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Interview Feedback

All Questions & Responses

  • University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
  • Allopathic Medical School
  • Ottawa, ON
Individual Feedback 1 15 Responses
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Response # Responders
Positively 12
Negatively 1
No change 2

What was the stress level of the interview?

Response Avg # Responders
3.73 15

0 = low, 10 = high

How you think you did?

Response Avg # Responders
8.20 5

0 = low, 10 = high

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

Response Avg # Responders
9.20 5

0 = low, 10 = high

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Questions

How long was the interview?

Response # Responders
5 minutes 0
10 minutes 0
15 minutes 0
20 minutes 0
25 minutes 0
30 minutes 0
35 minutes 0
40 minutes 5
45 minutes 8
50 minutes 2
55 minutes 0
60+ minutes 0

Where did the interview take place?

Response # Responders
At the school 14
At a regional location 1
At another location 0

What was the style of the interview?

Response # Responders
One-on-one 7
In a group 8

What type of interview was it?

Response # Responders
Open file 5
Closed file 9

How many people interviewed you?

Response Average # Responders
2.93 15

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?

"1st tell us about yourself, 2nd why you wanna be a doctor" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Any questions a would say couldnt really help you...just asks yourself questions...why you wanna be a doctor...why you think you can make it...why why why...ask yourself questions...read the news..read on ethic topics...and come up with a special way to do or say it" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"why medicine, why not nursing, why not social work...etc. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell us about yourself, other than academics?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"--why medicine --qualities in a Dr." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is the most challenging thing you have done in your life?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"why doctor" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You say you have read a number of works of this author. Describe the theme that runs throughout this author's work: what message is he trying to convey?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"1) Tell me about yourself and why medicine (they were in so much of a hurry that they lumped two important questions together) (2) Why not physiotherapy (3) Why not become a vet (this was because the 4th year student had read something on my profile about zoology -- really, research in zoology does not = a career in vet medicine) " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what do you do for fun, what experiences have made you realize you wanted to be a doctor, who is your role model, frmo your past group work, how do you think you would you behave in a PBL group setting (leader, listener etc),they brought up issues related to things in my "sketch" so make sure you have some knowledge about issues related to your experiences (eg. I have worked with children with behavioural problems and psychiatric patients so I got questions that revolved around these topics), also, dont bring up anything that you don't want to discuss in further detail (for ex. I brought up the wait lists for radiological test which led to the Q about privitization)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What type of doctor do you want to be?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"1) Why medicine? (duh, I didn't see this one coming! ) 2) Why now? (duh, as a 39 year old applicant, I didn't see this one coming either... ) 3) What do you do to keep up with current events? What stories of particular international interest have you been following? (duh...duh...the potential war in Iraq perhaps? ) 4) What do you do for fun? 5) What qualities will make you a good doctor? 6) What have you been doing with St. John Ambulance? 7) What is unique about YOU that would contribute to our program? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what are some negative self influences that would deter me from medicine" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 2)?

"ethics: you're family doc for patient who just diagnosed w/ brain cancer, the oncologiest didn't tell him, he doesn't know, family doesn't want you to tell him, what do you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"how do you deal with stress/ what do you do in free time/ how would your friends describe you" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What types of things cause you stress?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"--describe an event in the news that relates to Canadian medicine" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Who is your favourite author?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what i do for fun" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Summarize your research in a few sentences as though you were explaining it to some high school students." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"(4)What one strength and one weakness would your best friend comment upon? (5)What do you do for fun? (6)Use one word to describe yourself (6) How would you deal with a difficult group member? (7) What was a difficult decision that you had to make? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Know the health care system and the problems with it. Also develop ways to fix them (they asked me as health minister, how I would fix certain problems). " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What have you done to prepare for medical school" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"8) What have you been doing with Dr. Faloon? (another volunteer activity listed on my sketch) 9) As a physician...you will see lots of awful things...people with terrible diseases, addictions...etc. How will you feel about that...will it make you 'sick' ... would it 'disgust' you? 10) You've been a senior manager of multidisciplinary groups for a very long time...how will you find participating in PBL as a non-manager? Will you find it difficult to be a participant or will you always want to lead the group? 11) If one of your patients was a smoker...and you knew the outcome of their smoking would ineveitably be bad, how would you approach the issue with them? 12) You know that there are many people looking for family physicians (Note: by this time I had disclosed to them that I had a very strong vision of family medicine as a career)...what would youdo if you had the opportunity to get rid of your "bad patients" who don't take care of themselves... continue to smoke, etc. ? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what are some problems with medicare " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 3)?

