2023-2024 UCLA (Geffen)

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Did they share in second look the reason behind the lack of scholarships this year? are they done giving them out?

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As an OOS student, my award letter showed that the total COA for M1 is $105,194.
  • Total Non-Resident Tuition and Fees: $63,105
    • Tuition and Fees (Resident with Student Health Insurance): $50,492
    • Non-Resident Tuition: $12,613
  • Living Expenses: $42,089
  • Total Estimated Cost of Attendance for 1st Year: $105,194
So, as an OOS student, I would have to take out ~$420,000 in loans. Will be withdrawing my A! Seems like a wonderful med school, but I am planning to follow scholarship money elsewhere QUOTE]

Seriously thank you so much for this insight!
 
As an OOS student, my award letter showed that the total COA for M1 is $105,194.
  • Total Non-Resident Tuition and Fees: $63,105
    • Tuition and Fees (Resident with Student Health Insurance): $50,492
    • Non-Resident Tuition: $12,613
  • Living Expenses: $42,089
  • Total Estimated Cost of Attendance for 1st Year: $105,194
So, as an OOS student, I would have to take out ~$420,000 in loans. Will be withdrawing my A! Seems like a wonderful med school, but I am planning to follow scholarship money elsewhere <3
This excludes summer semester costs which are in addition to what @Opuntia reported. From 2024-2025 onwards there will be 3 summer semesters, each of which according to 2023-2024 estimates cost about 17.5k each.
 
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This excludes summer semester costs which are in addition to what @Opuntia reported. From 2024-2025 onwards there will be 3 summer semesters, each of which according to 2023-2024 estimates cost about 17.5k each.
I’m confused about this whole summer thing. Isn’t that normally included in tuition?
 
I’m confused about this whole summer thing. Isn’t that normally included in tuition?

So what Opuntia reported is cost of 1st year. 2nd year onward you have summers, which are additional cost. And yes you’re right most schools I’ve seen have it included within the academic year cost but it’s different at ucla.
 
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So what Opuntia reported is cost of 1st year. 2nd year onward you have summers, which are additional cost. And yes you’re right most schools I’ve seen have it included within the academic year cost but it’s different at ucla.
I see. Thanks!
 
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I also withdrew my acceptance, I loved UCLA and I hope that they can get the funds to give more scholarships out in the future! I was super excited about this one because I knew about the Geffen scholarship, but I withdrew after knowing that they had canceled it :(
 
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Has anyone talked with the financial office to make sure that the Geffen scholarship is no longer offered? Did they bring a reason why this year suddenly things have changed?
 
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Has anyone talked with the financial office to make sure that the Geffen scholarship is no longer offered? Did they bring a reason why this year suddenly things have changed?
UCLA has waitlist motion but not motion like this:
 

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Has anyone talked with the financial office to make sure that the Geffen scholarship is no longer offered? Did they bring a reason why this year suddenly things have changed?

During second look they mentioned they’re not going to be as competitive this year because they’re low on funds. David Geffen’s last donation to continue the scholarship was in 2019 which was estimated to cover about 414 scholarships ending with the class of 2026.

 
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During second look they mentioned they’re not going to be as competitive this year because they’re low on funds. David Geffen’s last donation to continue the scholarship was in 2019 which was estimated to cover about 414 scholarships ending with the class of 2026.


Class of 2027 also did receive full rides and full tuition but you’re right, the funds have ran dry this year
 
Has anyone talked with the financial office to make sure that the Geffen scholarship is no longer offered? Did they bring a reason why this year suddenly things have changed?
My sibling who was accepted here attended their Wednesday office hours recently and they said the Geffen Scholarship is no longer offered this year since the donation/funding from it finished.
 
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Anyone else on the WL receive the email about the final happy hour? Never received an email from them about these so I’m not sure why they sent one today🥲
 
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Anyone else on the WL receive the email about the final happy hour? Never received an email from them about these so I’m not sure why they sent one today🥲
I got it as well, but I’ve also gotten all the previous ones.

