do, I find myself analyzing my answers, where I went wrong, where I could have provided more detail, where I could have been better... but, in the end, we don't know how we did until we get the results. So, while I will no doubt have many sleepless nights in the near future, I'm happy to have had this opportunity!

 

Hey Mayflower, what did you do to allay your anxieties and keep yourself sane during this period?

 

Folks, please remember, this is just one experience out of more than 500 to be had... every single interview is different, and who knows? Perhaps the same interviewers could decide to interview in many different ways.

 

In any case, I wish each and every one of you the very best in your interviews!! Especially stargirl, carletongirl, tappety tap, and you Mayflower I truly hope to be your collegue next year!

 

- misagh

[Guest Sil]

Hey Misagh:

At what time was your interview? I did one of the tours today. Seemed like a bunch of nice people interviewing. Hope everything went well.

Sil

[Guest misagh]

Hi Sil!

 

My interview was at 1 pm today... I didn't catch any of the tours unfortunately. And yes, the interviewers were very friendly! They made my feel very comfortable, or at least as comfortable as I could be in that situation

 

What a great school!!

[Guest MayFlower1]

Hey misagh!

 

Congrats on your interview! I completely envy you (i.e., you're done your interview) and, at the same time I feel sorry for you (you have 2 weeks more than the already painful wait I have to find out if you're accepted :\ ).

 

To kill time between now and when you find out? Hmmm...a few martinis each day?

 

Seriously, you mentioned your interview didn't go anything like you expected...I am somewhat surprised your mock was so different than your interview experience! What aspects surprised you? What questions were you asked?

 

I wish you the best of luck...while it does seem like an eternity until we find out I think you'd be surprised at how quickly the time actually passes. Just thank god you didn't apply to mac...those poor people are still waiting for interview invitations!

 

Talk to you soon...my interview is on March 14...bright and early in the morning at 8:30am.

 

Peter

[Guest misagh]

Hiya Peter

 

This morning, what I thought would happen actually did happen... what Gordon Lightfoot described as the "morning-after blues" (although perhaps not for the same reason...). My first thoughts were, "Holy smokes, what was I thinking when I answered that... or this.... or that....?!?! AHHH!!!"

 

My interview was fundamentally the same as my mock experience, in terms of location, layout, friendliness of the interviewers, etc. However the flavour of the questions were different, and I felt that the interviewers at once fed off my sketch to supply questions, and fed off of my responses for more questions! I inadvertantly supplied one of my interviewers with one of the few ethical questions in my interview!! I must say, the fact that the interviewer picked up on what I had said and suggested an ethical question was quite ingenious!! I have to give him mad props for that, even though I was kicking myself afterwards!

 

My first question came right from my sketch, about a specific item. They asked me to elucidate on the informal discussion groups ("Firesides") my family holds each Saturday evening at our place. I listed it on my sketch, since it has been going on for almost 20 years now (it's become a part of my upbringing), and the fact that I learn SO MUCH from the diverse group of people it attracts and from the conversation skills it engenders. Anyways, they asked more about it, posed a few questions related to its functionning, "what would you do if..." scenarios related to it, etc. As many have said, know your sketch!!

 

I must stress again that the interviewers know exactly what they are doing. On my particular day, it seemed from the atmosphere of the waiting area and from the attitude of my interviewers that the interviews were very informal and laid-back. I just hope this trend continues for the rest of the interview days...

 

However, for anyone out there interviewing at Ottawa, no matter how your interviewers conduct the interview (stuffy and formal, or laid-back and conversational) or what your experiences with the interviewers, these interviewers are pros, they're good at what they do and they take their job very seriously.

 

And, hehehehe, I actually did apply to Mac. I think we hear back next week... after looking through my 15 questions a few times since submitting them, I'm not confident about my interview chances. But, hey, I got an interview at Ottawa, miracles _can_ happen!

 

Take care of yourself Peter, sounds like you have plenty of time to "prepare", and good thing your interview isn't on the next day... "Beware the Ides of March!"

 

And all the best to everyone else too!

 

-Misagh

[Guest misagh]

Perhaps an addendum to the e-novel I just wrote...

 

The questions were nothing out of the ordinary, pretty "standard"... what's the biggest issue in healthcare in Canada and how would you make it better, do you have a role model, what kinds of qualities do you think a physician in your community should have, etc. My interview was 45 mins. long, I have a feeling I went over the allotted time... might have been since I talked too much! D'oh!

 

Approx. 11 questions were asked of me.

 

Take care y'all!

[Guest tappety tap]

misagh...hey, thanks for sharing your experience...it really doesn't sound that bad actually!! I'm sure you did really great despite your morning-after worried!!! :\ I'm envious that you're done! I'm sure that you'll make a really wonderful doc...best of luck!!! Keep us informed!

