cclawfjj Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 by discerning from stats of invited applicants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dassy Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 by discerning from stats of invited applicants It really is indiscernible so far...People with high gpa and high MCAT scores are being rejected and accepted. I guess they are taking a very holistic review this time round. From the lowest MCATs people have been accepted with: Physics: 9 Verbal: 10 Bio: 9 Writing: Q but again hard to tell because people have been rejected with much higher and slightly lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamham Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 ^Agreed. The cut-offs for Queens are HARD, so if you don't meet them, you won't get an interview. Then, it's difficult to guess what the cut-offs are... but one thing is sure, there are many who likely meet the cut-offs but still got rejected this year... I think they look at non-academics heavily too this year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryke22 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Anyone have an idea as to how "good" your ECs have to be for an interview since they tend to have a holistic approach? (ie. several long term commitments that show leadership along with a talent for music or sports topped with some clinical and/or research experience?). ^Agreed. The cut-offs for Queens are HARD, so if you don't meet them, you won't get an interview. Then, it's difficult to guess what the cut-offs are... but one thing is sure, there are many who likely meet the cut-offs but still got rejected this year... I think they look at non-academics heavily too this year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Anyone have an idea as to how "good" your ECs have to be for an interview since they tend to have a holistic approach? (ie. several long term commitments that show leadership along with a talent for music or sports topped with some clinical and/or research experience?). so far that seems very hard to say - many of the rejects seem quite experienced so far. It is going to take a bit to process all this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applemanv3 Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 so far that seems very hard to say - many of the rejects seem quite experienced so far. It is going to take a bit to process all this. I'll tell you right now I was deeply wounded by my rejection... Not only did I meet and exceed some of the numerical stats for both GPA and MCAT, I had a solid list of ECs, many long-term, and all with proper verfiers. Moreover, I had a strong set of referees in my opinion. They all knew me for over 4 years. I just can't accept how ridiculous this seems. It's a black box system like no other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterg Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I'll tell you right now I was deeply wounded by my rejection... Not only did I meet and exceed some of the numerical stats for both GPA and MCAT, I had a solid list of ECs, many long-term, and all with proper verfiers. Moreover, I had a strong set of referees in my opinion. They all knew me for over 4 years. I just can't accept how ridiculous this seems. It's a black box system like no other. I can imagine your frustration. You never really know what they look for or what they consider. Also, it might just be a credit to the strength of the applicant pool this cycle. Best of luck with any other applications you may have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applemanv3 Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I can imagine your frustration. You never really know what they look for or what they consider. Also, it might just be a credit to the strength of the applicant pool this cycle. Best of luck with any other applications you may have. Thanks, misterg. Kudos to all you PM101ers. We have a strong group of peers for guidance and support here and I owe you all much along this journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I'll tell you right now I was deeply wounded by my rejection... Not only did I meet and exceed some of the numerical stats for both GPA and MCAT, I had a solid list of ECs, many long-term, and all with proper verfiers. Moreover, I had a strong set of referees in my opinion. They all knew me for over 4 years. I just can't accept how ridiculous this seems. It's a black box system like no other. I can understand that - we all know holistic systems are always a double edged sword. Your strengths can overcome your weaknessess in theory but you have no real idea of how they put everything together to reach a conclusion and have to act on faith. I would be happier if I can derrive a reasonable pattern here but so far I haven't been able to. Queens' system is also being worked out a bit I think - a lot of recent changes. Once can only hope that solid applicants will get their opportunities elsewhere this cycle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mions Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I'll tell you right now I was deeply wounded by my rejection... Not only did I meet and exceed some of the numerical stats for both GPA and MCAT, I had a solid list of ECs, many long-term, and all with proper verfiers. Moreover, I had a strong set of referees in my opinion. They all knew me for over 4 years. I just can't accept how ridiculous this seems. It's a black box system like no other. Yeah I gotta say I was surprised at my rejection too...I met and exceeded some of the GPA and MCAT requirements too and have strong ECs as well as excellent references. But who knows how they assess applicants...I have tried to figure it out over the past few years but really have no clue anymore. Good luck to everyone! Hopefully we get some good news soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellorie Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I think Queens is just having a bizarre few years. Between last year's multiple mistakes and this year's interesting interview selection...I don't know what on earth is going on over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeDoc Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I think Queens is just having a bizarre few years. Between last year's multiple mistakes and this year's interesting interview selection...I don't know what on earth is going on over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I think Queens is just having a bizarre few years. Between last year's multiple mistakes and this year's interesting interview selection...I don't know what on earth is going on over there. You are right - everything is in flux a bit. This is the third year I think with some significant changes as they try and update their policies. It is hard for me to actually tell anyone what they are expecting anymore I am sure it will stabilize a bit soon and we will get a better picture over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I