This one had a typo
 
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I know it says they don’t accept letters of intent, but is a letter of interest okay to send? Last year’s thread had a lot of WL A’s who said they sent nothing, but I’m not sure what to do lol
 
I know it says they don’t accept letters of intent, but is a letter of interest okay to send? Last year’s thread had a lot of WL A’s who said they sent nothing, but I’m not sure what to do lol
I was also curious about this. I drafted one, but then ultimately didn't send worrying that it could hurt my prospects when it seems that they don't want or accept them.
 
I was also curious about this. I drafted one, but then ultimately didn't send worrying that it could hurt my prospects when it seems that they don't want or accept them.
So they want me to play hard to get?
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I sent in an update letter/letter of interest. Since someone during office hours said it wouldn't hurt and to send it in ASAP if you had anything new. But that they couldn't promise that anything would be read
 
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Gives more "WL applicant desperate for admits to not go there" vibes to me. Faculty don't complain on SDN's pre-med forums lol. Some faculty probably have legitimate grievances with UCLA's 1-year preclinical, but they're not going to write their thoughts that poorly or use random examples of surgeons who vow to never talk to UCLA students. "use caution in coming to UCLA" lmao come on
 
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I have no stake in this (R at UCLA), but I would strongly suggest that current admits get a real sense of the situation by hearing directly from current students (preferably a broad sample, spanning multiple years - and getting real perspectives, i.e., not from students chosen as ambassadors/school representatives).

I won't go as far as saying the post by the supposed UCLA faculty is bunk, but I would take this cautionary note with a grain of salt and get this information confirmed or denied by current students (IMO, avoid confirming this through the admin - they are much more likely to be politician-esque about the situation and mislead you). Just some thoughts I wanted to pass along to the M0s as they consider this situation to make an informed decision. Good luck!!!
 
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@Morningnight and any other current students, would very much appreciate your thoughts/input on this as well!
It is probably true at any school that you need to be a good independent learner, but I think this is even more so the case at UCLA. There is no blueprint for when to take Step 1 or Step 2, so you need to be active in your studies and lean on your peers to plan together. I'll also emphasize the importance of using 3rd party resources instead of sticking to in-house material. The in-house material is good for training your clinical reasoning. Not so good for passing the national board exams.

I'll echo one of the comments in the Crisis thread that many of the concerns and worries about not being prepared come from the 1st class that went through the curriculum change. There has been a significant drop in failed shelf exams in my year, and most of my classmates on clerkship have been told that they are on par or above expectations for clerkship students. Happy to answer other specific questions y'all have.
 
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It is probably true at any school that you need to be a good independent learner, but I think this is even more so the case at UCLA. There is no blueprint for when to take Step 1 or Step 2, so you need to be active in your studies and lean on your peers to plan together. I'll also emphasize the importance of using 3rd party resources instead of sticking to in-house material. The in-house material is good for training your clinical reasoning. Not so good for passing the national board exams.

I'll echo one of the comments in the Crisis thread that many of the concerns and worries about not being prepared come from the 1st class that went through the curriculum change. There has been a significant drop in failed shelf exams in my year, and most of my classmates on clerkship have been told that they are on par or above expectations for clerkship students. Happy to answer other specific questions y'all have.

As a prospective student I think my main concern would be - by choosing to attend ucla rather than another institution am I going to receive an education that will be detrimental when it comes to being prepared for step 2 (especially for those considering competitive specialities) as well as being equipped for rotations and residency. Tbh, I don’t want to pay that much COA if that’s going to be the case. But, although the timeline may be different than other schools without a 1 year pre-clinical, if I’m equally as competent and as prepared as students from other top schools then I’m less concerned and see it more as a curriculum that may fit personal learning preferences instead.

Do you personally think these outcries are from students who don’t vibe well with the new curriculum but are not making adjustments to succeed it in it and therefore feel betrayed/deceived/not receiving a proper medical education? OR do you think ucla is truly not preparing their students to the level that all other top institutions are?
 
