2008-2009 University of California Irvine (UCI) Secondary Application Thread

[alwaysaangel]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hey congrats again and thanks for the insight guys

i sent in a letter of update and slight interest a while ago... but i realize it sounded a bit cliche except for my little bit about staying in california. i sent in another one just 2 or 3 weeks ago that was more of a letter of interest professing my undying and exponentially growing love. still "pending interview" so i really hope i just haven't been reviewed yet........... should i send in a third letter or would that be serious overkill?

man i'm getting so incredibly antsy and nervous

Without hearing anything thats a bit overkill. Be patient either it happens or not.

And for anyone reading this and planning to write an LOI be careful about mentioning staying in Cali. You usually want to be more specific than that. A lot of premeds see UCI as some sort of last resort to stay in Cali, but the school and residency directors don't see us like that so you definitely want to avoid any such implication. There are lots of schools in Cali - they want people who want UCI.

 

[eyang22286]

Without hearing anything thats a bit overkill. Be patient either it happens or not.

And for anyone reading this and planning to write an LOI be careful about mentioning staying in Cali. You usually want to be more specific than that. A lot of premeds see UCI as some sort of last resort to stay in Cali, but the school and residency directors don't see us like that so you definitely want to avoid any such implication. There are lots of schools in Cali - they want people who want UCI.

cool, thanks. i'll just sit tight. as for the CA part, i made sure to let them know that it's UCI i want to go to and that staying in CA would be something nice in addition that comes w/ it.

 

[Bahadur]

Hey Alwaysaangel,


What do you think of Dr. Bailey stepping down and Dr. Clayman filling the interim position as Dean? Do you think this has any affect on the application process? (Though i doubt it, because usually the deans aren't as involved in the process as the rest of the adcom members).

 

[alwaysaangel]

Hey Alwaysaangel,


What do you think of Dr. Bailey stepping down and Dr. Clayman filling the interim position as Dean? Do you think this has any affect on the application process? (Though i doubt it, because usually the deans aren't as involved in the process as the rest of the adcom members).

He had nothing to do with Admissions - no worries.

 

[dwc929]

hey congrats again and thanks for the insight guys

i sent in a letter of update and slight interest a while ago... but i realize it sounded a bit cliche except for my little bit about staying in california. i sent in another one just 2 or 3 weeks ago that was more of a letter of interest professing my undying and exponentially growing love. still "pending interview" so i really hope i just haven't been reviewed yet........... should i send in a third letter or would that be serious overkill?

man i'm getting so incredibly antsy and nervous

My advice is to be level-headed with your LOIs. I sent 2 LOIs pretty well spaced out pre-secondary and then was rejected. I then sent an appeal and just got rejected again on that. Point of the story is send them, it can't hurt but don't get any fantastical notion that these things come through all the time.

 

[eyang22286]

bumping it up, it's monday, and the thread's been dead for a few days lol

anyone hear any news? a trend i noticed was that a lot of people get acceptance calls on sundays and those that get interviews find out monday via status. post the good news!

 

[VooDooo327]

Still pending review for me. I hope they are still giving out interviews... 😕

 

[MoonUnitZappa]

Still pending review for me too.

 

[OldBlue]

would we be interviewing for waitlist spots at this point or do you think they would give outright acceptances 4-5 weeks from now?

 

[RySerr21]

would we be interviewing for waitlist spots at this point or do you think they would give outright acceptances 4-5 weeks from now?

the way it was explained to me, they accept about 1/3 of each interview day right away...the remaining 2/3 are put on the waitlist. that means that even if you interview on the last interview day of the cycle, 1/3 of those people will get accepted right away so to assume you are interviewing for a waitlist spot would be a grave mistake!

