2015-2016 University of California - Riverside Application Thread

[general987]

I feel like this year the people that are getting accepted are not that active on this thread. It seems like the majority of us that are active are the ones playing the waiting game. This is somewhat unfortunate because we are not able to get a good measure of how many people are accepted nor, more importantly, when exactly decisions are being given out. For the ucr alumni, I think that a very generous chunk of acceptances were given out in December. I do believe that there will be one more "mass acceptance date" but I don't know if that will focus on pre new year interviews or post new year interviews. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed because last year, there weren't many pre new year acceptances given out after the new year.

To me, it makes sense that they basically split the cycle into two phases (sept-dec) and then (jan-march), but that is just my personal viewpoint. I wish they would just let us know already... I mean if we are so far down on the wait list, it would be nice to just be let go instead of living with a hope and flaring emotions. I don't know if you all agree... Ive been feeling down about it latelt., especially since UCR accepts people who are unlikely to go elsewhere.

It is a difficult process. I do remember the frustrations that many of my classmates had over the process. However, keep calm and carry on like the British. Update letters and working on improving apps if needed are best done now.


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[fyang0414]

Hello! First time posting but been reading for a while (thank you everybody who have asked questions and those who have answered)

I got my secondary very late (only about a month ago at the beginning of January) and was wondering whether it is still worth pursuing or not?
I read that it still might be worth it but being only a couple months away from the last interview dates (based on what I've read) what would the timeline look like?

Also, how would I go about updating admissions (started working after submitting my primaries, mentioned in secondaries but not sure if it's enough)?

Any information is greatly appreciated! 😀

 

[foxydocy]

Hello! First time posting but been reading for a while (thank you everybody who have asked questions and those who have answered)

I got my secondary very late (only about a month ago at the beginning of January) and was wondering whether it is still worth pursuing or not?
I read that it still might be worth it but being only a couple months away from the last interview dates (based on what I've read) what would the timeline look like?

Also, how would I go about updating admissions (started working after submitting my primaries, mentioned in secondaries but not sure if it's enough)?

Any information is greatly appreciated! 😀

Don't they give you two weeks to turn in your secondary?

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

I have no idea of the exact number. But there are 36 non-UCR seats to fill, so post interview non-UCR alum are in a better position. (only once you have gotten the interview).

Also guys I forgot to mention, when I called a few days ago to inquire about updates, the person I spoke to did not seem very excited about us sending them in. She said only significant updates after an interview. So I guess that could mean that for you pre-interview, go ahead and update. update. update. Also, not sure how excited they are about letters intending to register. I had thought that since it is such a mission based school, they would love the commitment, but I also felt like it wasn't as loved as I had anticipated.

One last piece of information: This I got from a friend. He said that they are putting off accepting low MCAT/GPA people until they are sure that they have enough people to buff their board statistics. I heard that the last year's class took boards and the school wasn't too thrilled with the scores so they wanted to make sure they improved their academic threshold this year. Usually they are more focused on mission and you can squeeze by if you are a fit if you are lacking in a couple academic areas. This year, I guess, not so much. This is heresay though. I heard this from a friend, and although I most defintiely believe him, he's not a "credible" source.

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to keep this thread moving with information!

To clear up any confusion:

As we all know SDN is notorious for having posts that are speculations or just blatantly wrong.
This is not at all to attack OTW (since he/she is quoted above) or remark that he/she shouldn't have made the comment above. I think OTW made a very impartial comment on the information given to him and was very clear that his friend is not credible. 🙂 I actually just want to respond to what his friend said as his friend is completely misled.

This post is, however, actually directed to the SDN users that drive other poor applicants insane or discourage them from pursuing things like Letters of Interest or even applying. Remember in the application cycle, your best source of information is the admissions committee!!! UCR does not send secondaries to get money from applicants, they are thankful one of those schools that sends secondaries after primaries have been reviewed and believe that the applicant exhibits qualities (aside from academic) that fits the school and its mission.

In response to OTW's friend, our first inaugural class (MS3) did AMAZING on boards. AND as the 3rd incoming class (Class of 2019), we were told that their MCAT scores did not appear to remotely correlate with their boards scores when they ran the statistics.

The first class is graduating in 2017 and I assume information about their matches will be available then.

For those of you waiting to here from UCR, if you haven't received a rejection then guess what... you have not been rejected. This means that you should submit Letter of Interests and include updates if you can. Think about it logically, you've seen on MSAR how many students have been sent secondaries or have been interviewed and with only a small class size being accept, many have not heard back. If you're not showing interest and someone waiting to hear from the school like you does, who do you think will the school be more inclined to hear from.
With that being said, this doesn't mean send a Letter of Interest every day, week, etc. The admissions probably suggest that you send "significant" updates because they don't want you copying and pasting the same letter (with a few words changed here and there) and continuously send them the same email essentially.

You guys are smart and have made it this far which is a big accomplishment to begin with. Just use your common sense in how you approach issues like this in the cycle. 🙂 And don't let users' comments discourage you from contacting the school you want and putting yourself out there. (And if you're really unsure about whether you have an update that's significant enough to send an email, just call admissions, ask to be anonymous over the phone, and ask if something like "bla" is an important update to email the school with . They won't know who you are because there are thousands of applicants.)

Best wishes to you all,


P.S. I am a MS1 at UCR and I am happy to answer any questions about the application cycle or applying to UCR specifically. However, do not ask me for specific questions or prompts asked by interviewers because 1) I do not remember them at all; and 2) I am not allowed to release them even if I did.