 

Mayflower...how was Cuba? My "prep" is going ok...to be honest, been doing some thinking but that's about it...I still have until apr 9 to get ready. Best of luck on your interview, I'm sure you'll do amazingly! All this prep and deep thought will pay off I'm sure!

 

carletongirl & stargirl...good luck to both you as well...hope to hear that your interviews went great as well! (dont recall when they are...)

 

anyways, I hope to meet all of you again...perhaps next year at orientation? (hehe, wishful thinking can't hurt at all!)

[Guest MayFlower1]

Hey TT,

 

Cuba was amazing...except for the food. The beaches were awesome...water...incredible. I hope I don't get dinged for having a great tan during my interview...

 

I'm feeling quite well prepared for my interview...although...I'm not sure if one can actually prepare for these things. As misaugh correctly pointed out...each experience is completely unique. You can read, mock, etc., but...it all comes down to your particular interview...your interviewers...how you answer...etc.

 

I can't wait to have my interview...I'll let you know how things go...

 

Talk to you soon...

 

Take care.

 

Peter

[Guest carletongirl]

Hi guys,

 

My interview is on March 20th. I haven't really been preparing at all, mostly because of school stress and some issues at home. But hopefully I will start looking over my sketch this weekend. I get the feeling from Misagh's interview that they are really focusing on your sketch.

 

Misagh, I'm sure you did really well. I remember the mocks and how I was certain that I had done horribly, but the guys interviewing thought I had actually done quite well. So don't sweat it.

 

Mayflower, let us know how your interview goes.

 

I really hope that we are all in the same class next year!

[Guest Emila]

Can anyone else share their experiences or types of questions from Ottawa?

 

I'm worried about current events questions and ethics questions from this school.

[Guest doctorfunk]

In the invitation package, it notes that "only a copy of your one page autobiographic sketch of your application will be provided to the interviewers."

 

Are they referring to the basic OMSAS sketch, rather than the detailed sketch?

[Guest MayFlower1]

doctorfunk,

 

At my interview at UofO last year all I saw the interviewers referring to was a single-page printout which had a list of the titles of the various things from my detailed autobiographical sketch. They had a couple of things circled...that was it! The message here is that they likely don't know a great deal about you...be sure to let them know everything that is important and don't take for granted that they know ANYTHING except the most superficial things about you, your background, etc.

 

Peter

[Guest Namgalsip]

Hey All,

 

I had my interview at Ottawa yesterday. Other than the fact that the student was not paying attention AT ALL (he asked me questions on things I had JUST answered), I think it went pretty well. It was very casual, no confrontational questions. At some points they asked me to back up my answers which I found to be pretty easy. They were never pushy and always smiled when I answered. Even though it was the LAST interview of the day (which could explain why the student was day-dreaming), it was rather pleasant.

 

BTW, for those still preparing for Ottawa, I did not get ANY questions on current events or our health care system, the ethical questions were REALLY simple and most of the interview was about ME and my experiences.

 

Hope this helps!

[Guest MayFlower1]

Namgalsip,

 

Thanks so much for posting your interview experiences...I wish you the best of luck.

 

Peter

[Guest MA2003]

Thanks, Namgalsip, for the update...It's reassuring to know that not everyone's experience is a horror story! I hope the process is as pleasant for all the upcoming interviews!

 

[Guest steve]

Misagh, Namgalsip...

I just wanted to let both of you know how much it is appreciated that you shared your interview experience with fellow boardies! Seeing as how you both are "competing" with the majority of people reading these posts, I think sharing your experience directly reflects your honest character and unselfish nature. I wish you both the best of luck in the selection process.

Steve

[Guest misagh]

Steve,

 

Thanks for the kind words! Us pre-meds hafta stick together...

 

Are you interviewing at Ottawa U? Anyplace else?

 

take it ease,

- misagh

[Guest Tanya24]

Hello friends,

 

Had my Ottawa interview this weekend. I thought I'd share my experience with those still waiting to sit under the interrogation light (I kid, of course).

 

So, first of all, I get there 45 minutes early and wander upstairs looking for the Atrium. When I walk into the room I am greeted by Denis (I think) sitting behind the desk. I sign in, don my humiliating "Hello my name is" nametag and sit around a small conference table with about 10 others waiting to be interviewed. We exchange pleasantries (a great stress-reducer, BTW) and wait to be called in. Whenever an interviewer enters the room, the table becomes quiet and we all stare at that person in fear that our names are going to be called (kind of reminds me of the dentist's waiting room, actually). Finally, I am the only one left to stew all by myself. Several 3rd year students came by to chat and wish me luck. Finally, a nice middle-aged man calls my name and I amaze myself by standing up and walking towards him without tripping over my high heels. He makes some small talk with me until we reach the room. The room I had was definitely not a PBL room. It was dimly lighted, 8 feet x 10, with a small rectangular table. I was warmly greeted, seated at the head of the table, and given a glass of water (very nice touch!).

