Questions about Referrals and Interviews

[Guest UofT Student]

Hi everyone,

 

I am currently a first year student, and I have two questions relating to the University of Ottawa:

 

1. For a column like Personal Interests, Sports and Hobbies, if you do these in your spare time, how can you have a referral/reference for them?

 

2. Are interviews conducted on weekends or during the week?

 

Thank you very much in advance.

[Guest aneliz]

For extra-curricular activities, there is usually somebody that saw you doing the activity....coach, conductor, volunteer co-ordinator, etc. The person that you use as a verifier doesn't necessarily have to be anybody with too much authority...just somebody that honestly knows that you participated in whatever activity and can vouch for it...and it shouldn't be somebody like your mother....but it could be a team-mate, a room-mate, another volunteer, etc. Realistically, the schools do not have the time to contact every verifier for every activity for every applicant...none of my verifiers were ever contacted by any of the schools that I applied to (mind you I didn't apply to Ottawa). I think that the schools will probably only investigate 'suspicious looking' activities...like if you said that you worked with Mother Theresa for five years they might want to verify that...of if you claim to have won a Nobel prize or founded the Heart and Stroke Foundation....you get the idea. If you put down that you like to read and swim, they really aren't going to go looking for a verifier....unless you claim to have won an Olympic gold medal....

 

As for interviews...most schools interview on the weekends but I know that some of my friends (and some of my current classmates at UWO) interviewed at Ottawa during the week.

 

Don't worry about med school too much right now...if you are only in first year, meds is still a long way off and plenty can change between now and then (both with the schools and with you!)....try to keep an open mind and don't become a victim of "pre-med syndrome" as described by Ian...

 

www.premed101.com/undergrad.html#PMS

[Guest Tanya24]

Hi aneliz,

Yikes, I didn't realize that U of O holds some interviews during the week. Is this just for Ottawa residents, do you know? Thanks, Tanya.

[Guest UofT Student]

Thanks for the info on extra-curriculars and the interviews, aneliz! I also didn't think that med schools would assign weekdays for some interviews.

[Guest Sil]

Yes there are interviews during the week (at least there were last year). Not only for Ottawa area students. Last year the interviews were held in alphabetical order.

 

For my references for things like sports and hobbies I put down a friend (my ex roommate). I don't think any of the schools called any of my references. I never claimed to have won a nobel prize

[Guest UOMeds06]

Hi,

Last year, I just put down a person who knew that I did do, in fact, what I had claimed to do.

 

As for interviews, yes, they are during the week, but not everyday for 1.5 months. Last year, they were on Mondays and Wednesdays and during the last week also on that Friday (I can't speak for the grad student interviews though). If you're from out of town, plan on taking a day or two off from what ever you are doing at the time. My interview was less than a week before my first final exam! Price you pay with a last name like mine.

 

UOMeds06

[Guest Sil]

My interview was on a Tuesday.

[Guest UOMeds05]

Hey,

 

well as already stated, the referrals are really an informal thing. I wouldn't suggest making anything up, or at least being prepared, because so much comes up in the interview.

 

As for the interview, Ottawa traditionally interviews any day of the week except Sunday and seldom Monday or Friday. Weekend interviews are generally left for out of province or out of country interviews. To the best of my knowledge, very little is done to accomodate the student as this would be impossible due to the number of interviews. I interviewed 2X at Ottawa before being accepted... both were in the middle of the week and I had to travel 600km to get there... you are all in the same boat.

 

It appears as though there will be at least as many interviewing this year as last, so i would not expect the procedure to change.