johndoe88 Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 I posted on the mdadmissions blog about it, and about another question. The other one was, Anyway, no matter how it's all calculated and if we get the scores we're flying blind, but I'm in a bit of a pickle because my MSC is finishing up and I will have just a short time between that and the start of the school year if I get in.... I don't want to start a lab job and then back out immediately, but I don't want to waste my summer if I don't get in. I figure I got, like, a 71 on my pre-interview I'm going to go ahead and assume I'll be spending next year in a lab, and get a job according to that. If I have a mid-range pre-interview or better I might be more confident and take something temporary that's out of my field But yeah, I know... we're all totally in the dark. I wish it wasn't so frakkin' long before we hear back. /sigh/ I guess you do get them but my friend who got in said she never got her full score....maybe she just never checked. And ya med schools suck for waiting so long to tell us. Messes up all our summer plans if there is even time to do stuff before the 3-4 year grind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Stupid question = how do we know our preinterview score? Is it just the calculation of mcat and gpa or do they tell us what our ecs are worth somehow that I missed? It is so hard to keep track of how every school does it. If they handle it like they did for those who didn't make interview, then we get to know what our numeric score was for every entry as well as overall, in keeping with the released score breakdown for all applicants as on the site (http://www.ucalgary.ca/mdprogram/files/mdprogram/AB%20Reference%20Scores%202011.pdf) Even if you have a "low" pre-interview score, isn't the interview worth like 60%?? I'm not saying it isn't a good idea to plan for the worst, but still, who knows what will happen! Well, it's not like I'm going to cry myself to sleep if I have a low pre-interview score, and it does depend a bit on how it's weighted (see my earlier question), but it's more information that directly affects how likely I am to make the final cut. May as well not throw that info away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostLamb Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 If you did not get an interview invite, you should have access to your pre interview score, which will be broken down into references (10), extracurriculars (25), mcat (15), academics (50). If you got an interview, you will only know your breakdown if you do not get an invite. I was WL before and did not find out my pre-int or post-int scores until the class was closed. You will then see the pre-int score (broken down as above but also factored by 0.4) and the breakdown of your interview performance score (50) and essay score (10). A lot hinges on the interview day. Maybe you have a lower pre-int score but it is the interview day that can make or break you. I will not even tell you how close I got to getting in in the past...i revisit those scores frequently and wonder what i could have done differently. I have been a multiple year, multiple school waitlister. My best advice to those of you who wonder if they will be waitlisted is to just proceed with life as if you did not get in, because putting your life on hold does you no good and only frustrates. If you get the call, then you can quickly react. You have to work with certainties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lezesh Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 This is going to be a brutal 10 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGB Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Offers still need to be sent in relation to most of the other schools in Canada though, so that those who get multiple offers know their status at each school at around the same time since you usually have to accept and make a deposit within 10 days or so. If they released 3 weeks prior to other schools, they would put a lot of people whose first choice was maybe another institution that they are waiting to hear from still in a difficult position unless they increased the deposit and response time...problem being, this would still nto slove the waitlist problem with getting your offer without much time before classes begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb35 Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Woah, U of C starts school in July? News to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 UofC really needs to reconsider their schedule. I am just saying this but they start at the end of July (orientation) but they send out notifications in mid-May. Its enough time for those who get accepted off the bat but not for those who are waitlisted. Also, its not like they are doing any further review of our file. They just need to process the scores already given in verbal MMI and mark the written MMI and input them into the computer. It shouldn't need more than a month or two. The pre-interview mark is already set. Besides the fact that they have to coordinate the date with other med schools in Canada, the issue is the same for every school. It's not just an issue that UofC has. I've heard of people getting in off the waitlist the day before classes started at an Ontario school as an OOP. People just make it work. Besides, if I got in off a waitlist, I'd be more excited that I got in than upset that I don't have much time to get my act together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larrivee Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Besides the fact that they have to coordinate the date with other med schools in Canada, the issue is the same for every school. It's not just an issue that UofC has. I've heard of people getting in off the waitlist the day before classes started at an Ontario school as an OOP. People just make it work. Besides, if I got in off a waitlist, I'd be more excited that I got in than upset that I don't have much time to get my act together. I agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Yeah, I third that... no matter how tense my summer plans are now, I'd still rather have to cancel a PhD project ~3 months in because I got accepted off the waitlist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 You got a point there. I agree that I would be more than willing to throw away anything in my life on the last second if I had to for this. My rant was more because of the frustration and boredom of waiting. My courses right now just aren't interesting enough to keep me stuck to the books and I am just waiting for exams, lol. lol, I do entirely know where you are coming from. I have to decide if I want to make a lot of money doing a construction job I've been offered this summer, which is essentially a dead end for me, or moving immediately onto my PhD as soon as I finish my MSc, which is worth very little money but has a future if I don't get into med school. The waiting is brutal. And in the short term I have to finish writing my thesis about a project I