Finished your interviews?

[Guest shy]

Let's celebrate the end of interviews with a questionnaire! (and cheer on those people who aren't done yet).

 

1. How many interviews did you have?

2. Which was your best interview?

3. Which was your worst interview?

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

My answers:

1. I did 7 interveiws (keeping my options open because I have a husband who is a PhD student)

2. Queen's was best

3. Alberta was worst

[Guest DrNicki]

I'll have to agree with Shy completely on this one! Of my 5 interviews, Queens was great (beautiful town, too, by the way) and Alberta was scary as heck (although still atop my list because of location and reputation...).

N.

[Guest squeegy80]

This a fun little procrastination activity during finals :b

 

My answers:

 

1. I had 3 interviews

2. I felt my performance was best at U of C, and I absolutely fell in love with the school and the city, but the 3-year program is the only thing I'm skeptical about.

3. I think U of A was my worst, although not too bad, due to it being my first med interview ever (although I love the school and the location is tops for me). Queen's was a wee bit better, but it was my last one and I was maybe a little too relaxed! (and it's my #3 choice, but I'd still love to go there)

 

Good luck to those final few still going, and happy waiting everyone!

 

squeegy

[Guest hydes79]

I liked this idea. It's a good way to keep our minds busy.

 

1- I had one interview only

 

2- I was interviewed at McMaster. I liked the multiple mini interview (MMI) very much. It was fun to do it. I felt that I did well overall, but there were few MMI stations that didn't go well. The onsite ABS wasn't too bad. The first year medical students were so friendly. I love to work in groups, so MAC would be a great choice for me. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good news.

 

It's gonna be a long wait for everybody! Good luck.

 

Hydes

[Guest wylie348]

Ok - here goes (anything is better than the WAIT):

 

1. Only one interview.

 

2. U of Calgary - the best school around (did undergrad and grad degrees there - hey - it rocks!)

 

I can honestly say that the interview experience was very positive, and if anything, makes you really think about yourself and why you want to be a doctor!

 

The Meerkats (current year-one students) were great, and hey - we get to play hockey!

[Guest Sunmoonandstar]

1. I had two interviews.

2. Queens was the best, they got a really good picture of who I am.

3. Western was my worst, it was very formal and difficult to get any reaction from the faculty member on the interview team.

 

Overall a stress-free experience. The students at both schools were great, told me a lot about the programs and were friendly.

[Guest tim23]

1. I had 5 interviews,

 

I'm not sure how they went its hard to tell, I didn't bomb anything, so I'll rank in terms of my impressions of the school, (on that weekend):

 

1. U of T was the best overall, great facilities, friendly class (yes friendly as in didn't seem competitive)- there classrooms were a little old but who cares? my impressions went way up from beforehand (wasn't my top choice originally)

 

2. Queens, great weekend (both these schools put a lot of effort into interview weekends, thanks guys!) , friendly people, nice facilities-but realistically would only go here if it were my only option cuz Kingston is too small

 

3. McGill, enjoyed the interviews themselves, very personal, but the weekend wasn't as cool as Queens or U of T, class seemed kinda cold- more like an undergrad class rather then med class and not very diverse do to lack of OOP positions, the restaurant choice sucked (there's so many good places to eat in Montreal how did they chose a bad restaurant- and why eat at 5pm??) really disapointed with this weekend, it was my top chioce prior to the interview

 

...tied for last: Ottawa and Manitoba

 

Ottawa's students just didn't put in the effort even close to the other schools, the tour sucked (they walked us around the hall and showed us the cafeteria, offered us free pizza- but then took it away right before i was going to eat it )

no other activities were planned (to be fair it was a busy time of year)

 

I didn't like Manitoba's interview (see Manitoba forum), they had a pizza party I believe and friendly students so thats one better then Ottawa but the actual interview was a big turn off. (ironically Manitoba would still probably be my #2 chioce-its home )

 

and as a side note: guys relax with your ethical scenarios most schools don't bother with them much.

 

guess i overkilled but hopefully this could be useful to someone...

 

Tim

[Guest MDmmmsure]

Fun stuff.....here it goes.....

 

1. I had three interviews (Ontario schools did not show me the love....missed MCAT requirements at both Western and Queens....)...interviewed at UofA, UofC, UofS....