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It is probably true at any school that you need to be a good independent learner, but I think this is even more so the case at UCLA. There is no blueprint for when to take Step 1 or Step 2, so you need to be active in your studies and lean on your peers to plan together. I'll also emphasize the importance of using 3rd party resources instead of sticking to in-house material. The in-house material is good for training your clinical reasoning. Not so good for passing the national board exams.

I'll echo one of the comments in the Crisis thread that many of the concerns and worries about not being prepared come from the 1st class that went through the curriculum change. There has been a significant drop in failed shelf exams in my year, and most of my classmates on clerkship have been told that they are on par or above expectations for clerkship students. Happy to answer other specific questions y'all have.

Totally agree!!!
 
As a prospective student I think my main concern would be - by choosing to attend ucla rather than another institution am I going to receive an education that will be detrimental when it comes to being prepared for step 2 (especially for those considering competitive specialities) as well as being equipped for rotations and residency. Tbh, I don’t want to pay that much COA if that’s going to be the case. But, although the timeline may be different than other schools without a 1 year pre-clinical, if I’m equally as competent and as prepared as students from other top schools then I’m less concerned and see it more as a curriculum that may fit personal learning preferences instead.

Do you personally think these outcries are from students who don’t vibe well with the new curriculum but are not making adjustments to succeed it in it and therefore feel betrayed/deceived/not receiving a proper medical education?
Also a current applicant but I've been hearing a lot of "outcries" from MS1s at another school—they are the first batch experiencing a new curriculum. I think its almost always a mix of personal factors and the curriculum not being the most ideal, mature, and realistic one. Obviously, there will always be students who are more adaptive and may be a little less affected!
 
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Can any current student comments on this? Kind of worrying to hear as it seems to be a repeated issue.
Thread 'UCLA Medical School in Crisis'
UCLA Medical School in Crisis

Edit: I scrolled up and saw we are already discussing this lol
 
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LosFeliz posted a very comprehensive and even-handed response
Agreed! LosFeliz has a great response.

I'll echo that I think the single biggest mistake that was made with the new curriculum change is the exam policy during MS1 year. The school bakes into your head that in-house material is all you need to do when the reality is that they're covering 50% (maybe even less) than the entirety of material covered on Step 1. Literally. It's shocking when you flip through First Aid Step 1 for the first time and you don't know half the disease entities in those pages. Students average 80-95% on exams throughout MS1 year, but this is largely because in-house exams are significantly easier than NBME style questions. If you failed an exam, you would "remediate" by going in to review your exam with faculty. That's it -- you didn't need to retake the test, no repeating the course, etc. I believe there is now a policy for retaking exams, but I'm not sure and hope that a current MS1 can speak to it.
 
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As a prospective student I think my main concern would be - by choosing to attend ucla rather than another institution am I going to receive an education that will be detrimental when it comes to being prepared for step 2 (especially for those considering competitive specialities) as well as being equipped for rotations and residency. Tbh, I don’t want to pay that much COA if that’s going to be the case. But, although the timeline may be different than other schools without a 1 year pre-clinical, if I’m equally as competent and as prepared as students from other top schools then I’m less concerned and see it more as a curriculum that may fit personal learning preferences instead.

Do you personally think these outcries are from students who don’t vibe well with the new curriculum but are not making adjustments to succeed it in it and therefore feel betrayed/deceived/not receiving a proper medical education? OR do you think ucla is truly not preparing their students to the level that all other top institutions are?
Completely valid concerns. I think one thing that needs to be accepted if you choose to commit to DGSOM is that our curriculum is a work in progress. It's now gone through 3 iterations and is much, much improved from what it originally was. If you're a person that is more comfortable with something that is tried and true, sure maybe DGSOM isn't the best place for you right now. I'll also emphasize that the large majority of the core clinical team are the most passionate and caring educators I have ever met. They also recognize that something is wrong with the curriculum and are actively working to fix it.

Personally, I don't think this should be a major deterrent for students who have other things to gain from being here. I.e. family, location, networking and connections. My only piece of advice is don't drink the Koolaid that you're fine only doing in-house material. Use third party resources. Study for Step 1 all throughout MS1 year and take it before clerkships (even though that's not what the school advertises). Albeit I don't see much of other schools, but the large majority of my classmates are the hardest-working and most competent folks that I know.
 
