2011 Interview Discussion

[rmorelan]

++. And UBC changing their AQ system + throwing out the essay component. McGill removing the MCAT. It's been a roller coaster ride in terms of change across Canadian medical school w/ regards to admissions.

 

Absolutely! Interesting times for sure.

 

I don't think they are going MMI to interview more people. I still think that is just a reaction to that horrible year they had a bit back. They probably believe this will be an effective method on its own for interviewing people.

[LupeFiasco]

U of S only looked at my raw stats when I applied there 2 years ago and they were MMI. Have they changed?

 

I think you're correct - I never looked into U of S.

 

- Lupe

[Broccoli]

I still think that is just a reaction to that horrible year they had a bit back.

 

What year are you talking about? The one where they went past their waitlist and accepted previously rejected applicants?

[IMDoc]

What year are you talking about? The one where they went past their waitlist and accepted previously rejected applicants?

 

 

I think he's referring to the year when they interviewed 800+ people for 100 spots.

[thatonekid]

U of S only looked at my raw stats when I applied there 2 years ago and they were MMI. Have they changed?

No, you're correct. UofS hasn't changed.

[supafield]

Having sat through the last two years of queen's interviews, I'm happy to hear they're going to the MMI.

 

Queen's tried to standardize their interviews to the extreme. Both years I experienced it. 2 years ago it was 6 questions, last year it was 5. They would ask the question, I would answer, they would ask the next question and so on. No follow-ups at all.

 

There was no mention of my ABS either year, nor any general discussion.

Then you hear of people above that did have talk of their ABS. Despite their attempts at standardization, there was still a decent amount of variance based on your panel.

 

The MMI if nothing else, will create a little more consistency, if it is a standardized approach they're going for.

[Broccoli]

So when asked if the autobiographical sketch is utilized in the current MMI system in a similar fashion to how it was in the panel interviews (the interviewers have read the file) the admissions office said "yes and no". Then when asked if the sketch plays a role in the decision outside of the interview, the answer was "we can't tell you". Just in case anybody else was considering wasting 2 minutes on a phone call

[LupeFiasco]

So when asked if the autobiographical sketch is utilized in the current MMI system in a similar fashion to how it was in the panel interviews (the interviewers have read the file) the admissions office said "yes and no". Then when asked if the sketch plays a role in the decision outside of the interview, the answer was "we can't tell you". Just in case anybody else was considering wasting 2 minutes on a phone call

 

I would have yelled "INCEPTION!!!" and hung up.

 

- Lupe

[Apixaban85]

Well this week is officially the week of "Mid-December"

[Broccoli]

Me too, with all these changes at Queen's, who knows how this year will shape out? I'm expecting the cutoffs to change from last year more than they have changed in previous years, although I dont know what direction they'd go!

[thatonekid]

I am seriously hopping they don't bump the GPA or VR cut off.

If they keep the WS at R, I can't see them increasing VR. But you never know...

[small_town_girl]

If they keep the WS at R, I can't see them increasing VR. But you never know...

 

I'm scared

I'm very very scared

[mm88]

If they keep the WS at R, I can't see them increasing VR. But you never know...

 

Why would they do that? :'(

 

Aren't there fewer applicants this year than last year?

[Broccoli]

I'm still confused why Queen's puts so much emphasis on mcat cutoffs while the gpa cutoff is relatively lenient. Not that it's a walk in the park, but from searching these forums, it seems like the mcat is the major deterrent to not apply, or reason why applicants dont get interviews. Of course, gpa is only one number (well, two for queens...) but still easier to anticipate and judge. Guess we'll probably see that the admissions committee disagrees with me some time this week!

[future_doc]

to control the number of applicants, perhaps

[med1988]

So emphasis on MCAT means they are smart enough to know that cgpa does not necessarily reflect an applicant's academic ability but depends on program of study / undergraduate school.

[NervesNormalBreathNormal]

I thought I recognized both of you from the waitlist thread.

 

Wouldn't mind steering clear of that this year haha.

[benge88]

You guys will get in this year, I know it! That waitlist thread was painful....

[thatonekid]

I'm still confused why Queen's puts so much emphasis on mcat cutoffs while the gpa cutoff is relatively lenient. Not that it's a walk in the park, but from searching these forums, it seems like the mcat is the major deterrent to not apply, or reason why applicants dont get interviews. Of course, gpa is only one number (well, two for queens...) but still easier to anticipate and judge. Guess we'll probably see that the admissions committee disagrees with me some time this week!

I think it's that the high MCAT cutoff cuts down the number of applicants to interview easier than the gpa does.

[Broccoli]

How does a high mcat vs. gpa make it 'easier'?

[OIC]

I would hazard a guess that the MCAT is easier to use because it'll come up against less objection. It is an equalizer and is much more accurate at placing everyone on the same playing field than a GPA. GPA is subjective based on the program and the University. While there are schools with hardened GPA cutoffs (Ottawa), I think it makes more sense to be strict on the MCAT and flexible on the GPA as opposed to the other way around.

[Broccoli]

Alright. I'm convinced

[OIC]

Heh, well its not ideal. I think UT has the best approach since they look at the entire profile. However, if I had to pick between MCAT and GPA for strict cut-off screening, I'd pick MCAT as being more fair.

[une17]

Agreed...at least the MCAT is standardized versus a GPA that is affected by school, program, course selection etc etc

[thatonekid]

How does a high mcat vs. gpa make it 'easier'?

Because mcat is a set value compared to a range of gpas. Plus, I can easily imagine an applicant pool where more people are getting 3.9+ than getting r on the ws.