2013-2014 University of California - San Francisco Application Thread

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jlescher said:
Maybe....? He/she is vying for a spot in a program with a very high level of responsibility with only ~16 spots. I'm sure they will overlook the fact that they didn't do any research on the program and they know nothing about it. Wishful thinking with a program like UCSF.

On another note, sorry to those who were rejected. This process often makes no sense. I'm sure you will all get into awesome schools!
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To be clear, the applicant didn't say they wrote about the wrong school and did no research on it, just that they used the wrong acronym. So yeah, i do think its possible that with an otherwise beautiful application, they could still get an interview
 
jlescher said:
Haha, yeah I agree they might. I don't mean to be a jerk but I don't like when people sugar coat it. It doesn't help anyone to get their hopes up. It strikes a cord with me because people did it to me last year and I got kind of complacent and expected to get in. Did not turn out that way.
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Oh yeah, point taken. Its a pretty unpredictable process. Some of these people who've been doled out rejections- can't believe it with those stats!
 
lall said:
To be clear, the applicant didn't say they wrote about the wrong school and did no research on it, just that they used the wrong acronym. So yeah, i do think its possible that with an otherwise beautiful application, they could still get an interview
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Totally agree, but I don't know how MPH can come across as a typo when the program is JMP. If you read about the JMP they specifically say "one can do an MPH with the MD/MS program but it's very hard to maintain a normal social life." So I think it would be hard to confuse the too if you did your homework. I am interest to find out if they get an interview though.

Yeah this process is ridiculous and makes no sense. I didn't apply to UCSF last year and they gave me a secondary this year. I did apply to UCSD last year and was wait listed. They haven't even given me a secondary yet and I was verified on July 2nd I think. Either they are really slow this year or they are super inconsistent. It's not all about stats, but most of the people on here have awesome ECs as well and still got rejected. I don't understand it.
 
jlescher said:
It's not all about stats, but most of the people on here have awesome ECs as well and still got rejected. I don't understand it.
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(Aside from random factors) Well at that point, the only thing we don't know for sure is how these folks are irl and as writers in conveying your determination to pursue medicine. I mean, Saying you have strong LORs and PS is very self-subjective :laugh:
 
Jennyfishy said:
(Aside from random factors) Well at that point, the only thing we don't know for sure is how these folks are irl and as writers in conveying your determination to pursue medicine. I mean, Saying you have strong LORs and PS is very self-subjective :laugh:
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Yeah, that is very true. I think SDNers are obsessed with stats and drastically underestimate the importance of the other factors. Specifically, the tone, experience, and maturity that can come through in your writing. It's most likely just a result of stats being an easy thing to compare and other factors being more nebulous. Most adcom members I've talked to at good public schools put very little weight in stats once a certain threshold has been crossed. Then again, this is UCSF which is another beast entirely.
 
I base a lot of the love I have gotten off of schools so far on my ability to write well and convey my passions in a mature, creative, and concise manner.
 
jlescher said:
Totally agree, but I don't know how MPH can come across as a typo when the program is JMP. If you read about the JMP they specifically say "one can do an MPH with the MD/MS program but it's very hard to maintain a normal social life." So I think it would be hard to confuse the too if you did your homework. I am interest to find out if they get an interview though.

Yeah this process is ridiculous and makes no sense. I didn't apply to UCSF last year and they gave me a secondary this year. I did apply to UCSD last year and was wait listed. They haven't even given me a secondary yet and I was verified on July 2nd I think. Either they are really slow this year or they are super inconsistent. It's not all about stats, but most of the people on here have awesome ECs as well and still got rejected. I don't understand it.
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Oh soooo true! I came into this scared as he11. Of the three people in my lab who applied last year, the two who had subpar stats, but are all around amazing with great ECs, letters of rec and a history of dedication, didn't get a single interview. And the one who kind of blew as a person, but had decent stats had a few and received admission at her homestate's school.

The two did apply really late though, and neither seemed to think they were as awesome as they were so maybe their essays spoke of the hesitation and stuff that I felt coming off them.


Scary process either way
 
jlescher said:
Most adcom members I've talked to at good public schools put very little weight in stats once a certain threshold has been crossed. Then again, this is UCSF which is another beast entirely.
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Yeah, stats are definitely the only way you can give a "general" evaluation of a person's "future ability to succeed" in medical school. Past a certain "checklist," a lot of SDNers seem to think that ECs don't have enough weight in landing you an interview/acceptance (every post on WAMC ever). But I've seen plenty of "stellar apps on paper" get rejected, and many non-URM, avg stats but awesome ECs get accepted because they have so many more experiences to talk about in both their essays and in interviews. This includes UCSF! :banana:

ChemEngMD said:
I base a lot of the love I have gotten off of schools so far on my ability to write well and convey my passions in a mature, creative, and concise manner.
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More or less how I feel. If I get any interviews, it will definitely not be because of my stats alone 😛. I'd like to believe that I'm a decent/great writer, but maybe I've been tutoring college students incorrectly for years and scamming my way through all my writing/English courses :laugh:
 
Got the primary received email over 2 weeks ago, still waiting and hoping for a secondary! UCSF is a dream school for me, but a mega-reach since I'm an international applicant.

