2014-2015 University of California - Davis Application Thread

[gettheleadout]

1. Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee. (1500 characters)

2. What have you been doing since submitting your AMCAS application? Include contact information for any references related to these experiences. (1500 characters)

3. The Accelerated Competency-Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) program is a 6-year track that seamlessly links medical school and residency in primary care. A collaboration between UCDSOM and Kaiser Permanente, the program allows a select group of eligible students to complete medical school in 3 years and receive a conditional acceptance to a UC Davis or Kaiser Permanente Northern California residency program in primary care. Students who are accepted to the UCDSOM 4-year program and who plan a career in primary care, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine will be considered for the program. For more information, please see http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/ACE-PC/about.html. If you would like to be considered for Davis ACE-PC, please tell us what attributes or experiences would make you a good fit for the program. If you are not interested, please insert "Not Applicable". (1500 characters)

4. The Rural-Program In Medical Education is designed for students interested in becoming physician leaders in rural California communities. Curricular enhancements include weekll seminars, hands-on skill sessions covering laceration repair, obstetric delivery, CPR, etc., mentorship with rural physicians, 3rd year rural clinical rotations and leadership opportunities related to rural health. Link to Rural-PRIME Website: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/rural_prime/index.html If interested, please tell us why you would like to be considered for the program. Otherwise, please insert "not applicable". (1500 characters)

5. Please describe your experiences working with underserved communities. If not interested in Rural-PRIME, please insert “not applicable”. (1500 characters)

6. What are your future plans to practice in a rural underserved community? If not interested in Rural-PRIME, please insert “not applicable”. (1500 characters)

7. The Physician Scientist Training Program (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/MD_Ph.D/index.html) is designed for students interested in becoming clinician investigators and leads to a dual degree (MD-PhD). The program includes 4 years of dedicated research in addition to the standard medical school curriculum. Did you select "Combined Medical Degree/Ph.D." under Program Type on your AMCAS application? If you did, please indicate why you are interested in the UC Davis School of Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program here. Otherwise, please insert "Not applicable". (1500 characters)

8. A collaboration between UCDSOM and the UC Davis TEACH Residency Program, the Transforming Education and Community Health Program for Medical Students (TEACH-MS) is a four year tailored track for students committed to primary care and care for the urban underserved (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/TEACH-MS/). If you would like to apply to TEACH-MS, please respond to the following 2 questions. Otherwise, please insert “not applicable”. A. Please tell us about your motivation to pursue a career in primary care (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Pediatrics). B. Please describe an experience that best demonstrates your commitment to urban underserved communities. (1500 characters)

9. A collaboration between UCDSOM, UC Merced and UCSF Fresno, the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) is a tailored leadership track for students committed to providing care for the medically underserved in the San Joaquin Valley (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/sjvprime/index.html). To apply to SJV PRIME, please respond to the following 3 questions. Otherwise please insert "not applicable". A. Please tell us about your ties to the San Joaquin Valley. B. Please tell us what you have done, or plan to do, to make a positive change in the San Joaquin Valley. C. After you complete your medical training, where (city or county) do you intend to practice and why? (1500 characters)

EXPERIENCES (Give three, 750char each)

Briefly describe this activity and its significance.
How did it prepare you for a medical career?
Include any supporting information
(e.g. your contribution to the project or accomplishment as
well as links to any publication, etc)

Good luck to everyone applying!

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[khrisskhoras]

one of my favorites...keeping fingers crossed. Submitted a few days ago.

 

[Abraxas65]

Applying IS from NorCal, definitely a stretch school for me. Fingers crossed.

 

[FutureMD33]

Applying here! Probably my #1 choice! Cali resident from Sacramento area, even 33 MCAT, 3.75 cGPA, 3.9 sGPA. Good luck to everyone!

 

[orangetea]

do you know if this school conducts holistic review? Or does everyone who pays get's a secondary?

 

[FutureMD33]

According to MSAR and their admissions website, they do some screening. Not sure the exact criteria though.

