2008-2009 UCSD Secondary Application Thread

[talbo]

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I got an interview offer today, so there is still hope for people!

interview offer from pre-interview hold? congrats and good luck!

 

[efitzpat]

I got an interview offer today, so there is still hope for people!

Oh so lucky! I want one I want one I want one I want one!

 

[Sangria]

I got an interview offer today, so there is still hope for people!

Was it off a pre-interview hold?
I desperately want a UCSD interview, but I've been on hold since Oct 1st and I've sent several updates. I guess they aren't too impressed with my autobiography.
When is your interview?
If they offered me one, I would drop everything and be there the next day, but i don't see that happening, since there's only been like 3 people getting a post-hold interview in this thread

 

[n3opologist]

Countdown to April 3rd!!!!! 43 days.......

 

[surfinghaole]

i was on pre-interview hold since the fall

my interview was schedule for march 31, i rescheduled it for march 30

 

[silverlining1]

Countdown to April 3rd!!!!! 43 days.......

Yaaay! I'm excited too! We'll be sending out an official invitation soon... at least a month before the event. Hammering out details now 🙂

i was on pre-interview hold since the fall

my interview was schedule for march 31, i rescheduled it for march 30

I'm really sorry... but I keep reading your name as "surfing a-hole".

Good luck on your interview, and let me know if you have questions about UCSD!

 

[efitzpat]

i was on pre-interview hold since the fall

my interview was schedule for march 31, i rescheduled it for march 30

What a dream! I'd love that... maybe tomorrow I'll get mine... sigh....

 

[DrWookie]

DOH! They gotta stop interviewing more people so they can look at us on the waitlist!

Just kidding (well not really...)

Good luck with your interview! 😉

 

[MoonUnitZappa]

Interviewed a little while ago. Great school. Unfortunately the interview didn't go too well. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[kdizzy]

Interviewed a little while ago. Great school. Unfortunately the interview didn't go too well. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I have an interview coming up in a week and I'm just wondering a couple of things: is it open or closed file? are there ethical questions? how long does the interview run for? and how many interviews are there (1 or 2)?

Sorry about these questions, but this will be my second interview. I've only received two invites. The first was to NYMC and the other is UCSD...probably the weirdest thing i've ever heard of. Hopefully i get to start an NYMC v. UCSD thread🙄

 

[silverlining1]

Interviewed a little while ago. Great school. Unfortunately the interview didn't go too well. Keeping my fingers crossed.

You never know... it's hard to predict... hope it still turns out well 🙂

I have an interview coming up in a week and I'm just wondering a couple of things: is it open or closed file? are there ethical questions? how long does the interview run for? and how many interviews are there (1 or 2)?

Sorry about these questions, but this will be my second interview. I've only received two invites. The first was to NYMC and the other is UCSD...probably the weirdest thing i've ever heard of. Hopefully i get to start an NYMC v. UCSD thread🙄

No worries! Actually, by this time last year, I'd only had 2 interviews...

We have two interviews, both open file. They are about an hour long each, and both are usually with faculty, though one may be with a fourth year med student. There may be some ethical questions, but the interviews are generally low stress and conversational.

Good luck!

 

[MoonUnitZappa]

I have an interview coming up in a week and I'm just wondering a couple of things: is it open or closed file? are there ethical questions? how long does the interview run for? and how many interviews are there (1 or 2)?

Sorry about these questions, but this will be my second interview. I've only received two invites. The first was to NYMC and the other is UCSD...probably the weirdest thing i've ever heard of. Hopefully i get to start an NYMC v. UCSD thread🙄

What silverlining said. My first interivew was low stress but the second one was high stress with lots of ethical questions. I went to the free clinic tour and dinner so my interview day ended when it was dark. But most interviewees in my batch were done around 2 pm.

 

[silverlining1]

A tip about the ethical questions - of course this is only my experience with one interviewer - but you don't have to go in knowing all the legislation and fancy philosophical terminology. When I was presented with a scenario, I first asked, "Is there a law governing this scenario?" And after the interview told me, I responded with my thoughts and conclusion. Seemed to go okay for me.

