2013-2014 University of California - San Diego Application Thread

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Interviewed here this week and thought I'd post my thoughts.

First, and I'm sure no one really needs me to tell them this, but this school is amazing. La Jolla is amazing, and the campus is beautiful. Tons of outdoor space, close to the beach, and the new medical education building is state of the art.

The curriculum is also awesome. Lots of free time and small group study, didn't seem like there would be more than 2 hours or so of actual lecture-hall lecture per day. There are also tons of electives, and the administration seems to be extremely supportive of student ideas and if you have something you want to do, they seem like they will help find a way to make it happen.

The student-run free clinic is also truly impressive. If you are interviewing here, I highly recommend signing up for one of the tours. The clinic operates in 4 sites throughout San Diego and offers comprehensive care including primary medical care, dental, pharmacy, social services, legal, acupuncture, etc. It seems truly awesome and something that would be really cool to take part in.

About the interview day itself, they don't really do a whole lot to try to sell the school to you, as it kind of sells itself. Short Q&A with Dr. Kelly, and then MMI time, then lunch, then a quick tour and you're done.

I can't say much about the MMI as we signed a non-disclosure agreement, but I will say that I wasn't a huge fan. I have fairly strong interview skills and feel like I completely blew it, which is a huge bummer as UCSD is in my top 3 schools.

Here's hoping it went better than I thought, I'll find out in October probably. If you have any questions about the school, feel free to pm me!
 
surfdoc29 said:
Interviewed here this week and thought I'd post my thoughts.

First, and I'm sure no one really needs me to tell them this, but this school is amazing. La Jolla is amazing, and the campus is beautiful. Tons of outdoor space, close to the beach, and the new medical education building is state of the art.

The curriculum is also awesome. Lots of free time and small group study, didn't seem like there would be more than 2 hours or so of actual lecture-hall lecture per day. There are also tons of electives, and the administration seems to be extremely supportive of student ideas and if you have something you want to do, they seem like they will help find a way to make it happen.

The student-run free clinic is also truly impressive. If you are interviewing here, I highly recommend signing up for one of the tours. The clinic operates in 4 sites throughout San Diego and offers comprehensive care including primary medical care, dental, pharmacy, social services, legal, acupuncture, etc. It seems truly awesome and something that would be really cool to take part in.

About the interview day itself, they don't really do a whole lot to try to sell the school to you, as it kind of sells itself. Short Q&A with Dr. Kelly, and then MMI time, then lunch, then a quick tour and you're done.

I can't say much about the MMI as we signed a non-disclosure agreement, but I will say that I wasn't a huge fan. I have fairly strong interview skills and feel like I completely blew it, which is a huge bummer as UCSD is in my top 3 schools.

Here's hoping it went better than I thought, I'll find out in October probably. If you have any questions about the school, feel free to pm me!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I wish you the best of luck.
 
So I never received an email notification about receiving a secondary, but I checked my status page and there it was. Did this happen to anyone else? I wonder how long it's been up there...
 
Does anybody know if applying for MAS puts you on a separate track for review like MSTP? I wouldn't want to risk it.
 
zipideedoodah said:
So I never received an email notification about receiving a secondary, but I checked my status page and there it was. Did this happen to anyone else? I wonder how long it's been up there...
Click to expand...

I just signed on and it's there for me, too!
 
Thanks very much for the report, Surfdoc.

I know a lot of the UCs (and Stanford) are doing the MMI now, so it's good that you got one under your belt early. And even if you don't feel that you did very well on the interview, try to stay positive; your stats and background are incredibly impressive and there's no doubt that you'll end up at a top school.

-Bill
 
Thanks for the kind words. Really, really loved the school. Not much to do now but wait I guess.
 
surfdoc29 said:
Interviewed here this week and thought I'd post my thoughts.

First, and I'm sure no one really needs me to tell them this, but this school is amazing. La Jolla is amazing, and the campus is beautiful. Tons of outdoor space, close to the beach, and the new medical education building is state of the art.

The curriculum is also awesome. Lots of free time and small group study, didn't seem like there would be more than 2 hours or so of actual lecture-hall lecture per day. There are also tons of electives, and the administration seems to be extremely supportive of student ideas and if you have something you want to do, they seem like they will help find a way to make it happen.

The student-run free clinic is also truly impressive. If you are interviewing here, I highly recommend signing up for one of the tours. The clinic operates in 4 sites throughout San Diego and offers comprehensive care including primary medical care, dental, pharmacy, social services, legal, acupuncture, etc. It seems truly awesome and something that would be really cool to take part in.

About the interview day itself, they don't really do a whole lot to try to sell the school to you, as it kind of sells itself. Short Q&A with Dr. Kelly, and then MMI time, then lunch, then a quick tour and you're done.

I can't say much about the MMI as we signed a non-disclosure agreement, but I will say that I wasn't a huge fan. I have fairly strong interview skills and feel like I completely blew it, which is a huge bummer as UCSD is in my top 3 schools.

