2016-2017 University of California - Davis Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Oncadiller said:
To all you folks who received secondaries: Are any of you OOS? I'm from Arizona and wondering if most of the early secondaries go to IS applicants.
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Oh honey. UC Davis literally interviewed 20 OOS applicants and 1 matriculated. Don't expect anything.
 
For the three experiences, are you guys reusing any of the ones you listed in Works and Experiences?
 
gamieg said:
if you clicked "yes" to any of the tailored tracks like PRIME, an additional line bar will appear below the main navigation bar at the top. you can then click to the tracks you selected yes to and answer the additional prompts there.
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Wow, thank you so much! I feel dumb for not noticing 🙁
 
Mariolee said:
How did you differentiate it from your works and experiences. Also are you working in a student-run clinic?
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2 of the experiences I described on the UCD secondary were my "most meaningful" experiences on the primary application, so I had a lot to say about them. There was still some repetition between my primary and secondary, but on the UCD app I described each experience in a slightly different way, highlighting a different aspect of it that I didn't have enough space to discuss in detail on the primary app. My 3rd experience was something that I didn't describe in much detail on the primary app in the first place, so I used this as an opportunity to expound on it...I described why I did it, how it prepared me for medicine, and how it might impact my perspective on patient-care moving forward. As simple as it sounds, my advice for the secondary is to stick to the prompt. Give them exactly what they ask for. On the primary you're given a lot of freedom to describe your activities. In contrast, for the secondary, if you describe the same activities, tailor your descriptions to directly answer the question.

I decided to matriculate at another school but was accepted to UCD last cycle.
 
clippers50fan said:
Oh honey. UC Davis literally interviewed 20 OOS applicants and 1 matriculated. Don't expect anything.
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You say 1 matriculated? In the words of Jim Carey, "So you're telling me there's a chance." I feel kinda lucky today. If you're interested, I'll bet you a quarter that I get a secondary. Let me know if you're interested.
 
Oncadiller said:
You say 1 matriculated? In the words of Jim Carey, "So you're telling me there's a chance." I feel kinda lucky today. If you're interested, I'll bet you a quarter that I get a secondary. Let me know if you're interested.
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Lol. Let's make a signature bet for whoever gets one first the other has to put "(the other username) owns me" for a week 😀
 
Can anyone please elaborate on the final essay question. What does "Experiences Section (1-3) mean"? Are they the 3 most meaningful experiences or the first three experiences that appear on my primary application? Also, would it be smart to answer "why me/diversity" question here? It seems weird Davis isn't asking about overcoming obstacles or "why UC Davis" in their secondary or even "what have you been doing since graduation?"...Are you sure there are only 3 questions, lol?
For "Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee" question, does concern only refer to poor academic performance? What else could be considered concerning? Does multiple MCAT attempts count as concerning even though I did well on my last attempt?
 
OrangeMed said:
Can anyone please elaborate on the final essay question. What does "Experiences Section (1-3) mean"? Are they the 3 most meaningful experiences or the first three experiences that appear on my primary application? Also, would it be smart to answer "why me/diversity" question here? It seems weird Davis isn't asking about overcoming obstacles or "why UC Davis" in their secondary or even "what have you been doing since graduation?"...Are you sure there are only 3 questions, lol?
For "Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee" question, does concern only refer to poor academic performance? What else could be considered concerning? Does multiple MCAT attempts count as concerning even though I did well on my last attempt?
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I had a question on the latter as well. I'm not sure if anything on my application jumps out as being overly concerning. Are we obligated to post something there?
 
Anxious Affect said:
Wow, thank you so much! I feel dumb for not noticing 🙁
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aw don't! they don't make it super obvious and it took me a bit to figure it out too. I was like "what are they talking about.." :|
 
OrangeMed said:
Can anyone please elaborate on the final essay question. What does "Experiences Section (1-3) mean"? Are they the 3 most meaningful experiences or the first three experiences that appear on my primary application? Also, would it be smart to answer "why me/diversity" question here? It seems weird Davis isn't asking about overcoming obstacles or "why UC Davis" in their secondary or even "what have you been doing since graduation?"...Are you sure there are only 3 questions, lol?
For "Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee" question, does concern only refer to poor academic performance? What else could be considered concerning? Does multiple MCAT attempts count as concerning even though I did well on my last attempt?
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they're the 3 most meaningful. I think if you read the application instructions, they explicitly say something along those lines, and they give a reason for requiring 3 experiences with "some applicants don't specify 3 on their application" or something along those lines.

