Halifax, NS
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 19% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did okay.
โญ Overall Impressions โผ
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
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
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was unfriendly.
No responses
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the areaโs cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was unresponsive.
No responses
๐ฌ Interview Questions โผ
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about the advantages and disadvantages of different healthcare systems, scenarios related to working in challenging medical settings, future career goals and motivations for pursuing medicine, experiences with leadership and teamwork, and views on healthcare challenges and potential solutions. Some responses indicated an MMI format with questions on passion, decision-making, and personal attributes, suggesting that respondents may have been subject to a nondisclosure agreement during their interviews.
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What are the advantages/disadvantages of a two tier health care system?
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Why medicine?
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Privatization of health care in Canada has become a big issue. What are the advantages and disadvantages of privatized health care?
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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?
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What measures might ease the health care situation in NS (particularly ER wait-times)
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine discussed various topics such as personal passions, addressing physician shortages in rural areas, patient scenarios like fertility treatments, handling colleague substance abuse, and ethical dilemmas in healthcare. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) as some responses hinted at nondisclosure agreements, while other questions focused on personal experiences and motivations for pursuing medicine.
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What are you passionate about?
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Why do applicants frequently tend to say they want to work in rural areas, but we still have a lack of physicians in these areas?
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If you were a physician, what would you want your patients to say about you?
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Pretend that youââโ¬âโ¢re a family physicianââโ¬Â¦ a sixty year old woman comes to you ââโ¬âโฌล 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?
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If a 60 year old female patient wanted to have a child and requested your help going through a fertility clinic what would you tell her?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including scenarios on managing professional and personal life balance, ethical dilemmas in healthcare, challenges in specific medical fields, and reflections on personal attributes and weaknesses. Some responses indicated the interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) with potential nondisclosure agreements in place, while others highlighted unexpected questions related to international health and role-playing scenarios in healthcare settings.
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How can Canada play a role in developing and aiding medical care in third world countries?
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What do you think your biggest challenge will be during your time in medical school?
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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)
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How will you manage your professional life, the needs of your patients, and the needs of your family?
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Describe a time when you used critical thinking in the past.
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Interview Preparation and Impressions โผ
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 30 - 40 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
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.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
No responses
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reading newspapers, studying healthcare and ethics materials, practicing questions, reflecting on personal motives, and discussing potential questions with friends or family. They emphasized the importance of self-reflection, staying updated on current events, reviewing their application materials, and engaging in mock interviews to ensure they could articulate their motivations for pursuing medicine effectively.
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read the newspaper, read ''Doing Right'' (an ethics book), read about health care, and specifically Nova Scotian health care, practiced questions
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reflection on motives, reading newspaper and journal articles, reviewing personal essays
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LOTS of honest self-reflection, read the newspaper everyday for the past fifteen years, little bit of ethics review, read over my application
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I read some of the things written by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and a synopsis on healthcare in Canada done by the CBC.
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Answered questions from this site, read about the health care system, brainstormed different topics with my friends and family
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere created by everyone at the school, including students, faculty, and staff. They appreciated the relaxed and genuine interactions during the interview process, which made them feel comfortable and valued.
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everyone affiliated with the school did a great job of relaxing the candidates
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--very friendly atmosphere
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Friendly med students & fantasically nice interviewers
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Everything - absolutely everything.
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The presence of first year students the waiting room made for a more relaxed atmosphere
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants were mostly unimpressed by the outdated facilities and the lack of enthusiasm and focus on academics during the tour and interactions with current students. Suggestions included updating the facilities, providing a more informative and professional tour, and emphasizing the academic aspects of the program over social activities.
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knowing i had to wait another couple months still to find out the outcome...
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Interview took place in a small medical examination room that barely fit three people comfortably
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n/a
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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.
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same as above
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time that the interview process would be more relaxed and laid-back than expected, leading them to stress less and feel more comfortable during the interview. They also recommended being prepared to discuss their application thoroughly and engage in a friendly conversation, while also noting practical tips like the dress code and scent-free environment of the institution.
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this interview is not that stressful
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I wish I had known it was goign to be so laid back and such a different experience from my interview last year.
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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.
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Nothing
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n/a
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview process at Dal to be very relaxed, welcoming, and conversational, with interviewers who seemed genuinely interested in getting to know them. The presence of first-year med students helped create a comfortable environment, and the diverse questions allowed applicants to showcase their personalities and experiences.
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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.
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Perfect.
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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.
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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 ;-)
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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.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
No responses
๐ On-Site Experience โผ
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 4-6 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by airplane to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ)
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YHZ
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Friends or family or with friends or family.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Lord Nelson
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Lord Nelson
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
All Responses
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