Here's hoping it went better than I thought, I'll find out in October probably. If you have any questions about the school, feel free to pm me!
Click to expand...

Thanks im praying for the II!
 
Same thing here 🙂 Just checked right after I read this! Was way nervous to get my hopes up.

Meant to quote the post about getting a secondary without an email.
 
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Well it says "received completed secomdary application - date," so it provides the same amount of info as an email that says "we've received your completed secondary" :laugh:
 
For those who have interviewed: were you able to leave your baggage at the admissions office during the interview day? I know other schools let applicants do it, but I haven't found it in any of their interview information emails.
 
milkandcereal said:
For those who have interviewed: were you able to leave your baggage at the admissions office during the interview day? I know other schools let applicants do it, but I haven't found it in any of their interview information emails.
Click to expand...

I didn't have any luggage but i believe the people who did were able to leave it in the office.
 
got an interview today! complete 8/30. is ucsd rolling admission? this is my top choice school so i'm not sure if i should schedule a later date so i could have more time to prep or if i should just suck it up and do it in 2 weeks
 
calgirl1234 said:
got an interview today! complete 8/30. is ucsd rolling admission? this is my top choice school so i'm not sure if i should schedule a later date so i could have more time to prep or if i should just suck it up and do it in 2 weeks
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Congratluations!!! I was complete 8/18 🙁... ugh hope that's not bad news. Did you get an Email?
 
calgirl1234 said:
got an interview today! complete 8/30. is ucsd rolling admission? this is my top choice school so i'm not sure if i should schedule a later date so i could have more time to prep or if i should just suck it up and do it in 2 weeks
Click to expand...

Congrats on the interview! UCSD is rolling admissions, so I would schedule as soon as you feel comfortable interviewing. SD switched to MMI style this year, so preparation for the interview is not entirely useful anyway.
 
calgirl1234 said:
got an interview today! complete 8/30. is ucsd rolling admission? this is my top choice school so i'm not sure if i should schedule a later date so i could have more time to prep or if i should just suck it up and do it in 2 weeks
Click to expand...

If you have the option, it might be advisable to get one MMI under your belt before interviewing at your top choice. As long as you're able to interview at UCSD within the next 6-8 weeks, you should be fine.

IMHO, in a perfect world you'd be able to get another MMI in before the end of October and then interview at UCSD by early-November. From what I've heard, UCSD's MMI is no joke, and you will likely feel much more comfortable if you've been through the process once before.

Congrats on your interview, and good luck!

-Bill R.
 
BillrothI said:
If you have the option, it might be advisable to get one MMI under your belt before interviewing at your top choice. As long as you're able to interview at UCSD within the next 6-8 weeks, you should be fine.

IMHO, in a perfect world you'd be able to get another MMI in before the end of October and then interview at UCSD by early-November. From what I've heard, UCSD's MMI is no joke, and you will likely feel much more comfortable if you've been through the process once before.

Congrats on your interview, and good luck!

-Bill R.
Click to expand...

hmm do you think i should switch my 10/17 date to 11/07 ( i have an mmi interview on 10/28 at a different school, but november does seem a little late)
 
calgirl1234 said:
hmm do you think i should switch my 10/17 date to 11/07 ( i have an mmi interview on 10/28 at a different school, but november does seem a little late)
Click to expand...
I concur with Bill R. If UCSD is número uno for you, you absolutely should reschedule to get at least one MMI under your belt before UCSD. November is still way early in the process. BTW, mind providing your stats? Good luck.
 
calgirl1234 said:
hmm do you think i should switch my 10/17 date to 11/07 ( i have an mmi interview on 10/28 at a different school, but november does seem a little late)
Click to expand...

It's totally up to you, but that's exactly what I would do. It's only three weeks, and I think the benefit of having a 'practice run' outweighs any potential risks of interviewing just a tiny bit later. With a LizzyM of 76, you're obviously highly-competitive from an academic standpoint and it would probably be in your best interest to do everything you can to make sure you really nail that interview!

-Bill R.
 
calgirl1234 said:
got an interview today! complete 8/30. is ucsd rolling admission? this is my top choice school so i'm not sure if i should schedule a later date so i could have more time to prep or if i should just suck it up and do it in 2 weeks
Click to expand...

Just wondering, are you IS?
 
I just had my interview at UCSD yesterday. They will be sending offers/waitlist/rejection at the end of October. Each year, they accept approximately 200 students, some of whom will withdraw their intent to matriculate after May 15. At that point, they will choose from an unranked list of waitlisted students. The final class size is roughly 125 students (134 last year).

There are many selling points of UCSD. The interview invite video will list many of them, but I highly recommend to sign up for the free clinic tour.

