2013-2014 University of Central Florida Application Thread

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Captain Sisko said:
I've decided to apply here. had a couple questions though.

msar is a little vague on the ap policy for physics, ie it has an orange check mark instead of a green one. can someone elaborate? I've no courses in physics taken in undergrad above what i placed out of, but I've extensive engineering coursework. I also did well in the physical sciences portion of the mcat. am I covered here?

also, msar indicates i need a whopping five letters of recommendation. how exactly are those broken down, in terms of recommenders?

thanks in advance!

oos/nontrad
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The orange check marks in the MSAR mean that AP and Online courses are considered on a case-by-case basis. I would assume nothing in your case and give the admissions department a call. Here is UCF's webpage on this.

As for letters of rec see this... Basically you need the standard 3 LORs (2 science/1 non-science) or committee letter + two character reference letters. As a non-trad though, it looks like supervisor letters can substitute the standard 3 letters
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Applying as an OOS!
Do they have a minimum OOS MCAT score requirement? I've seen a couple of schools that do that.
 
Lionking2014 said:
Applying as an OOS!
Do they have a minimum OOS MCAT score requirement? I've seen a couple of schools that do that.
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I don't believe so. Check out their application requirements.

The minimum MCAT score is a 24 (best single test composite score) that must be taken within the last 3 years, as well as minimum cumulative and BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics, & mathematics) undergraduate GPAs of at least 3.0 each. There is no distinction between IS and OOS applicants in terms of requirements.
 
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DAPI said:
The orange check marks in the MSAR mean that AP and Online courses are considered on a case-by-case basis. I would assume nothing in your case and give the admissions department a call. Here is UCF's webpage on this.

As for letters of rec see this... Basically you need the standard 3 LORs (2 science/1 non-science) or committee letter + two character reference letters. As a non-trad though, it looks like supervisor letters can substitute the standard 3 letters
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Hey DAPI, if I submitted a committee packet with a committee letter + 5 other letters will they count 2 of these as the required "character letters"?? It lists they can be from a physician shadowed or a club advisor and I have both of those included in the committee packet but not as separate letters in AMCAS.

Do you know if this is ok???
 
SixStringPsych said:
Hey DAPI, if I submitted a committee packet with a committee letter + 5 other letters will they count 2 of these as the required "character letters"?? It lists they can be from a physician shadowed or a club advisor and I have both of those included in the committee packet but not as separate letters in AMCAS.

Do you know if this is ok???
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Ya know, that is something I never thought about. I had a university letter packet consisting of 3 science teachers, our pre-health advisor, and a doctor. I suppose that counts as five with two non science?..
 
I would love for a rec letter explanation as well! I have a committee letter (with 2 science, a research PI, and two physicians) and a separate science professor/MD letter as well. So I believe I have the science and character letters covered, but I haven't taken a non-science class in 3 years! Can anyone clarify?
 
So I'm really hesitant to answer these because I don't want to provide inaccurate info, but this is what I would assume. But please note, I'm not connected with the adcom in any way, so I may be wrong.

SixStringPsych said:
Hey DAPI, if I submitted a committee packet with a committee letter + 5 other letters will they count 2 of these as the required "character letters"?? It lists they can be from a physician shadowed or a club advisor and I have both of those included in the committee packet but not as separate letters in AMCAS.

Do you know if this is ok???
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I would think this is okay, but just make sure the character letters are part of UCF's list. Professors and other academic people aren't going to count, so just make sure you have two that fall outside that.

Ts1991 said:
Ya know, that is something I never thought about. I had a university letter packet consisting of 3 science teachers, our pre-health advisor, and a doctor. I suppose that counts as five with two non science?..
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My question would be is the pre-health advisor's letters the committee letter? If so, it's not going to count as a character letter. If the pre-health advisor's letter is in addition to a committee letter, I'm not sure. These is what REL said last year, which isn't particularly clear:

REL said:
woodside9 said:
Does anyone know what the specifics are in terms of the letters of recommendation and the two character letters? I'm having a committee packet sent through AMCAS with the pre-health committee letter and three letters of recommendation (two from professors and one from a mentor/advisor). Will the letter from the mentor/advisor count as one character letter?

I wish I had known about these character letters before applying :scared:
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No the committee letter speaks to your time in the academic world. You should be able to find someone that knows you outside of academics. You can go into AMCAS and build a "port" for the author to upload the second character letter. Once you build the "port" you provide the information to the author who can instantly upload directly into your file for this letter.
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BundleofHis said:
I would love for a rec letter explanation as well! I have a committee letter (with 2 science, a research PI, and two physicians) and a separate science professor/MD letter as well. So I believe I have the science and character letters covered, but I haven't taken a non-science class in 3 years! Can anyone clarify?
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The committee letter trumps the 2 science/1 non-science requirement, so all you're going to need is two character letters in addition to the committee letter, which is looks like you have with the two doctor letters. So you're good.
 
