2010-2011 University of California - San Diego Application Thread

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Hey, does anyone know the type of interview questions that UCSD asks??? is there a page on std for this?? I can't seem to find it!
 
Thanks barcoderider.. but I still cant seem to find potential interview questions... 🙁
 
xbab33doll4evax said:
Thanks barcoderider.. but I still cant seem to find potential interview questions... 🙁
Click to expand...


You have to click "View Survey Results" then scroll down and click on Questions. That should get you everything you need!
 
thanks HoosierDoc..

Oh.. I forgot to post my stats... I got an interview on 9/15/10 for a 9/30/10 interview..

MCAT: 30 (10/10/10), CumGPA: 3.75, scienceGPA: 3.65
sr: 8/3, ss: 8/21, ii: 9/15
 
I went to my kid's White Coat ceremorny at UCSD a few weeks ago.
They presented some data on the entering class of 2010.
Matriculants had an avg GPA of 3.76 with an avg MCAT of 33Q
They had about 4,500 applicants for the cycle, an upswing of about
500 from the previous year. They sent secondaries to about 2,000
applicants and interviewed about 765 of them. They didn't plan on
doing that many interviews, but the applicant pool was incredibly
strong, and so they doled out more interviews than originally planned.
Of the class of 125, about 30 were from UCSD, and about 23 were
from Cal, and 21 were from UCLA. Only one was from UCD, and about
two were from UCI.
 
xbab33doll4evax said:
Hey, does anyone know the type of interview questions that UCSD asks??? is there a page on std for this?? I can't seem to find it!
Click to expand...

You can read the interview feedback on sdn, but honestly, I think the best thing you can do to prepare for an interview here is to read (and re-read) your AMCAS. The interviews here tend to be long (45min-1 hour) and from my experience, they were comfortable, conversational, and *very* detailed. It seems like they really want to get to know you as an individual person more than anything else. If you did research, make sure you really understand it (not just what you did, but why you did it and the overall scientific significance of what you did). I wasn't asked anything about current events, politics, etc., but I was asked a lot about my family background, my personal interests, the last book I read, why I want to go into medicine, etc.

Hopefully that helps a little bit....if you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me 🙂 Good luck!

(Oh! That reminds me...there is an awesome interview prep book that I would recommend to anyone who may be a little nervous about how to prepare. Here is a link to it on Amazon if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Medical-School-Interview-Secrets-Success/dp/0977955907
This book is only ~70 pages, but I found it to be very useful! I read it on the plane before each of my first 3 interviews last season, and I thought it helped alleviate a lot of anxiety.)
 
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Hi Violincuty,

I just read this book.. It was very helpful! 🙂 Thanks for your advice.

Allison
 
has anyone actually gotten a hold or is it just interviews right now?
 
A little bit of interesting info I just learned.....


UCSD usually gives out secondaries to about 32% of applicants....this year it was about 50%.

So the cut from secondary to interview seems much harsher this year. Same number of interviews but almost 2x as many secondaries.
 
CougarMD said:
A little bit of interesting info I just learned.....


UCSD usually gives out secondaries to about 32% of applicants....this year it was about 50%.

So the cut from secondary to interview seems much harsher this year. Same number of interviews but almost 2x as many secondaries.
Click to expand...

Did you get this info from the admissions office? Seems quite high!
 
violincuty said:
(Oh! That reminds me...there is an awesome interview prep book that I would recommend to anyone who may be a little nervous about how to prepare. Here is a link to it on Amazon if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Medical-School-Interview-Secrets-Success/dp/0977955907
This book is only ~70 pages, but I found it to be very useful! I read it on the plane before each of my first 3 interviews last season, and I thought it helped alleviate a lot of anxiety.)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I just ordered it!
 
has anyone who applied to PRIME H-Eq heard back for interviews yet?
 
I was complete on 9/14 and just got my secondary today. Hoping for an interview!
 
violincuty said:
My pleasure :luck:
Do you guys have any specific questions about UCSD or being a 1st year med student here? Let me know...
Click to expand...


Sure! How is the clinical side of UCSD? Would you say there is more emphasis on research than clinical teaching? How is the new PBL curriculum thus far (is this the 2nd year? or the third?).

Do you know anything about merit scholarships? I read the FAQ's you posted on last year's thread but they don't give an idea of amounts?