 

2. Best interview: toss up between UofA and UofC....like Squeegy80, UofA was my very first med interview (EVER), but I think that it went pretty well, and there was even some positive feedback throughout the interview. UofC was great, good interview with lots of positive feedback (although there were three questions I stumbled on a bit....)!

 

3. Worst interview, by far, UofS......very unemontional panel, stumbled quite a bit in the delivery of my answers....however, I managed a 20/24 and I am currently waitlisted here.....in the outline of my interview performance, I did terribly in 'communication', which didn't suprise me....for some reason I was very nervous here (again, could have been the fact that my panels at UofA/C were so friendly, and it was quite the opposite here)......

 

Joe

[Guest flying kumquat]

1. I had two interviews, one at Dal and one at Queen's.

 

2. My best interview was at Dal. It was my first med interview (ever), but the doctor and the student who were interviewing me made me feel very comfortable. I think I put my points across clearly and I seemed to get a positive response from my interviewers. Still waiting for that letter though....

 

3. My worst interview was at Queen's. I think there were a few factors that contributed to this. First, one of the members of my interview panel was 20 min late showing up, giving me lots of opportunity to get nervous as I sat alone in the waiting room, wondering when my interview would start. The questions the community member was asking me also made me feel as if I was on the defensive, and I don't think I got my points across as clearly as I should have. Also, I just really wanted to go to Queen's, as it's the closest med school to Ottawa at which I could get an interview (the bf lives in Ottawa). But now, all I can do is wait until the end of May to see how it actually went.

[Guest Isoceles]

1) Only one interview (and my first ever!) for me - at Queen's.

 

2) So, yeah, Queen's was the best... although it was really great so I think it might have been the best even if I'd had others... I was really calm, and I felt like I was really myself. I felt like I could have answered some of the questions more 'correctly' but in retrospect, I answered them like me, and I think that's better

I felt really at home with the students and the campus... I really, really want to spend the next 4 years there!!

 

Tip: I had a rental car, but I left it parked at the hotel and took a cab to the interview... so worth it - didn't have to worry about parking or walk through the rain and get wet! It's really cheap to cab it around b/c Kingston is small, and it definately cut down on the stress for me

[Guest caliente]

1) Attended 5 interviews. I'll give a little blurb for each since there are some close calls.

 

2) Best Inteviews: UofT and Ottawa. UofT was really relaxed. So was Ottawa. People at Ottawa gave me better feedback though during the interview (actually asked decent follow-up questions instead of resorting back to a list). As a result, I am giving Ottawa some serious consideration (not too much though as of yet - don't want to jump the gun...

 

3) Middle-of-the-Road: UofA. Interviewers were responsive but I was super nervous (first interview) so I don't actually remember that much. Seriously - the whole thing is a blur; I came out of the interview room in an absolute daze...can't really say if it went well or not. Though, I think they could tell I was petrified...probably NOT a good thing.

 

4) Worst Interviews: Queen's and Saskatchewan. Queen's was awfully short and the interviewers showed little interest in what I had to say, although they were "nice", to use the generic term generically. Just got a bad vibe from that interview; nothing I can place my finger on. After Saskatchewan, I felt horrible!!!! Was sure I FAILED the interview. Interviewed by 4 people in a tiny room who showed very little emotion and looked rather uncomfortable to be interviewing me. Thought my answers were weak, that I had made a bad impression, completely fubbed the one and only ethics/scenario question, basically all the things that can go badly, etc. HOWEVER, I ACTUALLY GOT IN HERE!!!!!:lol Got a 21 or 23/24 as an interview score (parental units couldn't remember what the letter said...just that it was an odd number:rolleyes ). As soon as I heard, I wanted to cancel all my other interviews I had and accept immediately by withdrawing from all other schools

 

MORAL OF THE STORY? Post-interview impressions are worth s***. I'll probably get rejected from UofT and Ottawa:lol

[Guest westsimba]

are you from Sask ?

[Guest NurseNathalie]

best and worse? well this will be easy, since I only applied to two schools lol

 

received two interviews:

 

best would have to be the NOSM interview, since the questions and scenarios asked were superbly geared to Northern Ontario (fit my nursing background and understanding of the north) and I felt very confident after the interview.