 

[SilentSoldier]

Incoming MS1 here and I'll be happy to answer any questions related to UC Davis and what not. Good luck everyone!!

 

[Abraxas65]

Incoming MS1 here and I'll be happy to answer any questions related to UC Davis and what not. Good luck everyone!!

Did anything about the UC Davis application/interview process surprise you? Lots of schools of weird little quirks and you never really hear about until you experience it yourself. How stressful was your interview? When did you get the secondary, submit it and get an interview? And if you dont mind mentioning are were you an IS or OOS applicant. Also congrats!

 

[SilentSoldier]

Did anything about the UC Davis application/interview process surprise you? Lots of schools of weird little quirks and you never really hear about until you experience it yourself. How stressful was your interview? When did you get the secondary, submit it and get an interview? And if you dont mind mentioning are were you an IS or OOS applicant. Also congrats!

I will say that the craziest/best thing about UC Davis is its MMI. Its totally unlike any of the MMIs I had during the application process. Unfortunately, I can't divulge any of the details due to signing confidentiality agreements but I would say that it totally makes sense why they do it the way they do. Its not scary, and actually quite fun. I will also say that the students at UC Davis are probably the happiest I've seen out of all the schools I've interviewed, which says a lot about the environment of the school.

 

[4563728]

I'm looking over the secondary from last year and I was wondering if a 9 in VR would be something to mention for the question on 'elements...you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee'? Would anyone else mention it given that the bottom 10% of acceptees at UCD scored an 8 in VR?

 

[4563728]

I wrote about my lower end of the spectrum GPA, so if you feel the need to discuss it, go ahead. But a lot of people believe that you shouldn't draw attention to something so minor.

Thanks for your input! I wasn't too sure since this is really the only concerning thing in my application but I didn't know if it was severe enough to mention in my essay. Thanks again

 

[Abraxas65]

I will say that the craziest/best thing about UC Davis is its MMI. Its totally unlike any of the MMIs I had during the application process. Unfortunately, I can't divulge any of the details due to signing confidentiality agreements but I would say that it totally makes sense why they do it the way they do. Its not scary, and actually quite fun. I will also say that the students at UC Davis are probably the happiest I've seen out of all the schools I've interviewed, which says a lot about the environment of the school.

lol telling us that but nothing more is just mean!!

 

[ridiculysses]

Secondary received.

 

[hoihaie]

Received; same prompts as last year.

 

[buynpass]

Secondary received.

+1

 

[Emeryx09]

.

 

[buynpass]

Is it true that the application needs to be submitted in thirty calendar days?

 

[buynpass]

Yeah that's what it looks like in the instructions. Is this normal for most UCs?

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

On the question about underserved communities...can someone please explain this to me? I volunteered for a program that offers reconstructive surgery to disadvantaged teens. Is this serving the underserved? I'm confused on the vocabulary.

 

[buynpass]

On the question about underserved communities...can someone please explain this to me? I volunteered for a program that offers reconstructive surgery to disadvantaged teens. Is this serving the underserved? I'm confused on the vocabulary.

I think by underserved they usually refer to people in lower socioeconomic classes or a demographic that has very limited access to healthcare (rural/urban environments)

 

[SliderK]

Actually, it looks like they cut out two of the prompts from last year. Here are this year's prompt:

1. Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee. (1500 characters)

2. What have you been doing since submitting your AMCAS application? Include contact information for any references related to these experiences. (1500 characters)

3. The Accelerated Competency-Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) program is a 6-year track that seamlessly links medical school and residency in primary care. A collaboration between UCDSOM and Kaiser Permanente, the program allows a select group of eligible students to complete medical school in 3 years and receive a conditional acceptance to a UC Davis or Kaiser Permanente Northern California residency program in primary care. Students who are accepted to the UCDSOM 4-year program and who plan a career in primary care, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine will be considered for the program. For more information, please see http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/ACE-PC/about.html. If you would like to be considered for Davis ACE-PC, please tell us what attributes or experiences would make you a good fit for the program. If you are not interested, please insert "Not Applicable". (1500 characters)