How awesome is La Jolla? I live in Pasadena and I imagine it's more awesome, but how is it after living there for a bit? On campus housing adequate/nice?
 
Oh, and thanks for posting your thoughts on the process on your MDapps and being willing to answer questions. You have been helpful (just from looking at last year's SDN thread) among many others. Thanks again!
 
dpekerholm said:
Sure! How is the clinical side of UCSD? Would you say there is more emphasis on research than clinical teaching? How is the new PBL curriculum thus far (is this the 2nd year? or the third?).

Do you know anything about merit scholarships? I read the FAQ's you posted on last year's thread but they don't give an idea of amounts?

How awesome is La Jolla? I live in Pasadena and I imagine it's more awesome, but how is it after living there for a bit? On campus housing adequate/nice?
Click to expand...


1. Sure! How is the clinical side of UCSD? Would you say there is more emphasis on research than clinical teaching? How is the new PBL curriculum thus far (is this the 2nd year? or the third?).

I have been thrilled with the clinical integration into the curriculum so far! We are taking 2 courses right now: Foundations of Human Biology and Clinical Foundations. The Foundations of Human Biology course is an integrated basic-science course that includes a little bit of: cancer biology, molecular biology, cell physiology, genetics, epidemiology, anatomy and histology. There is a lot of clinical emphasis on the importance of basic science. The Clinical Foundations course is broken up into 3 parts: an ambulatory care apprenticeship (we start this in ~3 weeks), problem-based learning, and a course called "the practice of medicine" (POM). The POM course consists of 2 hours of lecture every week and small group sessions on Wednesdays. Every week is different- we cover history-taking, the physical exam, ethics, professionalism, talking about sensitive topics (sexual Hx, drug Hx, etc.), and we also have simulated patients in this course. The simulated patients are excellent teaching tools! First of all, it's fun to apply what you're learning in class to real-life situations. You are video-taped for your review later, as well as being evaluated by a faculty member and your peers. We've done this part once so far this quarter, and we've all really loved it! PBL is a lot of fun too because it's a team-building exercise that reinforces what we're learning in lecture. If you've ever seen the TV show House- it reminds me of the way they build differential diagnoses (minus the drama, of course). It's fun though- it challenges you to think about what combinations of symptoms might mean and how to dissect a patient history into what's important and what's not. We also learn tangential information- like what lab results mean and what tests are relevant for particular symptoms. Most of us really enjoy PBL! I think it's great that we've had so much clinical integration in our first month- it really helps us build confidence for seeing patients and keeps our focus on why we're doing all of this- to have the privilege and honor of taking care of sick people!
Also, we have an array of electives available to us. I am taking the emergency medicine elective right now, and it is a blast!! I have already spent 8 hours in the ED at Hillcrest and 12 hours on a paramedic ride-along. I have interviewed patients, listened to their heart/lungs, and assisted with several procedures. The residents and attendings are very receptive to working with med students, and they have been great teachers. I have found that the patients enjoy having a med student around too because we have a lot more time to chat with them and bring them food, blankets, etc. My classmates are involved in all sorts of other electives as well: anesthesia, pediatrics, reproductive medicine, free-clinic, politics of medicine, global health, teaching, medical Spanish…just to name a few. I have heard great things about all of the electives! We love being able to work with patients so early on 🙂
A list of electives and their descritpions can be found here if you're curious: https://meded-portal.ucsd.edu/electives/bulletin/index.cfm?curpage=descriptions

As far as research goes- it's a huge part of the academic culture at UCSD. Many of the students are involved in research at some level, and almost all of our lecturers are involved in research. I love that they bring so much passion and energy into their lectures- little tidbits like "so and so discovered this at UCSD" or "I work on this cancer drug and discovered this mechanism…" remind me how much of a privilege it is to go to medical school here! I would say that the importance of research is emphasized and an appreciation for its role in medicine is integrated into the curriculum- but being a great clinician is the main focus (from my perspective of the first 4 weeks, anyway….)

2. Do you know anything about merit scholarships? I read the FAQ's you posted on last year's thread but they don't give an idea of amounts?


