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What Does Uottawa's Interview Looks Like?


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Hi everyone,

 

UOttawa seems pretty discrete on how their interview looks like (unlike MMI's). All I know is that they are "traditional style" and most likely are panel interview.

 

Would a nice soul describe to me concretely what their interviews look like? Are you alone in front of a panel or are you more than one person? Is it more than one panel? Do they ask strictly traditional-like questions (regarding medicine, leardership, health, ethical questions, personal experience), or they may ask some unexpected questions? How long does it last?

 

Thank you! It's always more reassuring when you know exactly what to expect.

 

Best!

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You are in a small room with a long rectangular table.  There will be a panel of 3 people that will interview you at the same time, basically taking turns asking questions.  It is a traditional interview.  It lasts about 45-1hr.

 

Hope that helps!

 

This sounds frightening lol

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Thank you dnao2, your response was most certainly helpful.

 

Do you know what type of "categories of questions" are asked? Obviously, there will be questions regarding "me and medicine" and questions from my sketch...

 

But other than that, am I right to presume that I could have questions like: general things about health care, current ethical debates, questions regarding media event (maybe? I know franco universities do that a lot), or more personal questions.

 

Am I missing something that would be relevant?

 

Best.

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It's a pretty relaxed environment.  As for what kind of interview questions, (bound by confidentiality agreement), I can't say too much.  Most questions are typical as you mentioned.  They want to get to know you, and your experiences.  So know your sketch well.  Regarding general things, I think there is less emphasis on it, but it might show up here and there depending on who interviews you.  I know that doesn't answer much, but I tried! 

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It's a pretty relaxed environment.  As for what kind of interview questions, (bound by confidentiality agreement), I can't say too much.  Most questions are typical as you mentioned.  They want to get to know you, and your experiences.  So know your sketch well.  Regarding general things, I think there is less emphasis on it, but it might show up here and there depending on who interviews you.  I know that doesn't answer much, but I tried! 

Hi,

 

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I'm sure that each panel varies and I had a very different experience from dnao2.

 

I really really don't want to scare you, but like you said I just feel more comfortable when I have an idea of what to expect. I'm sure everyone on the panel, or at least most of them, are nice people outside of this constrained atmosphere.

 

I didn't feel as relaxed as others described and I wish I had gotten to discuss my experiences a bit more. They asked few personal questions and focused more on the other types you listed. Again, this is all just based on my one case.

 

Overall, I think just general advice applies. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Good luck!

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I had a similar experience to kiki2009. The interviewers were respectful and polite, but I couldn't seem to crack their barrier to talk about more personal topics. I left feeling that they couldn't have possibly found out much about me. Other than that, it was a pleasent interview I felt good leaving (before overanalysis kicked in!).

 

Good luck!

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I had a similar experience to kiki2009. The interviewers were respectful and polite, but I couldn't seem to crack their barrier to talk about more personal topics. I left feeling that they couldn't have possibly found out much about me. Other than that, it was a pleasent interview I felt good leaving (before overanalysis kicked in!).

 

Good luck!

So the questions are usually more generic (e..g ethics, issues in health care) rather than personal in nature?

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So the questions are usually more generic (e..g ethics, issues in health care) rather than personal in nature?

Since we signed a confidentiality agreement, we are technically not allowed to answer questions like this since it could give you a hint on the questions we got... Plus, not everyone gets the same questions so we can't answer your question with a 100% certitude. Honestly, google or read books on medical school panel interviews if you want to get an idea of what to expect.

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Hi everyone,

 

UOttawa seems pretty discrete on how their interview looks like (unlike MMI's). All I know is that they are "traditional style" and most likely are panel interview.

 

Would a nice soul describe to me concretely what their interviews look like? Are you alone in front of a panel or are you more than one person? Is it more than one panel? Do they ask strictly traditional-like questions (regarding medicine, leardership, health, ethical questions, personal experience), or they may ask some unexpected questions? How long does it last?

 

Thank you! It's always more reassuring when you know exactly what to expect.

 

Best!

I'll refer you to this thread http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/76272-interview-insight-and-well-wishes/

Best.

GP

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  • 1 year later...

Yes. The taxi can drop you right in front of Roger Guindon where interviews will take place. 

How do you ask them to do this? For the mock interview, they dropped me off in front of the hospital but didn't seem to know how to reach RG, so i just walked to RG through the inside bridge in the hospital

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Hi Daftypatty,

 

You can ask them to drop you off at 451 Smyth Road (that's the address for the Roger-Guindon campus building). It's right next to the Rehabilitation Centre if that can help your driver pinpoint it. 

 

Hope this helps. 

 

and if you find yourself in the wrong spot - just ask any resident or medical school in the hospital - I mean we would all be happy to take you exactly where you are supposed to go.

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I found my experience to be different than others at Ottawa, so it will vary by panel. Overall was not very impressed by the organization of the interview, it felt like they were just throwing MMI questions at me one after the other... there was very little flow to the interview (as you might have expected in a traditional panel). Just stick to what you know and take each question one at a time. Doesn't hurt you to take a moment to gather your thoughts.

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Did you find they were conversational? Or very robust, asking questions and awkward silences? Or is this a factor that is dependent on the panel?

 

there has in the past it seems quite the variability in the panel you get and how they approach things.

 

that is important actually - because schools where that can happen usually have systems in place to make sure one interview team isn't better than another - you can get a "cold" panel but they would be that way for all people they interview. It isn't you is the point. Don't think it is you and let that distract you. There are ways to normalize between interviewers for a final score etc.

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there has in the past it seems quite the variability in the panel you get and how they approach things.

 

that is important actually - because schools where that can happen usually have systems in place to make sure one interview team isn't better than another - you can get a "cold" panel but they would be that way for all people they interview. It isn't you is the point. Don't think it is you and let that distract you. There are ways to normalize between interviewers for a final score etc.

Thanks so much for your insight. I really appreciate it :).

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Personally I feel the way Ottawa interviews is really subjective and that it's extremely difficult to normalize between panels well. I've heard very polarized experiences with friendly/cold panels. I've also heard from a med student who interviewed people last year that what they look for most is whether the interviewee is likeable and someone they'd want as a classmate. I don't deny these are important things but it makes it extremely subjective on what panel you get. Also the timing of the interviews spread over several weeks introduces another bias (I'd imagine interviewees at later dates are slightly disadvantaged). Personally I'd much prefer the more standardized MMIs or toronto's format. But that's just my opinion

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