2021-2022 UC Irvine

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lazytryhard said:
Has anyone here had difficulty with their chemistry prerequisites? I got an interview but have been notified that I don’t fulfill the pre reqs because I only have 5 quarters of chemistry, not 6. I am just surprised because the classes I took were the standard chem sequence for premed students at my school (a UC that sends lots of students to med school). Has anyone had any luck getting prereqs waived?
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I couldn’t get it waived but they said any chem course is enough. Taking intro chem rn and it’s so easy
 
Does anyone know how much weight they put in the Kira interview verses the actual interview day?
 
ASV444 said:
Does anyone know how much weight they put in the Kira interview verses the actual interview day?
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Do I have any insider knowledge? No. N=1 But personally I felt like I did really poorly on Kira and was admitted
 
ASV444 said:
Does anyone know how much weight they put in the Kira interview verses the actual interview day?
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HotelOrange said:
Do I have any insider knowledge? No. N=1 But personally I felt like I did really poorly on Kira and was admitted
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+1, struggled with multiple Kira prompts and received acceptance. Then again, we are often our worst critics!
 
lazytryhard said:
Has anyone here had difficulty with their chemistry prerequisites? I got an interview but have been notified that I don’t fulfill the pre reqs because I only have 5 quarters of chemistry, not 6. I am just surprised because the classes I took were the standard chem sequence for premed students at my school (a UC that sends lots of students to med school). Has anyone had any luck getting prereqs waived?
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same here! Im planning to use my AP chem unit and hope it counts 🙁 I'm also having issues with the bio prereqs bc they specifically said they don't recognize courses from my major lmao. was also wondering if we could potentially petition to get some prereqs waived
 
Any idea how accurate the MSAR is with their waitlist information: 50 out of 100 generally get in year to year? Anyone who's looked at past years threads and seen abundance of WL applicants get acceptances?
 
WhatsUpDoc824 said:
Any idea how accurate the MSAR is with their waitlist information: 50 out of 100 generally get in year to year? Anyone who's looked at past years threads and seen abundance of WL applicants get acceptances?
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MSAR is definitely over-exaggerated unfortunately. I would say less than 10 students are pulled from the waitlist by my estimate.
 
Kinda want to send in an update here, but I’m scared to. Every time I send an update, it’s like I’m reminding a school to reject me and they do just that the very next week lol. Complete August, IS, and dyyyiiing to interview here
 
cordialcalifornium said:
Kinda want to send in an update here, but I’m scared to. Every time I send an update, it’s like I’m reminding a school to reject me and they do just that the very next week lol. Complete August, IS, and dyyyiiing to interview here
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I was complete for MSTP in August, and my stats are below. I emailed them a letter of continued interest in December, where I reiterated my interest specifically in their program in ~700 words. I did not have any significant updates, only that I had continued my research position since August. I received an II a month later in January. In my opinion, the letter of interest can only help! You get to show your specific interest in the school, and if they unfortunately choose to reject you, at least you expedite the process. I think you should go for it. Good luck!
 
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dualdegreepossibly said:
I was complete for MSTP in August, and my stats are below. I emailed them a letter of continued interest in December, where I reiterated my interest specifically in their program in ~700 words. I did not have any significant updates, only that I had continued my research position since August. I received an II a month later in January. In my opinion, the letter of interest can only help! You get to show your specific interest in the school, and if they unfortunately choose to reject you, at least you expedite the process. I think you should go for it. Good luck!
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Did you upload this interest letter to the portal or did you directly email it to admissions?
 
bananaman99 said:
Did you upload this interest letter to the portal or did you directly email it to admissions?
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The portal only has an option to upload an update or letter of intent, not a letter of interest, so I directly emailed the MSTP and directors. I also added a note to "please let me know if this information would be best suited as an upload to your application portal."
 
dualdegreepossibly said:
The portal only has an option to upload an update or letter of intent, not a letter of interest, so I directly emailed the MSTP and directors. I also added a note to "please let me know if this information would be best suited as an upload to your application portal."
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How would you suggest non-MSTP applicants email a letter of interest? Thanks in advance 🙂
 
taurusinmed said:
How would you suggest non-MSTP applicants email a letter of interest? Thanks in advance 🙂
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Hard to say, as I have never sent an MD letter of interest. I imagine the procedure is similar, but I think there are some key differences.