think Queens is just having a bizarre few years. Between last year's multiple mistakes and this year's interesting interview selection...I don't know what on earth is going on over there.I don't think all that much changed from last year to this year (in regards to selecting who gets invited for an interview) nor is it exceptionally bizarre. If you look at UofT for example, they have a holistic approach to selecting applicants, and every year seemingly stellar applicants with amazing ECs are rejected and everyone questions what UofT is looking for. Unfortunately, that's just the way it works when subjective factors come into play with applicant selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuanqi Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I don't think all that much changed from last year to this year (in regards to selecting who gets invited for an interview) nor is it exceptionally bizarre. If you look at UofT for example, they have a holistic approach to selecting applicants, and every year seemingly stellar applicants with amazing ECs are rejected and everyone questions what UofT is looking for. Unfortunately, that's just the way it works when subjective factors come into play with applicant selection. Still, it would be nice if they could post some kind of formula (eg. 80% Autobiographical Sketch + 20% Reference letters + Cutoffs). Right now, they are providing almost no information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umisays Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 It really is indiscernible so far...People with high gpa and high MCAT scores are being rejected and accepted. I guess they are taking a very holistic review this time round. From the lowest MCATs people have been accepted with: Physics: 9 Verbal: 10 Bio:10 Writing: Q but again hard to tell because people have been rejected with much higher and slightly lower. I got a 9 in bio and got an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der Kaiser Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I don't think all that much changed from last year to this year (in regards to selecting who gets invited for an interview) nor is it exceptionally bizarre. If you look at UofT for example, they have a holistic approach to selecting applicants, and every year seemingly stellar applicants with amazing ECs are rejected and everyone questions what UofT is looking for. Unfortunately, that's just the way it works when subjective factors come into play with applicant selection. As frustrating as it can be, the speculation is fun as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 As frustrating as it can be, the speculation is fun as well!Oh, of course it is! But speculation isn't fun for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dassy Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I got a 9 in bio and got an interview. Thanks, I'll change it...I did those stats pretty early on, so I wasn't 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 It really is indiscernible so far...People with high gpa and high MCAT scores are being rejected and accepted. I guess they are taking a very holistic review this time round. From the lowest MCATs people have been accepted with: Physics: 9 Verbal: 10 Bio: 9 Writing: Q but again hard to tell because people have been rejected with much higher and slightly lower. For the MCAT, it's looking like the same as last year: PS 9, VR 10, BS 9, Overall 30, WS Q. This is only based off of the people who received interviews and posted on pm101 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBoss Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 It seems that over the past year or two, Queen's went from the school with the most transparent and defined interview selection (hit cutoffs and youre good), to the one with the least. I suspect that this year they have the the cutoffs above, but beyond that it seems completely random to me. One thing that has to be keep in mind though is that there can be huge disparities in how the posters might assess their own EC's and references, and the way Queen's sees it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 I think length of committment may be more important than the sheer number of activities. personally, I thought my ECs were pretty limited... also keep in mind that when they were cut-off based, 700 people were interviewed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der Kaiser Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I do not imho have a great ABS (at least in comparison to what people seem to think med schools want in an applicant), so I am a little surprised by my interview invite. I have only one volunteering activity that lasted a year, but for which I received an incredibly good reference letter. Thing is I forgot to list it on my ABS. If you look at the Queen's website and their explanation for how they grade the ABS they say they grade every section equally (volunteering, ecs, awards, other, employment, research, education). I actually probably scored really high on about 3 of those sections and average on 3 others, so it goes to show that for Queen's at least volunteering may play only a small role (1/7 to be exact). Anyway, mostly speculation on my part. One piece of advice that I read on Premed101 and I think really helped me is that the ABS is a way for them to find out who you are. Thinking this I looked back on my experiences over the last 10 years and thought about which ones really shaped me. For instance, I put down all the minimum wage jobs I have worked to support myself. I put down hobbies for which no verifier was necessary not because I felt it was what they were looking for, but because they say a lot about the kind of person I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5em9 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 What's the scoring process post interview? I seem to remember that once you get an interview, everything else gets thrown out the window and whether or not you get in is 100% interview. Can anyone confirm this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuilin Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 What's the scoring process post interview? I seem to remember that once you get an interview, everything else gets thrown out the window and whether or not you get in is 100% interview. Can anyone confirm this? It doesn't matter anymore once you get to interview. From their FAQ: How much emphasis is placed on academic and how much on extracurricular activities? Applicants are assessed in sequential steps. The first steps are based on academic requirements - the GPA and MCAT scores. Applicants who successfully make these cuts are invited for an interview and their academic marks are no longer considered in the admission process. Those applicants are then assessed based on personal experiences and personal characteristics through an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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