2014-2015 University of California - Riverside Application Thread

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Man, I hope I get a secondary today. lol
 
I don't know how selective the secondary is, but I just received mine, and my GPA is 3.76 and MCAT 39
 
IS with secondary invite early this morning. Good luck to everyone.
 
Hey guys, for your college address... are you guys putting the address of your residence for example (bc I didn't go to school where I could live at my permanent residence)?
 
IS applicant -- secondary received!

rhythmisadancer said:
Hey guys, for your college address... are you guys putting the address of your residence for example (bc I didn't go to school where I could live at my permanent residence)?
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Yes, I put down my current address. I do live near the college I attended still...
 
got one too. 3.39 and 29. (10 p / 8 v / 11 b)

my numbers suck but my ec might be decent...
 
I got a secondary too with 29, 3.94, and IS. Does anybody know how harsh is UCR in their screening process?
 
Lots of high scores, but don't count yourselves out. I got a secondary and have Lizzy score of around 67. IS and live near IE.
 
Can you guys post the prompts? 🙂 Really hoping they didn't change too many of them...
 
Describe the single MOST important event or non-academic activity in your life and explain why it’s significant. (250 words)
What has been the single MOST unique leadership, entrepreneurial, or creative activity in which you participated? (250 words)
What has been the single MOST important volunteer work you have done and why was it meaningful? (250 words)
Have you received any honors while in college? (250 words)
What is the MOST important honor (one) you have received? Why do you view this as important? (250 words)
What has been your MOST scholarly project (thesis, research, or field of study in basic or clinical sciences or in the humanities)? Describe one and give number of hours, dates, and advisor(s). (250 words)
Describe a major problem you have had to deal with at some time in your life. Include how you dealt with it and how it influenced your growth. (250 words)
Is there any specific hardship to which you would like the committee to give special attention in evaluating your application? Please briefly explain below. (Include any geographic, language, economic, academic, physical, or mental factors.) (250 words)
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What experiences have led you to this goal? (250 words)
What is the most important health care issue confronting disadvantaged communities and what would be your first steps to address this issue? (250 words)
IF you think you’re disadvantaged,

Describe the manner in which your experiences demonstrate your understanding of, and commitment to, underserved communities . Please limit your response to 250 words (250 words)
 
Wow, beastly secondary--thanks for posting! I still haven't received an invite (IS, LizzyM ~70), but I'm hopeful.

csdanim said:
IF you think you’re disadvantaged,

Describe the manner in which your experiences demonstrate your understanding of, and commitment to, underserved communities . Please limit your response to 250 words (250 words)
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Just to clarify: so you can only answer this if you are yourself disadvantaged? I'm definitely not, but I've done a ton of volunteer work with underserved communities in CA and I'm very committed to it.
 
Ny resident, 34/3.7 with strong ec's geared towards under served populations. Received a pre-secondary rejection today
 
has your education been continuous since graduation from high school?

for this question, does this include gap years between college and med school matriculation?
 
Protip: most of these prompts should be the same as UCLA's!

(Unless UCLA randomly decides to switch around all their prompts this year.)
 
ahhhhh secondary received!!!!!!!! why i'm I this excited for a secondary??? anyone know how many they give out?
 
Irish Luck said:
Ny resident, 34/3.7 with strong ec's geared towards under served populations. Received a pre-secondary rejection today
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Sorry to hear. I wouldn't read too much into it, it's probably the strong IS bias at UCR working against you. Good luck elsewhere.
 
IS, Live in IE, 3.4, 33. 1 year EMT, 1 year ER scribe. Received secondary.
 
blackkrim said:
Wow, beastly secondary--thanks for posting! I still haven't received an invite (IS, LizzyM ~70), but I'm hopeful.



Just to clarify: so you can only answer this if you are yourself disadvantaged? I'm definitely not, but I've done a ton of volunteer work with underserved communities in CA and I'm very committed to it.
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This question is made available only if you identify yourself as a disadvantaged candidate. UCR defines disadvantaged candidate as the following

UCR School of Medicine said:
In the past, the program has received scholarship funds from the state for students who meet "disadvantaged" criteria. In awarding that money, the following criteria may be used. Please use these guidelines to help you decide if you might qualify as a "Disadvantaged Student."

Financially Disadvantaged: Family income and household size will be used to determine if an applicant is financially disadvantaged. The family income cutoff will be directly linked to the size of the family.

First Generation College Attendee: Parents have not attended college or have just recently begun attending college.

Disability: Learning, physical, psychological.