 

[DrWookie]

A tip about the ethical questions - of course this is only my experience with one interviewer - but you don't have to go in knowing all the legislation and fancy philosophical terminology. When I was presented with a scenario, I first asked, "Is there a law governing this scenario?" And after the interview told me, I responded with my thoughts and conclusion. Seemed to go okay for me.

Ethical questions can be really awkward...but I think that's the point.

At my Northwestern Interview (the panel, so with two other applicants in the room) I was asked what I would do if I was scrubbing into a surgery and I could smell alcohol on the attending's breath. I don't even remember how I answered...but it was definitely a difficult conversation. They kind of want you to not have a "for sure" answer...because I started saying how I would ask them if they had been drinking and then the interviewer started questioning me as if maybe I shouldn't ask...which threw me off.

That was the only rough time I've had with ethical questions...it was probably worse since there were 6 people in the room, versus being asked in a one on one.

 

[elizapbennet]

Hi,

I was wondering if UCSD gave out merit-based scholarships and if so, when would we hear back?

thanks

 

[lord_jeebus]

Hi,

I was wondering if UCSD gave out merit-based scholarships and if so, when would we hear back?

thanks

They do, I recall being offered one in April but the timing may have changed.

 

[n3opologist]

Hi,

I was wondering if UCSD gave out merit-based scholarships and if so, when would we hear back?

thanks

Yes, they do give out merit scholarships. They will start awarding in March, with the highest merit amount being 10k a year.

 

[LifeofGas]

Ethical questions can be really awkward...but I think that's the point.

At my Northwestern Interview (the panel, so with two other applicants in the room) I was asked what I would do if I was scrubbing into a surgery and I could smell alcohol on the attending's breath. I don't even remember how I answered...but it was definitely a difficult conversation. They kind of want you to not have a "for sure" answer...because I started saying how I would ask them if they had been drinking and then the interviewer started questioning me as if maybe I shouldn't ask...which threw me off.

That was the only rough time I've had with ethical questions...it was probably worse since there were 6 people in the room, versus being asked in a one on one.

These questions are tough. I got asked something similar at one of my interview,
"if you suspect your resident made an error in patient care, would you tell the attending?"

I answered along the line of, because I probably don't have enough experience with patient care as the resident, I will probably politely confront the resident and get a why out of this situation.

The interviewer then said "What happens if the resident brushes you off and ignore answering you."

I answered "then I will tell the attending." (I was still thinking about the possibility that I might not know enough to make the right call. Therefore, I said the above line with some reluctance, which is a big mistake IMO)

I figured I am pretty much screwed at this point, so I asked the interviewer how would he handle this kind of situation.

He told me about how they are looking for people who won't be bogged down by the chain in command, people who will not be afraid to speak up. (basically, i flunked this question)

Anyways, I have not heard back from that school yet, so it may or may not be as bad as I thought.

Thinking back, if I thought about "patient first" then I would probably be better off. It doesn't matter if the resident may or may not be making a mistake. The safe thing to do is to worry about the patient's well-being rather than being afraid of knowing too little and ruin the relationship.

Good learning experience though.

 

[silverlining1]

Chain of command may be a factor - for example, if you smell alcohol on an attending's breath and there is a resident in the room who you have worked with a lot, you may want to ask the resident to step aside for a moment and tell him/her what you noticed. Hopefully, the resident would either assuage your worries or confront the attending him/herself.

Respect and politeness may also be a factor - if you bring something up, try to do it privately as opposed to in front of a bunch of other people (especially a patient!).

Regardless, I do agree that it's important speak up even if you're on the bottom of the totem pole - you just have to be careful about how you do so.

This is what I got from a couple attendings and older med students... haven't encountered this myself, and I don't know for sure if this is the best way to go.

The ethical questions I got were more like "the parents refuse to allow a blood transfusion for their son, who you know will surely die without the treatment - what do you do".

 

[DrWookie]

Chain of command may be a factor - for example, if you smell alcohol on an attending's breath and there is a resident in the room who you have worked with a lot, you may want to ask the resident to step aside for a moment and tell him/her what you noticed. Hopefully, the resident would either assuage your worries or confront the attending him/herself.