 

[OldBlue]

thanks for the info...good to know there will be some slots left open

 

[greenebuddy]

a sample of the letter of interest i'm going to send them:

to my dearest admissions committee,
if i don't get in it's a great pity.

i think about your school every night and day
and it's not because of how much less you'd make me pay.

i love your program more than there are stars in the sky
if you don't send me an invite i will certainly cry.

i will love you forever and ever ever more
so please give me a chance and open the door.

i got into GW but i still want you,
there are just so many things you'd let me do.

research and patients and surely a test,
if you let me in, i promise to be the best.

so thank you for reading this plead of letter,
if you let me in, i'll make your class better!!

xoxo,
greenebuddy

 

[Starface]

Awesome sonnet above, greenebuddy. I hope you get in!


Can anyone suggest hotels within walking distance of UC Irvine? Please?



For those interested, my secondary was complete 9/2. I had pretty much given up hope, when out of the blue, UCI offered me an April interview a few weeks ago.

 

[eyang22286]

Awesome sonnet above, greenebuddy. I hope you get in!


Can anyone suggest hotels within walking distance of UC Irvine? Please?



For those interested, my secondary was complete 9/2. I had pretty much given up hope, when out of the blue, UCI offered me an April interview a few weeks ago.

a few weeks ago?? they finish interviewing in april though =( *sigh* i hope invites haven't all been given out yet

 

[alwaysaangel]

Awesome sonnet above, greenebuddy. I hope you get in!


Can anyone suggest hotels within walking distance of UC Irvine? Please?



For those interested, my secondary was complete 9/2. I had pretty much given up hope, when out of the blue, UCI offered me an April interview a few weeks ago.

Sorry this is Orange County, there are no hotels within walking distance of UCI. I recommend you try to get in with a first year host and they might be able to drive you the morning of. Otherwise taxi's aren't too terribly expensive around here.

 

[hello there]

Awesome sonnet above, greenebuddy. I hope you get in!


Can anyone suggest hotels within walking distance of UC Irvine? Please?



For those interested, my secondary was complete 9/2. I had pretty much given up hope, when out of the blue, UCI offered me an April interview a few weeks ago.

congrats starface!! awesome news! would you mind offering some advice to those waiting/hoping for an interview. is there anything you did from sept until now? or is there anything else you could offer that might help?

congrats again and good luck!!

 

[InquisitiveOne]

UCI, why are you punishing me with your constant silence? That "pending review" status brings me constant pain and constant hope - all wrapped up in a big ball of anxiety...

 

[nuffles123]

a sample of the letter of interest i'm going to send them:

to my dearest admissions committee,
if i don't get in it's a great pity.

i think about your school every night and day
and it's not because of how much less you'd make me pay.

i love your program more than there are stars in the sky
if you don't send me an invite i will certainly cry.

i will love you forever and ever ever more
so please give me a chance and open the door.

i got into GW but i still want you,
there are just so many things you'd let me do.

research and patients and surely a test,
if you let me in, i promise to be the best.

so thank you for reading this plead of letter,
if you let me in, i'll make your class better!!

xoxo,
greenebuddy

this is AMAZING

 

[Starface]

Sorry this is Orange County, there are no hotels within walking distance of UCI. I recommend you try to get in with a first year host and they might be able to drive you the morning of. Otherwise taxi's aren't too terribly expensive around here.

Thanks for the info. Do most first-years live near campus? Is there any on-campus housing for med students? Do you know of a reliable taxi company?

(I apparently ask questions in three's). 😛

 

[alwaysaangel]

Thanks for the info. Do most first-years live near campus? Is there any on-campus housing for med students? Do you know of a reliable taxi company?

(I apparently ask questions in three's). 😛

Most live within a 10 min drive. But most have cars, I only know a few people without cars and they get stuck alot. And once you hit third year you HAVE to have a car anyway because OC doesn't have reliable mass transit and the hospitals we rotate at are fairly spaced apart.

A lot of last years students got on campus housing so many of the current first years ride bikes to campus.

No clue on a taxi company, sorry.

 

[Starface]

congrats starface!! awesome news! would you mind offering some advice to those waiting/hoping for an interview. is there anything you did from sept until now? or is there anything else you could offer that might help?

congrats again and good luck!!

