2022-2023 UC - San Diego

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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maybejessymessyhassy said:
For anyone who has done the MMI, are we allowed to take notes during the 2 minutes of reading the scenario section? Thank you so much!
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Yes, you can take notes.
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6'0 OGFLYERCI said:
no seriously. Its cool to see that someones stories and ECs can be the bread and butter rather than their numbers.
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As someone with a similar GPA and slightly higher MCAT who got II->WL, it rlly looks like the autobiography/PS/ECs make up the brunt of whether you get a II or not esp as it is MCAT blind until post interview decisions.
 
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zippidieDooDah said:
As someone with a similar GPA and slightly higher MCAT who got II->WL, it rlly looks like the autobiography/PS/ECs make up the brunt of whether you get a II or not esp as it is MCAT blind until post interview decisions.
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Wow. As someone with a 520 mcat who will most likely be reapplying, I swear I'm not a psychopath lol, I kinda hope they don't do it MCAT blind again but this is good to know. My writing skills were lacking this cycle
 
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6'0 OGFLYERCI said:
Wow. As someone with a 520 mcat who will most likely be reapplying, I swear I'm not a psychopath lol, I kinda hope they don't do it MCAT blind again but this is good to know. My writing skills were lacking this cycle
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I do think the autobiography matters a lot - especially w/ regards to narrative. I messed up writing my AMCAS activities section (way too confusing/no clear theme), and I think it definitely hurt my chances for interviews at a lot of schools. I think I got the SD interview super quickly (in August) bc my autobiography basically provided a roadmap for all my relevant experiences and had a strong narrative.

I also have fairly high stats (520+; 3.9+), and this cycle also hasn't been going that well. I just think there's a big shift from just having high stats to also needing strong clinical experience + being able to write a strong narrative (components which my application lacked). In general, acceptance rates for the [515+; 3.8+] group have been going down each cycle (relative to lower academically performing groups), and imo this actually makes medical school admissions harder (I would prefer completely objective, predictable admissions, but I understand that there are a lot of flaws with just looking at grades/academic accomplishments).

I guess TLDR - realized that high stats only mean you won't get rejected based on stats - they really don't mean much from the perspective of actually getting accepted. (Anecdotally, I know a lot of high-achieving students from the bay area that really underperformed in admissions, and I truly believe it's just bc they lacked an engaging narrative for why they want to become doctors). [This was a lot longer than I thought haha - just wanted to provide my takeaways from this cycle]
 
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To be fair, UCSD's page mentions its policy regarding MCAT this cycle:
  • For all applicants, we will make decisions regarding interviews without consideration of the MCAT score.
  • We have a strong preference for applicants to have taken the MCAT before we make final, post-interview admissions decisions for the entering class of 2023....
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Who knows if this will change in the future and if they will start considering MCAT scores to determine who gets II.
 
I definitely understand where you guys are coming from. I know I’d feel angry, confused, hurt if I worked so hard to score so high and my application cycle wasn’t going as well as others (not to say us low scorers did not work just as hard). I’m really sorry the cycle did not go as planned and hopefully @theclarinetman is right and it maybe has to do with writing and creating a good narrative. I can definitely say my app has that; serving underserved communities is a clear theme seen in my PS and 8/15 of my ECs including clinical hours and research.

That being said, I do really appreciate the holistic approach med schools are taking bc it shows us low scorers do deserve a chance as well and it really isn’t all about scores, it’s also about someone’s “why medicine” and how they have shown that’s the real reason they’re going thru this rigorous process thru their ECs.

I truly hope none of you have to reapply and I really am rooting for all of us, but at least this next upcoming cycle you may know what you have to change which will make things a lot easier.
 
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imgettininregardless said:
I definitely understand where you guys are coming from. I know I’d feel angry, confused, hurt if I worked so hard to score so high and my application cycle wasn’t going as well as others (not to say us low scorers did not work just as hard). I’m really sorry the cycle did not go as planned and hopefully @theclarinetman is right and it maybe has to do with writing and creating a good narrative. I can definitely say my app has that; serving underserved communities is a clear theme seen in my PS and 8/15 of my ECs including clinical hours and research.

