Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 19% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a moderate stress level, and felt they did okay.
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include discussing healthcare system issues, personal motivations for pursuing medicine, handling ethical scenarios, future career aspirations, and views on healthcare privatization. Some respondents were subject to an MMI format and nondisclosure agreements due to questions related to group conflicts, healthcare system problems, career goals, and personal qualities for medical school.
Treating patients is only a part of a physician’s work… what else do they have to do?
Picture yourself working as the lone physician in a rural community from 8am to 8pm each day and the excess of patients frequently requires you to work a couple of extra hours. How would you react to this situation?
If you came out of med school with a $120,000 debt, would you practice medicine in the public or private sector (assuming there is a private one)?
Followed immediately by "If you were in need of medical care and you had money, would you wait in line in the public system or pay for private health care?"
Why did you choose your undergraduate program, did you like it, and how will it help you in med school? (I had done Math, which I don't think they see a lot of.)
A recent survey of senior doctors suggests that they believe the younger generation of physicians is not as hard working (i.e. wanting to leave right at 5pm, not giving 60-70 hour weeks) - how do you feel about that?
How do you organize your time? What do you do for fun? How do you plan on managing a career and a family one day when you have children? What type of medicine are you interested in? Tell us about your experience doing ________ and what it taught you that could be useful in medicine. Do you have any questions for us?
Why medicine? Why Dalhousie? What if you get in to another uni and Dal? What if you don't get in anywhere? Do you work well in groups - explain with examples. How do you respond when a group member isn't pulling their weight? Do you consider yourself tolerant of someone not pulling their weight?
How was your experience at (work at paediactric oncology camp) over an entire summer, different from (other weekly, volunteer experience) over the school year?
If a friend who knew you very well came into this room when you were not, how would they describe you? What makes you interested in medicine at Dalhousie?
Students said most interesting question asked at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, with a focus on personal values, ethical dilemmas, and scenario-based inquiries such as handling a patient's request for fertility treatment at an older age. The interview format may have been an MMI, as indicated by several responses mentioning scenario-based questioning and a few alluding to a nondisclosure agreement regarding specific questions asked.
Pretend that you’re a family physician… a sixty year old woman comes to you – she would like to have a baby, and she would like for you to recommend her to a fertility clinic. How do you handle this situation?
following one of my comments I was asked "are you thick skinned", I answered it was getting thicker..though still not quite as thick as I'd like, and then I was asked "how have you become thicker skinned"
"You are working as a physician and your colleague has a substance abuse problem. What do you do?"
Followed by "The same scenario as above, except that now you are a resident and the substance abuser is your supervisor."
If you were treating a patient who recently came back from a trip alone to asia and contracted an STD and he did not want to tell his wife, what would you do?
Religion obviously plays an important role in your life, how would you handle a 15-year-old patient wanting birth control? What about if she was pregnant and wanted an abortion?
The questions were really quite standard - nothing that I would call "interesting", but because they were open-ended, the onus was on ME to make the answers interesting.!
Students said the most difficult question asked at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including managing professional and personal life, ethical dilemmas, career aspirations, and handling challenges in healthcare. Some respondents mentioned questions related to MMI format, nondisclosure agreements, and unexpected queries about international health care roles, while others faced standard inquiries about motivations for pursuing medicine and personal weaknesses.
How can Canada play a role in developing and aiding medical care in third world countries?
what other things do physicians do other than treat patients? (which is a good, easy question and should have been a gift however, the way the interviewer worded the question I had no idea what she was actually asking)
after being asked what specialty I wanted to go into...I was asked "as a female, how do you feel about going into a specialty that is so male dominated" ..Part of me felt I shouldn't be asked that when there are so many females in medicine, but it is still a thoughtful question because there are definitely issues associated with going into an area dominated by the opposite sex that I think are worth thinking about
I wrote as one of my weaknesses that I can be judgemental: they
asked "In what situations would you be judgmental? If a
patient smoked? What if their child had cystic fibrosis? Etc."
I didn't find myself up against any really difficult questions (I was dreading the old standard, "If your sister/mother/cousin was sitting here, what would they say would be some of your weaknesses/strengths", but they didn't ask that).
They asked about what I thought of the Canadian/Nova Scotian health care system, and what I would do if I didn't get in, but nothing difficult at all.
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was unfriendly.
No responses
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was unresponsive.