Davis secondaries have traditionally been pretty short and to the point.

no, you can refer to any portion of your application that you find concerning, such as coursework, grades, trends, time off from school, not having a letter from a most meaningful experience etc. I think this sort of question is also a good indication of your character; if you think it's self-explanatory, you don't have to explain anything additionally but if you would like to elaborate just in case, go for it.
 
any reapplicants get a secondary? wondering if they view us separately- my stats haven't changed but i didn't get an "automatic" secondary this year 🙁
 
sammiesings said:
any reapplicants get a secondary? wondering if they view us separately- my stats haven't changed but i didn't get an "automatic" secondary this year 🙁
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I'm a reapplicant here and got a secondary. don't worry though, it's still early! they might just be processing the applications in batches.
 
gamieg said:
I'm a reapplicant here and got a secondary. don't worry though, it's still early! they might just be processing the applications in batches.
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bummer! i was hoping that was it lol. did you get an automatic one like right after your received email?
 
secondary means they like u/ or everyone gets secondaries ?
 
babyelephant said:
secondary means they like u/ or everyone gets secondaries ?
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some people with some stats get an automatic secondary. everyone else gets one after someone reads their application. or doesn't. it looks like that isn't happening until later this july though.
 
sammiesings said:
bummer! i was hoping that was it lol. did you get an automatic one like right after your received email?
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yes, I got the received email and supplemental at exactly the same time.. I think it was like 4:01am or something so I assume it was automatic unless someone was putting in some crazy hours. 😳
 
gamieg said:
they're the 3 most meaningful. I think if you read the application instructions, they explicitly say something along those lines, and they give a reason for requiring 3 experiences with "some applicants don't specify 3 on their application" or something along those lines.

Davis secondaries have traditionally been pretty short and to the point.

no, you can refer to any portion of your application that you find concerning, such as coursework, grades, trends, time off from school, not having a letter from a most meaningful experience etc. I think this sort of question is also a good indication of your character; if you think it's self-explanatory, you don't have to explain anything additionally but if you would like to elaborate just in case, go for it.
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I am pre-writing so I don't know what the additional instructions are, but the phrasing of the question makes me think that I should pick only 1 out of the 3 meaningful experiences and expand on that. It reads "Briefly describe this activity and its significance." It seems like they are asking only 1 activity and the 750 character limit would make sense then.
 
OrangeMed said:
I am pre-writing so I don't know what the additional instructions are, but the phrasing of the question makes me think that I should pick only 1 out of the 3 meaningful experiences and expand on that. It reads "Briefly describe this activity and its significance." It seems like they are asking only 1 activity and the 750 character limit would make sense then.
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OH! wait, I think we had a miscommunication somewhere. the 3 most meaningful experiences are separated out like they are in AMCAS. you enter one for each tab and elaborate on each one separately. then you go to the next tab, enter another experience in, and elaborate on that. it's not one big section where they ask you to elaborate on all three. does that make sense?
 
Secondary received this morning with app received email. Added the school two days ago and a reapp here.
 
OrangeMed said:
Can anyone please elaborate on the final essay question. What does "Experiences Section (1-3) mean"? Are they the 3 most meaningful experiences or the first three experiences that appear on my primary application? Also, would it be smart to answer "why me/diversity" question here? It seems weird Davis isn't asking about overcoming obstacles or "why UC Davis" in their secondary or even "what have you been doing since graduation?"...Are you sure there are only 3 questions, lol?
For "Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee" question, does concern only refer to poor academic performance? What else could be considered concerning? Does multiple MCAT attempts count as concerning even though I did well on my last attempt?
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I think primary application 3 Most Meaningful is different from Davis' 3 Experiences "most influential in leading you to a career in medicine". The primary app experiences could be meaningful to your life, expanded your views, changed how you think, etc, without necessarily influencing you towards medicine. I re-used 2 experiences from the primary app, and added 1 different one. It is also possible to use as a why me/diversity as long as it relates to the experience.
Multiple MCATs >3 tries I think is concerning, as well as long gaps where you didn't volunteer, work, or go to school
 
gamieg said:
OH! wait, I think we had a miscommunication somewhere. the 3 most meaningful experiences are separated out like they are in AMCAS. you enter one for each tab and elaborate on each one separately. then you go to the next tab, enter another experience in, and elaborate on that. it's not one big section where they ask you to elaborate on all three. does that make sense?
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That makes sense! Thank you for the clarification!
 
Sorry if this is a dumb question but are we required to pick a tailored track? Do we look like better candidates if we do?
 
Drkaytee said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question but are we required to pick a tailored track? Do we look like better candidates if we do?
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No, it's not required. They're really competitive - ACE only accepts 6 people iirc, so many people don't pick one. I don't think it would make you look bad.
 
gamieg said:
yes, I got the received email and supplemental at exactly the same time.. I think it was like 4:01am or something so I assume it was automatic unless someone was putting in some crazy hours. 😳
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It's a weird automatic screen. My friend with both a lower gpa and MCAT than me got s secondary right away and I haven't lol I wonder what Davis does
 
clippers50fan said:
It's a weird automatic screen. My friend with both a lower gpa and MCAT than me got s secondary right away and I haven't lol I wonder what Davis does
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I think they also have an upper threshold screen so you might have stats that are too high lol. Also, I've heard they filter for urm with lower stats too.
 
sammiesings said:
I think they also have an upper threshold screen so you might have stats that are too high lol. Also, I've heard they filter for urm with lower stats too.
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They might have an upper threshold, but my LizzyM is pretty close to Clippers50fan, and I received the automatic secondary, so I don't think that's it.....really odd process 😵
 
clippers50fan said:
It's a weird automatic screen. My friend with both a lower gpa and MCAT than me got s secondary right away and I haven't lol I wonder what Davis does
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yeah, I really don't know how they do it either because I have friends who have way higher stats than I do and who are still waiting on a secondary. I'm not sure if they include certain extracurricular categories in the screen either, like > x volunteer hours or > x accepted research.
 