Respect and politeness may also be a factor - if you bring something up, try to do it privately as opposed to in front of a bunch of other people (especially a patient!).

Regardless, I do agree that it's important speak up even if you're on the bottom of the totem pole - you just have to be careful about how you do so.

This is what I got from a couple attendings and older med students... haven't encountered this myself, and I don't know for sure if this is the best way to go.

The ethical questions I got were more like "the parents refuse to allow a blood transfusion for their son, who you know will surely die without the treatment - what do you do".

I do remember basically saying that I would say something...I just wasn't sure how I would say it or who I would say it to.

The problem that I always have with those questions is I tend to think of a lot of variables...and there are a lot of variables in some of those questions. How I confront a person about a question or a concern is going to vary WIDELY depending on how well I know that particular person, how much I have worked with them etc...


The parents refusing treatment is also a tough one. For something like a blood transfusion I would probably want to know why they are refusing treatment (religious or otherwise?). In the end though if the child is a minor (and unconscious) it is the parent's place to make the decision, I don't think we as doctors can override that. We can try to inform them as much as possible about the risk involved either way and what will most likely happen either way etc... but ultimately if they have a religious objection (or some other reason that is likely to not change) I don't think in the moment we can do anything...but then again we may be able to get parents in trouble or failure to protect their child or provide for their child's well-being. I do recall a case recently in the news about parents who refused to get their son treated for a very treatable condition and he died. I believe they were being taking to court for negligence (even though they didn't treat it due to religious convictions). It is one thing to refuse treatment on yourself, but if you have a young child who hasn't made their own decision on religion it definitely gets more complicated.

 

[doozenberg]

"if you suspect your resident made an error in patient care, would you tell the attending?"

Regardless, I do agree that it's important speak up even if you're on the bottom of the totem pole - you just have to be careful about how you do so.

This is what I got from a couple attendings and older med students... haven't encountered this myself, and I don't know for sure if this is the best way to go.

Probably also depends on the context and severity of the error. You don't want to go tattling straight to the attending on every little error that has no bearing on patient safety. But speaking up when it counts with sensitivity to the situation and players involved is important, too.

It gets a little stickier when the attending acts unethically by instructing the resident to suppress a relatively major error by leaving it undocumented. The correct thing to do from a med student standpoint is to speak with the clerkship director, another attending, or one of the medical school deans.

 

[silverlining1]

Probably also depends on the context and severity of the error. You don't want to go tattling straight to the attending on every little error that has no bearing on patient safety. But speaking up when it counts with sensitivity to the situation and players involved is important, too.

It gets a little stickier when the attending acts unethically by instructing the resident to suppress a relatively major error by leaving it undocumented. The correct thing to do from a med student standpoint is to speak with the clerkship director, another attending, or one of the medical school deans.

Sounds like good advice to me.

Another batch of decisions coming out tomorrow, methinks? Good luck to all!

 

[doozenberg]

The parents refusing treatment is also a tough one. For something like a blood transfusion I would probably want to know why they are refusing treatment (religious or otherwise?). In the end though if the child is a minor (and unconscious) it is the parent's place to make the decision, I don't think we as doctors can override that. We can try to inform them as much as possible about the risk involved either way and what will most likely happen either way etc... but ultimately if they have a religious objection (or some other reason that is likely to not change) I don't think in the moment we can do anything...but then again we may be able to get parents in trouble or failure to protect their child or provide for their child's well-being. I do recall a case recently in the news about parents who refused to get their son treated for a very treatable condition and he died. I believe they were being taking to court for negligence (even though they didn't treat it due to religious convictions). It is one thing to refuse treatment on yourself, but if you have a young child who hasn't made their own decision on religion it definitely gets more complicated.

If the blood transfusion will be life-saving and if the child is too young to communicate his or her own decision regarding blood transfusions, a court order can be obtained to override the parents in such a scenario.

 

[DrWookie]

If the blood transfusion will be life-saving and if the child is too young to communicate his or her own decision regarding blood transfusions, a court order can be obtained to override the parents in such a scenario.