No responses
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by engaging in honest self-reflection, reading about healthcare and ethics, practicing interview questions, and discussing potential scenarios with friends and family. They emphasized the importance of staying informed on current events, not over-preparing to maintain sincerity in their responses, and reviewing their application materials to ensure coherence during the interview.
read the newspaper, read ''Doing Right'' (an ethics book), read about health care, and specifically Nova Scotian health care, practiced questions
I read the quesions that were on this website. They were a terrific help. I did a lot of introspection, it's not a very comfortable thing to do all the time, but it helps alot, because the truer your answers are, the more sincere they will sound
came to this site, thought carefully about why I really wanted to be a dr. (and how I could convey that in a thoughtful and slightly original way), but also made a point to not prepare too much--so that my answers would not be too scripted
Read up on Canadian Health Care, issues surrounding privatization; formulating my opinions on ethical issues; discussed potential questions with a friend; read the school website.
read news, made sure i was up on current events, learned more about program, went over my essays, thought a lot about my experiences and reasons for wanting to go to med
i read up on the canadian health care system. the book Health of Nations is really good. i read recent articles online about criticisms of the health care system, and recent trends in the health care world. (ie. pharmaceuticals reimportation to the US). asked friends for past interview questions, and used this site.
made note-form answers to common questions, practiced telling personal stories/anecdotes that would illustrate my answers, went through my essays, tried to relax and visualize
I went to the CMA website and reviewed their wonderful section on Bioethics for Clinicians - complete with case examples, it was a great first step in learning how to deal with ethical issues! Read over your essays and supplemental sheet of your application, because that's all they have in front of them to go by. Read up on the Nova Scotia Department of Health website, esp. the Media Releases section. Go to the Dal Med site and review the curriculum, vis a vis the COPS program.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendly and relaxed atmosphere created by students, faculty, and interviewers, which helped them feel comfortable and at ease during the interview process. They appreciated the genuine interest shown by interviewers in their applications and the efforts made to engage in meaningful conversations, making the overall experience positive and welcoming.
everyone affiliated with the school did a great job of relaxing the candidates
Friendly atmosphere - people were working hard to make everyone feel comfortable. Interview process was well organized and efficient. The interviewers themselves appeared interested in what I had to say and often asked small followup questions to my answers, making it seem more like a conversation.
The interview was really low-stress. The dean of students was there in the waiting room, getting all of the interviewees to talk to each other and relax.
extremely friendly students and interviewers, warm and welcoming atmosphere, everyone seemed very genuine.
also the school's proximity to the hospitals was a big plus
Laid-back students, very friendly interviewers seemed truly interested in what I had to say. It really felt like the school as a whole put a lot of effort into the weekend.
Halifax in general is a gorgeous city! The attitude of the administration seems very student-centred and friendly. The interviewers were also very friendly and open towards me.
The interviewers made me feel very comfortable. They were kind and considerate. They challenged me but made me feel as though my thoughts, experiences and ideas were impressive and important.
The friendliness of the medical students and staff; Halifax
is also just a very chilled out town. I liked that the interview
was held in a children's clinic: it tickled me to sit on these tiny
chairs and drink juice with all of us in suits.
My interview was held in the IWK Chest Clinic, which was a wonderful, warm place with lots of good energy. Dr. Hughes was on hand to greet people and chat with people as they waited for their interview. The interviewers were wonderfully caring and interested in what you have to say. All these things made for a really comfortable interview, and made me want to be a part of Dalhousie Medicine even more!
Applicants were generally unimpressed by the outdated facilities, lack of organization during the tour, and focus on partying and drinking in student interactions. Suggestions included improving facilities, providing a more informative tour, and emphasizing the academic aspects of the program over social activities.
knowing i had to wait another couple months still to find out the outcome...
The tour was kind of weak - it was during the weekend so we couldn't see some of the labs. Also, we had a big group so it was hard to hear what was being said at times.
There was a lot of info from current students about drinking and parties - this was good and bad ... I would have liked to learn more about the school and maybe less about what kinds of parties they throw and how much everyone likes to get drunk together. It did, however, make me feel as though the environment was supportive and not brutally competitive.
Perhaps a little too casual...not exactly disinterest on the part of the students, but I did not really feel that they were trying to impart an excitement about doing med at Dal...or maybe the students are already blase about medicine? I have a name that's not your typical Maritime name, and I was disappointed that they not only misspelled it, but substituted another more common name (of the opposite gender!)for my given name! I knew right away that they had messed up my name (because my surname was correct...and I doubt there was another interviewee with my surname), but when I corrected them, they seemed to not believe me for a few minutes...and kept looking for this non-existent interviewee at my appointment time. *sigh*
Nothing comes to mind, actually. I'm from Halifax, so I'm very familiar with the medical school and the facilities. Everything about the interview met or exceeded my expectations.
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time that the interview would be more relaxed and laid-back than expected, leading to unnecessary stress and anxiety. Many also emphasized the importance of being prepared and familiar with their application materials, and noted the friendly and comfortable atmosphere created by the interviewers.
