2010 Applicants/Interviews

[Marieke]

@ Baby Doctor: I can't access the portal either.

But whats really worrying me is that I haven't heard anything yet. No email, no letter. And I have never been on the applicant portal. Infact I haven't even heard of it until yesterday....

[gandymj]

Well done and good luck in the interview!

P.S. Is anyone else struggling to access the applicant portal? I've had problems since yesterday morning but as I can access any other webpage, I thought it might just be down for maintenance.

I am! It only seems to be that page, any other aberdeen uni page works :S

[Kensei]

lol sry for all the questions just wondering if the "better" ones get an early call

if this was true, I reckon I should b quite depressed, as I had my interview in late March - "your grades are so terrible that we're actually curious to see how ridiculously bad u'll do in our interview" would be their thinking in that case, I guess

@gandymj - well done, and good luck - it seems that the interviews start on the 16th; don't be surprised if u're approached by medics who're eager to cheer u up in polwarth cafeteria (the place where u should wait until it's almost your turn)

[sara7000]

im also having problems accsessing the portal since yesterday and after hearing abt the interviews beginning I COULDNT SLEEP all night. I had nightmares about being invited for an interview and not knowing, I even had a dream that they binned my application without even considering it.....NEVER BEEN SO TENSE in my life

[Kensei]

Just chillax people, applicant portal is not the only source of information for you Firstly, your UCAS profile gets updated as well, only slightly later. Secondly, every interviewee needs to be notified in writing as well, so it's unlikely u'll miss your opportunity because of an IT malfunction on uni servers..

[Mathieson]

I've been invited to an interview on the 17th of November aswell, I wish it was later so that I could have longer to prepare. Good luck Gandymj, I might see you there. What time is your interview at and are you going on the tour of the medical school?

Does any current Aberdeen students have any advice for me as I'm pretty nervous? Thank you...

[Kensei]

Hey Mathieson

The best advice anyone can give u is - be yourself. They actually notice pretty quickly if u're pretending or reading out from a memorized, inner script.

As for the preparation, I don't think u need more than 2 weeks, as the questions generally oscillate around your personal statement and your educational/work/volunteering record. U might be asked a few questions about 'why aberdeen?' and 'why medicine?', so u should have strong arguments for both of those. Additionally, it's always good to know the structure of the course (phases and their content, location of teaching, new developments of foresterhill campus, etc.)

Lastly - most students get asked an 'ethical' question, wherein u need to solve a moral dilemma - it's usually pretty straightforward to work out, just b sure to explain that u understand the consequences (pros and cons) of all possible resolutions to the problem - and tell them why u chose a particular solution over the others (subjectivity and personal preference is NOT looked down upon, so don't worry)

All I can say is: try to relax (they understand u are stressed about this) - cuz u already got through to second part of admissions process, only around 500 people (out of approx 1500-2000) achieve that, and most of those 500 WILL get an offer - it's just that some of them don't take it. They're not trying to find out what's the catch with your appplication - they only want to get to know you a bit better.

Good luck
Kensei

[Mathieson]

Thank you very much Kensei for the great advice, it is much appreciated and helpful. It's good knowing what kind of questions they could throw at me. I was going to maybe prepare a few answers but based on what you've said I might just bulletpoint a few ideas so that it comes out natural in the interview.

Oh, and for the " Why Aberdeen? " question do you think it is wise to talk about how amazng the Suttie Centre and Foresterhill are or do they look for you to emphisise elements of their course?

Thanks Again, I'm feeling a bit more reassured now...

[gandymj]

Gratz Mathieson! yes I will hopefully see you there. My interview is at 10:50am and yes I'm going on the tour. You?

That's some great advice Kensie, thanks!

[Mathieson]

My interview is at 9:30 and I'm going on the tour aswell, although I'll probably be around most of the day. Good luck