2013-2014 University of California - Irvine Application Thread

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Placed on alternate list last night. I interviewed in early January and was told that I wouldn't hear anything until Valentine's day....wasn't expecting it yet🙁

Does anyone know the likelihood of coming off of the alternate list? I tried stalking last year's forum, but it didn't seem very helpful.
 
Has anyone received an interview for the last available date yet (April?)? Thanks!
 
Rejected today via status update. No email yet. Good luck to those still waiting!

EDIT: pre-interview.
 
I've been complete since mid-July. Silence still. This school is essentially my last hope of getting an interview anywhere. I hope my two updates help. Anyone else in the same boat?
 
upload_2014-2-7_20-38-5.png
 
vfom said:
Placed on alternate list last night. I interviewed in early January and was told that I wouldn't hear anything until Valentine's day....wasn't expecting it yet🙁

Does anyone know the likelihood of coming off of the alternate list? I tried stalking last year's forum, but it didn't seem very helpful.
Click to expand...

Should be some decent movement. Be sure to send an update letter in May to show continued interest during the period when people are making their final decisions! Best of luck, may the odds be ever in your favor (for this and other schools).
 
Pre interview rejection yesterday via email, shortly after I sent an update. 32 3.6, IS. Good luck to everyone with II's or still under consideration!
 
Does anyone's applicant portal still look weird to them? Mine used to be colored and now it's just white.
 
After scheduling your interview are you supposed to get a confirmation email?
 
Does anybody know who the current director of admissions is? - Nvm, found it
 
Last edited:
Groovin said:
Complete almost at the same time and no word. I really (REALLY REALLY) hope this means we're on some type of interview list.
Click to expand...

I, too, really hope this is the case (and I was complete about a week and a half before you guys). From my experience with rejections so far, some of the schools work backwards (reject later applicants first then get to us last). I hope UCI isn't one of those schools.
 
Corvid said:
I, too, really hope this is the case (and I was complete about a week and a half before you guys). From my experience with rejections so far, some of the schools work backwards (reject later applicants first then get to us last). I hope UCI isn't one of those schools.
Click to expand...
8/13 complete applicant here and still waiting for the II or rejection. My gf recently got a job down in Anaheim and if I could swing UCI, it'd make things a lot easier.
 
also complete mid july. it's actually painful how slow they are.
 
Has anyone been successful in sending in an update letter and getting an II?
 
For current med students. How do you like the "traditional" curriculum? how do you manage with the 80% mandatory attendance and the grading? How about the clinical rotations? cheers!
 
Groovin said:
Complete almost at the same time and no word. I really (REALLY REALLY) hope this means we're on some type of interview list.
Click to expand...

We're still reviewing applications for interview!
 
Gaboon said:
Fourth year here...AMA.
Click to expand...
Lobo12: For current med students. How do you like the "traditional" curriculum? how do you manage with the 80% mandatory attendance and the grading? How about the clinical rotations? cheers!

Me: How often do you guys review applications? Can you provide any details on the review process? Any idea on how close UCI is to filling up their class? Thanks!
 
Gaboon said:
We're still reviewing applications for interview!
Click to expand...
How far along are you on reviewing apps? Do you go through the apps by date or do different reviewers make multiple passes and have a ranked list used for handing out II based on available slots? Thanks!
 
lobo12 said:
For current med students. How do you like the "traditional" curriculum? how do you manage with the 80% mandatory attendance and the grading? How about the clinical rotations? cheers!
Click to expand...

Can't comment on how the 80% mandatory attendance affected me because it wasn't enforced during my pre-clinical years. I can point you to this relatively new video of the dean explaining how much of the formerly lecture-based classroom time is now used for problem solving & other novel interactions, as UCI continues to implement and re-imagine its iMedEd curriculum.

http://tinyurl.com/m2qk3ap

So, what I'm saying is that the "traditional" curriculum is becoming less traditional. Certainly, UCI has exceeded the problem-based learning and small group session quotas set by the accreditation bodies. During my pre-clinical years, I found the courses were taught as if I was in a PhD program and I appreciated their intellectual rigor (vs just being focused on USMLE prep). That being said, since the curriculum was not overtly systems-based (though the curricular design team did their best to create some sense of overlap between concurrent courses), a lot of the integrations needed for Step 1 needed to be sought out with traditional board review books/courses.