Sorry if I have too many typos. I can't really spend too much time on perfecting posts since I have a lot of studying 🙂

 

[fyang0414]

Don't they give you two weeks to turn in your secondary?

Woops my wording was pretty poor (and will probably continue to be), I apologize for that. I submitted my secondary but was mainly wondering if I should actually be anxious about it or focus on other schools if my chances are much more slim due to getting a secondary so late

 

[fyang0414]

To clear up any confusion:

As we all know SDN is notorious for having posts that are speculations or just blatantly wrong.
This is not at all to attack OTW (since he/she is quoted above) or remark that he/she shouldn't have made the comment above. I think OTW made a very impartial comment on the information given to him and was very clear that his friend is not credible. 🙂 I actually just want to respond to what his friend said as his friend is completely misled.

This post is, however, actually directed to the SDN users that drive other poor applicants insane or discourage them from pursuing things like Letters of Interest or even applying. Remember in the application cycle, your best source of information is the admissions committee!!! UCR does not send secondaries to get money from applicants, they are thankful one of those schools that sends secondaries after primaries have been reviewed and believe that the applicant exhibits qualities (aside from academic) that fits the school and its mission.

In response to OTW's friend, our first inaugural class (MS3) did AMAZING on boards. AND as the 3rd incoming class (Class of 2019), we were told that their MCAT scores did not appear to remotely correlate with their boards scores when they ran the statistics.

The first class is graduating in 2017 and I assume information about their matches will be available then.

For those of you waiting to here from UCR, if you haven't received a rejection then guess what... you have not been rejected. This means that you should submit Letter of Interests and include updates if you can. Think about it logically, you've seen on MSAR how many students have been sent secondaries or have been interviewed and with only a small class size being accept, many have not heard back. If you're not showing interest and someone waiting to hear from the school like you does, who do you think will the school be more inclined to hear from.
With that being said, this doesn't mean send a Letter of Interest every day, week, etc. The admissions probably suggest that you send "significant" updates because they don't want you copying and pasting the same letter (with a few words changed here and there) and continuously send them the same email essentially.

You guys are smart and have made it this far which is a big accomplishment to begin with. Just use your common sense in how you approach issues like this in the cycle. 🙂 And don't let users' comments discourage you from contacting the school you want and putting yourself out there. (And if you're really unsure about whether you have an update that's significant enough to send an email, just call admissions, ask to be anonymous over the phone, and ask if something like "bla" is an important update to email the school with . They won't know who you are because there are thousands of applicants.)

Best wishes to you all,


P.S. I am a MS1 at UCR and I am happy to answer any questions about the application cycle or applying to UCR specifically. However, do not ask me for specific questions or prompts asked by interviewers because 1) I do not remember them at all; and 2) I am not allowed to release them even if I did.

Sorry if I have too many typos. I can't really spend too much time on perfecting posts since I have a lot of studying 🙂

Thank you for the information! I'm wondering what you would recommend would be the best way to send updates/who to contact? Should I wait to see if I get an interview first?

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

Thank you for the information! I'm wondering what you would recommend would be the best way to send updates/who to contact? Should I wait to see if I get an interview first?

Send updates to the contact (medadmissions) listed on the schools website. https://medschool.ucr.edu/admissions/
And if you haven't sent any updates and still have a strong interest in the school, send admissions a letter of interest (including why you are still interested in the school and any thing "significant" that has occurred since you sent your application). It never hurts! If they haven't rejected you, then I would be confident in saying that they haven't filled all their interview slots yet!
Updates can also include things like: (if you are still in school) "I have continued to maintain a strong academic record"
If you've never sent them any emails since the secondary, then I would highly recommend emailing a letter of interest even if you don't have any updates. And let them know that you still are very interested in the school.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

Do you guys know how strict they are with the two week secondary submission? I had to wait to hear back from my mentors and it took longer than expected and I ended submitting the secondary 1 day after the 2 week mark. I wonder if that's hurting me right now 🙁

Unless this is a deadline they specifically gave you (like a printed date on their email or application), you are ABSOLUTELY fine. I remember I would get so stressed out by the 2 week "mark" but one day makes NO difference. I am not familiar with any school that has based decisions off of that 🙂 I would think that submitting the secondary a month after receiving it vs. two weeks might make a difference. I would think this is because if you submitted your app at the 2 week mark, there's probably a higher chance that they will have reviewed and seen your application by the next time the admissions committee chooses who to give their interview slots to. Versus, someone who received their app at the same time as you but submitted it a month after receiving it (that means they submitted theirs a whole 2 weeks after you did).
Hope that makes sense.
In general, that why advisors recommend the rule of submitting it as soon as possible 🙂

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

Just got rejected. This really hurt. I can't believe it. I fit their mission so well. I had one heck of an app and letters of recommendation. 😢😢

Hi Dolly,
I'm so sorry to hear about this news 🙁 I hope you were able to gain acceptance into a school you are really happy with and will most assuredly be successful in.
I wish I could say something more comforting, but if you find yourself in the situation of having to apply again and ever need guidance, feel free to reach out.

Best wishes,

 

[StrangerDangerRanger]

I made an account just to say something. First of all, I have seen a bunch of topics discussed on here that I agree with and that I disagree with. Not many people are posting anything on this thread, so there isn't too much useful information.

