Queen's Interviews

[Hockeynut]

So seeing as they started grading our applications, I'm just curious as to how many interview invites Queens sends out?

[thestar10]

Its about ~400 people if memory serves

[Der Kaiser]

~450 to 475 actually (i've interviewed there 2x and obsessively calculated my odds of acceptance).

[Hockeynut]

Awesome, was curious as to how many they would interview seeing they only have 100 spots ( 10 are for Quarms students right? no 90 spots).

 

Seems like the worst odds of interview/acceptance in Ontario.

[qszwdxefc]

Awesome, was curious as to how many they would interview seeing they only have 100 spots ( 10 are for Quarms students right? no 90 spots).

 

Seems like the worst odds of interview/acceptance in Ontario.

 

Are you sure that they're taking 10 spots for Quarms right away? I haven't really read into this but my thinking is that the 10 spots will be taken away 2 years later or however many premed years Quarms students have to do.

[Hockeynut]

Are you sure that they're taking 10 spots for Quarms right away? I haven't really read into this but my thinking is that the 10 spots will be taken away 2 years later or however many premed years Quarms students have to do.

 

edit* This year was the first year they were accepted so it won't effect anyone until the class of 2019

[Savac]

Even so, it's still the worst odds if we're going strictly by numbers. (Not to mention the rumors that the waitlist doesn't move very much)

[Hockeynut]

I find it funny that the wait list doesn't move much. With most school s in Ontario heavily weighing the interview, many people, at least on pm101, seem to interview multiple places and get in multiple places. Thus they must only accept one offer. (People who interview well are likely to be accepted)

[decentcigars]

Awesome, was curious as to how many they would interview seeing they only have 100 spots ( 10 are for Quarms students right? no 90 spots).

 

Seems like the worst odds of interview/acceptance in Ontario.

 

Hmm, that's actually pretty reassuring in my eyes. 1 in 5 chance doesn't seem bad at all for the worst odds.

[Hockeynut]

Hmm, that's actually pretty reassuring in my eyes. 1 in 5 chance doesn't seem bad at all for the worst odds.

 

compared to other school sit is. (this is once you get to the interview stage aswell.)

[Leon]

Yea Queen's has one of the least attractive interview to seat ratio. And since interview is the sole determinant of acceptance, it becomes even riskier for many. At some schools (eg. UT), a mediocre interview may still get you in if the rest of the application is strong but at Queens you really do need to be stellar during the interview! This is beneficial for some but a barrier to others. It's good that the different schools have different selections processes so people with varying personalities generally have a shot somewhere.

[mcathelp]

Yea Queen's has one of the least attractive interview to seat ratio. And since interview is the sole determinant of acceptance, it becomes even riskier for many.

 

What do you mean by this?

I thought this was highly debated, last time I checked at least...

 

Are you saying that post-interview, the decisions are 100% based off of the interview?

[Leon]

What do you mean by this?

I thought this was highly debated, last time I checked at least...

 

Are you saying that post-interview, the decisions are 100% based off of the interview?

 

I'm almost certain this is the case. I just tried searching their site and can't find anything but when I applied last time, the general consensus was that the interview is the sole determinant once you get to that stage. I can't recall if it was official or not (though for some reason I think it was official).

[Hanmari]

I'm almost certain this is the case. I just tried searching their site and can't find anything but when I applied last time, the general consensus was that the interview is the sole determinant once you get to that stage. I can't recall if it was official or not (though for some reason I think it was official).

 

Pretty sure that is what we agreed on last year and that it is official. At the very least, the academic portions of your application (by this I assume they mean your GPA and MCAT) are not used for decision post-interview:

 

http://meds.queensu.ca/education/undergraduate/prospective_students/frequently_asked_questions

 

You can see under the heading "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."

[Der Kaiser]

Pretty sure that is what we agreed on last year and that it is official. At the very least, the academic portions of your application (by this I assume they mean your GPA and MCAT) are not used for decision post-interview:

 

http://meds.queensu.ca/education/undergraduate/prospective_students/frequently_asked_questions

 

You can see under the heading "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."

 

I had wondered if this means you get a pre-interview score and then a post-interview score like they do at UofC. On the other hand Dr. Henderson was accepted a couple of years back with 3.3 gpa if I recall (grad student) so maybe it is 100% interview (you would think his climb would have been very uphill if they consider grades).

[farmin]

Does Queens look at ECs? Do you think its worth a lot or a little?

[Savac]

Does Queens look at ECs? Do you think its worth a lot or a little?

 

Quite a lot actually, assuming you pass the MCAT and GPA cutoffs

 

(All based on interview thread from last year)

[Leon]

Does Queens look at ECs? Do you think its worth a lot or a little?

 

Yes. Queens, Ottawa and UofT are the more "EC heavy" schools (relative to Western and Mac)

[nino]

I still remember the good old days when you were guaranteed an interview at Queen's as long as you meet the MCAT and GPA cutoffs

[Leon]

I still remember the good old days when you were guaranteed an interview at Queen's as long as you meet the MCAT and GPA cutoffs

 

Yea. The only downside to that was the relatively high writing cut off they used which generally excluded many applicants for no apparent reason (Q/R). I never really saw how the writing section has any relevance to your ability to be a clinician.

[lalab]

I never really saw how the writing section has any relevance to your ability to be a clinician.

 

General eloquence?

Ability to formulate an argument and think critically and put it down in writing?

 

Writing still is a used form of communication.

[Savac]

General eloquence?

Ability to formulate an argument and think critically and put it down in writing?

 

Writing still is a used form of communication.

 

This is true, but the Writing Sample section on the MCAT wasn't even good at predicting these skills. The essays followed a very predictable format, so they were incredibly easy to produce once you figured out your supporting evidence.

[Leon]

This is true, but the Writing Sample section on the MCAT wasn't even good at predicting these skills. The essays followed a very predictable format, so they were incredibly easy to produce once you figured out your supporting evidence.

 

+1

 

General eloquence?

Ability to formulate an argument and think critically and put it down in writing?

 

Writing still is a used form of communication.

 

 

I don't think any of the traits you mentioned is tested well by the writing portion of the MCAT. That section was just ridiculously predictable and you were required to follow an obvious template.

 

Hence why almost no other school put any significant weight on it, and likely why it is now discontinued. And I'm well aware that writing is still a used form of communication.

[wallaroo]

Quite a lot actually, assuming you pass the MCAT and GPA cutoffs

 

(All based on interview thread from last year)

 

I'm pretty sure Queen's no longer has GPA and MCAT cut offs. I know they revamped their whole system either this year or last year. I think now it's just a average that they're looking for, but there are no longer any hard cut offs. Also no more pre-requisites. Anyone can apply really. But they probably still only grant interview to ppl that meet a softer cut off.

[Hockeynut]

I'm pretty sure Queen's no longer has GPA and MCAT cut offs. I know they revamped their whole system either this year or last year. I think now it's just a average that they're looking for, but there are no longer any hard cut offs. Also no more pre-requisites. Anyone can apply really. But they probably still only grant interview to ppl that meet a softer cut off.

They're MCAT cut-offs seem to be hard, or so PM 101 leads us ot believe.