First interview ever - help with preparation

[maadaputtar]

Hey guys,

So after applying for the fourth time, I finally have an interview at uoft on Apr. 21st. I have completed a masters and am currently a first year medical student at a Caribbean medical school. I will have a week from the day I land in Toronto to prepare for my interview. I am trying to put in some time for preparation here, but it's tough with all the lectures/exams. I have never given an interview before and am really freaking out given how little time I'll have to prepare for it. Can someone suggest ways of preparing for this? I plan to read Doing Right and brush up on the Canadian healthcare system. I know the rest is pretty much knowing your statement, CV, autobiographical sketch, etc., but are there things that I should focus on for UofT specifically? I'd really appreciate any help that I can get.

Thanks

[Noodle]

Hey there! I'd be happy to mock it up with you! I am interviewing on the same day as you.

[Real Beef]

There are excellent preparation resources on this forum. I think you will be fine with prepping your ethics, canadian health care system, current world/domestic events and knowing thy self and application. You should brush up on issues of professionalism and communication/conflict management ... that always helps.

 

I have never really heard of someone who is already in a Caribean school continue applying to domestic med schools. Definitely a unique situation ... Very interesting.

[dassy]

Do Caribbean schools not interview people to get into med school? Interesting...

(Edit: Ohhh, did you mean first interview ever AT Uoft??)

 

Good luck with UofT!!

[SharkLvr]

maadaputtar,

 

Congrats on landing the UofT interview! You pretty much covered the basics about what you should "prepare" for in your own post:

 

- Know your essay and autobiographical sketch inside and out

- A holistic understanding of the Canadian healthcare system is important for all applicants applying to med (when reading prep material such as Doing Right, try not to get absorbed in the little details and policy nuances - instead focus on the big concepts they're trying to convey).

- Since it's a 2-on-1 panel interview, I would make sure I'd be comfortable answering common questions such as: "tell me about yourself", "why doctor", "why did you do this EC and what did you learn from it", etc etc. You may or may not get these, depends on the interviewers.

 

It's great that you're preparing, but don't expect to have "pre-rehearsed" answers to every possible question. As with any medical school interview, there may be questions thrown at you that you can't possibly anticipate ahead of time (for instance, scenario-type questions to test your critical thinking ability). Prepare, but don't stress out too much, and be yourself on interview day!

 

Good Luck!

[maadaputtar]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys, I really appreciate it.

I'll keep working on these things. If I am having trouble, I'll post specific questions here and perhaps you guys can help me come up with some ways of tackling them.

Thanks once again.

[maadaputtar]

hey guys,

does anyone have any suggestions for tackling these questions:

1. why did you do a graduate degree if you were always interested in medicine?

2. why did you decide to apply for medicine if you had such a wonderful graduate experience?

 

i pursued grad school for 2 reasons: 1) my undergrad summer lab experience got me interested in research and 2) it was plan B to make my application stronger the next time I apply for medical schools.

I don't think #2 will sit well with the adcom.

 

As for my second question, it kinda follows from #2 of my previous question, which again I think is not a very strong response.

 

Can someone help me out with this?

Thanks

[Davjw]

hey guys,

does anyone have any suggestions for tackling these questions:

1. why did you do a graduate degree if you were always interested in medicine?

2. why did you decide to apply for medicine if you had such a wonderful graduate experience?

 

i pursued grad school for 2 reasons: 1) my undergrad summer lab experience got me interested in research and 2) it was plan B to make my application stronger the next time I apply for medical schools.

I don't think #2 will sit well with the adcom.

 

As for my second question, it kinda follows from #2 of my previous question, which again I think is not a very strong response.

 

Can someone help me out with this?

Thanks

 

I don't see the harm in going with answer number 2. It shows your smart and you don't put all your eggs in one basket. The med committee isn't composed of idiots - they realize that people have to make contingency plans, and at least that option would lead them to believe you aren't a flip-flopper. If you go with answer one, you have to come up with a reason as to why you changed your mind from grad school to med school in the last year, and THEN convince them that this is well thought out as just one year ago ( a very short amount of time) you were intending on the academic route.

 

Go with answer number 2, I wouldn't worry about trying to tailor yourself to what they want. If you answer honestly, you'll come across confident and self-assured.

[maadaputtar]

I don't see the harm in going with answer number 2. It shows your smart and you don't put all your eggs in one basket. The med committee isn't composed of idiots - they realize that people have to make contingency plans, and at least that option would lead them to believe you aren't a flip-flopper. If you go with answer one, you have to come up with a reason as to why you changed your mind from grad school to med school in the last year, and THEN convince them that this is well thought out as just one year ago ( a very short amount of time) you were intending on the academic route.