4. The Rural-Program In Medical Education is designed for students interested in becoming physician leaders in rural California communities. Curricular enhancements include weekll seminars, hands-on skill sessions covering laceration repair, obstetric delivery, CPR, etc., mentorship with rural physicians, 3rd year rural clinical rotations and leadership opportunities related to rural health. Link to Rural-PRIME Website: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/rural_prime/index.html If interested, please tell us why you would like to be considered for the program. Otherwise, please insert "not applicable". (1500 characters)

5. Please describe your experiences working with underserved communities. If not interested in Rural-PRIME, please insert “not applicable”. (1500 characters)

6. What are your future plans to practice in a rural underserved community? If not interested in Rural-PRIME, please insert “not applicable”. (1500 characters)

7. The Physician Scientist Training Program (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/MD_Ph.D/index.html) is designed for students interested in becoming clinician investigators and leads to a dual degree (MD-PhD). The program includes 4 years of dedicated research in addition to the standard medical school curriculum. Did you select "Combined Medical Degree/Ph.D." under Program Type on your AMCAS application? If you did, please indicate why you are interested in the UC Davis School of Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program here. Otherwise, please insert "Not applicable". (1500 characters)

8. A collaboration between UCDSOM and the UC Davis TEACH Residency Program, the Transforming Education and Community Health Program for Medical Students (TEACH-MS) is a four year tailored track for students committed to primary care and care for the urban underserved (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/TEACH-MS/). If you would like to apply to TEACH-MS, please respond to the following 2 questions. Otherwise, please insert “not applicable”. A. Please tell us about your motivation to pursue a career in primary care (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Pediatrics). B. Please describe an experience that best demonstrates your commitment to urban underserved communities. (1500 characters)

9. A collaboration between UCDSOM, UC Merced and UCSF Fresno, the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) is a tailored leadership track for students committed to providing care for the medically underserved in the San Joaquin Valley (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/sjvprime/index.html). To apply to SJV PRIME, please respond to the following 3 questions. Otherwise please insert "not applicable". A. Please tell us about your ties to the San Joaquin Valley. B. Please tell us what you have done, or plan to do, to make a positive change in the San Joaquin Valley. C. After you complete your medical training, where (city or county) do you intend to practice and why? (1500 characters)

EXPERIENCES (Give three, 750char each)

Briefly describe this activity and its significance.
How did it prepare you for a medical career?
Include any supporting information
(e.g. your contribution to the project or accomplishment as
well as links to any publication, etc)

 

[buynpass]

Sorry to overcrowd your inboxes, but since I'm in a different time zone (NZST) I thought I might as well be helpful before I go to bed.

The secondary application looks a bit different than last year:

ESSAYS (Only the top 2 are required)
1. Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee. (1500 character limit)

2. What have you been doing since submitting your AMCAS application? Include contact information for any references related to these experiences. (1500 character limit)

3. The Accelerated Competency-Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) program is a 6-year track that seamlessly links medical school and residency in primary care. A collaboration between UCDSOM and Kaiser Permanente, the program allows a select group of eligible students to complete medical school in 3 years and receive a conditional acceptance to a UC Davis or Kaiser Permanente Northern California residency program in primary care. Students who are accepted to the UCDSOM 4-year program and who plan a career in primary care, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine will be considered for the program. For more information, please see http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/ACE-PC/about.html. If you would like to be considered for Davis ACE-PC, please tell us what attributes or experiences would make you a good fit for the program. If you are not interested, please insert "Not Applicable".
Limit your response to 1500 characters.


4. The Rural-Program In Medical Education is designed for students interested in becoming physician leaders in rural California communities. Curricular enhancements include weekll seminars, hands-on skill sessions covering laceration repair, obstetric delivery, CPR, etc., mentorship with rural physicians, 3rd year rural clinical rotations and leadership opportunities related to rural health. Link to Rural-PRIME Website: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/rural_prime/index.html If interested, please tell us why you would like to be considered for the program. Otherwise, please insert "not applicable".
Limit your response to 1500 characters.