What did you want to know about the clinical rotations?
 
Gaboon said:
Can't comment on how the 80% mandatory attendance affected me because it wasn't enforced during my pre-clinical years. I can point you to this relatively new video of the dean explaining how much of the formerly lecture-based classroom time is now used for problem solving & other novel interactions, as UCI continues to implement and re-imagine its iMedEd curriculum.

http://tinyurl.com/m2qk3ap

So, what I'm saying is that the "traditional" curriculum is becoming less traditional. Certainly, UCI has exceeded the problem-based learning and small group session quotas set by the accreditation bodies. During my pre-clinical years, I found the courses were taught as if I was in a PhD program and I appreciated their intellectual rigor (vs just being focused on USMLE prep). That being said, since the curriculum was not overtly systems-based (though the curricular design team did their best to create some sense of overlap between concurrent courses), a lot of the integrations needed for Step 1 needed to be sought out with traditional board review books/courses.

What did you want to know about the clinical rotations?
Click to expand...

Thank you for this🙂
Which hospitals do UCI students rotate through? Is it only the Schools' med center? If others, are these private, academic and/or county institutions? What's the patients population like? Thank you again.
 
contigo said:
Lobo12: For current med students. How do you like the "traditional" curriculum? how do you manage with the 80% mandatory attendance and the grading? How about the clinical rotations? cheers!

Me: How often do you guys review applications? Can you provide any details on the review process? Any idea on how close UCI is to filling up their class? Thanks!
Click to expand...

To answer your question...

We review applications in two main phases. For interview invites: All admissions committee members review applications electronically at their leisure throughout the application cycle. At this stage, an interview recommendation is normally made by the committee member who happens to receive the application for review, and that decision is normally supported by the dean of admissions. Also, for context, last year we made our last interview decision on Feb 22. For final admission decisions: There are normally 2-3 meetings monthly to vote on the most recently interviewed groups of applicants. Voting is done by groups of 5-6 committee members and groups contain at least one of the applicant's interviewers, if possible. The final decision process is very democratic, as many different viewpoints represented at the School come to agreement in the voting groups. Again, the dean of admissions normally supports the voting group's decision.

Our class fills with 104: 86 MD, 12 PRIME, 6 MSTP. Last year we received near 6000 applications, offered secondaries to about 2500, interviewed around 580, and, after contacting wait-listed applicants, offered admission to about 250. Again, for context, there were still 3 spots we wanted to fill in mid-May last year.
 
Dare2Dream said:
How far along are you on reviewing apps? Do you go through the apps by date or do different reviewers make multiple passes and have a ranked list used for handing out II based on available slots? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I touched on this a bit above. If everything mimics last year, I expect we'll be done reviewing applications for IIs within the next 2 weeks. Applications are randomly distributed to reviewers electronically at their request. Reviewers can opt to offer an interview, decline to offer an interview, or hold for possible interview. If applications are held, this may significantly delay an interview decision. Last year we received the most applications we had ever received. While, in the past, we typically interviewed about 500, we interviewed about 580 last year because we had so many good applicants who we wanted to meet. If it happens that we end up with more interviews than anticipated, we will make available another interview date (although this year I expect we're on track to be able to interview all applicants without having to do that).
 
lobo12 said:
Thank you for this🙂
Which hospitals do UCI students rotate through? Is it only the Schools' med center? If others, are these private, academic and/or county institutions? What's the patients population like? Thank you again.
Click to expand...

The SOM's primary teaching hospital is the UC Irvine Douglas Hospital in Orange, CA. Some of the core clerkships are offered, either wholly or in-part at local area hospitals (often, time is split between UCI Douglas and the institutions below), as follows.

Inpatient medicine: Long Beach Veterans Hospital
Ambulatory medicine: UCI community clinics in Anaheim & Santa Ana; various private practices in Orange County
Family medicine: same as ambulatory
Pediatrics: Children's Hospital of Orange County, Long Beach Miller Children's Hospital, UCI community clinics
OB/GYN: Long Beach Memorial Hospital, UCI community clinics
Psychiatry: Long Beach Veterans Hospital
Surgery: Long Beach Veterans Hospital
Neurology: Children's Hospital of Orange County
PICU: Children's Hospital of Orange County
SICU: Long Beach Memorial Hospital

Away rotations can be arranged during the fourth year through VSAS.

