Got an Interview at Ottawa, put MCAT re-write on hold? + post-interview ranking formula

[barc16]

I honestly was not expecting an interview at all from any schools, least of all from UOttawa (wGPA ~3.89). I wrote the new MCAT in Sept 2017 and long story short got a horrible score that disqualifies me from Western, UofT and I'm pretty sure Queen's. Now I have an interview at Ottawa at the end of March, should I drop my plans to re-write for now or should I continue to study and write it? Although I want to stay confident, I acknowledge that my lower wGPA puts me at a disadvantage already so the odds are against me. I also will not be able to spend my entire summer studying for it, which is why I was aiming to re-write the MCAT by May. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Second question: Ottawa says on their website, "Following the interview, preliminary rank order lists are prepared based on the assessment of the autobiographical sketch, the WGPA and interview (a poor interview may not be ranked). In the event of ties in the final scores, candidates with the highest WGPA will be ranked higher. The admissions committee may take other factors into consideration when ranking each candidate."

It looks like this year, the post-interview ranking is not only interview + wGPA = score out of 8, but also includes an ABS component? Or am I reading it wrong? 

 

[FlyingScottsman]

Hey barc16,

First off, congrats on your interview!! 

I think for me I would put off re-writing, at least until AFTER your interview. If I were in your shoes, I'd personally put all my time until the interview. I say put all the time and energy that you would put into studying for the MCAT instead into preparing really well for the interview.

I say this as someone who has re-written the MCAT (and I know how emotionally draining it can be to study for/write). This is, of course, all my own opinion. Feel free to disagree haha  

[m_jacob_45]

3 hours ago, FlyingScottsman said:

Hey barc16,

First off, congrats on your interview!! 

I think for me I would put off re-writing, at least until AFTER your interview. If I were in your shoes, I'd personally put all my time until the interview. I say put all the time and energy that you would put into studying for the MCAT instead into preparing really well for the interview.

I say this as someone who has re-written the MCAT (and I know how emotionally draining it can be to study for/write). This is, of course, all my own opinion. Feel free to disagree haha  

I agree with this. Definitely put your effort into practising for the interview. 

[GITG]

You wrote the MCAT a few month ago so the material should still be somewhat fresh.Also, as you said, MCAT has prevented you from applying to several schools that you would probably be competitive for otherwise. Lastly, interview prep should not be a long and tedious process and in my estimation, too much practice might actually backfire if your answers become pre-rehearsed and mechanical.

At the end, you know yourself the best but from what you shared, IMO there is no reason to all of a sudden drop all plans. UNLESS you have other personal or professional reasons to not rewrite your MCAT AND also you are willing to risk having to dedicate entire summer to it.

[Neurophilic]

4 hours ago, barc16 said:

I honestly was not expecting an interview at all from any schools, least of all from UOttawa (wGPA ~3.89). I wrote the new MCAT in Sept 2017 and long story short got a horrible score that disqualifies me from Western, UofT and I'm pretty sure Queen's. Now I have an interview at Ottawa at the end of March, should I drop my plans to re-write for now or should I continue to study and write it? Although I want to stay confident, I acknowledge that my lower wGPA puts me at a disadvantage already so the odds are against me. I also will not be able to spend my entire summer studying for it, which is why I was aiming to re-write the MCAT by May. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Second question: Ottawa says on their website, "Following the interview, preliminary rank order lists are prepared based on the assessment of the autobiographical sketch, the WGPA and interview (a poor interview may not be ranked). In the event of ties in the final scores, candidates with the highest WGPA will be ranked higher. The admissions committee may take other factors into consideration when ranking each candidate."

It looks like this year, the post-interview ranking is not only interview + wGPA = score out of 8, but also includes an ABS component? Or am I reading it wrong? 

 

Put your effort into interviewing. You may never receive another interview again. Take it from someone who was interviewed and waitlisted and then rejected pre-interview the next cycle I applied.

[GITG]

WRT your second question, Rank Order List for Offers section of website seems to be from 2017 still so I don't know if ABS is still a component or no...RankRank Order List for Offers Order List for Offers

[Donald_Duck]

They did not consider ABS pre interview last year so you are correct that it can be a left over from last year. In any case, the ABS was assessed during the interview so tbh the interview score is really whats important as a differentiator between candidates. Although I am not 100% for this year to answer this question, you cant change your GPA or ABS at this point anyways, all you can do is practice for the interview and prepare, and thats what you should do.

Mr Duck