 

Then the fun began. They hardly asked anything from my sketch. However, I managed to work in all of my major accomplishments in other answers. I had 2 ethical scenarios. One was fairly straightforward, but the other was "well, let's say THIS happened first, now let's change his age from 5 years to 2 years" etc. I got questioned about Canadian politicians I've never even heard of. I had to ADMIT this rather than fudge the answers. Once they cued me, I was able to give a good response (I think). I got lots of questions about the Canadian health care system. Eeeesh.

 

I am so disappointed that the interview wasn't focused more on me. Isn't that the point?? I feel that they grilled me to see how I would react under pressure, and I think I handled that well, actually. I acknowledged their viewpoints and never lost my cool. When they asked me "is there anything else you'd like to add?" I did give a couple minutse overview about myself, my education, and my 2 major extracurricular activities that demonstrate my groups skills, leadership, whatever. But I don't even know if they were interested. Maybe I'm just venting here and making it sound worse than it actually was. I suppose I'm frustrated because interviewing has always been my strength in the past. But I have never had a meds interview before, so maybe this is a normal experience and positive one.

 

I had 2 men and a female student interview me. They were extremely nice and polite. As I was escorted out, the same man walked with me and asked me more about an experience I had brought up. I stayed for the tour (did any of you moderators do a tour Friday at 12:00?).

 

Maybe this is wishful thinking, but did any of you moderators have a similar type interview? When they are pushy and challenging, is this because they're digging deeper or just trying to be mean? I would like to think that they were somewhat impressed and thus chose to put a little pressure on me (rather than feeling the need to really dwell on my sketch)?? Am I in fantasy land or does anyone agree with this?

 

Thanks for reading my tale, everyone. I'm DEFINITELY not trying to scare anyone. They were really nice and didn't ask anything out in left field. Just please be prepared for both types of questions: personal AND ethical/political.

 

I sincerely wish all of you good luck with your interviews! Please post your stories!

Tanya.

[Guest UOMeds05]

Hey Tanya,

 

Sounds like everything went fine!! I am quite certain that they were not testing your knowledge of Canadian politics etc, but rather as you suggested, were probably more interested in seeing how you handled the situation. Sounds like you did great.

 

My interview was completely different, although I also had a lot of politics, ethics questions etc. i found that i steered the entire interview... but that is irrevelant. I know of a NUMBER of people (ie my classmates) who left their interview horrified by what they thought was a complete bomb on their parts and yet are in my class to tell about it! I even know of two that cried immediately following their interviews because they thought that they had fudged it up so badly. All this to say, don't go over-analyzing your answers or feeling that it went so terribly, you really never know.

 

Best of luck to you June 1st!

[Guest MayFlower1]

Tanya,

 

Thanks for the experience overview. I think it sounds like you did a fine job as well. As UOMeds05 has very correctly pointed out...your feeling after the interview likely has no relationship to whether you get an acceptance or not. My case in point...I thought I had a wonderful interview last year...obviously not as I'm still here as an applicant! On these very boards last year you heard stories of people, like myself, who had great interviews and stories of people who thought they completely muffed their interviews...interestingly, when acceptance notifications started coming out...people's accounts of their perceived performance had absolutely no apparent relationship to whether they received an offer.

 

At this point there is absolutely nothing you can do...it's completely out of your hands...I'm sure you did great.

 

Best of luck...and here's to having you as a classmate in the future...

 

Peter

[Guest doctorfunk]

Tanya,

My interview experience was quite similar to yours - emphasis was placed on current events as well as ethical scenarios (medically as well as nonmedically-related). However, my sketch was the focal point for the interview - each interviewer had highlighted numerous activities/accomplishments and brought them up for further discussion throughout the interview.

I found one of the interviewers quite dismissive in her nonverbal reactions to my responses, but I am quite certain she was playing the 'bad cop' role (at least I hope so!).

In the end, I think the interview went well, however, I am beginning to realize I am too modest, and it may end up being detrimental to my chances in comparison to other applicants (for example, I didn't take the opportunity to add anything at the tail-end of the interview when the floor was open for me to 'sell myself' - something I regret heavily).

 

Good luck to those interviewing in the coming weeks! The best preparation is to know yourself and your sketch - that is their jumping point. Know what you did, why you did it, and what you learned/gained from it.

[Guest doctorfunk]

As an aside, I found out that all the interviews are done in alphabetical order (except for the last 2 days, which include individuals with scheduling conflicts, etc.)