5. Please describe your experiences working with underserved communities. If not interested in Rural-PRIME, please insert “not applicable”.
Limit your response to 1500 characters.

6. What are your future plans to practice in a rural underserved community? If not interested in Rural-PRIME, please insert “not applicable”.
Limit your response to 1500 characters.

7. The Physician Scientist Training Program (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/MD_Ph.D/index.html) is designed for students interested in becoming clinician investigators and leads to a dual degree (MD-PhD). The program includes 4 years of dedicated research in addition to the standard medical school curriculum. Did you select "Combined Medical Degree/Ph.D." under Program Type on your AMCAS application? If you did, please indicate why you are interested in the UC Davis School of Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program here. Otherwise, please insert "Not applicable".
Limit your response to 1500 characters.

8. A collaboration between UCDSOM and the UC Davis TEACH Residency Program, the Transforming Education and Community Health Program for Medical Students (TEACH-MS) is a four year tailored track for students committed to primary care and care for the urban underserved (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/TEACH-MS/). If you would like to apply to TEACH-MS, please respond to the following 2 questions. Otherwise, please insert “not applicable”. A. Please tell us about your motivation to pursue a career in primary care (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Pediatrics). B. Please describe an experience that best demonstrates your commitment to urban underserved communities.
Limit your response to 1500 characters.

9. A collaboration between UCDSOM, UC Merced and UCSF Fresno, the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) is a tailored leadership track for students committed to providing care for the medically underserved in the San Joaquin Valley (http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/sjvprime/index.html). To apply to SJV PRIME, please respond to the following 3 questions. Otherwise please insert "not applicable". A. Please tell us about your ties to the San Joaquin Valley. B. Please tell us what you have done, or plan to do, to make a positive change in the San Joaquin Valley. C. After you complete your medical training, where (city or county) do you intend to practice and why?

Experiences (I think same as last year)
3 Experience descriptions including:
Start/End dates, Exp Type (Athletics, Clinical, Community Service, Employment, Other, Research, Training), Hours, References (Name, phone number, email, etc.), Evidence of Accomplishment (Award, Grant, Letter of Recommendation, None, Other, Presentation, Publication), and a description of the activity and its significance to preparing for your medical career. (750 characters max)


Also, I don't know if the prereqs are the same as before, but they only ask for 1 complete year of General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.

 

[buynpass]

Ah, SliderK beat me to it.

 

[Emeryx09]

.

 

[mrh125]

How selective is uc Davis with who they send secondaries too? I got one a few minutes after they said they'd review my application which makes me believe their screening is just some numbers cut off and being Instate.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I think by underserved they usually refer to people in lower socioeconomic classes or a demographic that has very limited access to healthcare (rural/urban environments)

Well would economically disadvantaged children who don't have access to healthcare because of their economic situation fit the criteria?

 

[SliderK]

.

 

[Strivetosucceed]

Are you just copying/pasting (with a few changes) the descriptions for the 3 meaningful experiences from the primary application? Or is it better to write completely different ones? Any opinions from the incoming medical students at Davis?

 

[TheBigB]

Are you just copying/pasting (with a few changes) the descriptions for the 3 meaningful experiences from the primary application? Or is it better to write completely different ones? Any opinions from the incoming medical students at Davis?

The instructions acknowledge the redundancy, though I suspect they expect you to elaborate.

Also, given that you've discussed xyz in your primary, this section may be a great place to go into specifics.

 

[dr.0ne]

For the additional programs that UC D offers (PRIME, RURAL etc.) does it hurt your chances if you specifically don't have anything to write about in these spaces? Seems like they are a very primary-care oriented school, but if I write 'not applicable' to all of them, does it show disinterest or lack of enthusiasm?

