Flinders Interviews

[stephaniecng]

Hey,
Does anyone have an interview with Flinders this year? Anyone had one in the past who might share some insight? Stats on how many people they interview/accept.
Thanks!

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[Coccinelle]

Hey, I also have an interview coming up. Here's some info from last year's interviews: http://pagingdr.proboards61.com/index.cgi?board=interview&action=display&thread=322

Good luck!!

 

[stephaniecng]

Thanks! I'll let you know if i find out anything more. I wonder how many ppl are being interviewed. (I'm assuming your going to Ottawa for it?)

 

[Coccinelle]

Yeah, i'm going to Ottawa, where are you doing it? Unfortunately i don't have any info about numbers, but sometimes it's better not to know...lol

 

[stephaniecng]

Calgary, but I'm orginally from TO.

 

[jaketheory]

the acer guide states schools will interview 1.3-1.7 times as many seats available (or something to that effect).

 

[liquid_krystale]

Hi there,

I also received an interview from Flinders, but had to postpone until the next round because I'll be out of country.

Regarding the ACER numbers, I assume that these figures are for Australian nationals. IMO more international students will be interviewed than the 1.3-1.7 per spot just because there will be more declines of offers of acceptance because they might get into schools in their home country, or apply to a bunch of schools and choose the one they most wish to attend and decline other offers. I also think this is why they do advanced interviews for internationals.

Anyways...good luck to all of you who are interviewing. Flinders is a great school IMO and my top choice. =)

 

[stephaniecng]

any idea how they calc GPA if you have a masters as well as an undergrad?

 

[jaketheory]

thats an interesting question. your bachelors and masters were undertaken concurrently and conferred togethor?

flinders does not factor any degree beyond the bachelors into the GPA. if you cant assign individual courses to the masters (and thus the remaining to the bachelors), they would not really have any choice but to include them. but then again, if you completed both a masters and a bachelors degree in the same time it takes to earn just a bachelors, they are likely to just treat the masters+bachelors as a bachelors anyway.

just email them. they are usually pretty helpful. also note they are not real strict about admissions criteria. they probably wont actually go through a rigorous calculation of your gpa to determine if they invite you for an interview. i met with the admissions director with my transcripts and he wrote down a few #'s with a pencil. he did not make rigourous calculations; it was all ball park, and he said as long as i got a 30 on the MCAT i'd likely get an interview.

 

[treva]

I interviewed with them in Calgary in August 2007, and I received a spot to commenced at Flinders in Feb of 2008. I am originally from Edmonton.

This year for international students I believe there are 20. 14 of those international students are Canadians, with 2 Americans, 2 from Singapore, 1 from India and 1 from Brazil.

Chances are you'll start off the interview doing a mini-case of some sort which isn't directly pertaining to medicine or science. For example, in my interview I had a mini-case where a woman owns a truck stop in Northern SA, and her core business is generated from truckies shipping cows and pigs. She goes away on a vacation for a week and comes back to notice her fuel sales are lower than she anticipated. You'll have a whiteboard, and you have to use your whiteboard to hypothesize why. Then, the interviews will give you a piece of paper with new information, and you have to show them how this new information changes your hypothesis.

After that mini-case they got right into questions, and the first question they asked me is "Why do you want to be a doctor?". The next question was "Why Australia? Why Flinders?". For the rest of the interview you'll get little scenarios that are used to gauge your empathy skills, and understanding of group dynamics (in addition to questions about yourself).

Also make sure you read up on PBL, they will probably ask you what you know about it.

Tony Edwards is the Flinders administrator who did the international interviews when I interviewed, and he's a really nice guy. For everyone who is going to interview, don't stress out. The more you relax, the easier it will be.

Good luck!

 

[liquid_krystale]

Treva, thank you very much for your very helpful information!


How are you liking Flinders so far?

 

[treva]

Treva, thank you very much for your very helpful information!


How are you liking Flinders so far?

I like it. The PBL is something I've never experienced before (coming from the University of Alberta all my classes were solely lecture based). Sometimes PBL can be frustrating if your group doesn't like to work together or you have people with strong personalities who like to but heads, but I feel that the education I'm paying for is worth the international student tuition. In addition I think that the depth and quality of the content is on par with what is taught in North America.

 

[gmacpac]

Does anyone know about residency match profile of Austrailian grads? How's the match list of Flinder's? Queensland? etc.

 

[Alphonsine]

I interviewed at Flinders last year but the school didnèt appeal to me at all. The school is in the suburbs and is overshadowed by the University of Adelaide, which has its own medical school. I prayed that I would get accepted to UQ instead. In the end, I was accepted by UQ and rejected by Flinders, which worked perfectly for me. Besides, Adelaide is really hot.

 

[treva]

I interviewed at Flinders last year but the school didnèt appeal to me at all. The school is in the suburbs and is overshadowed by the University of Adelaide, which has its own medical school.

I disagree, and I'm not just disagreeing because I am a Flinders student (remember, I'm paying $40,000 a year to be here, if I didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth I'd be quite vocal about it).

The University of Adelaide is in the city, and yes, it does have a medical school, but the medical program is 6 years and not a GEMP like Flinders. So basically if you already have a degree you're spending 2 extra years if you go to U of A rather than Flinders.

Also, in terms of reputation, all Australian medical schools are considered equal. In addition, there are many Flinders students who are graduates of the U of A, and talking to them about the U of A they think that Flinders is a better school that is more progressive with a better cirriculum format.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Yeah, I don't get the comment about "overshadowing" Flinders either.

The programs are totally different, the students different and Flinders actually has a much more active research faculty, publications, etc. and is better known in the US.

And while the campus grounds at Flinders are lovely, the architecture at Adelaide Uni does get them points.

Its an American thing to rank programs; most Aussies would reckon that all the schools are good and that Adelaide and Flinders are equal.

 

[steverybowski]

Hey there,

I slipped up the first time on the interviews, i didn't know what to expect. I got some coaching from a company that specializes in this sort of thing, i helped and i got in the second time. Do you research, get coaching, they really help you frame your answers.

Thanks

Steve

 

[stephaniecng]

Hey,
Has anyone who interviewed early heard anything?

 

[Coccinelle]

nothing yet

 

[stephaniecng]

This may sound a little OCD but I looked at the trend in when I usually get the emails...I'm predicting between 9-11pm on a sat-tues pm.

 

[Coccinelle]

I think being a little OCD is a prerequisite for being a pre-med...lol
Good luck!!!

 

[stephaniecng]

Hey,
I got in! Did anyone else yet?

 

[trimed]

Woohoo! I got in too!! Can't wait to start.