Mainly, the MD program has less emphasis on research than MSTP, so you should have strongly specific reasons for why UCI SOM, like specific programs that would be a good fit for your goals. You do not want to send a generic letter of interest. I think this is a lot harder for MD, since the MSTP has specific faculty I could mention would be a good fit for my research interests.

Besides that, MD directors are probably less receptive to emails too, since the applicant pool is much larger. I would not email MD directors. Plus, UCI SOM seems to prefer communication through the portal rather than by email anyway.

Hope that helps. Good luck!
 
adcomsplease said:
Also got the A! Interviewed 2/3
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Huge congrats!!

I also interviewed 2/3 (nothing on my end yet). Didn't they say it'd take 6-8 weeks to get back to us? Or is it that they will let us know as soon as our app is reviewed?
 
ASV444 said:
Huge congrats!!

I also interviewed 2/3 (nothing on my end yet). Didn't they say it'd take 6-8 weeks to get back to us? Or is it that they will let us know as soon as our app is reviewed?
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the Kira assessment said 4-8 weeks I genuinely have no idea how they let me know so quick
 
Anyone know the housing situation of this school? I know on campus housing is offered but when do we register, what's the difference between the villages, etc. Any info is much appreciated!
 
anxiouspremedxxx said:
Hey guys I'm in need of some advice. I have my interview coming up and was notified by UCI that I am missing the upper div bio prerequisite because biochemistry counts towards chemistry credits. Apparently I need to complete the prereq before July if I were to get in. I'm out of school and I'm not sure how to go forward. Anyone have any advice? Or experience getting that prereq waived? This is the only school I have this issue with lol
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I'm in a similar position, i was thinking I would take a UC extension course to fulfill it. Just sucks for me because I'm on the waitlist and I'm not sure what to do either.
 
FutureDoctorStrange said:
Anyone know the housing situation of this school? I know on campus housing is offered but when do we register, what's the difference between the villages, etc. Any info is much appreciated!
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Housing on campus is hard to get unless you’re in PRIME, LEAD, or MD/PhD where you’re guaranteed on campus housing. It doesn’t mean don’t apply but definitely have a backup plan. The application opens March 1st I believe and it’s best to fill it out that day. Most med students on campus live in either Palo Verde or Verano place. Those are both close to the arc (rec center) and about 2 miles from the medical education building. You can bike there in 10-12 minutes but the walk is about 30 minutes. Some live in campus village which is right across from MedEd which is very convenient. They’re not as nice as the other grad communities though. There is also a new community opening possibly this fall called Verano 8 which is also on the far side of campus. Hope this helps.
 
WhatsUpDoc824 said:
I'm in a similar position, i was thinking I would take a UC extension course to fulfill it. Just sucks for me because I'm on the waitlist and I'm not sure what to do either.
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Oh shoot that's a tough situation... It might not be a bad idea to take it as backup plan.

Do you know if they accept online extension courses? Or courses from community colleges?
 
anxiouspremedxxx said:
Oh shoot that's a tough situation... It might not be a bad idea to take it as backup plan.

Do you know if they accept online extension courses? Or courses from community colleges?
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Yes as long as its upper division. You can email them to check in prior to enrolling.
 
cordialcalifornium said:
Nothing but silence
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starting to get a little scared that they don't read all of the applications/secondaries submitted after a certain point. I'm really surprised that they haven't reached August secondaries yet considering August is still considered "not late"
 
78lazy6 said:
starting to get a little scared that they don't read all of the applications/secondaries submitted after a certain point. I'm really surprised that they haven't reached August secondaries yet considering August is still considered "not late"
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That would be extremely messed up considering the money we paid, but not surprising in the least
 
Still nothing, complete 7/14. Crazy to think it's been seven months...

Feel like this school is the only thing standing between me and the end of my cycle. Do u think if we don't hear anything by mid-March we can consider it done?
 
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