I figured as such. That is definitely a situation where I need to know what options I have legally as a doctor, which i'm sure is something I'll learn 🙂

 

[riceman04]

so nervous right now!

for some reason I did not get any ethical questions from either one of my interviewers. Both were really chill

 

[DrWookie]

so nervous right now!

for some reason I did not get any ethical questions from either one of my interviewers. Both were really chill

Oh I didn't actually get one from San Diego, I was talking about another school.

Both my interviews are San Diego were really relaxed...during my second interview we kept listening to jazz music while we talked.

 

[riceman04]

Oh I didn't actually get one from San Diego, I was talking about another school.

Both my interviews are San Diego were really relaxed...during my second interview we kept listening to jazz music while we talked.

hahahahaha nice!!!!

 

[riceman04]

"acceptable waitlist e-mail today"

I wanted to cry like a wimp...but I'll be good after a good arse whipping in the gym...can't wait!

But then again...I was lucky enough to even get an interview. Ah well, time to wait now

 

[DrWookie]

"acceptable waitlist e-mail today"

I wanted to cry like a wimp...but I'll be good after a good arse whipping in the gym...can't wait!

But then again...I was lucky enough to even get an interview. Ah well, time to wait now

Welcome to my world 🙂

I'm pretty sure there is nothing we can do until May. They don't look at the waitlist again until then 🙁

 

[prokrastinazn]

"acceptable waitlist e-mail today"

I wanted to cry like a wimp...but I'll be good after a good arse whipping in the gym...can't wait!

But then again...I was lucky enough to even get an interview. Ah well, time to wait now

same here. ahhh man. i really don't think they're handing out acceptances anymore. no one's gotten any good news on this thread for like weeks.

 

[iA-MD2013]

"acceptable waitlist e-mail today"

I wanted to cry like a wimp...but I'll be good after a good arse whipping in the gym...can't wait!

But then again...I was lucky enough to even get an interview. Ah well, time to wait now

🙁 Waiting sucks.

 

[silverlining1]

"acceptable waitlist e-mail today"

I wanted to cry like a wimp...but I'll be good after a good arse whipping in the gym...can't wait!

But then again...I was lucky enough to even get an interview. Ah well, time to wait now

same here. ahhh man. i really don't think they're handing out acceptances anymore. no one's gotten any good news on this thread for like weeks.

Argh, I'm sorry to hear that. crossed for you, but regardless, I hope you end up happy somewhere!

They are still handing out acceptances; I know for a fact that a batch of 15ish (don't remember) went out 2 weeks ago.

 

[prokrastinazn]

aww...thanks for the well wishes silverlining!

i dunno...re-reading my posts, i think i've cast off that vibe of being bitter. it's just been a brutal wait. my apologies to you loyal readers of sdn for dumping my frustrations and anguish into this anonymous realm of cyberspace.

 

[249825]

same here. ahhh man. i really don't think they're handing out acceptances anymore. no one's gotten any good news on this thread for like weeks.

Yes, I believe that at this point they are just interviewing for waitlist spots. The only person that was recently accepted had a Phd and she was accepted within a week of her interview (not 2 weeks like rest of us). It kindda sucks that UCSD does that to people. Freaking acceptable pool is like 500 people at this point. This acceptable "pool" is a complete sham. If they would have any respect for applicants they would rather rank them and let them know if they have a realistic chance of being accepted. It sucks to put your plans on hold until end of May just because UCSD "might" come through.
Every other week you see people posting on this thread, all excited about getting a late interview and then they are ultimately waitlisted like rest of us. With a waitlist of applicants about 5 times of the the total available seats, UCSD might really not like its chances against other good schools out there. In my personal opinion, UCSD was the least impressive program among all the top ranking programs I interviewed at. The vibe I got from the students I met on interview day was more of "atleast I am in California"/"I did not get into my top choice, so I settled for UCSD". For me, UCSD would be a more of "atleast I am in California (home)". Here is a for all of my fellow inhabitants of the waitlist pool and I really do hope that everything works out well for everyone of us.👍

 

[DrWookie]

