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Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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sr4b said:
" You can list additional courses and labs over the minimum requirements. " - okay so is there a reason to do this? LIke as a bio major should I put every single upper div? any advantage/disadvantage ya'll can think of?
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I included some upper level courses- in part bc I had a positive grade trend but also bc I thought it showed depth
 
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Secondary received, IS, 511 MCAT and 3.6 GPA (upward trend)
 
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Secondary received mid-afternoon today, got an email yesterday morning saying they received my primary. Awesome surprise – I anticipated it taking weeks, based on how long some UCs take to screen.

IS, ORM, non-trad
LM 78.4
 
sr4b said:
" You can list additional courses and labs over the minimum requirements. " - okay so is there a reason to do this? LIke as a bio major should I put every single upper div? any advantage/disadvantage ya'll can think of?
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Doesn't take much time to add few more courses, so go for it.
 
mlua1811 said:
I included some upper level courses- in part bc I had a positive grade trend but also bc I thought it showed depth
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That is essentially what the admissions office told me, when I asked. I have a lot of undergrad and grad courses biology courses, and I wasn't sure what to list. They said the main point of the section is to show you've met eligibility requirements, but you can list extras to "show depth." They also suggested only listing undergrad coursework.
 
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TradNonTrad said:
That is essentially what the admissions office told me, when I asked. I have a lot of undergrad and grad courses biology courses, and I wasn't sure what to list. They said the main point of the section is to show you've met eligibility requirements, but you can list extras to "show depth." They also suggested only listing undergrad coursework.
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thanks!
srk2021 said:
Doesn't take much time to add few more courses, so go for it.
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I just realistically have more than 20 bio courses so I also have to figure out which to list and wanted to understand why, but I'll do it!
 
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Where in the prereq section does it say to convert quarter hours to semester hours?
 
Anyone have a suggestion for what to put for "Date Completed" if credit for a prereq was from an AP exam?
 
If we think we are interested in Primary Care, but don't necessarily want to select one of their scholarly programs, is that a huge detriment? Reason I ask is because I can imagine my interests changing through medical school.
 
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costodoro said:
If we think we are interested in Primary Care, but don't necessarily want to select one of their scholarly programs, is that a huge detriment? Reason I ask is because I can imagine my interests changing through medical school.
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I didn't select any because I'm also not ready to make a commitment like that. I think it's fine!
 
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I’m an MS3 at Davis with absolutely no NorCal connections so there is always a chance! In fact I didn’t even write anything superfluous on my secondary like having a bff or relatives in the bay, I just checked off the box that I had no connections. I believe it was because I did have a 3.8/518 so it was definitely a good LizzyM that overcame geographic preferences.

a lot of my classmates did post bacs and I also know many who scored 506 or 507 on the mcat so dont worry if your scores aren’t 515+!
 
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Anyone know how they decide to send secondaries? Is it by date of primary submission? Haven't received one yet CA applicant.
 
grdsx said:
Is there any way we can review our activity essays after we submitted?

While filling in the app, I kept getting a bug that said 0/500 characters for text boxes that had stuff in it.
My "Reference" information also didn't show up, but at least I can see that the contact info was saved (after submitting)

so just wanted to make sure the app didnt delete my essays lol
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Following. I had the same issue
 
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Can a current student confirm if we are committing to anything by selecting one of the pathways?
I'd like to have the option to look into it further and be able to back-out if I so chose. Yes, I have commitment issues. @aaronrodgers
 
OymmoC said:
Can a current student confirm if we are committing to anything by selecting one of the pathways?
I'd like to have the option to look into it further and be able to back-out if I so chose. Yes, I have commitment issues. @aaronrodgers
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you can be accepted into the track programs and be able to back out and just do the regular MD. I think you would have to decide before school starts though!
 
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kyuwitaco said:
Anyone know how they decide to send secondaries? Is it by date of primary submission? Haven't received one yet CA applicant.
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From what I've seen in past years, it does not seem like secondaries are sent out purely chronologically, although that is a factor. When I applied, I had a friend who had very strong ties to the Sacramento area who received a secondary almost immediately after submitting. I don't believe I got my secondary until about mid-August, even though I submitted my app in mid-June. TBH, I actually think receiving the secondary later helped my application a LOT. I had already gone through so many secondaries that I was able to polish the content, which I believe made my application to Davis stronger than it would have been earlier on in the cycle.

TL;DR If you don't receive a secondary right off the bat, do not freak out. There is plenty of time for secondaries to go out, it's just that Davis actually does screen primaries (although the process for that remains a mystery).
 
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Sol3ObsPost said:
Hey guys I got a question for the activities section. The website only have room for one supervisor who can verify the level of commitment. If I shadowed multiple health care providers for a single program (say a fellowship), is it appropriate to put down one physician's contact I shadowed (who wrote me letter of recom)? Since I did not shadow him for the entire duration, will answering " Can a supervisor verify this level of commitment? " in such a way be considered dishonesty? Pls help.o_O
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That sounds totally fine! As long as that person can verify that you were there (even if they weren't with you for the whole duration), that counts. Just make sure in the description to accurately describe the fact that you were shadowing multiple people.
 