I applied to UCR in June, got a secondary Septemberish and interviewed in November. I received my acceptance notification December 15, I believe. Before being admitted, I researched the hell out of the admissions process at UCR, as this is my third time applying (second time to UCR). I just want to share my experiences. I was somewhat obsessed with UCR's admission process this cycle. I spent a little too much time digging and talking to people for information, some of it confirmed and some of it not confirmed. People are nervous, rumours fly right and left.

I just want to express my knowledge base on here. I do not want to disturb or discourage or upset anyone. but I am not going to sugarcoat anything. I know how tough it is, and I know how much you all want to get into UCR. I was there at one point. I just want you to know exactly what is going on. No offense to the current students that post on here and I definitely did gain some useful information from ghosting this forum, but I have been somewhat annoyed by some of them flashing their "current M_ at UCR" badges on this forum as a way to gain credibility. Their intentions are pure, I am sure, but being overly optimistic will lead you to a dead end if you are not careful. I mean being a M1 or M2 at UCR does not, in any way, mean that they would somehow have more "inside information" than we applicants would. I do not think it is fair for them to speak on this application cycle at all. They provide very good info about how student life is, but I don't see how they can talk about the admissions of this cycle. They applied last cycle, this cycle is another ballgame.

1) letter of interest= not beneficial. unless you have a really high MCAT/GPA/ECs, sending in a letter of interest will not sway your application in the very least. sorry. UCR handpicks their applicants and does not come short of choosing students that will accept the offer. Last year, they had 34 people reject their offer. More than half end up matriculating. I advice you to focus your energy elsewhere than sending in letters of interest or letters of intent, but if it makes you feel better then go right ahead. Update letters are a different story. like was mentioned earlier, if you have a significant update, go right ahead and send it.
2) For those that have already interviewed. For the Thomas Haider students, acceptances go out in 2 big batches. One in December, where a bunch of people got accepted, including me, and one in March (the fact that nobody posted an acceptance on here in December definitely surprised me). If you have not heard back yet, the earliest you may receive an acceptance is in march. For non-Haider, previous applications are periodically reviewed in admissions meetings on Tuesdays. So technically, you may receive an acceptance at anytime. For Haider, If you interviewed back in August or October or whatever, you missed the mass acceptance batch. Sorry to break your heart, but that means something. It definitely is not good news (at best, it is neutral news. at BEST). UCR does not send any form of post interview rejections until April or May (most post secondary rejections also go out then, IIRC), so I COMPLETELY disagree with the comment that

For those of you waiting to here from UCR, if you haven't received a rejection then guess what... you have not been rejected

.

If you interviewed back then, at best I would say that you may receive an acceptance in March. For Non-Haider, then every ADCOM meeting, there is a slight chance you may get an acceptance, depending on the level of competitiveness to current applicants. So if you have not heard back yet, there is a pretty discomforting chance that you will be rejected in May. This applies to post secondary people as well, but mostly for post interview.
3) My next point for secondaries. I will only state my personal experience with this, as I do not have a lot of information of the facts of the post secondary process. Last year, I got my secondary in late November, submitted it right away. ended up in a rejection. The following year (this year), I recieved a secondary much quicker. resulted in an acceptance. I would most definitely go ahead and still fill it out, but also keep in mind UCR only has a couple of more interviews left.
4)this applies to everyone. Numbers definitely matter here. Do not be misguided by hearing that UCR is a "mission based school". It is, but having lower statistics will not be shadowed by your excellent extracurriculars. I dont know if the whole "lower stats people will be accepted later because of M3's board scores" bull is true, but overall the statistics of people getting in the past 3 years have steadily gone up. They will continue to do so in the upcoming years. So there is definitely a possibility that some people will be rejected after intervieweing because of their metrics. Remember, the screening is whole picture even after the interview.

So in conclusion, definitely do not give up your hope. There is a chance that you will be accepted even if you interviewed way back when. My point is that your chances are not as strong as people that are interviewing more recently. Instead of moping around in hope, try to improve yourself and send in some updates. Staying positive is very important for your mental health, but I don't want people relying too much on this, only to be disappointed. I hope I didn't offend anyone. if you have any questions I will try to check this inbox to answer questions. peace.

 

[Regina_Phalange]

I feel like this year the people that are getting accepted are not that active on this thread. It seems like the majority of us that are active are the ones playing the waiting game. This is somewhat unfortunate because we are not able to get a good measure of how many people are accepted nor, more importantly, when exactly decisions are being given out. For the ucr alumni, I think that a very generous chunk of acceptances were given out in December. I do believe that there will be one more "mass acceptance date" but I don't know if that will focus on pre new year interviews or post new year interviews. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed because last year, there weren't many pre new year acceptances given out after the new year.

To me, it makes sense that they basically split the cycle into two phases (sept-dec) and then (jan-march), but that is just my personal viewpoint. I wish they would just let us know already... I mean if we are so far down on the wait list, it would be nice to just be let go instead of living with a hope and flaring emotions. I don't know if you all agree... Ive been feeling down about it latelt., especially since UCR accepts people who are unlikely to go elsewhere.

