2015-2016 University of California - San Diego Application Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
223sarahsmith said:
+1 got a secondary today after thinking I got screened out.
AMCAS received 7/20.
Maybe the wait time is exactly two weeks?
Click to expand...
July 9 for me lol. This was a long shot for me anyway with my stats (3.2 and 29MCAT)
went here for undergrad and still living a block away from it. can't seem to get away from UCSD. weather kicks @$$. if anyone has questions about UCSD, La Jolla or San Diego, feel free to PM me
 
How did you guys not use what was in your personal statement in your autobiography for SD???? Are we allowed to use the same ideas, but manipulate them a little?

help a brother out!!!!
 
exacto said:
How did you guys not use what was in your personal statement in your autobiography for SD???? Are we allowed to use the same ideas, but manipulate them a little?

help a brother out!!!!
Click to expand...
My PS focused on college and post-grad but my autobio was ~85% pre-college, and I very briefly talked about my college/post-grad experiences. In my autobio I mostly discussed experiences that I believe have helped to shape and prepare me for a career in medicine even though I didn't consider medicine until college. For example, I talked about extracurriculars that I was involved in and my most valued accomplishments and why.
 
rukia013 said:
My PS focused on college and post-grad but my autobio was ~85% pre-college, and I very briefly talked about my college/post-grad experiences. In my autobio I mostly discussed experiences that I believe have helped to shape and prepare me for a career in medicine even though I didn't consider medicine until college. For example, I talked about extracurriculars that I was involved in and my most valued accomplishments and why.
Click to expand...

so for the other 15% of your autobio, did you repeat any ideas used in your PS or was it completely new and unrelated? Im just wondering how serious they are about not using PS writing in the autobio...
 
exacto said:
so for the other 15% of your autobio, did you repeat any ideas used in your PS or was it completely new and unrelated? Im just wondering how serious they are about not using PS writing in the autobio...
Click to expand...
I don't think I mentioned any of my PS--I was super brief and just said something like "During my college career, my intentions to pursue medicine fluctuated but after a series of events, I solidified my decision to become a doctor and have been set on that decision since." To be honest, I wrote so much pre-college stuff that I couldn't really expand much about college and post-grad anyway. If restating your PS helps with the flow of your autobio, I think it should be fine as long as you add new insight to it instead of just rehashing.

Edit: I just reviewed my autobio and the 15% included talking about some extracurriculars I did in college and what I have been doing since graduating from college.
 
mordac21 said:
Just got an II. I actually like the secondaries with longer prompts (ie Duke, UCSD, Vandy) because I feel like I get to flesh out what I want to say.

OOS
LizzyM 74-77
Secondary submitted 8/6
Click to expand...

Wow, speedy.
 
When I first signed up for an interview, there were also buttons on the main page that allowed me to request for a host/ sign up for a free clinic tour. But when I checked back today they're not there anymore. Does anyone else have the same problem?
 
exacto said:
How did you guys not use what was in your personal statement in your autobiography for SD???? Are we allowed to use the same ideas, but manipulate them a little?

help a brother out!!!!
Click to expand...

I actually did use my ideas from the PS in my autobiography. But definitely in a different context and it was only a small part of my autobiography, maybe like 15-20%. The rest was new.
 
Like ms. Kuchiki, I talked mostly about my pre-college life. I figured my primary application had all the relevant details from my college years--I lightly touched on my PS topics at the end of the sketch. This worked for me since my PS really didn't really dive into pre-college experiences.
 
Last edited:
Mr Magpie said:
Like ms. Kuchiki, I too talked mostly about my pre-college life. Only just touching on/mentioning some of the topics I went into more detail on my primary application. I figured it would give them a broader picture so to speak.
Click to expand...
Oho finally someone recognizes my username/avatar! 😀
 
tardigradepower said:
When I first signed up for an interview, there were also buttons on the main page that allowed me to request for a host/ sign up for a free clinic tour. But when I checked back today they're not there anymore. Does anyone else have the same problem?
Click to expand...

That happened to me too. I went back to the actual link they sent in the interview invite email, and when I used that link the host/tour buttons appeared again (idk why lol). You might want to try that!
 
Anyone have any tips for MMI interviews? I've never done one and I honestly have no idea what to expect. Do they have questions on like, current events/healthcare in addition to ethical questions and stuff? Also, are we allowed to bring a notebook/pen with us to jot down notes on what we want to cover during our response?
 
rukia013 said:
Oho finally someone recognizes my username/avatar! 😀
Click to expand...
😉

wintersrain said:
Anyone have any tips for MMI interviews? I've never done one and I honestly have no idea what to expect. Do they have questions on like, current events/healthcare in addition to ethical questions and stuff? Also, are we allowed to bring a notebook/pen with us to jot down notes on what we want to cover during our response?
Click to expand...

It'll be a combination of all of that... ethical dilemmas, hypothetical problems, etc.

I'd say it's generally hard to prepare for these since the prompts vary so much. It really is an exercise designed to see how you think on your feet. I suppose looking into real-world approaches to ethical dilemmas might be a start, but then again there is no uniform answer to a given issue. The methodology you take in your approach is what they're probably looking at--that is know the pros and cons of your argument. Avoid sweeping black and white distinctions etc.

I'm pretty sure they provide scratch paper and a pen to work with (I've had friends who interviewed here in previous cycles).
 
Last edited:
Mr Magpie said:
😉



It'll be a combination of all of that... ethical dilemmas, hypothetical problems, etc.