I do not know much about merit scholarships, but I can ask a classmate who may know more. I do know, however, that we have awesome financial aid staff at UCSD! They go out of their way to help you make informed decisions about your financial future, and they do their best to help you meet your needs. As an OOS applicant, I was thrilled with the package they offered me, and I am not concerned about finances at all. Of course, this changes from year-to-year with the economy and such, but at least we're lucky to have the staff that we do to help us get through it as smoothly as possible.

3. How awesome is La Jolla? I live in Pasadena and I imagine it's more awesome, but how is it after living there for a bit? On campus housing adequate/nice?

Living in La Jolla is like a dream! It's a little too good because there are some days that I would rather be out running on the beach, playing volleyball, or going to a museum than studying. I live in student housing (One Miramar), and I love it! The apartments are clean and comfortable. I live less than a mile from the ocean and only about a 10 minute walk to my lecture hall. Over the summer, I got involved with sailing and salsa dancing- while I have less time for those things now, it's always nice to know that I have them available to me any time I need a study break. My living expenses are very affordable- about $550 for rent/utilities/internet. The ony downside is that there is a 2 year max on living in grad student housing. My friends who live nearby but off-campus seem to have affordable situations as well- many share apartments and end up spending $700(ish) each in rent and utilities. I cannot imagine a more beautiful place to live, though!

Hopefully these comments are helpful to you…please let me know if you have any more questions! Good luck!!! 😀
 
violincuty said:
My pleasure :luck:
Do you guys have any specific questions about UCSD or being a 1st year med student here? Let me know...
Click to expand...

Hi! I'm an out of state student that interviewed here last week. I loved it. Two questions:

1. Any idea what percentage of OOS who interview get accepted?

2. What kind of global health opportunities are there at UCSD?

Thanks!
 
dpekerholm said:
Do you know anything about merit scholarships? I read the FAQ's you posted on last year's thread but they don't give an idea of amounts?
Click to expand...

When I was a student there (class of 08), I think there were about 10 of us with merit scholarships. At that time the largest was worth $5000/yr for 4 years. This does not include merit scholarships to cover the out-of-state portion of tuition for some OOS students - I don't know the details about these.

I was contacted about mine many months after my acceptance, and only after I mentioned to the admissions dean of the time that I had a financially better option elsewhere.
 
violincuty said:
My pleasure :luck:
Do you guys have any specific questions about UCSD or being a 1st year med student here? Let me know...
Click to expand...

Thank you for offering to answer our questions!

I am applying next cycle as an MD/PhD in Medical Anthropology. Do you have any classmates currently that are following this path or know of any recent students that have done this?

Also, what does the socioeconomic geography of San Diego and its surroundings look like? I don't know much about the place but the picture others have painted for me depict the area as relatively homogeneously wealthy, with few if any low income neighborhoods.
 
violincuty said:
Hopefully these comments are helpful to you…please let me know if you have any more questions! Good luck!!! 😀
Click to expand...

Thanks, that helps a lot!

lord_jeebus said:
When I was a student there (class of 08), I think there were about 10 of us with merit scholarships. At that time the largest was worth $5000/yr for 4 years. This does not include merit scholarships to cover the out-of-state portion of tuition for some OOS students - I don't know the details about these.

I was contacted about mine many months after my acceptance, and only after I mentioned to the admissions dean of the time that I had a financially better option elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this info as well. I would be paying in state but I'm hoping that I can perhaps get some decent scholarships at other places as well -- and I've heard the UC's are particularly stingy with regards to merit aid. I appreciate it!
 
Interview!!! Absolutely psyched...this is easily one of my top choices.

Complete 9/8
OOS 3.8 / 34
 
I've been complete since 7/28 and I still haven't heard anything about an interview or a rejection. Is it still too early, or should I be worried?
 
Squeakers said:
I've been complete since 7/28 and I still haven't heard anything about an interview or a rejection. Is it still too early, or should I be worried?
Click to expand...

i 'm in the exact situation as you. i was told that i'm on hold when i called weeks ago.
 
joojoobee said:
i 'm in the exact situation as you. i was told that i'm on hold when i called weeks ago.
Click to expand...

Huh.... It has been a while since i submitted my secondary as well.
Did your status on the website change to say that you are on hold for an interview? Mine is still blank there..
 
ElChamaco said:
Thank you for offering to answer our questions!
Click to expand...

I am applying next cycle as an MD/PhD in Medical Anthropology. Do you have any classmates currently that are following this path or know of any recent students that have done this?

