2008-2009 UCSD Secondary Application Thread

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Hey does anyone know if UCSD will be sending out any more secondaries or is their lack of status update simply a silent rejection?
 
Does anyone have any information or recommendations about the MD/Master in Leadership of Health Care Organizations?
I'm sorry that I haven't spoken to anyone in the program, but you can check out this link if you haven't already http://lhco.ucsd.edu/

Hey does anyone know if UCSD will be sending out any more secondaries or is their lack of status update simply a silent rejection?
Don't know, but you can definitely try calling someone in the admissions office, such as Brian Zeglen, the Director of Admissions. Everyone is really nice, and I think that they would be happy to give you information about where things are in the cycle.
 
Does anyone have any information or recommendations about the MD/Master in Leadership of Health Care Organizations?

Hello all. I'm a 4th year med student at UCSD right now. After a 3.5 year hiatus from sdn, I have decided to try to contribute something, however minor, after making use of these forums as an applicant to med school myself 4 years ago.

Regarding your question, I personally haven't heard of anyone doing this specific combo, but do know several who have done and are doing the Masters in Clinical Research program (http://clre.ucsd.edu/). Most people take 12 months in between 3rd and 4th year to do a clinically-oriented research project and take some low-key classes on how to conduct studies, get funding, biostats, etc and you actually get a stipend for the year through some NIH funding secured by Dean Kelly. I think a handful of spots are available every year. In any case, it's not something you need to decide on until around the middle of your 3rd year anyway. I believe this time frame applies to most other master's programs as well. Hope this helps.
 
anyone hear from SD today? i'm anxious. I was expecting either a call or and email by now.
 
I just checked my phone messages and there was a message there from a few hours ago (6pm pacific) from a dean at UCSD saying they had good news for me and to call back tomorrow. I'm pretty surprised cause they said I wouldn't hear until Feb 10! Good luck to those still waiting. :luck:
 
I just checked my phone messages and there was a message there from a few hours ago (6pm pacific) from a dean at UCSD saying they had good news for me and to call back tomorrow. I'm pretty surprised cause they said I wouldn't hear until Feb 10! Good luck to those still waiting. :luck:
Congratulations!!
 
Hey Silverlining1,

Do you know when they are planning second look? Do you have some fun things lined up for us to do?
 
Hey Silverlining1,

Do you know when they are planning second look? Do you have some fun things lined up for us to do?
We're meeting to plan Second Look this Friday and also in the coming weeks... stay tuned! Sorry I don't have a concrete date for you yet.

Also, if you have suggestions for what kind of stuff you do and don't want to do, I would love to hear them!
 
We're meeting to plan Second Look this Friday and also in the coming weeks... stay tuned! Sorry I don't have a concrete date for you yet.

Also, if you have suggestions for what kind of stuff you do and don't want to do, I would love to hear them!

Cadaver dissection! By the way, are you the student representative, initials JT?
 
... I guess that wildly gives away who I am. Oh well =] I think Dean Kelly already knows.
So I just saw Dean Kelly at a faculty/student social... she does know who I am. =p She reads these forums too 😉
 
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JT is the admissions representative, who answers emails and sets up free clinic tours. I hold the same position as PP (second year), who sent out emails to acceptees. I'm taking over the email sending starting tomorrow!

... I guess that wildly gives away who I am. Oh well =] I think Dean Kelly already knows.

EDIT: If you emailed [email protected], you would have received a response from JT or someone else... the someone else is me =]

Hey do you know Roman Fajardo? I'm staying with him on the 8th.

Also, I wanted to sign up for the free clinic tour, but they do not offer the tour on the weekend (i interview on Monday) and I will be heading back to the east coast on tuesday....sigh....If airline tickets are cheap enough could I come back out to UCSD to check it out?
 
Hey do you know Roman Fajardo? I'm staying with him on the 8th.

Also, I wanted to sign up for the free clinic tour, but they do not offer the tour on the weekend (i interview on Monday) and I will be heading back to the east coast on tuesday....sigh....If airline tickets are cheap enough could I come back out to UCSD to check it out?
Roman is one of my closest friends 🙂 He's a great guy. I think you'll enjoy staying with him.

I believe our free clinics operate every weekday (wow!) but unfortunately there is no activity on the weekends... so there wouldn't be anything for you to see. However, Roman can certainly tell you about the free clinics - he and I are both managers of the same specialty clinic 🙂 You can sign up for a free clinic tour anytime during the interview season - we don't care when you actually interview. If you want to come back on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday that isn't listed on the signup page, though, let me know and I will take you there.