I must confess that I am one of these inactive acceptees.. 🙁 if it's any help, I interviewed on 11/14 and received an acceptance on 11/25. However, I will be declining and I really hope it goes to one of you guys! 🙂

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

I just want to express my knowledge base on here. I do not want to disturb or discourage or upset anyone. but I am not going to sugarcoat anything. I know how tough it is, and I know how much you all want to get into UCR. I was there at one point. I just want you to know exactly what is going on. No offense to the current students that post on here and I definitely did gain some useful information from ghosting this forum, but I have been somewhat annoyed by some of them flashing their "current M_ at UCR" badges on this forum as a way to gain credibility. Their intentions are pure, I am sure, but being overly optimistic will lead you to a dead end if you are not careful. I mean being a M1 or M2 at UCR does not, in any way, mean that they would somehow have more "inside information" than we applicants would. I do not think it is fair for them to speak on this application cycle at all. They provide very good info about how student life is, but I don't see how they can talk about the admissions of this cycle. They applied last cycle, this cycle is another ballgame.

So just because you applied and got in this cycle and "researched the hell" out of the admissions process, you know more than a student [who has probably spent just as much time researching the hell out of the admissions process and then realizing how wrong he/she was when he/she actually started school, began working with student affairs, in addition to volunteering to help introduce the school to interviewee's]?

I also think that your "advice" on the letter of interest is COMPLETELY misguided and I really do hope you aren't one of those angered applicants who's trying to ruin chances for other students. I can honestly say that I have never had one advisor/counselor tell me to not submit a letter of interest because I thought my academics weren't good enough.

also where did you get 34 were rejected? Because my interview group was told directly by the chair of admissions how many offers are accepted from the offers given out, and it was no where near that number.

sorry you were once again misled including the rest of your post as well.

For anyone that interviews, you will receive an introduction from one of the dean's who will spend a very important amount of time talking about the admissions process as well as the mission. Yes, number are important. But the school really sticks true their holistic approach.

Again, if you have any questions, your best source is admissions committees, and personally knowing the staff who answer the calls, I couldn't imagine them misleading you.


P.S. To put it in perspective for some students in regards to the topic of "you are not rejected until you receive an email that you are rejected." I have a very close friend at UCLA who didn't get into their med school until June 16th. Yes, these are not all that common, but they are also all not that rare. People will move off of waitlists after April and if its for a school they really want to go to, they will give up their seat to the school they were initially accepted for the school they want. So seats DO open up.

If you do not hear from any school by March, I would recommend applying to MS or post bacc programs. MS programs where you take classes with med students will DEFINITELY be to your advantage. You can even start doing so now if you haven't heard from any school at all in terms of receiving an interview. If you don't want to do a post bacc, etc. then try working on the part of your application that you felt was the weakest.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

What is Haider/non-Haider? I interviewed here and I genuinely have no idea what that means.

"haider" is the old term for UCR alumni.
Before the med school, we had the Haider program for many years. Only applicants that were UCR alumni were eligible to apply. The program had its students spend their first two years at UCR and then their second two at UCLA, which is why our curriculum is structured after UCLA's. These students would then become graduates of UCLA's med school like our very own Dr. Nduati 🙂

Once UCR opened its school, they closed the Haider program but UCR alumni's are still called "haider"s 🙂

 

[Dolly96]

Hi Dolly,
I'm so sorry to hear about this news 🙁 I hope you were able to gain acceptance into a school you are really happy with and will most assuredly be successful in.
I wish I could say something more comforting, but if you find yourself in the situation of having to apply again and ever need guidance, feel free to reach out.

Best wishes,

Thank you so much.

 

[general987]

I made an account just to say something. First of all, I have seen a bunch of topics discussed on here that I agree with and that I disagree with. Not many people are posting anything on this thread, so there isn't too much useful information.

I applied to UCR in June, got a secondary Septemberish and interviewed in November. I received my acceptance notification December 15, I believe. Before being admitted, I researched the hell out of the admissions process at UCR, as this is my third time applying (second time to UCR). I just want to share my experiences. I was somewhat obsessed with UCR's admission process this cycle. I spent a little too much time digging and talking to people for information, some of it confirmed and some of it not confirmed. People are nervous, rumours fly right and left.

I just want to express my knowledge base on here. I do not want to disturb or discourage or upset anyone. but I am not going to sugarcoat anything. I know how tough it is, and I know how much you all want to get into UCR. I was there at one point. I just want you to know exactly what is going on. No offense to the current students that post on here and I definitely did gain some useful information from ghosting this forum, but I have been somewhat annoyed by some of them flashing their "current M_ at UCR" badges on this forum as a way to gain credibility. Their intentions are pure, I am sure, but being overly optimistic will lead you to a dead end if you are not careful. I mean being a M1 or M2 at UCR does not, in any way, mean that they would somehow have more "inside information" than we applicants would. I do not think it is fair for them to speak on this application cycle at all. They provide very good info about how student life is, but I don't see how they can talk about the admissions of this cycle. They applied last cycle, this cycle is another ballgame.

1) letter of interest= not beneficial. unless you have a really high MCAT/GPA/ECs, sending in a letter of interest will not sway your application in the very least. sorry. UCR handpicks their applicants and does not come short of choosing students that will accept the offer. Last year, they had 34 people reject their offer. More than half end up matriculating. I advice you to focus your energy elsewhere than sending in letters of interest or letters of intent, but if it makes you feel better then go right ahead. Update letters are a different story. like was mentioned earlier, if you have a significant update, go right ahead and send it.
2) For those that have already interviewed. For the Thomas Haider students, acceptances go out in 2 big batches. One in December, where a bunch of people got accepted, including me, and one in March (the fact that nobody posted an acceptance on here in December definitely surprised me). If you have not heard back yet, the earliest you may receive an acceptance is in march. For non-Haider, previous applications are periodically reviewed in admissions meetings on Tuesdays. So technically, you may receive an acceptance at anytime. For Haider, If you interviewed back in August or October or whatever, you missed the mass acceptance batch. Sorry to break your heart, but that means something. It definitely is not good news (at best, it is neutral news. at BEST). UCR does not send any form of post interview rejections until April or May (most post secondary rejections also go out then, IIRC), so I COMPLETELY disagree with the comment that
.