I emailed a letter of update to UC Irvine, telling them what I have been up to after I submitted my AMCAS application (i.e. the new grades I earned, the classes I am taking this semester, my current activities). I also briefly stated that I would really like to attend UCI. That was in the beginning of February, and I received an interview invitation shortly afterwards (in mid-February). Not sure if the update letter was the catalyst, but it didn't hurt.

As for other advice that I may offer: breathe and enjoy life. Seriously.

 

[greenebuddy]

Looks like my "sonnet" worked, I got an interview invite last night at 5 pm an hour after I got rejected from USC. This is why I checked my email every five minutes for the last five months!
PS I did not really send the poem 🙂

 

[MoonUnitZappa]

Rejected pre-interview yesterday.

 

[eyang22286]

Looks like my "sonnet" worked, I got an interview invite last night at 5 pm an hour after I got rejected from USC. This is why I checked my email every five minutes for the last five months!
PS I did not really send the poem 🙂

congrats!

im still "pending review". at this point i don't know what it means anymore. someone earlier speculated that each person gets 2 pre-interview reviews total. i doubt at this point they haven't reviewed my file again yet. should i just assume it's a rejection haha

 

[greenebuddy]

congrats!

im still "pending review". at this point i don't know what it means anymore. someone earlier speculated that each person gets 2 pre-interview reviews total. i doubt at this point they haven't reviewed my file again yet. should i just assume it's a rejection haha

Someone got an invite for this interview day 2 weeks ago, I thought I had no chance either, but now I can smugly tell you to hold out hope because you never know. 😉

 

[eyang22286]

Someone got an invite for this interview day 2 weeks ago, I thought I had no chance either, but now I can smugly tell you to hold out hope because you never know. 😉

haha thanks man, hoping there's that light at the end of the tunnel.

do you mind me asking when your interview date is?

 

[greenebuddy]

4/20

 

[eyang22286]

does irvine mail their rejections, or does it show up on your status page

(pre-interview rejections i mean)

 

[Bahadur]

does irvine mail their rejections, or does it show up on your status page

(pre-interview rejections i mean)

Status page for rejections. No mail/email.

 

[landscapelover]

God, I just want to pull my hair out. I've been checking the status page almost everyday since October. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review.... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😱😡😱😡

 

[eyang22286]

God, I just want to pull my hair out. I've been checking the status page almost everyday since October. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review. Pending Review.... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

100% feel ya right here👎thumbdown👎thumbdown👎

 

[TRN1983]

....

Just out of curiosity, do you know about how long it takes for UCI to get back to you re: alternate/accept after an interview? I'm super anxious to hear back... following your example I appealed the initial denial because UCI is my #1 choice and was lucky enough to be given a second chance. I got an interview and it turned out great (although I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything, it sure was nice to hear my interviewer say it and know I have an advocate in the admissions committee). 🙂

Thanks a ton for leaving up that great info in your MDApps profile!!!

 

[alwaysaangel]

Just out of curiosity, do you know about how long it takes for UCI to get back to you re: alternate/accept after an interview? I'm super anxious to hear back... following your example I appealed the initial denial because UCI is my #1 choice and was lucky enough to be given a second chance. I got an interview and it turned out great (although I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything, it sure was nice to hear my interviewer say it and know I have an advocate in the admissions committee). 🙂

Thanks a ton for leaving up that great info in your MDApps profile!!!

They should have told you on your interview day. Last year they told us 4 wks and it was basically dead on. (She told us the day that our files would be discussed)

 

[TRN1983]

They should have told you on your interview day. Last year they told us 4 wks and it was basically dead on. (She told us the day that our files would be discussed)

Hmm... I must have missed it. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Starface]

OK, I have a stupid question for those who have already interviewed. When the interview instructions said to report to School of Medicine, Irvine campus, is that the same campus as the undergrad campus? (Just in case UCI SOM has multiple sites...).

 

[calimed214]

OK, I have a stupid question for those who have already interviewed. When the interview instructions said to report to School of Medicine, Irvine campus, is that the same campus as the undergrad campus? (Just in case UCI SOM has multiple sites...).