And I don't think they auto-send secondaries based on stats either, my GPA is 3.95+ and MCAT 40+
 
Rulf said:
Got the primary received email over 2 weeks ago, still waiting and hoping for a secondary! UCSF is a dream school for me, but a mega-reach since I'm an international applicant.

And I don't think they auto-send secondaries based on stats either, my GPA is 3.95+ and MCAT 40+
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Haha well seeing those stats, I would now agree with you that they probably don't auto-screen. Best of luck with the rest of your cycle!
 
I can throw another oddball into the mix and underscore the unpredictability of their decision-making timeline. I was sent a secondary request within 12 hours of verification and I have pretty bland ECs. On the other hand, though, my LizzyM score is >80. I was under the impression that I had been auto-screened but this thread would convince me otherwise.
 
They may have some sort of numerical threshold that essentially guarantees a secondary, even if every application is technically screened by a person.
 
lall said:
To be clear, the applicant didn't say they wrote about the wrong school and did no research on it, just that they used the wrong acronym. So yeah, i do think its possible that with an otherwise beautiful application, they could still get an interview
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I know this is a moot point, but I didn't use the acronym MD/MPH, just talked about how I could achieve my goals with a master's in public health. I don't want to belabor this anymore than is necessary, so I'll drop it.

Anyway, good luck to all!
 
Anyone get an II yet?

Finished the secondary a few days ago and I'm hoping to get a sense of when they'll get back to me. This whole process is so nerve-wracking, yet INCREDIBLY exciting too!
 
I don't believe anyone has gotten an II yet. I may be wrong but I think last year, II's didn't go out Til after Labor Day
 
Hi I'm looking for the secondary questions, anyone?
I still havent gotten a secondary, getting kinda nervous!! 😕
 
ShivTron said:
Hi I'm looking for the secondary questions, anyone?
I still havent gotten a secondary, getting kinda nervous!! 😕
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The UC's screen your primaries before sending out secondaries. Not everyone gets one.
 
lall said:
Sorry that came across as kind of rude. All I'm saying is, my applixation was verified and that night/next morning at one thirty am ucsf downloaded my application as did most schools through an automated system of some sort and ucsf sent me a received email, and then the secondary seconds later as did several other schools which screen and unlike several others who screen as well. I'd love to think someone read my application and decided i was special ans granted me a secondary but it just doesn't seem very likely in my or similar cases. Some of us met a mathematical formula of some sort. Ps most adcom members aren't doctors and those who are don't usually work at clinics if they're on an adcom at an academic university. Most of those doctors have days off from clinical duties...academic medicine. Its a thing. 🙂
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I realize academic medicine is "a thing." I was basing my comments from faculty reviewers (MD) at an equally prestigious institution.

My two emails were spaced about a minute apart.
 
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safe said:
I can throw another oddball into the mix and underscore the unpredictability of their decision-making timeline. I was sent a secondary request within 12 hours of verification and I have pretty bland ECs. On the other hand, though, my LizzyM score is >80. I was under the impression that I had been auto-screened but this thread would convince me otherwise.
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It's possible that they auto-screen but their policy varies for different demographics. They may not auto-send secondaries to international applicants at all, for instance.
 
Rulf said:
It's possible that they auto-screen but their policy varies for different demographics. They may not auto-send secondaries to international applicants at all, for instance.
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It might just be that they auto-screen based on numbers then send out a set number of secondaries each day/week. So if you turn it in early and pass the screen you get sent one automatically, but if they've already sent out their max number for that day/week when you turn it in you get put in the pile for the next day/week. For people who get screened out they might just go through those by hand and send one 2+ weeks down the line? Who really knows anymore. 😕
 
I just want to apologize for starting this neurotic conversation into UCSF's secondary policies. Didn't realize it would go on for over a page :laugh:
 
ChemEngMD said:
I just want to apologize for starting this neurotic conversation into UCSF's secondary policies. Didn't realize it would go on for over a page :laugh:
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It seems most of the the confusion comes from a) super short or super long primary received-to-secondary invite timelines and b) high-stat applicants being "passed over."

I'm sure this post will be buried under further speculation, but really, there's no point in trying to guess what goes on behind the scenes since it's pretty much going to come down to "it varies" and thus ultimately won't have any prediction value for everyone who's waiting :shrug: ..except it is a nice way to take our minds off this whole process and feel like we have some control over it :laugh:
 
jeghaber said:
It seems most of the the confusion comes from a) super short or super long primary received-to-secondary invite timelines and b) high-stat applicants being "passed over."

I'm sure this post will be buried under further speculation, but really, there's no point in trying to guess what goes on behind the scenes since it's pretty much going to come down to "it varies" and thus ultimately won't have any prediction value for everyone who's waiting :shrug: ..except it is a nice way to take our minds off this whole process and feel like we have some control over it :laugh:
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I just hope it varies enough to send me one! I agree though and think we can let it rest. I doubt anyone outside of the adcoms knows how it really works.
 