If you interviewed back then, at best I would say that you may receive an acceptance in March. For Non-Haider, then every ADCOM meeting, there is a slight chance you may get an acceptance, depending on the level of competitiveness to current applicants. So if you have not heard back yet, there is a pretty discomforting chance that you will be rejected in May. This applies to post secondary people as well, but mostly for post interview.
3) My next point for secondaries. I will only state my personal experience with this, as I do not have a lot of information of the facts of the post secondary process. Last year, I got my secondary in late November, submitted it right away. ended up in a rejection. The following year (this year), I recieved a secondary much quicker. resulted in an acceptance. I would most definitely go ahead and still fill it out, but also keep in mind UCR only has a couple of more interviews left.
4)this applies to everyone. Numbers definitely matter here. Do not be misguided by hearing that UCR is a "mission based school". It is, but having lower statistics will not be shadowed by your excellent extracurriculars. I dont know if the whole "lower stats people will be accepted later because of M3's board scores" bull is true, but overall the statistics of people getting in the past 3 years have steadily gone up. They will continue to do so in the upcoming years. So there is definitely a possibility that some people will be rejected after intervieweing because of their metrics. Remember, the screening is whole picture even after the interview.

So in conclusion, definitely do not give up your hope. There is a chance that you will be accepted even if you interviewed way back when. My point is that your chances are not as strong as people that are interviewing more recently. Instead of moping around in hope, try to improve yourself and send in some updates. Staying positive is very important for your mental health, but I don't want people relying too much on this, only to be disappointed. I hope I didn't offend anyone. if you have any questions I will try to check this inbox to answer questions. peace.

Generally good advice, I do however disagree with the letter of interest tidbit and mission based portion. They do actively recruit people who are mission fit more aggressively than any institution I am aware of, and those times often include those with less than average scores/GPA. A few friends of mine who sit on admissions committees will have a range of opinion on letter of interest/intent but they are unified in that it gets the admission committee's attention. Remember this is a correspondence between you and the institution. In terms of energy, anyone can make a well thought out letter in less than an hour - hardly any time commitment. Fight for that spot - aggressiveness always pays out whether it is for an admission to medical school or elsewhere. It is always better to be optimistic than pessimistic because then your chances of succeeding rise - it is no secret. Hard work and determination always yields results. Congratulations on your acceptance.

 

[StrangerDangerRanger]

So just because you applied and got in this cycle and "researched the hell" out of the admissions process, you know more than a student [who has probably spent just as much time researching the hell out of the admissions process and then realizing how wrong he/she was when he/she actually started school, began working with student affairs, in addition to volunteering to help introduce the school to interviewee's]?

I also think that your "advice" on the letter of interest is COMPLETELY misguided and I really do hope you aren't one of those angered applicants who's trying to ruin chances for other students. And for someone who has gained acceptances to multiple schools, I can honestly say that I have never had one advisor/counselor tell me to not submit a letter of interest because I thought my academics weren't good enough.

also where did you get 34 were rejected? Because my interview group was told directly by the chair of admissions how many offers are accepted from the offers given out, and it was no where near that number.

sorry you were once again misled including the rest of your post as well.

For anyone that interviews, you will receive an introduction from one of the dean's who will spend a very important amount of time talking about the admissions process as well as the mission. Yes, number are important. But the school really sticks true their holistic approach.

Again, if you have any questions, your best source is admissions committees, and personally knowing the staff who answer the calls, I couldn't imagine them misleading you.

I do not wish to turn this into an argument. I am sure you also researched the school well, but if I am wrong about any of the information that I provided, I would be extremely surprised, as I did confirm all of my questions and information with the admissions staff. In fact, the reason I am so passionate about revealing my findings is that I read stuff on here that is directly contradictory to what I found out from UCR SOM seminars and information sessions. I don't mean to offend you, but just like you are an M1 giving advice, there are multiple other M1s and pre-M1s that I spoke to that do not confirm what you are saying. That is what drove me to talk about it, because the conflicting discussions was lethal to me when I was already nervous for a million other reasons.

I am sorry, but my advice on letters of interest/intent is absolutely not misguided. Like I said, it definitely provides a peace of mind and what you said about keeping your file "fresh" is probably very true, but providing a letter of intent will do very minimal to change the decision on your status. Schools are usually very open about whether or not they look highly upon letters of intent. I called admissions on a few instances and was directly told that letters of intent are welcome, but it was emphasized on both occasions that I called that they are not given much weight. Even if one is to think about it from a third person point of view, if one has borderline statistics, is from Southern California, has all these experiences that are catered torwards UCR's mission, conceptually it is quite obvious that UCR is going to assume that they will matriculate if extended an offer. On the other hand, someone with a 36 MCAT with a 4.0 GPA will probably get an acceptance elsewhere and a letter of intent to UCR will be more heavily considered as UCR is most likely not their only option.

Wholistic mission fit for UCR is vital. But I do insist that numbers of one applicant, to some extent, will trump the fantastic extracurriculars of another applicant, as long as they aren't completely against UCR's mission. There is obviously no way to prove this, and so I do not want to discuss it too much. My personal advice, if you are interested, is to see the trends of the past three application cycles and try to correlate the trend to this year.