You said you're heading back on Tuesday though - why can't you take the tour on Monday evening?
 
Roman is one of my closest friends 🙂 He's a great guy. I think you'll enjoy staying with him.

I believe our free clinics operate every weekday (wow!) but unfortunately there is no activity on the weekends... so there wouldn't be anything for you to see. However, Roman can certainly tell you about the free clinics - he and I are both managers of the same specialty clinic 🙂 You can sign up for a free clinic tour anytime during the interview season - we don't care when you actually interview. If you want to come back on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday that isn't listed on the signup page, though, let me know and I will take you there.

You said you're heading back on Tuesday though - why can't you take the tour on Monday evening?

I thought I read the tours are offered Tuesday and Wednesday...let me check...b/c if there is a Monday night tour then I can definitely check it out.

The (pa)rents are meeting me in SD (since they live in LA). I guess after my interview day we can just hang out in SD until that evening...sounds good to me. I am going to check now
 
suuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!

I just signed up...hmmm...I am not sure how I overlooked that before. Thanks silverlining
 
I thought I read the tours are offered Tuesday and Wednesday...let me check...b/c if there is a Monday night tour then I can definitely check it out.

The (pa)rents are meeting me in SD (since they live in LA). I guess after my interview day we can just hang out in SD until that evening...sounds good to me. I am going to check now
The Monday night clinic is the best one! 😉 (The one I work at.) The tour starts at 6pm. Let me know if you have any trouble signing up.
 
Roman was my tourguide when I interviewed! Definitely go on the clinic tour - the free dinner afterwards is nice, too! 😀

Silverlining tells me that she often gets people on her tours who start talking about SDN, and somehow the topic always turns to "shemarty is insane" :laugh:
 
I really cannot wait to meet everybody. My second west coast tour...Starting up north and heading down to SD....Silver you are getting me so amped!

Hey is there a decent gym on campus?
 
I really cannot wait to meet everybody. My second west coast tour...Starting up north and heading down to SD....Silver you are getting me so amped!

Hey is there a decent gym on campus?

lol RIMAC is huge, but its across the street on the UG campus, plus maingym, the canyon view pool, etc, awesome facilities 🙂
 
lol RIMAC is huge, but its across the street on the UG campus, plus maingym, the canyon view pool, etc, awesome facilities 🙂
👍

The main gym (kinda crappy, but does have bball courts and weight equipment) is very close to the med school. RIMAC is big and modern; you can take a free shuttle there from the med school or take a nice long walk if you like. We also have an indoor pool, which I think is SWEET.
 
Silverlining tells me that she often gets people on her tours who start talking about SDN, and somehow the topic always turns to "shemarty is insane" :laugh:
😛 Indeed. I joke that my claim to fame is having shemarty as one of my close friends. People pretty much only know who I am if they're reading this particular thread or if they applied to Cali schools last cycle.
 
i just got rejected 3 times by ucsd.

i called the office in november, they said my primary didn't make it. then i sent an appeal letter, they email me back saying they don't like me. then, today i get snail mail saying they don't like me again lol.

o well... 🙁 glad to see lots of other happiness in this thread though
 
So I just saw Dean Kelly at a faculty/student social... she does know who I am. =p She reads these forums too 😉


I never thought that deans would read these forums. Interesting. Maybe that will keep people more civilized in what they say or just stop people from linking their mdapps to their forum names.
 
I never thought that deans would read these forums. Interesting. Maybe that will keep people more civilized in what they say or just stop people from linking their mdapps to their forum names.

The in-house ucsd med student forums are definitely patrolled by faculty and deans, so would not be surprised if sdn threads of interest were monitored too.
 
The in-house ucsd med student forums are definitely patrolled by faculty and deans, so would not be surprised if sdn threads of interest were monitored too.
True, but ouch, I wouldn't really say they're "patrolled". We do have threads where we post funny youtube videos and all that good stuff... And the faculty occasionally post when we have questions (academic or student-life related). I think we did have an issue earlier in the year when a debate about gay marriage got very heated, but I think the forums are overall wonderful for communication.
 
True, but ouch, I wouldn't really say they're "patrolled". We do have threads where we post funny youtube videos and all that good stuff... And the faculty occasionally post when we have questions (academic or student-life related). I think we did have an issue earlier in the year when a debate about gay marriage got very heated, but I think the forums are overall wonderful for communication.

Sorry, perhaps that conveyed too much of a big-brother image. Yes, overall I'd agree that they're quite open, entertaining, and most importantly, very functionally useful when it comes down to it. Posts have your name (rather than a handle) stamped to them and you must be directly affiliated with the SOM to even read any of these forums, so I'd call it cozier and more transparent than the pseudo-anonymous world that is sdn.
 