"what does leadership mean to you? what would you like to ban?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Ethics: you have a patient dying of lung cancer...but he does not know that he has cancer. if the patient's son doesn't want you to tell his father what's going on with his health, what would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell us about a time you had to resolve a conflict? What do you think causes conflict?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"-hobbies --role models --greatest achievemenbt" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Ottawa?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"how i keep up with current issue" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are your strengths in relation to medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"(8) Why do you want to come to Ottawa? (8) What was a recent book you read? (9) How do you keep up with current events? (10) Discuss a current topic." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Very important: Tell them how much you want to go to Ottawa U and make sure you have some positive points about the school to back this up. When I did this, the interview said "well you just said all the right things" so I would HIGHLY reccomend you throw this in somewhere in the interview!!!" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If a 3 year old needed a blood transfusion to live and the parents wouldn't consent - what would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"13) What person or people has/have inspired you most in your lifetime? (I couldn't resist saying my children...great conversation followed) 14) What on earth is "prestidigitation"? I disclosed in my sketch that I was a magician. 15) Who are you working for now and what are you doing? 16) We have...ummmm...one minute left...is there anything you'd like to ask us about or anything about yourself you'd like to tell us? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"state your answer then find a solution to question 2 , i talked about aboriginal medicare in the northern territories" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"What would you ban?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why you ?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How does construction make you a better doctor? (i mentioned I worked construction in highschool summers)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you think that refusing smokers cancer treatment could effectively deter people from smoking? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you tell a patient that there is a 2 year wait for an MRI?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"how'd my friend describe me?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Should homeless people be provided with alcohol in a clinic-type setting?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I was hoping for an ethical question but didn't get any at all! There was no interesting question -- all were standard, run of the mill, boring old questions." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Since there are Canadians going to the US to pay for privately-delivered MRI's (for example) then why shouldn't we try to compete by opening more private clinics instead of giving the business to the US? Also, pretend you are the interviewer and I am the applicant...what would you be looking for??" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What newspaper do you feel is the most biased? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is the book that influenced you the most?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What, on earth, is "prestidigitation"? (Note: I disclosed to them that I was a close-up magician in my autobiographical sketch)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"where does the majority of our health care spending go to?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"all pretty standard and expected questions. There were a lot of focus on the autobiographical sketch activities. ''what does leadership mean to you?''" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you werent accepted...what would you do ?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"name a time when someone said no to you. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are your thoughts on human cloning?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"An ethical Q that went on and on. After one of my answers, the scenario changed, and the Q got worse (harder). It never seemed to end." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"see above" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You said that with being a doctor you want to help people. You could help people as a nurse or a social worker, why do you want to be a doctor?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"nothing i didn't expect, but they asked me my opinion about iraq" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you feel about euthanasia with specific reference to the elderly? Should their families be allowed to decide if they are euthanized? (this question went on for some time, as they added variants to it such as "what if the person is immobile and confined to their bed? If they're dying already?")" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why not physiotherapy? The jerk on the panel kept hounding me with this question after I had finished telling them why I wanted to become a doctor!" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Not difficult but caught me off guard: "What does your best friend do?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"There weren't any questions that were particularly difficult or unexpected but be prepared to answer follow-up questions on your answers and to be able to reply to their views countering yours in ethical question - of which there were lots!!!!" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is the book that influenced you the most?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you do to keep up with current events? What stories of particular international interest have you been following? - What made is a bit difficult, in retrospect, was that I picked the, at that time, potential war in Iraq to talk about...interesting discussion...but challenging." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Interview was done in french, i was asked the definition of a word, which of course i din't know." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"everything - reading on healthcare, ethics, mock interview with meds and career center, reading on world issues, reflections, getting focused..." More from this Member | Report Response