The patient population is highly variable. The region is diverse. There are significant Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Chinese populations in the area. Less well-known (perhaps due to OC's stereotypical representation in the media) is that there is wide-ranging economic disparity within the county, too. So, you see it all.
 
@Gaboon, so if we've submitted in July and haven't heard back, that most likely means we've been placed on "hold" right? And also, if we've sent update letters since July, and were told they were added to our file, do those letter get read when you guys do final reviews for IIs in the next few weeks?

Thanks!
 
@Gaboon Curiosity question: How often do you go back to the main campus during the clinical years?
 
Awesome! Thank you, this is very helpful. Good luck with match day🙂
Gaboon said:
The SOM's primary teaching hospital is the UC Irvine Douglas Hospital in Orange, CA. Some of the core clerkships are offered, either wholly or in-part at local area hospitals (often, time is split between UCI Douglas and the institutions below), as follows.

Inpatient medicine: Long Beach Veterans Hospital
Ambulatory medicine: UCI community clinics in Anaheim & Santa Ana; various private practices in Orange County
Family medicine: same as ambulatory
Pediatrics: Children's Hospital of Orange County, Long Beach Miller Children's Hospital, UCI community clinics
OB/GYN: Long Beach Memorial Hospital, UCI community clinics
Psychiatry: Long Beach Veterans Hospital
Surgery: Long Beach Veterans Hospital
Neurology: Children's Hospital of Orange County
PICU: Children's Hospital of Orange County
SICU: Long Beach Memorial Hospital

Away rotations can be arranged during the fourth year through VSAS.

The patient population is highly variable. The region is diverse. There are significant Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Chinese populations in the area. Less well-known (perhaps due to OC's stereotypical representation in the media) is that there is wide-ranging economic disparity within the county, too. So, you see it all.
Click to expand...
 
premed2000 said:
@Gaboon, so if we've submitted in July and haven't heard back, that most likely means we've been placed on "hold" right? And also, if we've sent update letters since July, and were told they were added to our file, do those letter get read when you guys do final reviews for IIs in the next few weeks?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You're right, this is a possibility--but it might not be the sole explanation. We certainly appreciate important updates and these are included in your file and reviewed by admissions staff, committee members, and the dean of admissions.

To add a little perspective and clarification to my statement above. I said we finished reviewing applications for interview last cycle by Feb 22--but some of those applications that were on hold continued to be reviewed by the dean of admissions beyond Feb 22. I know classmates who received IIs in mid-March...
 
contigo said:
@Gaboon Curiosity question: How often do you go back to the main campus during the clinical years?
Click to expand...

Good question (and it requires some explanation)!

First, you have to know that 3 clinically important things are on the Irvine campus: (1) Gottschalk Plaza; (2) the simulation center; (3) the MedEd building. Gottschalk is a mid-sized private medical clinic with general and specialty practices. The MS3 year begins with 2 weeks on the Irvine campus with clinical foundations 3 and the radiology clerkship. Other core clerkships rotate through Gottschalk during the year. The sim center is a state-of-the-art facility used to train MS1 - chief residents & faculty in the UCI Health system. Several core clerkships incorporate sim training at that location. The MedEd building is used for OSCEs when you're on core clerkships that have them. Additionally, some clerkships have protected lecture time with faculty who work on the Irvine campus. The CPX clinical skills exam is also administered at the MedEd building.

The MS4 year consists mostly of electives and you can schedule some of them on the Irvine campus if you want. The sim center is used for the Emergency Medicine clerkship. Clinical foundations 4 and ACLS certification take place on the Irvine campus, too.

(The Irvine campus and the UCI Douglas Hospital in Orange are about 15 minutes from each other by car.)
 
Gaboon said:
Good question (and it requires some explanation)!