I think it is safe to assume that UCR is the most unique program in the states. I do not think justice is served by bringing evidence from experience from what counselors told you about other schools. It is different for UCR (although, for letters of intent, the concept is still the same). Letters of intent will probably never hurt, but my point is to have people deeply reflect on the ROI of sending one in.

As for your advice on contacting admissions for all inquiries, I think that that suggestion is best. But, when information I got from the admissions contradicts what people say on here, there is a missing piece.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

I am sorry, but my advice on letters of interest/intent is absolutely not misguided. Like I said, it definitely provides a peace of mind and what you said about keeping your file "fresh" is probably very true, but providing a letter of intent will do very minimal to change the decision on your status. Schools are usually very open about whether or not they look highly upon letters of intent. I called admissions on a few instances and was directly told that letters of intent are welcome, but it was emphasized on both occasions that I called that they are not given much weight. Even if one is to think about it from a third person point of view, if one has borderline statistics, is from Southern California, has all these experiences that are catered torwards UCR's mission, conceptually it is quite obvious that UCR is going to assume that they will matriculate if extended an offer. On the other hand, someone with a 36 MCAT with a 4.0 GPA will probably get an acceptance elsewhere and a letter of intent to UCR will be more heavily considered as UCR is most likely not their only option.

Thank you for your insight and your honesty is appreciated.

From my experience, I would like to say that if you have received an interview, a letter of intent can be incredibly useful. Because when receiving an interview, admissions have reviewed your numbers and are comfortable with it. At that point, they want to get to know how you are in person rather than on paper. What they look for in the interview is someone who is able to present themselves in a respectable manner. To give an example of this, whenever Dean Schiller speaks to applicants, he says that the school wants patients, doctors, nurses, etc. to hear the name UCR when they ask "Wow, where did that doctor go to school?"



Now as a side note, the following information was told to me by a Kaplan med school application counselor that used to be on Standford's Med Admissions committee. This not something I heard while being at UCR:
Med schools' rankings is affected by how many offers are accepted by students and NOT JUST NUMBERS. So if you send a letter of intent, you should consider yourself signing a contract that if you get an offer from that school, you will be attending it in the fall. I am heavily inclined to believe this because if you look at University of Washington, they have much lower average MCAT and GPA compared to other schools and they are the tenth in the nation for research and first in the nation for primary care. And UW is yet another school that really sticks to its mission.

MANY of my classmates including myself sent letter of intents, and we were never discouraged from doing so!

I am more confident that the school will pick someone who has continuously expressed interest or sent a letter of intent from the pool of students that were interviewed than someone who didn't send anything at all. Because, again, when you reach the interview, your numbers are not as important as the way you present yourself and the answers you give interviewers.

 

[StrangerDangerRanger]

Thank you for your insight and you honesty is appreciated.

From my experience, I would like to say that if you have received an interview, a letter of intent can be incredibly useful. Because when receiving an interview, admissions have reviewed your numbers and are comfortable with it. At that point, they want to get to know how you are in person rather than on paper. What they look for in the interview is someone who is able to present themselves in a respectable manner. To give an example of this, whenever Dean Schiller speaks to applicants, he says that the school wants patients, doctors, nurses, etc. to hear the name UCR when they ask "Wow, where did that doctor go to school?"



Now as a side note, the following information was told to me by a Kaplan med school application counselor that used to be on Standford's Med Admissions committee. This not something I heard while being at UCR:
Med schools' rankings is affected by how many offers are accepted by students and NOT JUST NUMBERS. So if you send a letter of intent, you should consider yourself signing a contract that if you get an offer from that school, you will be attending it in the fall. I am heavily inclined to believe this because if you look at University of Washington, they have much lower average MCAT and GPA compared to other schools and they are the tenth in the nation for research and first in the nation for primary care. And UW is yet another school that really sticks to its mission.

MANY of my classmates including myself sent letter of intents, and we were never discouraged from doing so!

I am more confident that the school will pick someone who has continuously expressed interest or sent a letter of intent from the pool of students that were interviewed than someone who didn't send anything at all. Because, again, when you reach the interview, your numbers are not as important as the way you present yourself and the answers you give interviewers.

I am happy we are able to handle our discussion as sensible and communicative medical hopefuls. I also want to thank you for your helping others. I would have really appreciated it if I read your advice back then! again, I apologize for any ill-seeming points on my part!

 

[indiansummers]

Hello everyone! I hate to sound neurotic (this application cycle taking a toll on all of us), but for those of you who haven't received II's yet, I was wondering if everyone else's portal says "Not scheduled yet" for the Interview section. Thanks!

 

[PozAmz]

Hello everyone! I hate to sound neurotic (this application cycle taking a toll on all of us), but for those of you who haven't received II's yet, I was wondering if everyone else's portal says "Not scheduled yet" for the Interview section. Thanks!

Yes, that is what it says since 8/1.

 

[indiansummers]

Yes, that is what it says since 8/1.

Thanks! I haven't logged into the portal since I submitted the secondary, haha.

 

[k3riddler_doc]

I have still not received a secondary... @MS1heretohelpanswer should i send in a letter of interest at this point?

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

I have still not received a secondary... @MS1heretohelpanswer should i send in a letter of interest at this point?