Hmmm...great question! We got an entire lecture on human evolution and the professor discussed the medical anthropology discipline. I can't say I personally know anyone who is pursuing it though. I will ask around for you. I applied as an MD-PhD candidate. I got accepted into a fully-funded MD-PhD program elsewhere and came to UCSD for MD-only. I am still considering transferring in to the MSTP here, but I haven't regretted the decision to forgo my other offer for a minute! If you have any questions about applying/interviewing for MD-PhD programs, let me know. I will also try to see if I can find anyone pursuing the med anthropology PhD for you to speak to 🙂


Also, what does the socioeconomic geography of San Diego and its surroundings look like? I don't know much about the place but the picture others have painted for me depict the area as relatively homogeneously wealthy, with few if any low income neighborhoods.

From my experience, San Diego is really a mixed bag. La Jolla (where UCSD is), is a very affluent community. Some people refer to it as "the Beverly Hills of San Diego". It's clean, expensive by comparison to the rest of San Diego, and there are great beaches here. The downside to La Jolla is that it tends to be an older community outside of the college area, and many of the activities, restaurants, shops, etc. in downtown La Jolla are geared toward that demographic. That being said- La Jolla is only a 15 minute drive from downtown San Diego...which is a completely different story. I went on a paramedic ride-along recently and discovered a whole new side of San Diego, socioeconomically speaking. It's like any other big city- some neighborhoods are more upscale and affluent, some are not. We border with Mexico, so we have a huge Hispanic population here with varying degrees of socioeconomic status. Our student-run free clinics deal heavily with this population. From spending time in the ER at Hillcrest, one of our main UCSD teaching hospitals, I can tell you that the patient population of the greater San Diego area is quite heterogeneous. This aspect of the city was a big draw for me- on one hand you have the beautiful beaches, affluent communities, upscale restaurants, etc and on the other, you have an urban, big-city vibe with lots of mixed cultural influences. You can find anything you want here- eclectic museums, food from every culture, ethnic neighborhoods, live music, nightclubs, artistic culture, swing-dancing to big band music on the beach, a large military community, a very physically active community, gay culture, etc.

Hopefully that answers your question...please feel free to let me know if you have any others. Good luck! :luck:
 
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KUNRD07 said:
Hi! I'm an out of state student that interviewed here last week. I loved it. Two questions:

1. Any idea what percentage of OOS who interview get accepted?

2. What kind of global health opportunities are there at UCSD?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

1. Any idea what percentage of OOS who interview get accepted?


The statistics were presented to us during orientation, but I honestly don't remember the numbers. I know that there are 11 OOS people in our class; I am one of them. I am nearly certain that you have the same chance as anyone else if you've been granted an interview. I asked about it during my interview day, and I was told that a fair number of OOS people are accepted. The reason that is not reflected in the class distribution is that people tend to choose to go to medical school close to where their family is. Thus, CA residents are more likely to want to stay here. That was the answer I was given when I asked, anyway.

One last thought about residency- it's funny how important those things seem when we're applying/interviewing and how insignificant they are once you're in med school. I was surprised to find out that my classmates are from all over the place. I don't remember the exact number, but I think our class represented over 50 universities, including many small colleges I had never heard of. People are from all over the world! Some of our classmates aren't even American citizens. I was expecting to feel somewhat alienated due to my Nevada residency, but that was not the case at all. The students here have incredibly diverse backgrounds and many CA residents went out of California for undergrad.


2. What kind of global health opportunities are there at UCSD?

This is a great question, and I apologize in advance for not having a great answer. I am interested in global health, but I haven't had too much time to explore opportunities yet. I know that it is big here, though. A few opportunities were presented to us during Orientation- many people choose to go abroad on a medical mission or clerkship during the summer between MS1 and MS2. I know one student who went to Puerto Rico with the student-run clinic and LOVED it. Several students go to Africa every year, too. In addition, there is a global health elective that you can take during the first two years. I am not in it personally, but I have heard great things. There is also an elective that goes to Baja, CA in Mexico to treat patients. I can post the class descriptions for those electives if you're interested.

I am not doing this topic justice, though. There are so many opportunities at UCSD that it's overwhelming. I wish I had time to do it all! I know there is some funding to go abroad, but I am not sure to what extent. If you have any specific questions, I can talk to people who have gone on one of these trips and get back to you.
 