"Mock interview, google search on ethics questions, read the news" More from this Member | Report Response

"read news, watch news, read ethics, talk to students, 2 mock interviews." More from this Member | Report Response

"websites like this, read the paper for current events, went to interview workshop at my school, thought out answers to common questions, practiced with friends who were also interviewing, learned about the health care system" More from this Member | Report Response

"Practice interviews (2 video recorded), list of common Q's, pre-thought out answers for a couple of Q's" More from this Member | Report Response

"--read WU ethics site --went over school motto --current events --bios for other schools --2 mocks w/ student + staff --practice quest." More from this Member | Report Response

"Read the paper, check out this website" More from this Member | Report Response

"mock interviews, practice with friends, internet (ian wong ezboard, here), reading books and newspaper" More from this Member | Report Response

"I did practice interviews, rehearsed questions, read Romanow report, read the U of O mailing about the school to have info on their curriculum." More from this Member | Report Response

"Mock interviews, practiced sample questions, read the newspaper, tried to calm down :)" More from this Member | Report Response

"read the posts on premed EZboard, did a mock interview with current med students, read the news and any health-related issues, thought about my strengths/weaknesses and what I have gotten from all the experiences in my life as well as what makes a good doc and why I want to be one!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Same old as everyone" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read the newspaper daily, talked with current students, spent considerable time on introspection, familiarized myself with the health care system, read an ethics website, read the Romanow report Executive Summary, read about the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"Since this was not my first time applying, I took time to introspect...think about why medicine...why now (I am an older applicant...39)...I read the paper (which I do anyway)...read international papers via the web...did a mock interview with current med students (highly recommended)." More from this Member | Report Response

"sat in front of the computer for a couple of nights and read the globe and mail for curent affairs " More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"The entire hospital complex is just so dynamic, plus i love the city, people are extra friendly" More from this Member | Report Response

"How everything was done at a very professional level. Technology is a very strong point of this school. They seem to form doctors to answer to today's health problems, but also prepare them for the furtur of healtcare. Every student gets there own laptop and learn very quickly to get friendly with the technology of healthcare. To my knowledge, it's one of the best school i've been interviewed in, period." More from this Member | Report Response

"The organization of the process. very organized and professional, yet not intimidating." More from this Member | Report Response

"The info session was done really well and got me pumped up for my interview. the students were all really enthusiastic as well." More from this Member | Report Response

"Relaxed atmosphere, sincerity of staff and students, very good atmosphere." More from this Member | Report Response

"quality of facilities" More from this Member | Report Response

"The friendliness, ease of the interview" More from this Member | Report Response

"when walking around building, every med student i saw stopped to say hi, introduced themselves, and happy to answer any question i have" More from this Member | Report Response

"People are pretty laid-back in Ottawa, the facilities are nice, the interviewers were friendly (and one even carried my suitcase)." More from this Member | Report Response

"The school itself -- the faculty really tries to integrate technology into the classroom. It encourages the use of palm pilots, and laptops are mandatory for students. Very advanced tech-wise. " More from this Member | Report Response

"It was very well organized, students walked around and talked to applicants (they were super friendly and very helpful!) School has a really nice relaxing, friendly atmosphere. The info session is HIGHLY reccomended but the tour was not that great. My interviewers challenged me but never crossed the line. They treated me with respect and I felt at ease talking with them about various issues. They really "sold me" on the school!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Lots of students came by, friendly interviewers, a great informations session for a well-balanced program" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewees were given water during the interview -- a nice touch. The school sounds AMAZING, and the hospital/school complex is very conveniently located." More from this Member | Report Response

"The attitude of the admissions staff...and the organization of the day...all was on time and went very smoothly. My interviewers (Dr. Neil Hartman, Dr. Barbara Power & the student...Kellie Scott) were all amazingly engaging, interested, professional and pleasant." More from this Member | Report Response