I'm not exactly sure. There are many instances (even one I came across) where schools send a secondary (after their secondary deadline listed on the website) and tell applicants they have two weeks to fill it out. They haven't sent you a rejection so your primary may simply not have stood out enough (and again this may be completely unrelated to your "numbers" or academic records).

So in your case, I recommend that you call admissions and ask them if they intend on sending out any more secondaries. Again, you can remain anonymous and just tell them you are an applicant who received a primary, no secondary, and no rejection. You can also say that you're still really interested in the school and would like to send a letter of interest.

If they tell you that they might still send out secondaries and your time isn't constricted by other applications, interview prep, or a job, then definitely send one!

Hope this helps and best wishes on your application.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

Would you mind sharing what the stats were? Or at least what standard deviation above the national average the class performed?

Also to add to a response you already received, I think you should know that I think our second years will do even better on the boards this year. 🙂 They are consistently modifying the curriculum in terms of boards studying. The school doesn't advertise that they cater to the boards but it feels like they do for the following reason:
The second years block exams now use NBME questions (NBME writes the questions for the Boards). Meaning that all the students have been studying from & annotating more First Aid and pathoma (top boards review sources) than anything else. Most schools who don't "cater to the boards" will give instructional lectures and then base their block exams off those lectures. I lived with a medical student from a top ten medical school my senior year of college and everyday was a struggle to make sure they covered the lecture material for the block exam AND THEN annotated First Aid. So when it came to their 1-month of board's independent study period after the last MS2 block exam, they raced against time to try and get through First aid and test bank questions. Meanwhile, our MS2 have had majority if not all of First Aid / Pathoma already annotated in addition to completing test bank questions. AND the school paid for certain test prep/question banks that my friend had to pay him/herself.

 

[pp16]

Also to add to a response you already received, I think you should know that I think our second years will do even better on the boards this year. 🙂 They are consistently modifying the curriculum in terms of boards studying. The school doesn't advertise that they cater to the boards but it feels like they do for the following reason:
The second years block exams now use NBME questions (NBME writes the questions for the Boards). Meaning that all the students have been studying from & annotating more First Aid and pathoma (top boards review sources) than anything else. Most schools who don't "cater to the boards" will give instructional lectures and then base their block exams off those lectures. I lived with a medical student from a top ten medical school my senior year of college and everyday was a struggle to make sure they covered the lecture material for the block exam AND THEN annotated First Aid. So when it came to their 1-month of board's independent study period after the last MS2 block exam, they raced against time to try and get through First aid and test bank questions. Meanwhile, our MS2 have had majority if not all of First Aid / Pathoma already annotated in addition to completing test bank questions. AND the school paid for certain test prep/question banks that my friend had to pay him/herself.

That's amazing to hear! Thanks so much

 

[mexdoc91]

Hey Everyone!

Current UCR med student here and this post is mainly for accepted students. There is a FB page dedicated to folks that have already been accepted to the class of 2020. If you want to be included in the FB page, please send me a message so I can connect you to the page.

Also, if you just want to know what student life is like/what to expect at UCR, don't hesitate to ask any of us! For those with multiple acceptances, you need to start thinking of where you want to matriculate!

For everyone else, don't lose hope. It isn't over until you receive a rejection email. Don't lose hope!

 

[medmod]

The silence on this forum is killing me. No news anyone? Interviewed 1/9 (UCR graduate)

 

[Yzzy]

Hey @mexdoc91 is there any chance you can reveal to us how many people have been accepted/are on the FB group? If its confidential, I understand. Just figured I'd ask 🙂

I called the admissions office last week, and they said that "about 50 acceptances" have been sent out. I think they are waiting until the end of march until they finish interviewing everyone to really start sending out acceptances. I interviewed this past December. I also interviewed last year but did not get accepted.

 

[blue4578]

I called the admissions office last week, and they said that "about 50 acceptances" have been sent out. I think they are waiting until the end of march until they finish interviewing everyone to really start sending out acceptances. I interviewed this past December. I also interviewed last year but did not get accepted.

What time of day did you call? I've been trying to reach them today but it seems like no one is there to answer in the office.

 

[Yzzy]

What time of day did you call? I've been trying to reach them today but it seems like no one is there to answer in the office.

I called them at around 10:30 am (cali time). I've had trouble in the past reaching them between 12-2pm.

 

[blue4578]

Does anyone happen to know until when will interview invites be extended? Website says February but I am wondering if anyone knows if there is a specific last date on which they could be sent out.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

Hey @mexdoc91 is there any chance you can reveal to us how many people have been accepted/are on the FB group? If its confidential, I understand. Just figured I'd ask 🙂

Actually it I wouldn't look on the FB page to see who was accepted. We always end up deleting randos who were even doctors in the midwest and were never even applying 🙂 we don't know how many have been accepted. But I think I can say with certainty that the class hasn't been filled, because we still have more interviews.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

Does anyone happen to know until when will interview invites be extended? Website says February but I am wondering if anyone knows if there is a specific last date on which they could be sent out.

End of march! I remember seeing that too when I applied but when interviews are over and they feel as though they have a strong acceptance list + waitlist, then they will send out rejections

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

I called the admissions office last week, and they said that "about 50 acceptances" have been sent out. I think they are waiting until the end of march until they finish interviewing everyone to really start sending out acceptances. I interviewed this past December. I also interviewed last year but did not get accepted.