That being said, I do really appreciate the holistic approach med schools are taking bc it shows us low scorers do deserve a chance as well and it really isn’t all about scores, it’s also about someone’s “why medicine” and how they have shown that’s the real reason they’re going thru this rigorous process thru their ECs.

I truly hope none of you have to reapply and I really am rooting for all of us, but at least this next upcoming cycle you may know what you have to change which will make things a lot easier.
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Just want to clarify that I did not in any way mean to be offensive or criticize the holistic approach schools take - just wanted to provide some takeways for other higher-stat applicants that may not be getting the results they expected. I definitely understand the importance of "why medicine", clinical experiences, serving underserved communities, etc. I just feel like some higher-stat applicants feel that their stats can compensate for these other experiences, and that is a sentiment I do not think is true for the admissions cycle.

Congrats to you for your acceptance!
 
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theclarinetman said:
Just want to clarify that I did not in any way mean to be offensive or criticize the holistic approach schools take - just wanted to provide some takeways for other higher-stat applicants that may not be getting the results they expected. I definitely understand the importance of "why medicine", clinical experiences, serving underserved communities, etc. I just feel like some higher-stat applicants feel that their stats can compensate for these other experiences, and that is a sentiment I do not think is true for the admissions cycle.

Congrats to you for your acceptance!
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oh i know! i 100% understood what u were saying. i added the “why medicine” part in agreement with you. Also, tysm!! (jus to clarify the A is not from ucsd… yet *fingers crossed*)
 
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imgettininregardless said:
I definitely understand where you guys are coming from. I know I’d feel angry, confused, hurt if I worked so hard to score so high and my application cycle wasn’t going as well as others (not to say us low scorers did not work just as hard). I’m really sorry the cycle did not go as planned and hopefully @theclarinetman is right and it maybe has to do with writing and creating a good narrative. I can definitely say my app has that; serving underserved communities is a clear theme seen in my PS and 8/15 of my ECs including clinical hours and research.

That being said, I do really appreciate the holistic approach med schools are taking bc it shows us low scorers do deserve a chance as well and it really isn’t all about scores, it’s also about someone’s “why medicine” and how they have shown that’s the real reason they’re going thru this rigorous process thru their ECs.

I truly hope none of you have to reapply and I really am rooting for all of us, but at least this next upcoming cycle you may know what you have to change which will make things a lot easier.
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At first it was hard to accept, but it's been very motivational and forced me to grown in so many ways! I'm happy to say I've published multiple papers in the last few months and engaged in new extracurriculars all while doing the things I love and spending priceless time with my family. There will always be next cycle! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement :)
 
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6'0 OGFLYERCI said:
At first it was hard to accept, but it's been very motivational and forced me to grown in so many ways! I'm happy to say I've published multiple papers in the last few months and engaged in new extracurriculars all while doing the things I love and spending priceless time with my family. There will always be next cycle! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement :)
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exactly! i used to hate hearing “take a gap year!” but now i definitely see the value in it. I haven’t rested like this in so long and I wouldn’t have been mad if i had to take a second one. I so happy to hear about ur publishings!!! congrats!
 
6'0 OGFLYERCI said:
At first it was hard to accept, but it's been very motivational and forced me to grown in so many ways! I'm happy to say I've published multiple papers in the last few months and engaged in new extracurriculars all while doing the things I love and spending priceless time with my family. There will always be next cycle! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement :)
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Cycles not over till it's over bro. Send those updates! you never know man
 
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When is 2022-2023 application cycle officially over? End of July 2023?
 
ThisIsAsystole said:
To be fair, UCSD's page mentions its policy regarding MCAT this cycle:


Who knows if this will change in the future and if they will start considering MCAT scores to determine who gets II.
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They posted that update in May 2022, which was either the days of or after AMCAS was already submitted! I actually contacted them pre-cycle and they told me they weren't MCAT blind, so what I meant was that I wish they were clear and transparent about what parts of the cycle the score is considered during. This process has run me dry financially so I think schools can be clear about their adcom process so we can make informed decisions to minimize costs!