 

my worse would have to be my McMaster interview. Unfortunately, nerves took over and I did not perform as I wish (or could/should have). I still have absolutely NO idea how that interview went.

 

I have to admit though, that I really like the MMI process. Both interviews were really fun

[Guest CheshireCat]

I had one interview, at Ottawa.

 

I felt really good about it but apparently that doesn't mean anything... I hope that's just a myth!

[Guest premed777]

i had my interview just this past weekend. i agree, it's so annoying because you so can't tell. i left feeling good about it and i feel like i got some good vibes, but i feel like i had a very responsive panel that is probably like that to everyone...

another thing is that i'm usually very constructively critical of myself, but after the interview for some reason i find it hard to be objective about it.

i do want to say though that following this board really helped out in the interview, in terms of having discussed and being aware of many issues. Thanks guys!!!

[Guest mm201]

I had three interviews: McMaster, Ottawa, and McGill. It was somehow unexpected as my GPA is not the most competitive (3.58). I am taking more than full course load this term so it was a pretty hard March and beginning of April for me. I came back to school to take medical school prerequisites and was expecting to be getting interviews next year after I boost my GPA.

 

I enjoyed the McGill interview the most. It was the least structured of the three and I was able to talk about what I feel is important. During one of my interviews at McGill the interviewer asked me 5 or 6 times why I want to be a doctor instead of a nurse, or a biomed researcher, or work in public health. After talking for a while about something else he asked about it again. It was not a problem though because I have given so much thought to what I want to do with my life (I have worked for three years as an engineer before deciding to pursue medicine) and actually these questions really gave me the opportunity to show it.

 

The Ottawa interview was pretty good too, but I feel that I was not able to convey the same ideas as clearly and as precisely as I did at McGill.

 

I enjoyed the McMaster interview the least. I felt that the MMI format is too structured and some of the scenarios I was presented with felt very artificial. It was all right when the interviewer was able to give it some flesh, but not all of them were able to do it in a way that resonated with me (even though they all tried). I did not appreciate the writing exercise either and I am not sure what its point is.

[Guest pinkmango2005]

1. I had four interviews: U of A, U of C, Western and Queens (in that order).

 

2. My best was U of C. I felt like they really got to know me and what my personality was like. Very informal. I felt like I was acting like I would normally act (i.e. with family and friends) not like a nervous pre-med student!

 

3. My worst was Western. For some reason I was REALLY nervous for this one (even though it wasn't one of my top choices). I found the questions to be vague and ambiguous and really wasn't myself. Totally fumbled the ethics question. I think my nervousness really showed and while I'm usually pretty calm and pulled together I was totally klutzy and frazzled for no apparent reason No excuse really cuz the interviewers were quite nice (though not very responsive). I just wasn't on my game I guess!

[Guest MD Hammer]

I had 2 interviews - UBC and Queen's

 

My panels had radically different interview styles - UBC's was much more formal, as the questions were standardized for most of us applicants; Queen's was relaxed, more conversational and the interviewers seemed to tailor questions according to our application. I think both went fairly well, but Queen's was a lot more fun and had an altogether easier feeling.

[Guest Shaunabelle]

I had 4 interviews. The first (ever!) at U of A, the second at McMaster, the third at Western, and the last one at McGill.

 

The Worst was by far the U of A interview. I found that they questioned every single response i gave and i really felt like they were grilling me. I was nervous enough as it was and i do not think that they made any effort to help me feel more at ease. However, the meeting area at U of A was great, with lots of med students around the whole day to talk to us and to take us on tours.

 

The Best interview was at McGill! I found that they really wanted to get a feel for who i was and why i wanted to become a doctor. The interviewers participated in the conversations and the whole experience was relaxing and enjoyable. The only negative thing about McGill was the lack of activities (ie we had to wait until 4:00pm until some of the med students came to answer our questions - but when they did show up they were very friendly and helpful!). I also missed seeing the traditional video that the first year med students usually put together for the applicants. All of the other schools i interviewed at had one and it would have been nice to see one from McGill.