ChemEngMD said:
I just want to apologize for starting this neurotic conversation into UCSF's secondary policies. Didn't realize it would go on for over a page :laugh:
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Haha, It's cool. You threw a bone to a bunch of hungry dogs itching for a fight.
 
Received the rejection PDF today; it was impossible to open. Got the "Verified AMCAS application has been received" email on July 15. OOS 3.66/36R.
 
dr bauer said:
wow... guess theyre done sending secondaries now?
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No. Just because people are getting rejected pre-secondary doesn't mean that they have given them all out...it just means that something in their application did not match what the Adcom was looking for in an individual that they wanted to receive a secondary.

There's still hope if you haven't heard anything.
 
Had my AMCAS verified in June, but didn't add this school to my list until August 8th. Received a secondary last night! OOS, non-trad, and very surprised at my good luck here.
 
So it seems most schools conduct interviews from september to around july of next year? I haven't gotten a single II except for a rejection from UCSC, gotta admit that rejection stung quite a bit. I am not panicking, yet, but this dead silence from schools after a flood of secondaries makes me feel kind of uneasy.

For those who have interviewed at UCSF last year what kind of questions do they ask u? More importantly who interviews you? Is it a panel or one on one? Do other students interview u? Faculty?
 
medschoolmyname said:
So it seems most schools conduct interviews from september to around july of next year?
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From September to February; schools have to send out acceptances by March 15th, so they should be done with interviews by March.
But it's not time to worry about not having any IIs yet. Some schools start sending IIs in the beginning of September. It also depends on how early you were complete with each schools. Take in consideration that the first batch of IIs often goes to the people who were complete early. I think you shouldn't worry about not getting IIs yet... start worrying if you get no IIs by October or so.
 
I see Ill hold my breath till October, thanks amygdarya for the assurance.
 
medschoolmyname said:
So it seems most schools conduct interviews from september to around july of next year? I haven't gotten a single II except for a rejection from UCSC, gotta admit that rejection stung quite a bit. I am not panicking, yet, but this dead silence from schools after a flood of secondaries makes me feel kind of uneasy.

For those who have interviewed at UCSF last year what kind of questions do they ask u? More importantly who interviews you? Is it a panel or one on one? Do other students interview u? Faculty?
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2 one on one interviews. At least one faculty member will interview you, and I believe the second can me a student or a faculty member. Questions are impossible to predict, it really comes down to what the interviewer wants to know. Some I got last year were: tell me about your research, tell me about a patient, what's the last book you read, and so you were a butcher in college. how did you end up with that job? Other interviewers simply went down my AMCAS app and asked me to elaborate on the activities. I could be wrong, but I think UCSF has closed file interviews so that adds an interesting element.
 
I think this was already asked, but does the school typically do "silent rejections" or do they just take forever before finally deciding whether or not they're going to reject pre-secondary? 😛
 
Jennyfishy said:
I think this was already asked, but does the school typically do "silent rejections" or do they just take forever before finally deciding whether or not they're going to reject pre-secondary? 😛
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Well, judging by the fact that several people in this thread have reported being rejected pre-secondary, it seems like UCSF rejects loud and clear. So, I will go with the "forever" hypothesis. For whatever reason, some applications take longer to process/make a decision on.
 
Jennyfishy said:
I think this was already asked, but does the school typically do "silent rejections" or do they just take forever before finally deciding whether or not they're going to reject pre-secondary? 😛
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If you browse up the thread, you will see that there has already been pre-secondary rejections.
 
premed2000 said:
If you browse up the thread, you will see that there has already been pre-secondary rejections.
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Yeah, but it just seemed kind of arbitrary in regards to the time lag between the decision vs the tons of others who have just heard nothing despite being verified on the first day (or somewhere early in the cycle).

Thanks though 😛. I'll continue believing the "no news is good news" motto then 😴
 
Jennyfishy said:
Yeah, but it just seemed kind of arbitrary in regards to the time lag between the decision vs the tons of others who have just heard nothing despite being verified on the first day (or somewhere early in the cycle).

Thanks though 😛. I'll continue believing the "no news is good news" motto then 😴
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Haha yah. This process is so unpredictable. No news is good news 🙂
 
Jennyfishy said:
Yeah, but it just seemed kind of arbitrary in regards to the time lag between the decision vs the tons of others who have just heard nothing despite being verified on the first day (or somewhere early in the cycle).

Thanks though 😛. I'll continue believing the "no news is good news" motto then 😴
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I've been verified since 8/05 and still no secondary but no rejection..I just applied as a "why not" because I got FAP, but I'm expecting a rejection with my 27 MCAT
 
UCSF is playing with our minds and our hearts. Such a tease :laugh:
 
AMCAS application was verified on August 22nd. Anyone get a secondary recently?
 
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