This question is directed towards those who may have recently submitted their primary, I added UCSD pretty late (2 weeks ago) and was wondering if anyone had an idea on how long it might be before I can expect an application received confirmation. Thanks!
 
Has anyone else been waiting 2 months for a secondary? I received the "AMCAS received" email 8/5 and...crickets. I've been complete at every other school for over 6 weeks! This is getting a little ridiculous.
 
HoosierDoc said:
This question is directed towards those who may have recently submitted their primary, I added UCSD pretty late (2 weeks ago) and was wondering if anyone had an idea on how long it might be before I can expect an application received confirmation. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I submitted my primary in mid-June, but was not complete until 9/14 because of a late MCAT date. I received the secondary on 9/28...I never got an application received confirmation. I am in-state, too, though. I hope that helps!
 
dpekerholm said:
I submitted my primary in mid-June, but was not complete until 9/14 because of a late MCAT date. I received the secondary on 9/28...I never got an application received confirmation. I am in-state, too, though. I hope that helps!
Click to expand...


Thanks! I will be anxiously waiting to see if I receive a secondary as well.
 
slwhite3 said:
Has anyone else been waiting 2 months for a secondary? I received the "AMCAS received" email 8/5 and...crickets. I've been complete at every other school for over 6 weeks! This is getting a little ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Try not to get discouraged. I know the time thing is scary (I was extremely paranoid about it when I was applying too). However, if you submitted in late July, things could take a while. I submitted in early July last year. I didn't even receive a secondary from UCSD until sometime in September. Then I got my interview invite in December, but the interviews were booked until March! I was so nervous about interviewing late, my odds, etc...but now I'm here- all that stress was for nothing. I didn't get my first interview of the season until October, yet I ended up having 7 amazing interview offers at my top choice schools. I know it's incredibly hard, but try to be patient! :xf:
 
MSTP interview invite! anyone else interviewing with me in December?
 
Got the amcas received and secondary invitation today! Looks like I will be writing essays this weekend.
 
Whats the earliest interview date available at this point (whoever had the most recent ii) for regular MD? seems like they sent the first interview invite a while back but not many have been sent at all overall...
 
HoosierDoc said:
Got the amcas received and secondary invitation today! Looks like I will be writing essays this weekend.
Click to expand...

Congrats! Looks like they got to sending secondaries out this week. Let's hope it doesn't take too long to review our files, now!
 
HoosierDoc said:
Got the amcas received and secondary invitation today! Looks like I will be writing essays this weekend.
Click to expand...

for the secondary invite, did you get an email alert or did you just see a change on your status online?
 
soccerboy2288 said:
Whats the earliest interview date available at this point (whoever had the most recent ii) for regular MD? seems like they sent the first interview invite a while back but not many have been sent at all overall...
Click to expand...

Just got an invite yesterday that said the earliest dates available are in the first half of December.
 
hi guys,
what about the autobiography? I dont know what to write. I dont remember my childhood. even if i did, nothing interesting there. i went to the first grade at the age of 6. my mom picked me up from school. then i went to the second grade. then i went to the third grade. one day a classmate made fun of me and I cried. then I went to the fourth grade and had to memorize the multiplication table.

this is so stupid, what are you supposed to write?
 
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batista_123 said:
this is so stupid, what are you supposed to write?
Click to expand...

i started with a background on my family (what they did, where they came from -i.e. my dad's egyptian), then i skipped thru a lot of childhood and wrote about losing one of my mentors, and then about my knee injury that sparked my interest in medicine.

also, if you don't have anything like this, you could write about any travel experiences you've had that impacted your worldview, or any volunteer work you did when younger that might have been important

good luck and happy writing! 👍
 
JFry said:
can you ball park your stats and complete date?
Click to expand...

3.8, 36, complete in September. OOS.
Honestly I feel like the luckiest guy in the world... I loooove UCSD 😀
 
How long does UCSD take to give a response after a secondary app submission? My primary application was received on 07/31/2010 and Secondary Application Complete on 09/09/2010. It has been month and there is still no status change, not even a hold. Is this a bad sign?
 
I just received the secondary a few days ago, and my AMCAS was verified 7/30. Strange.
 
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