Remember acceptance doesn't mean filled spots 🙂 school always send out MANY more offers than they have seats for because throughout the year people will forfeit their spots for other schools, for a variety of reasons. I interviewed with schools very late in the cycle which by that time they had sent out more offers than they had seats because in the beginning of the cycle, students often interview with any school and wait to hear of an acceptance but end up declining offers to different schools, especially around this time in the application cycle. (massive run-on sentence sorry)

To give you an idea, I had a friend that received 17 offers for med schools, so he obviously had to decline 16.

Don't loose hope! 🙂

 

[conmo]

Just got an interview invite today! very excited because this was one of my top choices. I was complete many months ago and assumed I was rejected. After browsing this thread, looks like my chances aren't too high of getting a spot in the class at this point, but i'm very excited to have a shot!

 

[mexdoc91]

Hey @mexdoc91 is there any chance you can reveal to us how many people have been accepted/are on the FB group? If its confidential, I understand. Just figured I'd ask 🙂

I don't want to give an exact number but I will say that it is not that many!

 

[mexdoc91]

I called the admissions office last week, and they said that "about 50 acceptances" have been sent out. I think they are waiting until the end of march until they finish interviewing everyone to really start sending out acceptances. I interviewed this past December. I also interviewed last year but did not get accepted.

You will see a lot of movement come the 2nd week of March.

Last year there was a large wave of acceptances sent out on March 13th (that is when I received my acceptance)

The Second-Look day is scheduled for the beginning of April so March will be a busy month for admissions!

 

[StrangerDangerRanger]

Hey @mexdoc91 is there any chance you can reveal to us how many people have been accepted/are on the FB group? If its confidential, I understand. Just figured I'd ask 🙂

Right now there are 19 registered on the page! search it for yourself, i do think that it is a public profile (or at least you can view who is on there). I had a friend that was added by the admins but removed himself. some people don't want to advertise of their acceptances just yet.

What time of day did you call? I've been trying to reach them today but it seems like no one is there to answer in the office.

try again. with my experience, it is a hit or miss. they may be busy doing something else or in a meeting. try back after an hour or the next day!

Just got an interview invite today! very excited because this was one of my top choices. I was complete many months ago and assumed I was rejected. After browsing this thread, looks like my chances aren't too high of getting a spot in the class at this point, but i'm very excited to have a shot!

I can say with fair certainty, that the time that you interview does not have an enormous bearing on whether or not you'll be accepted. if you are what they are looking for, you will be extended an offer. if you are a UCR alumni, you may not hear back until March. there are plenty of offers to be given out, especially since you interviewed/will be interviewing fairly recently.


For those UCR alumni interviewing January-early march, like someone else said earlier there will be a pretty generous batch of acceptances around the 15th. not sure about the rest. If I remember accuarately, there are no "batch acceptances" for non-UCR alumni, because "waitlisted" people are generally somewhat discussed at all admission commitee meetings (UCR alum are not always brought up)

 

[deleted689863]

Got an II today! Best Valentine's Day gift ever! I was complete in November. Don't give up guys! 🙂

 

[flagellamonster]

So, I got a UCR secondary a few months ago and thought I submitted it but it turns out I didn't actually submit. Is it worth it to turn it in now?

 

[general987]

So, I got a UCR secondary a few months ago and thought I submitted it but it turns out I didn't actually submit. Is it worth it to turn it in now?

How did you not submit it? If it was their error bring it to their attention.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

So, I got a UCR secondary a few months ago and thought I submitted it but it turns out I didn't actually submit. Is it worth it to turn it in now?

Also it doesn't hurt calling the school, telling them your situation, and asking.

 

[Lec285]

Any recent acceptances here? And any accepted people care to share what time of day they got their email? Trying to resist staring at my phone constantly and hitting the refresh button

 

[medmod]

Any recent acceptances here? And any accepted people care to share what time of day they got their email? Trying to resist staring at my phone constantly and hitting the refresh button

Hey,

I was accepted last Friday before noon I believe. It was the last thing I expected to get that day because I thought I wouldn't hear back until March or something. I'm a UCR graduate that interviewed 1/9. Hang in there!

 

[Lec285]

Hey,

I was accepted last Friday before noon I believe. It was the last thing I expected to get that day because I thought I wouldn't hear back until March or something. I'm a UCR graduate that interviewed 1/9. Hang in there!

Thanks for the info! I interviewed recently so I know I'm just being paranoid. So much waiting and wondering, lol...

 

[flagellamonster]

How did you not submit it? If it was their error bring it to their attention.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Also it doesn't hurt calling the school, telling them your situation, and asking.

Honestly, I'm not really sure what happened. I guess I'll call and ask tomorrow. This is super upsetting. I'm guessing odds weren't great with a late season secondary anyway.

 

[conmo]

For those of you who have interviewed, I know you aren't allowed too reveal too much about the interview day, but could anyone confirm that it is a closed-file interview? I was reading a previous year's thread and they said it was closed file.

 

[MS1heretohelpanswer]

For those of you who have interviewed, I know you aren't allowed too reveal too much about the interview day, but could anyone confirm that it is a closed-file interview? I was reading a previous year's thread and they said it was closed file.

I can confirm this! admissions actually tells you this too before your interview begins. The ONE exception is that rarely an interviewer has an emergency and can't make the interview, so someone from admissions who does review files will fill in for that person last minute.

 

[shapley]

Anyone know when the last interview would be? I'm guessing this week would be the last II probably?

 

[BruinDoc21]

Anyone know when the last interview would be? I'm guessing this week would be the last II probably?

According to their website they interview throughout February. So they could technically already be done.