Yes, I believe that at this point they are just interviewing for interview spots. The only person that was recently accepted had a Phd and she was accepted within a week of her interview (not 2 weeks like rest of us). It kindda sucks that UCSD does that to people. Freaking acceptable pool is like 500 people at this point. This acceptable "pool" is a complete sham. If they would have any respect for applicants they would rather rank them and let them know if they have a realistic chance of being accepted. It sucks to put your plans on hold until end of May just because UCSD "might" come through.
Every other week you see people posting on this thread, all excited about getting a late interview and then they are ultimately waitlisted like rest of us. With a waitlist of applicants about 5 times of the the total available seats, UCSD might really not like its chances against other good schools out there. In my personal opinion, UCSD was the least impressive program among all the top ranking programs I interviewed at. The vibe I got from the students I met on interview day was more of "atleast I am in California"/"I did not get into my top choice, so I settled for UCSD". For me, UCSD would be a more of "atleast I am in California (home)". Here is a for all of my fellow inhabitants of the waitlist pool and I really do hope that everything works out well for everyone of us.👍

I didn't get that impression from my visit...

All the students I talked to at lunch and the people who did our tour were all SUPER happy with their decision. The students I met at UCSD were the most happy about their school choice than any other school I visited, which is part of why I like it.

I do agree though on the whole "waitlist" thing...A number would be REALLY nice. They say they tend to invite 40-80 people out of the pool...but I feel like the pool is going to be pretty big so that really isn't many people. I'd like to know if I'm like number 20 or number 300. I'm accepted to other schools I like so at this point I just want to know so I can start planning. If I got accepted to UCSD I would go for sure, but I'm in a waiting game now (as you all are).

 

[droshan]

I don't understand why schools won't just tell you where you stand on the list...even if they claim they don't have a ranked list, it only makes sense that they do. Its just inconsiderate...especially if you are accepted to another school and want to make plans.

 

[249825]

I don't understand why schools won't just tell you where you stand on the list...even if they claim they don't have a ranked list, it only makes sense that they do. Its just inconsiderate...especially if you are accepted to another school and want to make plans.

I agree, I am sick of this BS they try to sell us. How the hell can they even evaluate every single one of 500 people in the waitlist when it comes down to giving out acceptances in may-july. They should have transparent system just like OHSU (Oregon) does. OHSU has a webpage where you can login and check your rank on the waitlist. Right now there are like 500 people hoping to get like 50-60 spots (max). I just really hope that every single one of the waitlisted person calls their admissions office in summer and chew their head about waitlist movement, I guess then they MIGHT get it. But based on their track record, I doubt this will happen.🙄

 

[chessknt]

For the record oh so holy UCLA doesnt rank their waitlist either.

 

[249825]

For the record oh so holy UCLA doesnt rank their waitlist either.

Yes, you are absolutely right. These losers at UCSD try to copy every single thing that UCLA does. 😀

 

[doozenberg]

I don't understand why schools won't just tell you where you stand on the list...even if they claim they don't have a ranked list, it only makes sense that they do. Its just inconsiderate...especially if you are accepted to another school and want to make plans.

I agree it can be frustrating.

Take this for what you will, but I was put in the acceptable pool around March and got in around late June. I had already committed to another school and had already made fairly firm plans to attend. While I still kept the line open with UCSD, I set it in my mind fairly early that an acceptance would be a great surprise but that I wouldn't count on it. The surprise was quite sweet indeed when it came around. Hope but don't expect is my mantra.

If I remember correctly and if things are still the same, they re-evaluated similar applicants from the pool in groups of five or so as seats opened up. I think it would be impractical to rank the pool because the composition of the pool and the class are constantly evolving, especially as waitlist season progresses.

 

[249825]

If I remember correctly and if things are still the same, they re-evaluated similar applicants from the pool in groups of five or so as seats opened up. I think it would be impractical to rank the pool because the composition of the pool and the class are constantly evolving, especially as waitlist season progresses.

So, every time a seat opens up they go back to the "pool" of about 500, find 5 similar applicants, choose one from them and then put rest of them back in the pool... Rinse and Repeat.I think this approach would highly impractical.