OymmoC said:
Can a current student confirm if we are committing to anything by selecting one of the pathways?
I'd like to have the option to look into it further and be able to back-out if I so chose. Yes, I have commitment issues. @aaronrodgers
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Yes, can confirm what @aaronrodgers said! I know of a person who even interviewed with a track program but then decided that it wasn't for them and respectfully removed their name from the list. You will not need to commit until after you are interviewed (through the general school), accepted (into the general school), interviewed again (for the track program you applied for), and then accepted again (into that track program), at which point they will give you a deadline to respond whether you would like to join them or not.
 
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burb said:
Yes, can confirm what @aaronrodgers said! I know of a person who even interviewed with a track program but then decided that it wasn't for them and respectfully removed their name from the list. You will not need to commit until after you are interviewed (through the general school), accepted (into the general school), interviewed again (for the track program you applied for), and then accepted again (into that track program), at which point they will give you a deadline to respond whether you would like to join them or not.
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Thanks!! Highly appreciate both your responses.
 
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Are people still gonna take the SJT? I have a date set in case but now I'm not sure how important it really is...
 
bbbmamba said:
Are people still gonna take the SJT? I have a date set in case but now I'm not sure how important it really is...
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I'm probably still gonna take it. Honestly, the AAMC SJT doesnt even seem that bad. It's just rating different scenarios based on how "effective" a hypothetical decision would be. Way better than CASPER.

Sample questions are up on AAMC website and they're all like this. The "correct" answer feels much more obvious than CASPER situations

Screen Shot 2020-07-21 at 7.20.03 PM.png
 
I interviewed here last year and really loved the school and the area. I am from Utah, FYI. This year I have not even gotten the secondary yet. Sad day
 
I received an email with the subject "UC Davis School of Medicine - Application Received" but don't see any secondary yet.... i guess it says secondary invitation decisions are made from July-January so I should rest my neurotic mind...... But.... does anyone know if Davis has a heavy screen???
Also if I don't even get a secondary what is the point of taking the SJT only required for this school.... :(
 
turtulechicken said:
@TheDataKing

Supplemental
1. Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee (This could include explanation of metric trends, institutional actions, legal violations, etc.) Please enter N/A if no concerns to report. (500 characters; spaces count as a character)

2. Do you have a connection to Northern or Central California? If "yes", please explain (500 characters; spaces count as a character).

Activities
Please list the activities you would like to be considered in your application to UC Davis. You may use your activities listed in your initial AMCAS application or select/add others that may be relevant to UC Davis. Please only list three.
a. Briefly describe this activity and its significance. How did it prepare you for a medical career? Include any supporting information (e.g. your contribution to the project or accomplishment as well as links to any publication, etc) (500 characters; spaces count as a character).

Scholarly Pathways
Are you interested in applying to the Rural-PRIME (Rural Program in Medical Education) Program?
If "Yes" :
a. Please describe how your experiences with rural communities make you a good fit for the Rural-PRIME program (500 characters; spaces count as a character).
b. Describe your future plans to serve a rural underserved community (500 characters; spaces count as a character).

Are you interested in applying to the TEACH-MS (Transforming Education and Community Health for Medical Students) Program?
If "Yes": Please tell us what experiences have shaped your desire to be a primary care physician in urban underserved communities (500 characters; spaces count as a character).

Are you interested in applying to the ACE-PC (Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care) Program?
If "Yes": Please tell us what attributes or experiences would make you a good fit for an accelerated program in primary care (500 characters; spaces count as a character).

Are you interested in applying to the REACH (Reimagining Education to Advance central California Health) Program in Medical Education?
If "Yes": Please tell us about your ties to Central California and what you have done, or plan to do, to make a positive change in Central California (500 characters; spaces count as a character).

Are you interested in applying to ARC-MD (Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors)?
If "Yes": The UC Davis School of Medicine has an honors pathway, Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors (ARC-MD), to encourage the development of the next generation of school of medicine faculty. These faculty will be drawn from diverse backgrounds, many committed to research as a foundational aspect of their career. Tell us about how you could see yourself as a faculty of the future and how biomedical research might play a role in your career development (500 characters; spaces count as a character).
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Do you know if we have 500 characters to describe each of the three activities? Or if we have 500 characters total? I haven't received the secondary yet -- still waiting to be verified by AMCAS.
 
climber_predoc said:
Do you know if we have 500 characters to describe each of the three activities? Or if we have 500 characters total? I haven't received the secondary yet -- still waiting to be verified by AMCAS.
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500 characters for each activity. pretty much all the questions on secondary (including special tracks) are 500 characters each
 
Just to give some extra information regarding secondaries at UC Davis.

If you receive a secondary very soon after you get the email from Davis saying they have received your primary, this means you passed through the automatic screen.