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I just checked my phone messages and there was a message there from a few hours ago (6pm pacific) from a dean at UCSD saying they had good news for me and to call back tomorrow. I'm pretty surprised cause they said I wouldn't hear until Feb 10! Good luck to those still waiting. :luck:

Congradz!! When did you interview?
 
Got an interview for Feb 10th! Taking the free clinic tour on Mon night. Hope to meet some of you guys there. 🙂

Super excited!!

For those of you who are still waiting hang in there! Don't lose hope. I found out I was passed over during the first few round of secondaries and they were not going to reconsider until much later. I wrote in a letter expressing my strong interest in UCSD (more like a plea for a secondary) and whoa, I was actually granted a secondary. And SURPRISE an interview offer several weeks later. Totally unexpected! This was the last place I expected an interview from....so I'm stoked!
 
Congrats on the interview. Has SD actually rejected anyone post secondary or do they just hold everyone?
 
Congrats Sonnet! 🙂


Has anyone tried to change the date of their interview? On the email it says "therefore it is to your advantage to interview as scheduled". Does that mean if you change your date it leaves you in a bad position??

I currently have my interview scheduled for March 3 (so far away 🙁).. Would March 3 be like interviewing for the waitlist?
 
Congrats Sonnet! 🙂


Has anyone tried to change the date of their interview? On the email it says "therefore it is to your advantage to interview as scheduled". Does that mean if you change your date it leaves you in a bad position??

I currently have my interview scheduled for March 3 (so far away 🙁).. Would March 3 be like interviewing for the waitlist?

If you think about it for a second, their warnings would make sense--UCSD lets you know their decision two weeks after you interview, i.e they go by a rolling admissions process. Therefore if you reschedule your interview (realistically you could only push back your interview because anything before your date is generally going to be filled), you would be pushing back your decision, which would be subject to more scrutiny as the class reaches capacity.

I am going to go ahead and be a dick by saying yea it's pretty late in the game and you are probably interviewing for a waitlist position. However, that isn't something to stress over.. you have your interview and if they REALLY like you then they will find a place in their class for you.

Heresay: I think a lot of people at UCSD are off the waitlist so again, it's only to your advantage that you interview regardless of what "spot" you are interviewing for.
 
When I interviewed last year, I changed my date and it wasn't a problem at all. And actually, if you get sick or something, you can call a day in advance and they won't mind (no red flags to your file or anything like that).

I think my roommate interviewed in March and got in right away (no waitlist). I don't think UCSD does the whole "interviewing for the waitlist" thing, but I can't swear to it.
 
Silverlining, I sent you a PM about UCSD housing a few days ago.. I was wondering if you got it?
 
Silverlining, I sent you a PM about UCSD housing a few days ago.. I was wondering if you got it?
Yeah... I'm really sorry I've been procrastinating on it because I'm not sure how to fully answer your question. I'm not that familiar with on-campus housing because I don't live there, and the majority of my classmates live off-campus as well. More housing is going to be built, but that won't be done for about 2 years. Living off-campus in the area where most of us are (you're probably familiar with it - Nobel, Lebon, Regents, etc.) is great since the free shuttles come by frequently. Here's what my second year friend has to say though:

One Miramar apartments: The nicest, newest place. These were just opened
last year, and have a huge parking garage for the complex.
Lots of fun and about a 5 minute drive (15 minute walk?) to campus. I
pay $595/month for my own room in a big two bedroom, which is really
cheap for San Diego. (All apartments are two bedrooms, and you have to
find your own fellow UCSD grad student roommate, so keep that in
mind.)
.
Mesa, Coast, and La Jolla Del Sol: Three other grad student complexes. My
friends in Mesa say it is really old and not very nice, but cheap.
Also, Mesa is the family housing, so lots of couples with kids live
there (i.e., even remotely late noise isn't tolerated). Coast is in a cool location - on top of a hill that winds down to the ocean. I've heard the waiting list here is extremely long, but grad student housing policies are in the process of changing so who knows what will happen next year. I don't know
much about La Jolla Del Sol, but assume it is similar to Mesa..
 
yea Perrie sent that email to everybody. Oh well, I thought you might have some more info. Isn't living off campus more expensive though? Last I checked the cheapest you can get your own room for is about $800/month. I was under the impression that most UCSD med students lived in the grad student housing..
 
yea Perrie sent that email to everybody. Oh well, I thought you might have some more info. Isn't living off campus more expensive though? Last I checked the cheapest you can get your own room for is about $800/month. I was under the impression that most UCSD med students lived in the grad student housing..
Ah yeah right, you already got the email from Perrie.