The system you suggested might only work if they have an internal ranked waitlist. They prolly pull out the next 5 people in the waitlist if a seat opens up and compare them against each other. This might seem more fair but this not what they advertise.

 

[silverlining1]

Yes, I believe that at this point they are just interviewing for waitlist spots. The only person that was recently accepted had a Phd and she was accepted within a week of her interview (not 2 weeks like rest of us). It kindda sucks that UCSD does that to people. Freaking acceptable pool is like 500 people at this point. This acceptable "pool" is a complete sham. If they would have any respect for applicants they would rather rank them and let them know if they have a realistic chance of being accepted. It sucks to put your plans on hold until end of May just because UCSD "might" come through.
Every other week you see people posting on this thread, all excited about getting a late interview and then they are ultimately waitlisted like rest of us. With a waitlist of applicants about 5 times of the the total available seats, UCSD might really not like its chances against other good schools out there. In my personal opinion, UCSD was the least impressive program among all the top ranking programs I interviewed at. The vibe I got from the students I met on interview day was more of "atleast I am in California"/"I did not get into my top choice, so I settled for UCSD". For me, UCSD would be a more of "atleast I am in California (home)". Here is a for all of my fellow inhabitants of the waitlist pool and I really do hope that everything works out well for everyone of us.👍

Firstly, please see the post of mine that I quoted below - I know for a fact that you are not interviewing for a waitlist spot.

They are still handing out acceptances; I know for a fact that a batch of 15ish (don't remember) went out 2 weeks ago.

All the students I talked to at lunch and the people who did our tour were all SUPER happy with their decision. The students I met at UCSD were the most happy about their school choice than any other school I visited, which is part of why I like it.

I do agree though on the whole "waitlist" thing...A number would be REALLY nice. They say they tend to invite 40-80 people out of the pool...but I feel like the pool is going to be pretty big so that really isn't many people. I'd like to know if I'm like number 20 or number 300. I'm accepted to other schools I like so at this point I just want to know so I can start planning. If I got accepted to UCSD I would go for sure, but I'm in a waiting game now (as you all are).

I understand your frustration. I was on two waitlists last year and stuck it out until late July, upon which I said "I can't deal with this anymore". It sucks, but I think the majority of schools will not tell you where you are on the waitlist. It's not cool at all, but that's just how it is. Why? More below...

If I remember correctly and if things are still the same, they re-evaluated similar applicants from the pool in groups of five or so as seats opened up. I think it would be impractical to rank the pool because the composition of the pool and the class are constantly evolving, especially as waitlist season progresses.

So, every time a seat opens up they go back to the "pool" of about 500, find 5 similar applicants, choose one from them and then put rest of them back in the pool... Rinse and Repeat.I think this approach would highly impractical.

The system you suggested might only work if they have an internal ranked waitlist. They prolly pull out the next 5 people in the waitlist if a seat opens up and compare them against each other. This might seem more fair but this not what they advertise.

Well, actually, doozenberg is more correct on this one. When someone drops out, the admissions committee will pull out some files (I think it's more than 5, though) of applicants with similar qualities and experiences. They will pick someone from that little batch. When the next person drops out, if that person had different experiences, the committee would then look through a batch of applicants similiar to him/her.

And yeah, they do have some idea of where you stand, but it really cannot be as simple as "going down the line" because of this "what is the person like" factor.

Again, I totally understand you guys wanting to vent your frustrations (I contacted my waitlist schools a lot last year...), but please try to understand that even though UCSD tries to be as transparent as possible (remember how we told you your exact decision date and said you could call at any time?), this is just the way things work around the country when it comes to waitlists. I'm sorry 🙁 Good luck though!

 

[droshan]

Heh, well I don't even have an interview, but I'm voicing my irritation with the waitlists in general. Haha,I'm just hoping to get one of the last interview spots which I hear will be going out at the end of this week. Either you get an interview then or its game over. I appreciate the closure though haha. Even if I do get an interview I'll probably end up in a waitlists like the rest of you as my track record of 5 WLs out of 7 interviews would suggest . Only then can I really complain about the waitlist like the rest of you.