First, you have to know that 3 clinically important things are on the Irvine campus: (1) Gottschalk Plaza; (2) the simulation center; (3) the MedEd building. Gottschalk is a mid-sized private medical clinic with general and specialty practices. The MS3 year begins with 2 weeks on the Irvine campus with clinical foundations 3 and the radiology clerkship. Other core clerkships rotate through Gottschalk during the year. The sim center is a state-of-the-art facility used to train MS1 - chief residents & faculty in the UCI Health system. Several core clerkships incorporate sim training at that location. The MedEd building is used for OSCEs when you're on core clerkships that have them. Additionally, some clerkships have protected lecture time with faculty who work on the Irvine campus. The CPX clinical skills exam is also administered at the MedEd building.

The MS4 year consists mostly of electives and you can schedule some of them on the Irvine campus if you want. The sim center is used for the Emergency Medicine clerkship. Clinical foundations 4 and ACLS certification take place on the Irvine campus, too.

(The Irvine campus and the UCI Douglas Hospital in Orange are about 15 minutes from each other by car.)
Click to expand...

That was more than I expected. Very informative. Thanks Gaboon!
 
Gaboon said:
To answer your question...

We review applications in two main phases. For interview invites: All admissions committee members review applications electronically at their leisure throughout the application cycle. At this stage, an interview recommendation is normally made by the committee member who happens to receive the application for review, and that decision is normally supported by the dean of admissions. Also, for context, last year we made our last interview decision on Feb 22. For final admission decisions: There are normally 2-3 meetings monthly to vote on the most recently interviewed groups of applicants. Voting is done by groups of 5-6 committee members and groups contain at least one of the applicant's interviewers, if possible. The final decision process is very democratic, as many different viewpoints represented at the School come to agreement in the voting groups. Again, the dean of admissions normally supports the voting group's decision.

Our class fills with 104: 86 MD, 12 PRIME, 6 MSTP. Last year we received near 6000 applications, offered secondaries to about 2500, interviewed around 580, and, after contacting wait-listed applicants, offered admission to about 250. Again, for context, there were still 3 spots we wanted to fill in mid-May last year.
Click to expand...

Do you mean you only accepted 3 off the wait list after the May 15th deadline?
 
Do you know how many scholarships are offered by UCI? Some schools advertise that they give away a lot of scholarships (UCLA's David Geffen Scholarship), but I couldn't find anything on UCI. Thanks!
 
Gaboon said:
I touched on this a bit above. If everything mimics last year, I expect we'll be done reviewing applications for IIs within the next 2 weeks. Applications are randomly distributed to reviewers electronically at their request. Reviewers can opt to offer an interview, decline to offer an interview, or hold for possible interview. If applications are held, this may significantly delay an interview decision. Last year we received the most applications we had ever received. While, in the past, we typically interviewed about 500, we interviewed about 580 last year because we had so many good applicants who we wanted to meet. If it happens that we end up with more interviews than anticipated, we will make available another interview date (although this year I expect we're on track to be able to interview all applicants without having to do that).
Click to expand...
This is incredibly helpful, thank you very much! Last question, how do interest letters fit into all of this?
 
Gaboon said:
I touched on this a bit above. If everything mimics last year, I expect we'll be done reviewing applications for IIs within the next 2 weeks. Applications are randomly distributed to reviewers electronically at their request. Reviewers can opt to offer an interview, decline to offer an interview, or hold for possible interview. If applications are held, this may significantly delay an interview decision. Last year we received the most applications we had ever received. While, in the past, we typically interviewed about 500, we interviewed about 580 last year because we had so many good applicants who we wanted to meet. If it happens that we end up with more interviews than anticipated, we will make available another interview date (although this year I expect we're on track to be able to interview all applicants without having to do that).
Click to expand...

Thanks for giving us an insight into the UCI admissions process!

So if you applied early (In early July) and were put on hold then and there, the admissions committee members won't view your application to make a final decision until much later (as in it's normal for us early applicants to have not heard back yet if we were put on hold). If this is the case, in what order are applications revisited? By order of some priority score?
 
LuciusVorenus said:
Do you mean you only accepted 3 off the wait list after the May 15th deadline?
Click to expand...

We were very close to having our 104 spots preliminarily filled by mid-May last year. Waitlisted applicants were called upon to fill those 3 remaining spots, but I'm unsure how many applicants were accepted off the wait list to fill them. Of course, after the May 15 "traffic rules" deadline, more spots became available and more wait list movement occurred.
 