Should I be concerned if I still haven't received a secondary? I submitted AMCAS the hour it opened, and was first wave verified. I've received pretty much every other secondary except UC ones, and I don't know how the screening process for UCD works. LizzyM ~ 72
 
... I am also getting a bit concerned here...
 
sidskool said:
Should I be concerned if I still haven't received a secondary? I submitted AMCAS the hour it opened, and was first wave verified. I've received pretty much every other secondary except UC ones, and I don't know how the screening process for UCD works. LizzyM ~ 72
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Iwannaknow said:
... I am also getting a bit concerned here...
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Id say concerned is a bit over reactive at this point. If by mid-late July we still haven't then meh, I agree that would suck. It's been a week hha. For perspective, BU who sends everyone a secondary still hasn't sent me one. I imagine screening takes a long time
 
Could it be that people who received secondaries first are those classified as "disadvantaged" on the primary app?
 
wmelon2021 said:
Could it be that people who received secondaries first are those classified as "disadvantaged" on the primary app?
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Nope, I'm ORM without any disadvantages and I have pretty-sub par stats and I got the secondary at the same time I got the "we received your primary" email. Makes me wonder if it's just random or if there's some screening criteria other than MCAT/GPA
 
wmelon2021 said:
Could it be that people who received secondaries first are those classified as "disadvantaged" on the primary app?
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My LizzyM is 69 and I was classified as disadvantaged if that counts for anything. Perhaps they are practicing yield protection using different measures? I was born and raised in Northern California if that also counts for anything.
 
LordH said:
Nope, I'm ORM without any disadvantages and I have pretty-sub par stats and I got the secondary at the same time I got the "we received your primary" email. Makes me wonder if it's just random or if there's some screening criteria other than MCAT/GPA
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same, ORM, not disadvantaged, with subpar stats. pretty sure there's automatic screening other than MCAT/GPA because y'all have way better stats.
 
is the payment site not working for anyone else? I'm not getting a confirmation code in my email when I hit continue in the pay fee page
 
For the course pre-requisites on the 2nd, are we supposed to enter only the exact amount for the 8 course units, or can we put in extra upper division courses? Thoughts?
 
Nickerbocker said:
For the course pre-requisites on the 2nd, are we supposed to enter only the exact amount for the 8 course units, or can we put in extra upper division courses? Thoughts?
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I included the pre-reqs plus physio & genetics, since those are usually recommended (also I would include biochem if you have it). I don't think you need to list all of your upper divs though...
 
Anyone have a completed status for the secondary app? I am still waiting for UCD to receive my LORs from AMCAS... I paid and submitted everything on 7/10
 
Nickerbocker said:
Anyone have a completed status for the secondary app? I am still waiting for UCD to receive my LORs from AMCAS... I paid and submitted everything on 7/10
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I think they send an automatic complete email once everything has been received. I got mine a little bit after submitting my secondary (but everything else was received before I got my secondary I think).
 
For anybody still wondering about if they're going to get the secondary, I was verified (7/11) and received the "application received" and secondary invite emails at the same time (7/12 - 4AM PST). My metrics are 3.8+ for c/sGPA and MCAT 31 - 34. This leads me to believe that they're crudely screening based on numbers, perhaps including hours for important categories of activities on the primary (i.e. community service, clinical, etc).

ORM, though I did graduate from UCD.
 
Shirafune said:
For anybody still wondering about if they're going to get the secondary, I was verified (7/11) and received the "application received" and secondary invite emails at the same time (7/12 - 4AM PST). My metrics are 3.8+ for c/sGPA and MCAT 31 - 34. This leads me to believe that they're crudely screening based on numbers, perhaps including hours for important categories of activities on the primary (i.e. community service, clinical, etc).

ORM, though I did graduate from UCD.
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Hey so I have the same metrics as you but was verified much earlier. I still haven't received a secondary so I don't believe its a screen based purely on numbers? I don't think there's deficiencies in hours for important categories on my app either.
 
sidskool said:
Hey so I have the same metrics as you but was verified much earlier. I still haven't received a secondary so I don't believe its a screen based purely on numbers? I don't think there's deficiencies in hours for important categories on my app either.
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The medical school has strong intentions to serve the surrounding area (Northern/Central CA in general), so they may even consider where your located, your undergraduate institution, your place of birth for a preliminary wave of secondaries. On the other hand, my perspective might be biased having graduated from here. A significant amount of undergraduate students here volunteer at student run clinics, so there is a clear tie to serving the underserved in Sacramento and the greater area. The pre-health program here also has a nice setup with UCD Medical Center for clinical volunteering. Whether or not UCDSOM actually screens for location, even in your activities (i.e. clinical experience in Sacramento or Davis or a surrounding city), is just speculation.
 
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