 

[silverlining1]

Heh, well I don't even have an interview, but I'm voicing my irritation with the waitlists in general. Haha,I'm just hoping to get one of the last interview spots which I hear will be going out at the end of this week. Either you get an interview then or its game over. I appreciate the closure though haha. Even if I do get an interview I'll probably end up in a waitlists like the rest of you as my track record of 5 WLs out of 7 interviews would suggest . Only then can I really complain about the waitlist like the rest of you.

I had 3 waitlists out of 4 interviews =p Good times.

 

[249825]

Well, actually, doozenberg is more correct on this one. When someone drops out, the admissions committee will pull out some files (I think it's more than 5, though) of applicants with similar qualities and experiences. They will pick someone from that little batch. When the next person drops out, if that person had different experiences, the committee would then look through a batch of applicants similiar to him/her.

I Disagree on that one. Does UCSD have a seperate rack for each "similar qualities and experiences" of its applicants? Lets say one for similar research, major, travelling experiences, volunteer,etc. I seriously doubt that. Your suggestion warrants that every time a seat opens up someone has to physically go through the entire stack of applications of the waitlisted students to make sure that they do not miss out on an applicant with "similar qualities and experiences". It is a novel idea, but not practical.

And yeah, they do have some idea of where you stand

This is the biggest gripe I have with UCSD's admissions process.
If they do have some idea then why keep 500 people in limbo? Cant they just live with 200-300 people in the same limbo? If they can cut down their acceptable pool to lets say 200-300 people that would mean that rest 200-300 waitlisters can carry on with their life instead of waiting for UCSD to come through for them.

UCSD tries to be as transparent as possible (remember how we told you your exact decision date and said you could call at any time?)

I am sorry that should be general courtesy to all the applicants. I can live with the fact that I might not hear back from a school for a couple of months regarding a decision on my application. However, using the term "acceptable pool" to mislead hundreds of applicants for close to 5-7 months is just simply not transparent in my book.

 

[silverlining1]

I Disagree on that one. Does UCSD have a seperate rack for each "similar qualities and experiences" of its applicants? Lets say one for similar research, major, travelling experiences, volunteer,etc. I seriously doubt that. Your suggestion warrants that every time a seat opens up someone has to physically go through the entire stack of applications of the waitlisted students to make sure that they do not miss out on an applicant with "similar qualities and experiences". It is a novel idea, but not practical.

The director of admissions told me this. Perhaps I misinterpreted what he said... but I don't think so.

If they do have some idea then why keep 500 people in limbo? Cant they just live with 200-300 people in the same limbo? If they can cut down their acceptable pool to lets say 200-300 people that would mean that rest 200-300 waitlisters can carry on with their life instead of waiting for UCSD to come through for them.

I am sorry that should be general courtesy to all the applicants. I can live with the fact that I might not hear back from a school for a couple of months regarding a decision on my application. However, using the term "acceptable pool" to mislead hundreds of applicants for close to 5-7 months is just simply not transparent in my book.

I'm very sorry. I don't know why they do this. I will bring it up. Before I do so, though, I don't have the MSAR on me; do we waitlist more applicants than other schools?

 

[249825]

I'm very sorry. I don't know why they do this. I will bring it up. Before I do so, though, I don't have the MSAR on me; do we waitlist more applicants than other schools?

Thank you, I guess a lot of waitlisted people like myself will appreciate that.

I dont have a MSAR on me but I know that UCLA waitlists almost the same number of people as well. But that should not be the argument. I completely understand the fact that a med school has to make sure that its class is completely filled out. However, to fill out the potential 50-60 spots you do not need to have close to 500 people on a waitlist. Even in the worst case scenario they can not go beyond 200 waitlisted people, it is just simply not plausible. They can atleast tell the applicants that they are in the top,middle,lower, quartiles etc. so that applicants can make-up their mind and wait on UCSD for a potential spot if they so desire. If nothing else they can atleast reject few people, like they did last year around mid-may, much earlier (maybe as soon as the interview season ends). This would atleast let some of us to go back to our regular life rather than playing the waiting game till may.

