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 mixed with a moderate stress level, and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
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.
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Discuss about your volunteer experience.
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What are the advantages/disadvantages of a two tier health care system?
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Why do you think you will do well at Dal?
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A scenario question about how you would deal with group conflicts
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What are some current health care issues and how do you propose a solution to them?
What was the most interesting question?
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.
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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 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?
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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 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.
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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.
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 30 - 40 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
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.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
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.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
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?
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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 is your ranking of this school's location?
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.
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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 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.
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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 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.
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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 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.
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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 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.
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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
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