[Guest megs29]

Finally! I had my last of four interviews today (Ottawa) and I'm so glad to be done! I would rank my interviews in this way:

 

1. U of Calgary: I felt so great after this interview. It was my second so I felt a lot less nervous than my first one. The interviewers were amazing and really responsive.

 

2. U of Alberta: This was my first interview ever so I was extremely nervous. I still thought it went super well, and I was very impressed by my interviewers. I also had a great time at this interview.

 

3. Queen's: I feel that this interview ranks lower only because my other two felt like they went really well. This interview was more formal and I didn't get the same kind of responsiveness from my interviewers that I got at Calgary and Alberta.

 

4. Ottawa: I had this interview today and felt that it went okay. The interviewers were friendly and mostly responsive. I guess I feel it went the worst of my four only because I have an exam tomorrow and didn't have much time to prepare. I also didn't feel very confident in my second language question.

 

All in all though, they were all very good. No bad experiences at all. I'm just so glad to have that all over with! Good luck to everyone with the waiting!

 

Megs

[Guest 0T6]

*wipes brow*

done! well.. now waiting time!

 

Two interviews, Ottawa and Toronto. I don't think I could say one was better than the other cause they had such different feels. Ottawa was about 10 minutes longer and felt long. Toronto was shorter and felt even shorter than it actually was. Overall I think they both went decent and that the interviewers saw ME.. so if they think I'm "good enough" then awesome, if not.. try again

[Guest 007]

FINALLY I can add my name to this thread.

 

I had 5 interviews...Dal, UofT, Queen's, UofA, and Western.

I think UofA was most impressive, but that my interview today at Western went the best.

I think my experience at Queen's was the worst - one of my interviewers appeared to be falling asleep and I don't think I gave great answers. Also, I didn't really get to chat with current med students. However, this last point is probably my own fault since I didn't stick around long (I'm a Queen's student).

 

I feel so free having them done!

[Guest natman]

Woo hoo...

 

Finally finished interviews too (although I only had 2).

 

I had one at Western today that went extremely well I thought. Very friendly and conversation just flowed. So that was my best.

 

UBC was ok...hard to really gauge how that one went. We'll see in May!

 

Natman

[Guest Meddream]

My only interview was at McMaster which I didn't think went as good as I wanted..The on-site essay made the experience not much fun...:x

 

The weird part is that I read my horoscope online...Someone told me that Yahoo horoscopes are so true...so I tried it and it was actually true for a couple of stuff...and then I read it for my med admission and guess what, it says I won't get accepted...I'm so disappointed...Although I don't really believe in it but the fact that it's been true for other stuff makes me believe it...so disappointed now...

[Guest studentz]

Just back from Western (damn, the campus is nice at this time of year), the last of four. None went badly, and I didn't encounter any hostility/aggressiveness thankfully. It's a bit hard to rank how well I did at each given this but here it goes...

 

1) Manitoba: The panel was super-friendly, made me relaxed, conversational, followed up my responses when any of them was interested, and we ended up talking about a Caribbean restaurant I found in the Forks for a few minutes.

 

2) Queen's: Very friendly again, questions were straight forward, they seemed interested in my past activities. Nothing to complain about. Then again, everyone I met said the same thing.

 

3) Western: It went well, so the #3 position is deceiving and is simply relative to the others. The only thing I'd say is that it seemed a bit short. I was asked questions that required fairly involved responses and they seemed to run out of time before asking everything they wanted to ask, so the community member rushed in a question at the end, which thankfully was easy to answer. They made us sign a confidentiality form so I can't go into details, but I wish there was a greater focus on my past experiences in the interview since they don't look at the OMSAS sketch reference letters.

 

4) Toronto: It was my first and I was nervous. The panel was friendly, though the med student looked like she didn't want to be there. The questions were straight forward, except for a really clever one out of left field that had nothing to do with medicine. I couldn't answer it, told the doc the specific fact slipped my mind at the moment, and he said "fair enough." He also cut me off in an open-ended question to get more info on a point I made, but I didn't get to go back to the rest of the answer. Still, it didn't go too badly, I nailed the ethics question and a few others, but I felt the other three went better.

 

What a relief; now comes a month and a half (at minimum) of hell while we wait. Thanks to all the Med-1's who helped out at all the above schools!