Thanks DAPI! You're a big help.

I think I'm gonna call the admissions office on Monday to clarify, I'll post the response they give me here :)
 
SixStringPsych said:
Thanks DAPI! You're a big help.

I think I'm gonna call the admissions office on Monday to clarify, I'll post the response they give me here :)
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Yea, thanks for help! I shot em an email about my scenario to see what I'm missing, if anything.
 
They said as long as they get the character letters in some form it doesn't matter whether they're separate in AMCAS or included in the committee packet.
 
Yea if anybody is interested, I still need one more character letter in my scenario. That's basically six letters in my case. Anywho, I had one other school with similar requirements so I'm headed out to ask for another. I can still submit a new letter even though my application is sent in, right?
 
Yes, you can add letters in AMCAS at any time and the school will be able to access them.
 
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Hey everyone! I'm a non trad FL resident and applying here as well! Good luck to all of you throughout the process!
 
Also for anyone who would be willing to give their input... I have a cGPA of 3.5 with a sGPA of 3.9 and MCAT of 32 10/11/11. I don't have any research, but was an athletic trainer for 4 years as well as a ton of shadowing and volunteering experience. I'm looking at doing some research over the summer as well as into next year, but how heavily does UCF weigh research experience? Thanks!
 
pkrgoirish said:
Also for anyone who would be willing to give their input... I have a cGPA of 3.5 with a sGPA of 3.9 and MCAT of 32 10/11/11. I don't have any research, but was an athletic trainer for 4 years as well as a ton of shadowing and volunteering experience. I'm looking at doing some research over the summer as well as into next year, but how heavily does UCF weigh research experience? Thanks!
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Though it's on its way to becoming a research-intensive medical school, many in the past have been accepted with little to no research experience (I'm pretty sure REL, the UCF CoM admissions director, said that somewhere...can't seem to find where...). It's all about how you show your passion and dedication to medicine (clinical volunteerism) as well as humanistic motivations (community service, etc.).

With that being said, they will usually like to hear your idea for a research project under their Focused Individualized Research Experience (FIRE) program. It doesn't have to be basic research or anything - you could tailor it specifically to your wanted area of medicine or to something completely unique (some were investigating how medical student interaction with horses, which requires reading of non-verbal language, affected relationships with patients).

UCF CoM is really all about focusing on the student - what you want to make of your time in medical school, and what your own interests and future goals are.
 
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That is great to hear and exactly what I'm looking for in a medical school! Thanks so much for your input.
 
I have a question IF I was lucky enough to be accepted, I am already involved in research at Sanford burnham is it possible to continue on with my PI, or can we only do research under specific people? Thank you for your help REL! I hope to have the chance to meet you this year!
 
So I am planning on coming down to Florida at the end of July to visit my aunt who lives in Orlando. Do you think it would be possible for me to go to UCF and take a look around?
 
They allow for tours! But if you don't get one by the school pm me and I have a few friends who go who could show you around!
 
Secondary received!! So excited!!
 
Secondary received! I've been completing them on a first-come, first-serve basis, but this one is jumping the line. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone ;)
 
anyone have issues with the payment? suspect it has to do with the address not giving me a space for state in the billing address, but i tried twice to no avail.
 
BundleofHis said:
Secondary received! I've been completing them on a first-come, first-serve basis, but this one is jumping the line. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone ;)
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This is prime choice number 1 for me.....I have literally prayed for that secondary to come in....workin on it tonight!
 
Secondary woohooooo. Hoping to be one of those 30 OOSers accepted
 
Is anyone having problems with payment? I have tried IE and Google Chrome.
 
Sooooo, all pictures get resized to 100x100?? My picture is all squished :( Should I pick another one?
 
azngujuonfire said:
Can someone post the questions/essay prompts please?
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Some are optional:
1) If you do not expect to spend the academic year enrolled in an academic program, please explain how you will use this time.

2) Please provide details regarding academic difficulties, grades below “B minus”, or course withdrawals.

3) Do you have any information that you would like to share with the UCF COM Medical Student Admissions Committee that has not already been addressed in your AMCAS application? You may also use this section to include information about your family, personal interests, hobbies, and travels that have not already been discussed in your AMCAS application. Please provide details about NEW information for the Committee to consider to include information about your family, personal interests, hobbies, and travels that have not already been discussed on your AMCAS application.