Would be great if a UCD Med student replied !

 

[peytcram]

I think that I might be interested in primary care, however at this point i am not certain thats absolutely what I want to do. If i mark an interest in the primary care program or prime program am i committing to these sorts of programs and eliminating my chances of being admitted to the regular MD program?

Also, are the character limits including spaces?

Thanks!

 

[clavicle]

Got a secondary this morning!

 

[peytcram]

Is davis big on research? If i have 3 good volunteer experiences would i be hurting myself not to include my research?

 

[jonhamm]

I'm also wondering if it's actually advisable to repeat my three most meaningful experiences from my primary - actually they would have to be shortened significantly since the character limit is smaller. Also, I submitted my primary three weeks ago - do they really expect that much changed between then and now re: essay question#2?

 

[clavicle]

I'm also wondering if it's actually advisable to repeat my three most meaningful experiences from my primary - actually they would have to be shortened significantly since the character limit is smaller. Also, I submitted my primary three weeks ago - do they really expect that much changed between then and now re: essay question#2?

In the secondary instructions, it states that you can repeat what you wrote in your primary; however, since there is a 750 character limit, I had to condense and restructure my experiences quite a bit compared to what I had in AMCAS.

 

[jonhamm]

In the secondary instructions, it states that you can repeat what you wrote in your primary; however, since there is a 750 character limit, I had to condense and restructure my experiences quite a bit compared to what I had in AMCAS.

I know it _says_ that... I'm wondering if that's actually a good idea.

 

[bluemachine]

is the secondary link not working for anybody else? i keep getting request timed out

 

[khrisskhoras]

Just got the secondary invite. Is anyone having trouble accessing the site? I keep getting an "HTTP Status 503" error saying that the site is not available.

 

[j314]

It worked for me a few hours ago. Haven't checked since then.

 

[bluemachine]

its working again! EDIT: whoops its down again D:

 

[rhythmisadancer]

Love this school. In-state.

 

[blackkrim]

Should we still answer #5 ("Underserved communities...") if we are not interested in the Rural-PRIME program? I have a lot of experience working with underserved populations and genuinely want to keep doing so, but I'm not planning on joining that particular program.

 

[ABC2014]

Is this the correct way to enter a class worth 4 quarter units?
Course Type: Quarter
Units Earned: 2.7

 

[Osteoth]

Woo first CA secondary invite! IS

 

[blackkrim]

You don't have to answer if you're not interested in the program. It really has no bearing on your admission consideration to the MD only program

Sorry I wasn't clear, my question is more: given that I do want to work with underserved communities, but not necessarily rural ones, would it be okay to still talk about that here or should I try to address that elsewhere?

 

[AndyQC]

Looks like they changed the secondary from last year.

For those of us who are interested solely in the MD program, do we just answer the first two questions as well as the "Experiences" section?

Thanks!

 

[ABC2014]

Looks like they changed the secondary from last year.

For those of us who are interested solely in the MD program, do we just answer the first two questions as well as the "Experiences" section?

Thanks!

I'm only answering Q1, Q2, and Experiences.

 

[SilentSoldier]

Looks like they changed the secondary from last year.

For those of us who are interested solely in the MD program, do we just answer the first two questions as well as the "Experiences" section?

Thanks!

Yes, only those interested in the other programs should fill out the prompts for those programs. Also, and just for some general knowledge to all those applying to Davis, it has no bearing on your chances into getting in the MD program if you apply to the other programs. As in, don't apply to the PRIME or MS-TEACH programs just because you think it'll give you a leg up on getting into the MD-only program.

 

[mrh125]

So since we've passed the initial screening and have gotten secondaries and submitted them, does that mean someone will go over our application in its entirety before making a decision to grant us an interview or reject us? How do the next steps in this process work?

 

[mrh125]

From my earlier post, see http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/admissions/how-to-apply.html

Good to know thanks. I just hope holistic review isn't a euphemism for "toss out those with low mcats".