Dare2Dream said:
This is incredibly helpful, thank you very much! Last question, how do interest letters fit into all of this?
Click to expand...

Interest letters are normally reviewed by the admissions office staff and the dean of admissions. As I mentioned before, the dean of admissions has the final decision on granting interviews but normally follows the recommendation of the AdCom member who has made an interview/no interview decision after reviewing an applicant's file. If a file has been put on hold for possible interview, the dean of admissions can choose to advance that file at her discretion. If the applicant is generally strong, a persuasive letter of interest might be enough to tip that applicant into the interview category.
 
temporaryumm said:
Do you know how many scholarships are offered by UCI? Some schools advertise that they give away a lot of scholarships (UCLA's David Geffen Scholarship), but I couldn't find anything on UCI. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I can count the number of people I know with full scholarships on one hand. That being said, the financial aid office is very good at offering grants that cover partial tuition over 4 years. It's not uncommon for a student to receive $5k-10k per year of free grant money.
 
Gaboon said:
I can count the number of people I know with full scholarships on one hand. That being said, the financial aid office is very good at offering grants that cover partial tuition over 4 years. It's not uncommon for a student to receive $5k-10k per year of free grant money.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all of your insight! Are any of these scholarships merit based, or are they all need based?
 
Gaboon said:
We were very close to having our 104 spots preliminarily filled by mid-May last year. Waitlisted applicants were called upon to fill those 3 remaining spots, but I'm unsure how many applicants were accepted off the wait list to fill them. Of course, after the May 15 "traffic rules" deadline, more spots became available and more wait list movement occurred.
Click to expand...

So does this mean UCI is not one of those schools who accepts 2x the available seats before May 15th, and then uses the wait list to fill in anything that opens up? It only accepts ~85 MD students throughout the entire cycle and just high hold/wait lists everyone else?
 
LuciusVorenus said:
So does this mean UCI is not one of those schools who accepts 2x the available seats before May 15th, and then uses the wait list to fill in anything that opens up? It only accepts ~85 MD students throughout the entire cycle and just high hold/wait lists everyone else?
Click to expand...

General rule of thumb: About 1/3 of each interview group of about 40 are directly offered acceptance. Variability in the number of those accepted outright who actually matriculate leads us to fill the remainder of spots from the wait list. Again, in the end, we accept about 250 to fill our 104 (although with increased competition for spots becoming the new norm, I expect this might slightly decrease in coming years).
 
Hi there - thank you for the information! It has been very helpful. Could you comment on the clinical exposure during years one and two and what that looks like? I had heard a brief amount about "Clinical Foundations 1" but did not know how often visiting the hospital was encouraged, etc.

Thanks!
 
Corvid said:
Thanks for giving us an insight into the UCI admissions process!

So if you applied early (In early July) and were put on hold then and there, the admissions committee members won't view your application to make a final decision until much later (as in it's normal for us early applicants to have not heard back yet if we were put on hold). If this is the case, in what order are applications revisited? By order of some priority score?
Click to expand...

This is at the discretion of the dean of admissions.
 
MattG7 said:
Hi there - thank you for the information! It has been very helpful. Could you comment on the clinical exposure during years one and two and what that looks like? I had heard a brief amount about "Clinical Foundations 1" but did not know how often visiting the hospital was encouraged, etc.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The CF courses span all 4 years and take place at the Irvine campus.
CF1 teaches the basics of history and physical exam on a regular schedule.
CF2 reinforces these concepts and begins to incorporate differentials/presentations. The schedule is more spaced throughout the year.
CF3 is 2 weeks at the start of MS3 year and mainly serves as an introduction to the different clinical sites.
CF4 tunes up MS4s toward the end of the year and ACLS certification is obtained in preparation for internship.

Early clinical exposure is highly encouraged starting in the MS1 year. There is protected time set aside for exposure to different specialties in the hospital and in clinics throughout the year. Naturally, the amount of autonomy and the amount of responsibilities that junior students have is much different than for senior students. I think most MS1s & MS2s very much enjoy their time in the hospital and really see how what they're learning in didactics is applicable in clinical settings.
 
Complete in July and still under review. Is there any hope left?
 
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