"stress free, people were genuine and friendly" More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"I wish i could have spent more time in the interview...but time is limited." More from this Member | Report Response

"The tour guides by the 1st yr meds were enthusiastic, but very unorganized... I didn't get much out of the tour..." More from this Member | Report Response

"I went in the morning for the info session and tour, but I had about 2.5 hours to kill before my afternoon interview...that was brutal. My fault really." More from this Member | Report Response

"--was told by interviewers that I had a "very good chance," but didn't even get waitlisted" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing" More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing, except i think they should make it (add social events etc.) longer" More from this Member | Report Response

"Didn't get a chance to meet many first year students." More from this Member | Report Response

"As I was the last person to be interviewed for the day, my interviewers were more interested in finishing off than listening to me. The 4th year medical student actually left the building before I did -- talk about being in a hurry!" More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing at all" More from this Member | Report Response

"There was a strong emphasis on politically-charged questions during my interview, with very little attention give to my sketch or my personal characteristics/accomplishments." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing...it was a very positive experience." More from this Member | Report Response

"my french was evalutated, however my fluency in english wasn't" More from this Member | Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"the tour involves a tour of anatomy lab involving looking at corpse, don't do that right before your interview if it may bother you. It's pretty relaxed atmosphere prior to your interview, meds actually sit there to talk to you and help you relax" More from this Member | Report Response

"That it was gonna be relax. I would not have stressed myself as much" More from this Member | Report Response

"everything went to plan/instructions" More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing" More from this Member | Report Response

"--how hard it is for 3rd year undergrad students to get in, no matter their interview performance" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing, I was prepared" More from this Member | Report Response

"Ottawa likes to ask current events questions!!" More from this Member | Report Response

"How much it sucks to be the last one to be interviewed!" More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing was a surprise" More from this Member | Report Response

"That I'm not half as good as talking under that stress as I usually am... finally something that can shut me up!!! " More from this Member | Report Response

"That no amount of practice could have prepared me for the ethical questions - I just had to be quick on my feet and think logically and coherently." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing was a surprise." More from this Member | Report Response

"the low level of stress" More from this Member | Report Response

What are your general comments?

"It was a good first and only interview for me. I put a lot of effor into preparing, was focused and not nervous. In an afterthought, i think I could've done better if i was more alert and thought more carefully, but given the situation i've done my best" More from this Member | Report Response

"Really great ppl, calm and very fun to talk with. You get in, you talk about personal stuff. They want to know you. You get out...Easy as that...but its up to you how well you present yourself." More from this Member | Report Response

"I loved it. The interviewers really wanted to see how you ticked. they asked simple questions and seem to watch not only wat i said but how i said it. their reactions after i answered questions were also very honest. if i said something they weren't impressed with they would hint it with their facial expressions. Time passes quickly in an interview. make sure you show them who you really are. personality and knowledge and critical thinking. show them how you think through problems (ethics). " More from this Member | Report Response

"All were very friendly. I was quite nervous for the first few minutes, but settled in and relaxed quickly." More from this Member | Report Response

"I thought a few of my answers were not so good and left feeling ambivalent." More from this Member | Report Response

"--a friednly conversatyion --they just wanted to get to know me" More from this Member | Report Response

"It was pretty straightforward, questions were right off my sketch. Nothing too complicated. Be prepared for "good guy" and "bad guy" scenerio. " More from this Member | Report Response

"it was really relaxed and everyone was very helpful" More from this Member | Report Response

"This was my toughest interview because of the questions I was asked. Nonetheless the people asking these hard questions were great; they smiled when I smiled, and put me at ease. The interview was held in a PBL room with a large table (so I could jiggle my feet as I wished!) and they provided me with water." More from this Member | Report Response

"The school itself is very nice, and I would like to be a part of it. However, I don't think that the end of the interview went so well because of all the rushing. I felt that I should have taken more time-outs to control my thoughts and slow down the pace of the interview." More from this Member | Report Response