I'd say it's generally hard to prepare for these since the prompts vary so much. It really is an exercise designed to see how you think on your feet. I suppose looking into real-world approaches to ethical dilemmas might be a start, but then again there is no uniform answer to a given issue. The methodology you take in your approach is what they're probably looking at--that is know the pros and cons of your argument. Avoid sweeping black and white distinctions etc.

I'm pretty sure they provide scratch paper and a pen to work with (I've had friends who interviewed here in previous cycles).
Click to expand...

So is it like:

1) Get the prompt and given a chance to read it and write down points on the paper (that you want to talk about)
2) Enter room and talk about it
 
wintersrain said:
That happened to me too. I went back to the actual link they sent in the interview invite email, and when I used that link the host/tour buttons appeared again (idk why lol). You might want to try that!
Click to expand...

I called the admissions office earlier and they said it was a mistake that those buttons appeared (they wouldn't work anyways) because they don't have all the student host info yet as the M1s are still going through orientation, but they'll have those information available by early September!
 
tardigradepower said:
I called the admissions office earlier and they said it was a mistake that those buttons appeared (they wouldn't work anyways) because they don't have all the student host info yet as the M1s are still going through orientation, but they'll have those information available by early September!
Click to expand...

I signed up for a student host actually, and they sent me a list of possible hosts and their contact info already... 😳
 
Haha that's awesome. Are you interviewing during one of the first dates?
 
wintersrain said:
I signed up for a student host actually, and they sent me a list of possible hosts and their contact info already... 😳
Click to expand...

Funny, I signed up for student hosts as well and they sent me an empty list with no contact info at all...Maybe I should try again.
 
Did anyone get the complete email from UCSD? Just wondering if they send out one once they've received all the LORs.
 
Secondary received! LizzyM of about 69 OOS applicant. Its a stretch but this is my #1 choice I would die to go here. Anyone know just how strictly they screen for secondaries?
 
donovank730 said:
Secondary received! LizzyM of about 69 OOS applicant. Its a stretch but this is my #1 choice I would die to go here. Anyone know just how strictly they screen for secondaries?
Click to expand...

no clue, but i got one with around your LS... not a URM...CA native...Tns of experiences in and out of hospital
 
Just submitted UCSD's secondary. The difference between the quality of this secondary and my early ones is...astounding.

Is it just a numbers screen to get the secondary?
 
exacto said:
no clue, but i got one with around your LS... not a URM...CA native...Tns of experiences in and out of hospital
Click to expand...

I too have pretty good E.C's too so I don't know if that played a part. I also have instate ties. I am just going to give the essay my best and hope for a miracle! Good luck
 
got II earlier today, complete 08/15—looks like they're speeding through these. I have a LizzyM below 85 but greater than 60. 😉
 
Anyone with an II in this thread apply to masters programs as well as MD?
 
donovank730 said:
Secondary received! LizzyM of about 69 OOS applicant. Its a stretch but this is my #1 choice I would die to go here. Anyone know just how strictly they screen for secondaries?
Click to expand...

Congratz!

I've read ~2000 applicants get placed on pre interview hold, out of 7000+ applicants... so def > 2000/7000? lol
I also know that some applicants just go through on a stats based screen according to the admissions office.

Would you mind sharing how long it took you to receive the secondary?

Still hoping for one myself, verified 8/12
 
w0oj0o said:
Congratz!

I've read ~2000 applicants get placed on pre interview hold, out of 7000+ applicants... so def > 2000/7000? lol
I also know that some applicants just go through on a stats based screen according to the admissions office.

Would you mind sharing how long it took you to receive the secondary?

Still hoping for one myself, verified 8/12
Click to expand...

I submitted it my primary on the 16th maybe? Did you send them your ssn already?
 
w0oj0o said:
Congratz!

I've read ~2000 applicants get placed on pre interview hold, out of 7000+ applicants... so def > 2000/7000? lol
I also know that some applicants just go through on a stats based screen according to the admissions office.

Would you mind sharing how long it took you to receive the secondary?

Still hoping for one myself, verified 8/12
Click to expand...

Got my secondary yesterday. LizzyM 76-78. AMCAS verified 8/10
 
Is anyone else having trouble with e-pay? It has been saying that the service is unavailable for some time now. I've submitted my app, but I can't pay.
 
Ok this sounds really dumb but I can't remember if I sent them my SS#. I just tried again, I went to the link provided and entered in my birthdate and AMCAS ID and it gave me this:

"Sorry, the information you entered could not be validated. Please check your entries and try again. If your application has recently been received, please allow 24 hours for your status to be available in the system.

If you still have problems, please contact the Admissions Office:
[email protected] or (858)534-3880"

Does that mean I already sent in my SS#? Is there any type of verification of this? I don't want to call and ask them because it's such a dumb question.
 
Does the one month deadline include letters of recommendation?
 
I guess I should add I'm also interviewing on ze first
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

wysdoc
2024-2025 UC San Diego
12 13 14 15 16
Replies
793
Views
283K
skyswitz
S
wysdoc
2023-2024 UC San Diego
28 29 30 31 32
Replies
2K
Views
378K
fortheloveoflife
F
gyngyn
2024-2025 San Juan Bautista
Replies
1
Views
5K
DrKingCEO
D
I
2024-2025 San Juan Bautista
2
Replies
75
Views
16K
playaluvr
P
wysdoc
2023-2024 University of Southern California (Keck)
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
881
Views
254K
yourgfgf
yourgfgf
Top Bottom