If you do not pass through the automatic screen, then a human will look at your application (every application will be looked at, regardless of stats) and decide whether to extend a secondary or not.

This is why some people get the secondary fast and others it can take 1-2 months (or longer).
 
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LonelyLibraryBook said:
Just to give some extra information regarding secondaries at UC Davis.

If you receive a secondary very soon after you get the email from Davis saying they have received your primary, this means you passed through the automatic screen.

If you do not pass through the automatic screen, then a human will look at your application (every application will be looked at, regardless of stats) and decide whether to extend a secondary or not.

This is why some people get the secondary fast and others it can take 1-2 months (or longer).
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Why wouldn't someone pass the automatic screen?
 
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Putkernerinthehall said:
Very helpful. Could you elaborate as to whether much of that large cohort from UCB and UCLA has strong ties to NoCal ? Probably hard for you to know, but all I ever read about is that if you are from SoCal you better have strong ties to NoCal or your application to UCD is DOA.
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A general pattern in the UC system is that Bay Area folks tend to end up down south for undergrad and LA/SD folks tend to head up north for undergrad. This is just what I noticed between my friends from home and from UCLA. So very generally speaking the Cal crowd will obviously be tied to northern california due to college, and the UCLA crowd will have family up here.
 
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LonelyLibraryBook said:
Just to give some extra information regarding secondaries at UC Davis.

If you receive a secondary very soon after you get the email from Davis saying they have received your primary, this means you passed through the automatic screen.

If you do not pass through the automatic screen, then a human will look at your application (every application will be looked at, regardless of stats) and decide whether to extend a secondary or not.

This is why some people get the secondary fast and others it can take 1-2 months (or longer).
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Automatic screen as in a screen for stats? Because if this was the case, then I think a lot more people would have gotten secondaries already. If it is based on the writing portions of the application, then I don't know how that is an "automatic screen" ? It seems to just come randomly to me but not sure
 
HumanAfterAll said:
Why wouldn't someone pass the automatic screen?
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UC Davis has a specific screening process. It is more than just stats. ECs are definitely a component. It might search for service to underserved communities, but I honestly do not know; I just know it is more than stats. I did not get through the automatic screen, but I did get a manual secondary and this did not seem to impact my ability to get an II/Acceptance, as I was accepted right after my interview.
 
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LonelyLibraryBook said:
UC Davis has a specific screening process. It is more than just stats. ECs are definitely a component. It might search for service to underserved communities, but I honestly do not know; I just know it is more than stats. I did not get through the automatic screen, but I did get a manual secondary and this did not seem to impact my ability to get an II/Acceptance, as I was accepted right after my interview.
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interesting, thanks for the clarification :)
 
FYI, I emailed admissions and the units for the pre-req courses should be listed as they appear in your transcript.
 
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Please help me with CARS: For the activities section, we should not include projected hours, correct?
 
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Is there a UCD student lurking here that can answer any of my questions?

1. If you're in REACH, what is the commitment like and does it limit you time-wise from doing other things outside of the program like research?
2. REACH says it's for students who want to practice in central CA, but not necessarily only limited to primary care. But it's part of the "PRIME" program, so is it really appropriate for students who aren't deadset on going into primary care?
3. I looked at MSAR for last year and it looks like ~70% match into a primary care field (internal med, pediatrics, family med) and 0% in anesthesiology, derm, rads. So is there not much opportunity to prepare for matching into a residency in those other fields, or is it that just UCD is selecting for primary care oriented students?
 
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srstudent said:
Is there a UCD student lurking here that can answer any of my questions?

1. If you're in REACH, what is the commitment like and does it limit you time-wise from doing other things outside of the program like research?
2. REACH says it's for students who want to practice in central CA, but not necessarily only limited to primary care. But it's part of the "PRIME" program, so is it really appropriate for students who aren't deadset on going into primary care?
3. I looked at MSAR for last year and it looks like ~70% match into a primary care field (internal med, pediatrics, family med) and 0% in anesthesiology, derm, rads. So is there not much opportunity to prepare for matching into a residency in those other fields, or is it that just UCD is selecting for primary care oriented students?
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1. Not in reach

2. You can specialize in anything in the REACH program. The idea is that regardless of the specialty, you'll return to central-CA to practice.

3. This is a function of the students Davis attracts, not a function of the caliber of the school (Top 40 per US News and is in the Top 40 NIH-funded institution which is actually something specific residency program directors look for). There are students pursuing all sorts of specialties at Davis, it's just that if someone wants to primary care, they would choose to come to Davis over some other school that may not be as primary care focused. Keep in mind, UC Davis basically has every specialty for its residency programs so this can be very useful in exploring what specialty you want to do and build connections.
 
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Asp1retoInsp1re said:
Has anyone signed up for/taken the SJT? I don't know how stressed to be about it.
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I signed up for 9/1! And I feel too busy with all these secondaries that I don't even have time to stress about it lolll I'm assuming it's going to be similar to CASPER! Also a practice test is supposed to come out on 8/1 so hopefully that alleviates our stress...
 
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