have to struggle to bring myself to care about with all the other stuff going on. 71 days left I guess. Woo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Pixie* Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 lol, I do entirely know where you are coming from. I have to decide if I want to make a lot of money doing a construction job I've been offered this summer, which is essentially a dead end for me, or moving immediately onto my PhD as soon as I finish my MSc, which is worth very little money but has a future if I don't get into med school. The waiting is brutal. And in the short term I have to finish writing my thesis about a project I have to struggle to bring myself to care about with all the other stuff going on. 71 days left I guess. Woo. Just slow down your thesis writing:))))) unless you have a set date or maxed out on MSc years:p you can defend while in med school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Just slow down your thesis writing:))))) unless you have a set date or maxed out on MSc years:p you can defend while in med school LOL, no thanks got a set date, and I'm not exactly making money as an MSc student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Pixie* Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 LOL, no thanks got a set date, and I'm not exactly making money as an MSc student. good luck then! you can still start a PhD in the fall though? (if you decided to just work during the summer and didn't get in) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Pixie* Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 A touch of randomness: "a user who types LOL may well be laughing louder than one who types lol" (Wikipedia) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalkeener Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I had a thought about the MMI's at UBC and Calgary: Some interviewers definitely cut me off repeatedly, which I think can only lower people's scores. I thought I was on track and was trying to explain where I was going with the question (and have been practicing doing this hardcore), and I just kept on getting interrupted by the interviewer much to my great disappointment! I wonder if they can ever find this out or fully realize that this happens and jeopardizes people's scores. I interviewed at UBC last year also and this never happened. I wonder if there was a (silly) change in the 'process'?? Any thoughts or people who felt the same way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Others have mentioned that, eternalkeener. If I do MMI's again I'm going to remember to note those interviewers' names... I'd recommend anyone with upcoming interviews (U of A) to do the same personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalkeener Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Awesome idea to note the names of the interviewers. I know that the same interviewers cut some people off and not others, so answers couldn't even be scaled! yikes. It's too bad I didn't think about this earlier, but it caught me off guard since it didn't happen to me last year. Let's hope for the best and yes, U of A people, beware! I'll be on guard (hopefully not) next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostLamb Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I've done MMIs a few years in a row now at different schools and I have never been cut off. I am sorry that you guys had that experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larva Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 My only guess as to why an interviewer would cut you off is that you aren't going in the right direction with the question. I think it's nice of them, since it allows you to regroup and attack the question from the angle they are marking, without wasting any more time. I actually had a station like this at UBC, and in retrospect I can see how I kept returning to my original train of thought, when he was trying to steer me in an other direction. Why didn't I realize that at the time?!?! This is just a theory, any other thoughts on this? -L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medtech Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I've done MMIs a few years in a row now at different schools and I have never been cut off. I am sorry that you guys had that experience. Non of my interviewer cut me off either... weird, suck that it happened to you guys though, I would imagine it really throws you off your momentum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 For those who felt like they were cut off, I know Dr. Walker said after the MMI that there was an issue with some of the stations and if you had the issue you should talk to him. Of course, he didn't say what the issue was, but my point is that if you think something is unfair or handled incorrectly in your future interviews bring it up with the preson in charge. They've already graded you, so it's not like it will lower your score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb35 Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Random question: can anyone who had the assessor who was nodding off PM me their track colour, date, and time. I think I had the guy, but I don't want to give another name to the adcom in case it's just my imagination. I'd hate to get someone in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Random question:can anyone who had the assessor who was nodding off PM me their track colour, date, and time. I think I had the guy, but I don't want to give another name to the adcom in case it's just my imagination. I'd hate to get someone in trouble. Dunno the track, but I know it was Sunday at 12:30. I have a friend who had him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaVen777 Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 I thought the MMI verbal section was quite fair. Some of the questions were long, but I never felt like I didn't have enough time to read the question beforehand. There was one question where I was not quite sure how I would attack it when the 2 minutes were up, so I politely asked the interviewer if I could have another little bit to read it some more. They were totally fine with that. My only issue with the interview was that the essay. I knew I would have to be prepared to write anything, but.. I don't know how I feel about their choice of topic. Also, the little laptops were awkward. I think I spent half the time fumbling with it. I'm not happy with my answer the the essay question, but oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Also, the little laptops were awkward. I think I spent half the time fumbling with it. I'm not happy with my answer the the essay question, but oh well. I hear you about the laptops. I use a very small netbook habitually (9" eeepc) and I still had a lot of trouble with the hypersensitive touchpad on the ones we used. If a full-time netbook user found them awkward, I can only imagine what someone used to desktops would have felt... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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