Pre-college Development Program: For example, UC Partnership/Early Academic Outreach, Upward Bound, MESA, UCAPP, AVID, College Bound, Eastside Collaborative, CAL SOAP, etc.

English is the Second Language: The student’s native tongue is other than English.

Veteran: Member or former member of the U.S. Military.

Re-entry: Applies to students who are 24 years of age or older by term of entry and currently have been out of school for two years or more.

Unusual Life Circumstances/Personal Hardship: Indicators: ward of the court, recent or chronic illness/injury, foster home, child in single parent family, applicant is single parent, runaway, death in the immediate family (parent, guardian, sibling), homelessness, emancipated minor, incarcerated parent, applicant is a current/former inmate of a correctional facility, parolee, or applicant is a victim of physical/sexual abuse.

Location of Residence and/or Limited Educational Opportunity: Indicators: inner city dwelling/school, rural dwelling/school, high crime rate, high unemployment rate, low education level of community, student is bussed to school (therefore cannot participate in extracurricular/enriching activities), high school does not offer AP/Honors curriculum or high school does not send many students to UC, low college-going rate, low high school graduation rate, low high school test scores (mean average less than 500 on SATI math and verbal).

Social/Cultural Disadvantage: Circumstances preclude applicant from participating in quality educational or other enriching activities, low to moderate income community, high school does not offer pre-university development/outreach programs, little or no exposure/access to social/cultural opportunities.

Job: Working during school year to supplement family income, save for college, or to fulfill other basic needs.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks. Bummer, I guess I'll have to address my volunteering elsewhere.
 
csdanim said:
This question is made available only if you identify yourself as a disadvantaged candidate. UCR defines disadvantaged candidate as the following
Click to expand...

Weird... I guess I am considered disadvantage because I worked in high school/college and because my parents didnt go to college?

I feel awkward trying to argue this though
 
Inygma said:
Weird... I guess I am considered disadvantage because I worked in high school/college and because my parents didnt go to college?

I feel awkward trying to argue this though
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. I could stretch it a bit and talk about how I worked and how I'm a first generation college student, but it feels dishonest to call myself disadvantaged, since I had a middle class, white upbringing.
 
i havent received the secondary but I was wondering, is it necessary to answer this question? "What is the MOST important honor (one) you have received? Why do you view this as important? "
 
2 weeks to do this. Already have gotten 7 secondaries from the 9 schools I applied to.
 
i4171 said:
i havent received the secondary but I was wondering, is it necessary to answer this question? "What is the MOST important honor (one) you have received? Why do you view this as important? "
Click to expand...

It is one of the questions in the activities section of the secondary, so I would try to answer it. Typically, unless the question says it is specifically for disadvantaged applicants, MD/pHD, or for a special program (i.e. PRIME), you should answer all the questions.
 
Anyone knows for the activities, can we recycle the activity list on the primary app? It seems quite redundant to have the same activities on both primary and secondary :-?
 
does anybody have an answer for post #78 (the potential gap year question?)
 
bluemachine said:
does anybody have an answer for post #78 (the potential gap year question?)
Click to expand...
I took it as saying "Between graduation from high school and today, have you ever been out of school?" I briefly wrote about when I graduated and what I have been up to since.
 
NotSoFastBuddy said:
My references don't appear in the Secondary App Portal. Anyone else having this issue??? Mine were received by AMCAS long ago and all my other schools indicate they have them.
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UCR might not check that they have it until they review your secondary? I turned in my secondary and it also says my letters are not received (but received at every other school) but I still got the email that says my application is now under review so it sounds like it's complete...
 
Just received the secondary yesterday- it was delivered to my junk folder. In case anyone wants to know, 3.45 cGPA, 3.36 sGPA, 3.89 GPA in MS Global Health, 26 MCAT (planned retake in late August). Thousands of hours volunteering in both medical and non-medical settings; one international volunteer service trip; quite a few leadership positions and 2+ year-long positions w/community service activities. I'm relieved to know that they looked past my sub-par numbers to favor my recent achievements and service activities. So don't worry guys!
 
SynapticDoctah said:
Me too. What are your stats?
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My stats aren't spectacular: cGPA ~3.2 and MCAT 31-34. Strong upward trend in GPA (from freshman 1.0 to a 3.57 in subsequent years) with some unique clinical work experience. Non-traditional student.

I received a secondary from UCSD and UCI though. lol
 
Does anyone who is answering the disadvantaged prompts know why they want so much info about our family (including addresses)? It's a little strange.
 
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