Her year there were more med students in grad housing, but this year more of us found off-campus spots. Off-campus rent probably goes $700-800/month on average... you could find more or less if you wanted to. It's definitely affordable to live off-campus, seeing as so many of us manage it just fine (probably about $100-200 more/month than on-campus). The facilities are certainly nicer if you live off-campus.
 
Ah yeah right, you already got the email from Perrie.

Her year there were more med students in grad housing, but this year more of us found off-campus spots. Off-campus rent probably goes $700-800/month on average... you could find more or less if you wanted to. It's definitely affordable to live off-campus, seeing as so many of us manage it just fine (probably about $100-200 more/month than on-campus). The facilities are certainly nicer if you live off-campus.


Thanks for all your help Silverlining.. looks like it's back to costa verde for me.
 
For what it's worth, I paid $900/mo for a 1 bedroom in Hillcrest, large enough to share with my sig. other, and within 5 min. walk of the Hillcrest-UCSD shuttle. It was great to have during the clinical years when every hour of sleep counts.

Another option to consider.
 
Does anyone know what percentage of people receive scholarships?
 
Silverlining...I am sooooooooooo excited about my interview day...I'll see you next monday
 
Thanks guys for your feedback! I had a conflict, but am definitely going to work it out to keep my interview date.

Silverlining when do you do clinic tours? Hopefully I'll see some of you when I visit sd in March. 😀
 
Thanks for all your help Silverlining.. looks like it's back to costa verde for me.
You'd have to drive, but have you considered PB? I hear it's a cheaper area, and definitely more hip. My classmates who have been around SD for a while tend be a little more adventurous and move out of the immediate area.

Does anyone know what percentage of people receive scholarships?
I don't, I'm sorry, but our financial aid office is pretty nice and would probably tell you if you called.

The data I have from the AAMC is that the average debt of a graduating med student is about $115k. For public schools, it's $104k. For private schools, it's $133k. For UCSD, it's $75k. Awesome.

Silverlining...I am sooooooooooo excited about my interview day...I'll see you next monday
I am so glad to hear how excited you are! See you next week =]

Thanks guys for your feedback! I had a conflict, but am definitely going to work it out to keep my interview date.

Silverlining when do you do clinic tours? Hopefully I'll see some of you when I visit sd in March. 😀
I do tours randomly... if you like, you can PM me your tour date and I'll try to sign up for it.
 
By the way, accepted ladies and gentlemen, I wrote up the main reasons (with a lot of detail) why I love UCSD, so PM me your email address if you'd like me to send the document to you 🙂 I know you already heard from Perrie, but if you'd like my opinions as well, let me know!
 
You'd have to drive, but have you considered PB? I hear it's a cheaper area, and definitely more hip. My classmates who have been around SD for a while tend be a little more adventurous and move out of the immediate area.

Hm, PB.. really not my scene. I am over the whole drinking/bar thing and personally my experiences in PB have been full of affliction t-shirt-wearing bros and douchebaggery of the finest degree.


The data I have from the AAMC is that the average debt of a graduating med student is about $115k. For public schools, it's $104k. For private schools, it's $133k. For UCSD, it's $75k. Awesome.

I never really understood "average indebtedness." To me all this really means is that kids from UCSD have a greater parent contribution to their tuition or UCSD is really happy with scholarship money (which it is not).
 
Hm, PB.. really not my scene. I am over the whole drinking/bar thing and personally my experiences in PB have been full of affliction t-shirt-wearing bros and douchebaggery of the finest degree.
Fair enough. I guess I always go to PB with a huge group of classmates, so we take over whatever restaurant/bar/cafe we go to, so it's a lot of fun =]
 
By the way, accepted ladies and gentlemen, I wrote up the main reasons (with a lot of detail) why I love UCSD, so PM me your email address if you'd like me to send the document to you 🙂 I know you already heard from Perrie, but if you'd like my opinions as well, let me know!
Wow...That is really helpful! Thanks!
 
If I was waitlisted do you guys think I should wait to send a letter of interest until it is closer to May or should I just send one now? I'm accepted at other places but i really liked UCSD (I am out of state though 🙁)
 
Did anyone else get the second look email? I'm really excited to see the school again and meet everyone!

Silver: what is planned for second look, and do we have to make our own arrangements for the night of the 3rd? I'm sure BZ will update us when everything has been decided, but I was wondering if you could give the inside scoop.
 
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