"It was pretty much as stress-free as a med school interview can be. My best advice is to MAKE YOURSELF not be nervous. Go in there with confidence without being cocky and you'll do great. Go in there as if you are already in and you're just going to discuss your future plans....and as my sister said the night before "go close the deal" These words helped me since I tend to border on the modest side but make sure you don't come across too cocky or arrogant...it's a delicate line." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewers started off my sketch to make me feel comfortable - they were really friendly... there were questions aimed at getting to know my personality, my motivation, and definately lots of ethical questions. It was a possitive experience. Good luck to all. I hope to be working alongside you one day :) " More from this Member | Report Response

"Overall, a good experience!" More from this Member | Report Response

"General Tone: Incredibly positive, upbeat...lots of smiling, joking. The conversation was very fluid, natural and relaxed. Although some challenging questions were posed, there were no "good cops" or "bad cops"...they were ALL "good cops." Interviewers were all writing like mad throughout the entire interview (last year they hardly wrote a thing down). We covered my entire autobiographical sketch...and then some. The interview was 45 minutes long. At the beginning of the interview Dr. Power said, "You're a very unique candidate...(smiling)" which really broke the ice. At the end of the interview, the medical student, said "you have really done your homework, you know our school well...you have summarized all the positive aspects of our school and program" Dr. Hartman said "I wish you good luck in your career." Prior to the Interview: As we did last year, candidates hung out in the atrium of the Roger Guindon hall. It seemed they made a bit more effort to make things look nice this year...tables were set up with nice white table cloths...there was hot coffee, juice, and lots of donuts and muffins to snack on. The candidates were impressive...scared the poo out of me...when they say "we had an exceptionally talented pool of candidates this year...blah, blah", I can honestly say this is true. At EXACTLY 8:30am (scheduled time of my interview), Dr. Hartman interrupted a conversation I was having with other candidates and said "Mr. Hill...I'm Dr. Hartman...please come with me..." And then, of course, we wove our way to the PBL room where the interview was conducted. Tours: The tour was conducted by a first year medical student named "Jeff". Jeff was an English major...very pleasant, witty, fun. He brought us on a wonderful tour of the medical school, including: PBL rooms; lecture rooms; amphitheatre; computer room/lab; library; anatomy labs. Information Session: I chose not to go to the information session this year. Summary: An extremely pleasant experience. I was, once again, very impressed with the organization, the attitude of Nicole Racine and others organizing the day, the fact that the schedule was right on time and the other candidates. Cheers and good luck to everyone...I hope this information is helpful to you in some way. Although I have tried to provide all the details...I have likely forgotten something as I'm completely excited about how things went. I will edit this post as things come back to my frail old memory. Net out: I have no idea whether I'm going to get in this year... but I can honestly say that I did the best possible job I could. I guess it's now time for "THE DREAAAAAAAAAAAAADDED WAIT"! " More from this Member | Report Response

"great, stress free" More from this Member | Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Response # Responders
Student 12
Faculty member 0
Admissions staff 1
Other 0

How did the tourguide seem?

Response # Responders
Enthusiastic 5
Neutral 0
Discouraging 0

How do you rank the facilities?

Response Avg # Responders
8.80 5

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your in-state status?

Response # Responders
In state 5
Out of state 0

What was your total time spent traveling?

Response # Responders
0-1 hour 1
2-3 hours 1
4-6 hours 3
7+ hours 0

What was your primary mode of travel?

Response # Responders
Airplane 1
Automobile 2
Train or subway 2
Other 0

What airport did you use?

No responses

Where did you stay?

Response # Responders
At school facility 0
With students at the school 0
Friends or family 3
Hotel 1
Home 0
Other 0

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

Would you recommend the hotel?

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

Response # Responders
< $100 2
$101-$200 2
$201-$300 0
$301-$400 0
$401-$500 1
$501+ 0

Comments on where you stayed

No responses

General Info

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

Response Avg # Responders
9.00 5

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this school's location?

Response Avg # Responders
8.80 5

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

Response Avg # Responders
8.60 5

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

No responses

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

No responses

0 = low, 10 = high

How eco-friendly are the school's application materials and interview process?

No responses

0 = low, 10 = high

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses

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