4) Please provide a short essay to help us understand who you are. This essay should be different than you AMCAS Personal Statement. UCF COM places great value on the diversity of our students within the classroom and believe that the diverse characteristics of each individual in the class are important factors in serving the educational missions of this school and of our community. Please discuss any unique, personally important and/or challenging experiences in your background that have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and service to others. These may include experiences such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, cultural background, or other significant events or circumstances that you feel have shaped your character and defined you as an individual. We are also interested on your thoughts about what you can contribute to your class and the medical profession in general. (2 pages, single spaced)

I think there were some other short questions about describing any new activities involving community outreach, leadership, research, etc.
 
ewelling said:
Some are optional:
1)If you do not expect to spend the academic year enrolled in an academic program, please explain how you will use this time.

2)Please provide details regarding academic difficulties, grades below “B minus”, or course withdrawals.

3)Do you have any information that you would like to share with the UCF COM Medical Student Admissions Committee that has not already been addressed in your AMCAS application? You may also use this section to include information about your family, personal interests, hobbies, and travels that have not already been discussed in your AMCAS application. Please provide details about NEW information for the Committee to consider to include information about your family, personal interests, hobbies, and travels that have not already been discussed on your AMCAS application.

4)Please provide a short essay to help us understand who you are. This essay should be different than you AMCAS Personal Statement. UCF COM places great value on the diversity of our students within the classroom and believe that the diverse characteristics of each individual in the class are important factors in serving the educational missions of this school and of our community. Please discuss any unique, personally important and/or challenging experiences in your background that have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and service to others. These may include experiences such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, cultural background, or other significant events or circumstances that you feel have shaped your character and defined you as an individual. We are also interested on your thoughts about what you can contribute to your class and the medical profession in general. (2 pages, single spaced)

I think there were some other short questions about describing any new activities involving community outreach, leadership, research, etc.
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Thanks ewelling!
 
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REL, you crack me up. Thanks for making this application process a little less stressful.
 
did anyone find out why the payment didnt go through?


It wont work !!!
 
Pls check your email. If you were sent the secondary app you should also have received two emails, one on July 3 and one yesterday letting you know that there is a problem with BOA that will likely be rectified on Monday. If you do not find the email, maybe your spam box?
 
Is anyone having trouble with the wording of this application? It says at the top to put yes only if you have anything new to add, then proceeds to ask 6 questions in which it explains to NOT put any info that isnt new. The question after asks if you had to work through your college years and I have a hard time putting no. Many things are like this on the application, such as "are you currently enrolled in an academic program?" Well yes I am and it asks me to explain it but that stuff should be in your amcas app so why the f&** are you asking me this question?
 
Excited to finally be applying. Hoping for a little in state non-trad love! Good luck everyone.
 
REL said:
Pls check your email. If you were sent the secondary app you should also have received two emails, one on July 3 and one yesterday letting you know that there is a problem with BOA that will likely be rectified on Monday. If you do not find the email, maybe your spam box?
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I dont have bank of america.

I will wait till monday to try again. Thx!
 
jamiechan said:
I dont have bank of america.

I will wait till monday to try again. Thx!
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The e-mail from REL doesn't imply that if you are using Bank of America you won't be able to pay...it's implying that UCF uses BOA and their payment service is down.

Just wait until tomorrow.
 
ZeaL6 said:
Is anyone having trouble with the wording of this application? It says at the top to put yes only if you have anything new to add, then proceeds to ask 6 questions in which it explains to NOT put any info that isnt new. The question after asks if you had to work through your college years and I have a hard time putting no. Many things are like this on the application, such as "are you currently enrolled in an academic program?" Well yes I am and it asks me to explain it but that stuff should be in your amcas app so why the f&** are you asking me this question?
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Thank you for your inquiry. These questions are normally left blank because most applicants have enough room to explain everything in AMCAS. For some, not so true. For others who complete this application a few weeks/months after AMCAS they may have some things to add. So for your personal situation it makes it easy. Ditto for the academic information.
 
Thank you so much REL! I appreciate it!
 
submitted.

I appreciate the helpful but not overwhelmingly spammish emails, REL. keep them coming, as you see fit.
 
Are we expected to address every grade below a C individually? I had a bit of a bad run towards the end of my undergrad, mainly due to bad study habits. Ended up with 5 C's. I took multiple years off and am now finishing a M.S. at USF (new MCAT too) with better study habits and grades that reflect that.

Should I just list them all or kind of talk about them as a group?

Also, my LOR's are also kind of odd. I am a non-trad since its been multiple years since I graduated undergrad. UCF has an area where you can use supervisor letters instead of teacher letters for non-trads, or they have the traditional 2 Sci + 1 Non-Sci + 2 Char for regular students. I am basically in the middle, I have 3 Sci letters + 2 Char letters from supervisors. My M.S. program is entirely science classes, so there is no opportunity for me to get a non-science letter, but then by having teacher letters I don't really fit in the non-trad section either. Hopefully REL can help me out here...

Thanks everybody.
 
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