I wish I hadn't stressed out as much as I did before hand. The whole day was laid back, and I didn't have a single feeling of stress or nervousness the whole time.
Just remember to know your application well and what you wrote about in your essays (eg. Strengths/Weaknesses). Also be ready for a friendly conversation (you won't be grilled hard).
That they were going to serve delicious looking cookies in the interview waiting room - maybe I could have mentally prepared myself so I wasn't too nervous to eat one.
Nothing took me off guard. I know some people get anxious about what to wear for the interview. FYI, the appropriate dress would be a suit for men, and a suit or skirt/blouse for women. The IWK, like many institutions in Nova Scotia, is a Scent Free environment, so it would be wise to keep the perfumes to a minimum.
Applicants generally found the interview environment at Dal to be very relaxed and welcoming, with interviewers who were attentive and focused on making the experience comfortable. They appreciated the conversational nature of the interviews and the opportunity to interact with current medical students, although some mentioned a desire for more in-depth or challenging questions.
Excellent, very laid back and welcoming environment. Seriously everybody, chillax! Normally just the sound of the word 'interview' is enough to cause me to have heart palpitations. So if I found this a stress-free event, you'll be judt fine.
This being my first interview I really didn't know what to expect. It was just like people say however; very relaxed waiting room with a lot of friendly first year students and interviewees willing to chat. Questions were generally interesting and before you know it they say ''we are running out of time''. It's hard to get a complete impression of someone's personality with just 10 questions in 30 minutes.
Felt very natural and that the interviewers were really listening, not just asking standard questions and noting the answers. The time flew by and I felt much better
after the interview than I did waiting for it to start ;-)
Everything was aimed at making the interview process as smooth and comfortable as possible. First year med students talked to us before and after, helping people to calm down and relax. Dal's reputation for being friendly and welcoming is well deserved.
It was fine. I got in and am writing this a year after the fact, because I appreciated the information I found on the site last year.but forgot about it until I started hearing about them this year : ) I did come out feeling like it was almost a bit boring, no ethical questions and a lot related to the very typical interview questions..see below
The interviews were relaxed and put me at ease, without giving too much information about how well I was doing. The interviewers paid attention, taking turns writing notes.
I overestimated how relaxing this interview was going to be (from looking at the responses on this site), so I ended feeling probably more nervous than I would have normally been.
Positive. I was nervous, but they tried to put me at ease. It was quite relaxed. They expanded their line of questions depending on my responses, so it seemed more like a conversation.
The questions were diverse (future ambitions, opinions on medical issues, hobbies, volunteer & work experience). The interviewers were extrememly pleasant & positive about everything-- which was kind of frustrating, because if they're that nice to everyone, it's hard to judge your own performance.
overall my interview experience was great. laid back and compfortable. it got me excited about medical school. my parents live in halifax so i had no problem traveling/finding the place etc.
Got there 20min ahead of time, sipped on some water/coffee with the other interviewers, called into the interview on time, and had a nice conversation with the interviewers. Overall very good.
Overall a pleasant experience; interview did not feel like inquisition, but more like a flowing conversation (albeit one-sided) with the intended upshot of them seeing you as a competent, practicing physician
what could have been a VERY stressful experience was an interesting and almost enjoyable experience-the interviewers was kind and acted really interested in what I had to say.
First off the interviewers made a few jokes and said "We know it's an interview but we don't want you to be nervous." They seemed to have a good grasp of my ECs and essays. Definitely a give-and-take type interview - I didn't feel like I was just talking at them.
Definitely a good and fair interview. The interviewers were not as receptive as I had experienced at other schools. However, I think this had a lot to do with me, as I just felt 'off' that day and wasn't being very eloquent!
It was positive - I was pretty nervous but set at ease by the interviewers. There were a few med students in the waiting room. The Dean of Admissions was also in the waiting room chatting with people. It was a good opp to ask questions - talk with students, dean and other interviewees.
The interviewers were extremely pleasant and made me feel comfortable.
Some of the questions threw me off: a few of the them were drawn
from the "describe your strengths and weaknesses" part of the essay, and
I felt like I was being encouraged to incriminate myself! Nothing on Nova
Scotia health policies per se, although privatization came up.
This was an incredibly positive experience. The interview was a good conversation more than anything else. In my opinion, the interview process at Dal is geared for those who are fundamentally passionate about medicine. My advice for anyone is to do a lot of soul-searching before you apply and interview. If you really don't FEEL why you want to pursue medicine, then get in touch with yourself and find out. Medical students at Dal are a vivacious, driven crowd, and for the most part, they're not in medicine for the prestige or money. Dal looks for mature, well-rounded individuals, and the interview process is set up to find out who those people are.