Guest whatever Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Could someone explain how 3000 scores out of 21 (3 x 7) are converted to percentile scores with 2 decimal points??????? i'm not a statistician...but I think the number of possible outcomes (either 0-21) is too low to give percentile scores with such preciseness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hmmm Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Avoid discussion of stats in your interview at all costs. Let's say 1 person scored a 21 and three a 20. You are one of the lucky three. There were exactly 3000 applicants. Your score was 99.87 percentile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest elu99 Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 I'm assuming they only award integer scores (ie, no decimal points), but regardless, percentile score is somewhat different than a percentage. There are 21 discrete scores on the autobio. Here's a rought approximation. Let's say there are 3600 applicants and no scores of 0. Now let's say, again, for example only, there are 100 applicants with a score of 1. These applicants did not score better than anyone, but scored just as well as 99 other applicants. This means that they are at/above the level of 50/3600 applicants, or the 1.39 percentile. Now let's say, again, that there are 212 people with a score of 2, and 480 people with a score of 3. This means that everyone with a score of 3 would have a percentile of (50+212+480)/3600 = 20.61 percentile. etc etc. However, I imagine that my estimations are grossly inaccurate, and that there are very few applicants with scores way down in the 1-3 area. I'm not sure if this is precisely how Mac's system works, and maybe someone else could clarify, but it's not really important, and this is essentially how it works. I imagine, however, that the scores may be slightly skewed in the higher directions, or that there are large number of applicants with scores around the middle of the spectrum, but again, I may be wrong on that account as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hmmm Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 then again perhaps 99.97....i'm not sure if the percentile is >= or just > ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest elu99 Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 sorry, i changed some of my numbers halfway, but you get the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KiT Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 In answer to your question 'cait23', there was no note or discussion of percentiles on the invitation for an interview...sorry, I've got no real insight into what they were looking for. And in answer to your question 'articguy', the letter came in a thin 7.5 X 10.5 inch envelope. Just so you know, I've been rejected twice before this and perhaps only got through this time because I spent an agonizingly long time working on the Mac questions, did a lot of research and really pulled my hair out over it. I'm just saying this because I absolutely empathise with the trauma of waiting for these letters. I won't offer any advice because I know that talking is so much easier than doing; as though we could do anything but freak out and obsess right now...believe me, I know...I've been stuck in neutral for three years waiting on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmy1 Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 hey. I applied to mac last year, got like 74th %ile on the essay... (my GPA is around avg.). this year, I re-did ALL my answers, had them peer-reviewed by at least 3 people (of which 2 are Mac medical students, the other is a U of T student who was accepted by Mac), and I got 43rd %ile. go figure. =( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tonyrobbins Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Just wondering what the great profession is? (I think I may need a back up plan) Thanks Cali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest amya Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Hello, I received a rejection letter from Mac saying that I was on the interview wait list. Is this just a diplomatic way of saying I am rejected or is there a real chance I might get an interview? Also, I see people writting about their percentile rankings (GPA and autobio). How do you know this information? It was not included in the letter I received. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markus Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Hey Kit Did you graduate and have been applying 3 years since, I heard alot of people who already graduated sometime back got an interview? Thanks for you help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justine Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 This is Justine the crazy girl from the What the heck is up with Mac thread, who went down there to raise hell. Well I just got an interview waitlist letter (and they told me I would get an invite ) I'm starting to feel that Mac is like an emotional abusive boyfriend that we have all encountered at one point. They are mean / evil then sweet as pie, back to mean, nasty then nice etc you get the point Good luck all ps what the heck is an interview waitlist invite anyway, more Mac jibberish I guess Justine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gator Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 I graduated a few years back and got an interview as well. Those few years really gave me a chance to build up my resume and I'm sure that helped. With 3000 applicants you need to stand out a bit. It's damn hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JD Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Hey, a waitlist is better than a flat out rejection! At least you guys still have a chance. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cheech10 Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 I got an invite today. As for the waitlist, at the bottom of my letter it said to let them know if I'll be at the interview ASAP since if I can't make it, they'll call someone in from the waitlist. So it looks like there is a waitlist for interviews, but I don't think very many people will turn down an interview when they haven't been accepted elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AZ Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 amya, Yes, Mac does actually have an interview waitlist. And people do actually get called off of it for interviews. I'm not sure how often this happens though. I do remember hearing of a girl who got called off the list for an interview and then ended up being accepted. So don't lose hope! The reason you don't have your percentiles is because they don't give them to you unless you are rejected. So if you make it in, you will never find out your percentiles. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TonnyRobbins Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 Hey What have you been up to since you graduated? when did you graduate? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eye hope its my turn Posted March 5, 2002 Report Share Posted March 5, 2002 hey there- yes i know for a fact that his ranking was 25.70 because he is my bf and he showed me his letter. i too got the boot today... .... i've got to begin studying for the mcat and maybe take a few undergrad courses to beef up my gpa... taking 2 steps backwards to get that one step for an interview at med skool... (or even a shot at it) good luck to you cali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gator Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 I graduated in 1999 with my physiology degree. Then I got a job with a company that makes medical research equipment. That gave me first hand experience with some amazing research labs and lots of scientific meetings. It gave me more depth to my application and I believe it helped...but who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gebhardti Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 If you are rejected by Mac, they tell you so outright, and provide a scoring of how well you did in comparison to other applications (i.e. your percentiles for both marks and essay answers). Since you are on the wait list, it means that you are close to the 400 interviewee cutoff. Good luck - I hope that you get a chance for an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KiT Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 Hey Markus, In answer to your question, I did graduate a few years ago. Since I finished my undergrad degree, I've finished a master's degree and begun a PhD. I've been applying (read as "been rejected") sporadicallty thoughout this time. Suffice it to say that its been a long road...perhaps its because I'm scared of that "reality business" and prefer to hide in the ivory tower. all the best, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tommy girl77 Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 Hi everyone, delurking b/c I just got a PFO from Mac and have NO idea how they came up with the %centile rankings (45%!!!!!! for the ESSAY!!!) All I can say is "stop doing crack!" I answered the questions with my research (Msc-level CV) in mind. Perhaps the adcom were looking for more "I want to save the world" type answers? Anyway, my burning question: 1. do you think my 45% ranking at Mac on the esssay will be parralleled at other Ont. Schools? (ie. Queens), on their essays? Thanks for the insight (I am OPP, by the way...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JD Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 There are many people who get the dreaded PFO letter from Mac, with a hideous essay score, that get into several other schools including U of T and Queen's, both of which also have essays. I bet some of these people are moderators on one of the forums here. So don't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shkelo Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 Anyone receive a letter out in Western Canada? Snail mail is brutal!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AndyStew Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 For those who didn't, don't be discouraged! If there is one thing I can encourage you to do, it is to try again next year. One of the unfortunate aspects of applying to McMaster is that they have twice as many applicants as any of the other Ontario Medical schools. A friend of mine in the programme applied a number of times before being admitted... so, try, try and try again! It's well worth the effort. I can't imagine enjoying the study of medicine at any other school as much as I do here! So, good luck to those who are now preparing for the interview in a few weeks! It's usually a really great day, with lots of amazing people to meet! Just remember to be relaxed, be yourself, and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tommy girl77 Posted March 6, 2002 Report Share Posted March 6, 2002 Thanks for the words of encouragement JD. That helps alot. Does MAC just look for very different content in their essay's than everybody else? I am in Alberta (for the poster who wasked about western Can letters) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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