I am so thrilled about the movement toward holistic review AND I hope that schools remain communicative about changes to their review process so that we can save some $$ when sending out apps!
 
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oof_ouch said:
They posted that update in May 2022, which was either the days of or after AMCAS was already submitted! I actually contacted them pre-cycle and they told me they weren't MCAT blind, so what I meant was that I wish they were clear and transparent about what parts of the cycle the score is considered during. This process has run me dry financially so I think schools can be clear about their adcom process so we can make informed decisions to minimize costs!

I am so thrilled about the movement toward holistic review AND I hope that schools remain communicative about changes to their review process so that we can save some $$ when sending out apps!
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Wait so this cycle is not MCAT blind? It was last cycle?
 
laithbasch said:
Wait so this cycle is not MCAT blind? It was last cycle?
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On their website it says they are MCAT blind this cycle. I also emailed them this summer to confirm and they said they were MCAT blind.
 
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cytiva said:
Anyone know if UCSD is receptive to update/interest/intent letters post-interview?
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I think they'll only take a post-interview update if you're on the waitlist, and they'll send out a separate update for that.
 
cytiva said:
Ok Thank youu. Did they announce or post this anywhere? I can't find a formal policy
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I’m on the waitlist and they sent this info out in the waitlist email. They will reach out in April for update letters from those that are still interested!
 
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cytiva said:
Ok Thank youu. Did they announce or post this anywhere? I can't find a formal policy
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I think they said it at the interview day, but it's also on the application portal.

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Has anyone who was on a pre-II hold received an II? Just trying to gauge the likelihood of getting one at this point...
 
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For those who got an II recently when was the last available interview date? Tryna figure out if they are still sending out IIs or its all done now :(
 
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My email for the Hold says that I'm supposed to hear back by early February but I haven't yet. Is anyone else in the same position?
 
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Do any current students know what might help someone get off the waitlist when the time comes around? Since submitting my primary I've added ~1000 hours in research w/ a poster (from basically 0 hours) and could probably get a strong LOR from my PI. I know other schools use their WL differently, but I feel like my biggest flaw was my very low research for a school that wouldn't stop talking about it.
 
Mike Hokstinks said:
Do any current students know what might help someone get off the waitlist when the time comes around? Since submitting my primary I've added ~1000 hours in research w/ a poster (from basically 0 hours) and could probably get a strong LOR from my PI. I know other schools use their WL differently, but I feel like my biggest flaw was my very low research for a school that wouldn't stop talking about it.
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I would 100 percent let them know.
 
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Mike Hokstinks said:
I intend to, just don’t want to get my hopes up if the average person coming off the WL is some with new pubs or something really notable.
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There's no way to know.... we're on the WL and the odds are between 10 and 20 %. I'm not gonna get my hopes up bc the odds are low haha
 
Jimmy McGill said:
There's no way to know.... we're on the WL and the odds are between 10 and 20 %. I'm not gonna get my hopes up bc the odds are low haha
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I understand it’s low, but I don’t want to completely write this school off just to be blindsided in July with an A after signing a lease and moving to my current A.
 
Does UCSD send out financial aid info/offers to students on the waitlist so we can be prepared to make our decisions should we get off? One other school I was waitlisted at did that for everyone accepted or waitlisted.
 
Mike Hokstinks said:
I understand it’s low, but I don’t want to completely write this school off just to be blindsided in July with an A after signing a lease and moving to my current A.
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I'm pretty sure they make their WL offers in May-early June
 
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medhopeful377 said:
Does UCSD send out financial aid info/offers to students on the waitlist so we can be prepared to make our decisions should we get off? One other school I was waitlisted at did that for everyone accepted or waitlisted.
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No, they don't.
 
Mike Hokstinks said:
I understand it’s low, but I don’t want to completely write this school off just to be blindsided in July with an A after signing a lease and moving to my current A.
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right... like what happens in these situations when students are told they get into their #1 days before orientation 😭
 
OOS WL just now 🤡
 
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A this morning via email/portal! This was super unexpected for me 😭😭😭 IS, LM 69, PRIME-HEq applicant
 
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