The MMI interview was not as stressful as I had anticipated. In the folder you receive on the morning of the interview, there will be two sheets of paper. At each station there is a pen for you to take notes to formulate your argument that you will present to each interviewer. You are allowed to utilize more than the two minutes allocated to think of your arguments. The interview is not conversational and is more like a presentation of your thoughts. Some interviewers will provide follow-up questions. Most students do not utilize all eight minutes.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. Best wishes to those who are still waiting for secondaries and good luck to those who are interviewing.
 
Anyone know if UCSD is receptive to accepting updates (i.e. Grade updates?) for candidates who have gotten an II?
 
LAMD2017 said:
Anyone know if UCSD is receptive to accepting updates (i.e. Grade updates?) for candidates who have gotten an II?
Click to expand...

They mentioned at the interview that they were not particularly receptive to updates. It doesn't sound like they do much at all to boost your chances of an acceptance.
 
Also received an interview invite earlier today. IS applicant and I was complete around 09/08.I had an MMI at Davis but from the comments it seems like they are entirely different, as Davis had a lot of role playing.
 
JediOchoa said:
Also received an interview invite earlier today. IS applicant and I was complete around 09/08.I had an MMI at Davis but from the comments it seems like they are entirely different, as Davis had a lot of role playing.
Click to expand...

Wow man, congrats! By your MDApps it seems like you're having an incredible cycle!
 
JediOchoa said:
Also received an interview invite earlier today. IS applicant and I was complete around 09/08.I had an MMI at Davis but from the comments it seems like they are entirely different, as Davis had a lot of role playing.
Click to expand...

surfdoc29 said:
Wow man, congrats! By your MDApps it seems like you're having an incredible cycle!
Click to expand...

Ochoa runs this.


Have any OOS applicants received IIs yet?
 
does anyone know if UCSD does silent rejections post secondary?
 
Was really skeptical and fearful of mmi but left ucsd today feeling like it was fun!
 
pyrrion89 said:
Was really skeptical and fearful of mmi but left ucsd today feeling like it was fun!
Click to expand...

The MMI was very different from any other interviewing experience so far. Part of me prefers the old fashioned one-on-one interviews, but those can be very subjective based on the personality match between interviewer and interviewee. I do admire the fairness of MMIs and while my interviewers may not have been able to get to know me as well as I would have liked, they were probably able to elucidate my thought process. Overall, there are positives and negatives to both styles and you really cannot prepare for MMIs at all.

However, I am NOT ambivalent about UCSD. Loved the school, the people, the area!!! One of my, if not the, top choice.
 
Cambover said:
The MMI was very different from any other interviewing experience so far. Part of me prefers the old fashioned one-on-one interviews, but those can be very subjective based on the personality match between interviewer and interviewee. I do admire the fairness of MMIs and while my interviewers may not have been able to get to know me as well as I would have liked, they were probably able to elucidate my thought process. Overall, there are positives and negatives to both styles and you really cannot prepare for MMIs at all.

However, I am NOT ambivalent about UCSD. Loved the school, the people, the area!!! One of my, if not the, top choice.
Click to expand...

If I can sum up UCSD, it feels like a top, research-heavy, ambitious med school but with an amazing twist: The atmosphere IS the stereotype of California from the rose-tinted perspective of people who've never been to California (sun, surf, laid back people). It's a pretty tempting environment. :laugh:
 
Here's a few pictures I took: ImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380125942.693673.jpgImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380125999.061864.jpgImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380126014.568720.jpgImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380126032.951127.jpgImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380126051.347235.jpgImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380125973.881918.jpgImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1380125959.023887.jpg
pyrrion89 said:
If I can sum up UCSD, it feels like a top, research-heavy, ambitious med school but with an amazing twist: The atmosphere IS the stereotype of California from the rose-tinted perspective of people who've never been to California (sun, surf, laid back people). It's a pretty tempting environment. :laugh:
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 
pyrrion89 said:
If I can sum up UCSD, it feels like a top, research-heavy, ambitious med school but with an amazing twist: The atmosphere IS the stereotype of California from the rose-tinted perspective of people who've never been to California (sun, surf, laid back people). It's a pretty tempting environment. :laugh:
Click to expand...

I can't imagine a place that I would rather live; going to school in San Diego would be absolutely awesome.
 
🙂 MD/PhD

What a dream come true.

Wish everyone else the best of luck!!
 
Has anyone received a PRIME interview invite yet?

Edit: Nevermind, just received one like 15 minutes after I posted this. So excited!!
 
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Just received the secondary. Absolutely surprised!
 
Can't beat the weather here in La Jolla. Plus, the food (San Diego in general) is amazing.

For those of you who are traveling from out of state, or just foreign to SoCal in general, take some time to check out downtown SD if you can (Gaslamp Quarter)

Here's to hoping I get a II from my alma mater.
 
waiting for interview invite or rejection.... waiting..
 
Does anyone happen to know how is MSTP going at SD? Haven't seen a lot of information on here. Submitted to MSTP at the first week of Sept, haven't heard a bleep. Are MSTP and MD candidates evaluated together or separately for secondaries? Thanks!
 
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