Yeah their SOM is attached to the regular main undergrad campus.. kind of towards the SW-ish side. I'd recommend entering the campus via Bison Avenue and you won't be able to miss it.

 

[RySerr21]

Just out of curiosity, do you know about how long it takes for UCI to get back to you re: alternate/accept after an interview? I'm super anxious to hear back... following your example I appealed the initial denial because UCI is my #1 choice and was lucky enough to be given a second chance. I got an interview and it turned out great (although I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything, it sure was nice to hear my interviewer say it and know I have an advocate in the admissions committee). 🙂

Thanks a ton for leaving up that great info in your MDApps profile!!!

This year they have had REALLY fast turn around times for people that they waitlist. Around the 2 week marker they have started waitlisting people. THey dont notify you by email or phone, youll just check your status page one day and it will be changed to waitlist. Now if they accept you, they DO NOT change your status page and they have been making the acceptance phone calls around the 4th and 5th week post interview (usually on the weekend). So if you can find out around 2 weeks if anybody you know (on SDN as well) has been waitlisted, you should check your status. If it is still unchanged, its probably good news for you seeing as they dont change status page for accepted applicants. THis is just my little theory, but its been right the entire year.

 

[calimed214]

This year they have had REALLY fast turn around times for people that they waitlist. Around the 2 week marker they have started waitlisting people. THey dont notify you by email or phone, youll just check your status page one day and it will be changed to waitlist. Now if they accept you, they DO NOT change your status page and they have been making the acceptance phone calls around the 4th and 5th week post interview (usually on the weekend). So if you can find out around 2 weeks if anybody you know (on SDN as well) has been waitlisted, you should check your status. If it is still unchanged, its probably good news for you seeing as they dont change status page for accepted applicants. THis is just my little theory, but its been right the entire year.

This has not been my experience. I was waitlisted at the 4.5 week mark.

 

[RySerr21]

This has not been my experience. I was waitlisted at the 4.5 week mark.

It took 5 months, but someone HAD to prove me wrong, haha. Well its worked most of the time, but apparently isn't a full proof theory! You can never fully celebrate until you get that phone call, thats for sure.

 

[eyang22286]

It took 5 months, but someone HAD to prove me wrong, haha. Well its worked most of the time, but apparently isn't a full proof theory! You can never fully celebrate until you get that phone call, thats for sure.

*fool proof

haha 😀

 

[RySerr21]

*fool proof

haha 😀

dont mind me, ill just be doing this in the corner for the next few hours. haha. it was a long day okay? i may have broke my leg :-( The pain clouded my mind.

 

[TRN1983]

Thanks for the replies!

I guess I'll just attempt to be patient and wait. But, in the meantime keep your fingers crossed for me! 😀

 

[fizzle]

*fool proof

haha 😀

I see another candidate for my wall of sha-*ahem* commonly misspelled phrases

 

[CAMed]

Hey Guys,

So I interviewed a week from yesterday off an appeal and I am just dying to know if I got in!!! Two questions for the group:

1. Once you get an interview (regardless of if it was from an appeal) are you just as likely to get accepted as anyone else in the room? My understanding is that if you get to the interview phase your academics are acceptable and it is just who you are/what you stand for that determines your acceptance at that point.

2. Dr Peterson couldn't remember the date of the next adcom meeting but she said about 3 weeks. Does anyone know the exact date!?!?

Thanks all and good luck to everyone!

 

[VooDooo327]

::crickets::

 

[eyang22286]

 

[landscapelover]

I see that all this waiting has turned us insane, probably not a desired trait in a doctor. 😀

 

[MedKiddo]

im still pending review for an interview. does that mean i still have hope???

 

[VooDooo327]

Ditto. This or Davis is my last chance or it's a re-app for me. I am pretty set on the re-app at this moment though. Now i just need for find a job that will pay rent for the next year 🙁

 

[eyang22286]

UCI status page rejection today, pretty bummed out