 

Go with answer number 2, I wouldn't worry about trying to tailor yourself to what they want. If you answer honestly, you'll come across confident and self-assured.

 

that's a good point Davjw. But isn't UofT really big on research? And so wouldn't such a response give them the impression that even though I did research, I was doing it for reasons other than my interest in research?

I actually really enjoyed my research experience and would like to incorporate research into my future clinical career. But how do I go about convincing the committee that even though I really enjoyed it, it is not all I would like to do. I can see a potential question being that if you are so interested in research, how come you didn't continue with a PhD?

 

Any suggestions?

[Davjw]

that's a good point Davjw. But isn't UofT really big on research? And so wouldn't such a response give them the impression that even though I did research, I was doing it for reasons other than my interest in research?

I actually really enjoyed my research experience and would like to incorporate research into my future clinical career. But how do I go about convincing the committee that even though I really enjoyed it, it is not all I would like to do. I can see a potential question being that if you are so interested in research, how come you didn't continue with a PhD?

 

Any suggestions?

 

Just tell them your reasons for not wanting to continue. I'm assuming you have reasons, and aren't just applying to medicine on a whim. If you've thought about it, and know why you want to do one over the other, explain to them your thought process.

[future_doc]

I have never really heard of someone who is already in a Caribean school continue applying to domestic med schools. Definitely a unique situation ... Very interesting.

 

This is not an uncommon approach and is an excellent strategy. There is no prejudice to the applicant and indeed, the applicant is showing strong commitment to medicine and to practicing in Canada.

[futureGP]

that's a good point Davjw. But isn't UofT really big on research? And so wouldn't such a response give them the impression that even though I did research, I was doing it for reasons other than my interest in research?

I actually really enjoyed my research experience and would like to incorporate research into my future clinical career. But how do I go about convincing the committee that even though I really enjoyed it, it is not all I would like to do. I can see a potential question being that if you are so interested in research, how come you didn't continue with a PhD?

 

Any suggestions?

 

be honest with them. If you enjoyed your research experience and want to incorporate research into future clinical career tell them.

 

It's completely fine to tell them that although you enjoyed research, that is not the only thing you want to end up doing in the end. You can say that medicine is something that allows you to catch multiple birds with one stone (research + clinical work).

 

UofT is very friendly with research. IMS at UofT is basically grad school created towards training physician-scientists (they encourage master's students to get their MDs). Most specialists at UofT have backgrounds in both research + clinical work, so it doesn't hurt to tell them that you enjoy doing research and want to incorporate that into clinical medicine.

 

Most will understand any of the reasons why you didn't do a PhD (time constraints, disinterest in the project you were working on, financial constraints, wanting to start the MD degree asap)

[maadaputtar]

thanks guys. i did show my keen interest in research and made it clear that i would like to incorporate it in my clinical career. now most of my days are spent replaying the interview in my head and thinking how i bombed it. and attending the tour didn't help. after seeing all the facilities/resources, it's going to be more depressing to get an email of regret. it's going to be quite a stressful time until d-day.

[leviathan]

it's going to be quite a stressful time until d-day.

Is that next month? Good luck buddy!

[Percephone]

Hey guys,

So after applying for the fourth time, I finally have an interview at uoft on Apr. 21st. I have completed a masters and am currently a first year medical student at a Caribbean medical school. ...

 

How many people have heard of a situation like this? Is there any thread out there about this?

 

 

Many thanks.

 

PS - How did the interview go, maadaputtar?

[maadaputtar]

How many people have heard of a situation like this? Is there any thread out there about this?

 

 

Many thanks.

 

PS - How did the interview go, maadaputtar?

 

Hey,

I don't think there is a thread for this, but there were other students interviewing there that were in a similar situation (one student, in fact, had completed 2 years at a caribbean school). Also, first year students that were giving us a tour told me that they have a few studdnts in their class that are from caribbean schools. So it may not be as uncommon as people think.

As for my interview, it was really relaxed. It was my first "proper" interview and so I was a bit nervous. I wanted to discuss my motivation to practice in Canada, but the questions being asked were so specific that I could not work that in somewhere. The interviewers had the same look on their face throughout the interview so it was hard to gauge what they were thinking. After coming out, like many students, I started questioning EVERYTHING I said and why did I say it.

So, ya, if you are planning to start school somewhere outside of north america and apply to uoft, it is definitely an option.

You can PM me if you have more specific questions.