 

[silverlining1]

Thank you, I guess a lot of waitlisted people like myself will appreciate that.

I dont have a MSAR on me but I know that UCLA waitlists almost the same number of people as well. But that should not be the argument. I completely understand the fact that a med school has to make sure that its class is completely filled out. However, to fill out the potential 50-60 spots you do not need to have close to 500 people on a waitlist. Even in the worst case scenario they can not go beyond 200 waitlisted people, it is just simply not plausible. They can atleast tell the applicants that they are in the top,middle,lower, quartiles etc. so that applicants can make-up their mind and wait on UCSD for a potential spot if they so desire. If nothing else they can atleast reject few people, like they did last year around mid-may, much earlier than that (maybe as soon as the interview season ends). This would atleast let some of us to go back to our regular life rather than playing the waiting game till may.

Indeed, it does suck and seem really unfair... it would be nice if there were a mass movement at med schools to give applicants a better idea of where they stood.

I actually have classmates who got off the waitlist in July and August; I know of one who got the call the week before school started! This can happen at many med schools. I guess it just depends... do you want to hold out for that chance with no information about where you're at? I decided on July 31 that I wanted to get on with my life, figure out housing, and get excited about where I was going. Fortunately for me, I think UCSD actually has turned out to be the right place for me (and I don't just mean that I "coped well"). But yeah, I was not happy that it took more than one year from AMCAS submission to know where I was going to med school.

 

[DrWookie]

Thank you, I guess a lot of waitlisted people like myself will appreciate that.

I dont have a MSAR on me but I know that UCLA waitlists almost the same number of people as well. But that should not be the argument. I completely understand the fact that a med school has to make sure that its class is completely filled out. However, to fill out the potential 50-60 spots you do not need to have close to 500 people on a waitlist. Even in the worst case scenario they can not go beyond 200 waitlisted people, it is just simply not plausible. They can atleast tell the applicants that they are in the top,middle,lower, quartiles etc. so that applicants can make-up their mind and wait on UCSD for a potential spot if they so desire. If nothing else they can atleast reject few people, like they did last year around mid-may, much earlier than that (maybe as soon as the interview season ends). This would atleast let some of us to go back to our regular life rather than playing the waiting game till may.

I totally agree.

Being in an unranked pool with like ~100-200 would be one thing, but considering EVERYONE who interviews that doesn't get in is in this "acceptable pool" is just silly because you know probably only half of them really have a chance. I think they could shrink the list a bit, especially right as interview season ends. I think some people would just prefer to be told in march that they are outright rejected instead of just waiting until July to hear the same thing.

EDIT:

In my MSAR for 2009-2010 (so based on last year), UCSD interviewed 569 people total for 134 spots. Considering no one is rejected, that is like 440 people in the waitlist?

 

[n3opologist]

For the cycle that Dr. Chewbacca is referring to, there were 304 acceptances. That's better than a 50% acceptance rate once interviewed! There is no way UCSD plans on accepting more than 200 people pre-waitlist. It's just too risky, considering the possibility of a really high matriculation rate. So say they accept 200, which I still think is a maximum. That means that the waiting pool is around 350. Of those 350 they could potentially take 100 if previous years’ data works out as a good predictor of this year. Those aren't bad odds people!

Plus, a fair amount of people will not pursue the waiting pool. So the 350 shrinks a lot.

Zor, if you're just going to put down UCSD without making any constructive comments, I think you are wasting your time. There are plenty of people who are going to eagerly pursue their spot in the waiting pool. It doesn't seem like you want to go to UCSD anyway.

They do fill remaining spots with “similar applicants,” but realize that similar could mean a range of things. Going through a pool of 350 applicants really isn’t that tough, especially when certain applicants stand out, like those who write LOIs. This is what these people do for a living, so I wouldn’t say that it’s too much trouble to search through the whole pool for similar applicants to those withdrawn.

I think UCSD’s admissions office is the MOST transparent of all the California schools. Zeglen and Kelly are VERY honest. If you guys on the waitlist haven’t spoken with either, get on it, and get your name know!

38 days until 2nd look!!!!