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Agreed! LosFeliz has a great response.

I'll echo that I think the single biggest mistake that was made with the new curriculum change is the exam policy during MS1 year. The school bakes into your head that in-house material is all you need to do when the reality is that they're covering 50% (maybe even less) than the entirety of material covered on Step 1. Literally. It's shocking when you flip through First Aid Step 1 for the first time and you don't know half the disease entities in those pages. Students average 80-95% on exams throughout MS1 year, but this is largely because in-house exams are significantly easier than NBME style questions. If you failed an exam, you would "remediate" by going in to review your exam with faculty. That's it -- you didn't need to retake the test, no repeating the course, etc. I believe there is now a policy for retaking exams, but I'm not sure and hope that a current MS1 can speak to it.
If you failed an exam, you would still have to retake it. Current MS2s and MS3s were able to review with faculty without retaking it, but the school changed the policy this year.
 
Completely valid concerns. I think one thing that needs to be accepted if you choose to commit to DGSOM is that our curriculum is a work in progress. It's now gone through 3 iterations and is much, much improved from what it originally was. If you're a person that is more comfortable with something that is tried and true, sure maybe DGSOM isn't the best place for you right now. I'll also emphasize that the large majority of the core clinical team are the most passionate and caring educators I have ever met. They also recognize that something is wrong with the curriculum and are actively working to fix it.

Personally, I don't think this should be a major deterrent for students who have other things to gain from being here. I.e. family, location, networking and connections. My only piece of advice is don't drink the Koolaid that you're fine only doing in-house material. Use third party resources. Study for Step 1 all throughout MS1 year and take it before clerkships (even though that's not what the school advertises). Albeit I don't see much of other schools, but the large majority of my classmates are the hardest-working and most competent folks that I know.

Thank you for the thoughtful response! I think my last question then would be if you make the proper effort for self-directed study for step 1, by the end of rotations and with the discovery year, do you think students are set up well for step 2? My thought process would be yes because you’ve presumably passed step 1, gone through rotations, and have your discovery year to prep for step 2 but maybe I am incorrect in thinking that way
 
Thank you for the thoughtful response! I think my last question then would be if you make the proper effort for self-directed study for step 1, by the end of rotations and with the discovery year, do you think students are set up well for step 2? My thought process would be yes because you’ve presumably passed step 1, gone through rotations, and have your discovery year to prep for step 2 but maybe I am incorrect in thinking that way

Yes, currently im studying for in house (performing above 90 with every exam thus far) while supplementing with 3rd party (uworld and bootcamp). Doing the extra work will help you with getting through step 1 sooner rather than later
 
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Thank you for the thoughtful response! I think my last question then would be if you make the proper effort for self-directed study for step 1, by the end of rotations and with the discovery year, do you think students are set up well for step 2? My thought process would be yes because you’ve presumably passed step 1, gone through rotations, and have your discovery year to prep for step 2 but maybe I am incorrect in thinking that way
Yes. At the end of the day regardless of what school you go to, all of us know what we need to know to succeed. Your effort is probably the #1 determinant for success. With discovery year, there is lots of flexibility for how you want to prepare for Step 1 or 2.
 
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Can any current student comments on this? Kind of worrying to hear as it seems to be a repeated issue.
Thread 'UCLA Medical School in Crisis'
UCLA Medical School in Crisis

Edit: I scrolled up and saw we are already discussing this lol
Two points that bother me the most are :

1." This information is getting out to the residency programs and one of the local residency programs who used to take the less competitive UCLA students has stopped interviewing our students because they have had negative experiences with the poor performance of some of the UCLA graduates recently who matched into their program. This is becoming a problem for even our top students because since UCLA is a pass fail school the top students can’t distinguish themselves from the many students who are struggling, so residency programs just have to assume every UCLA student is struggling."

2. "It hurts me greatly when I meet with a UCLA student and I have to tell them they will never match into my specialty. When they came to UCLA they were told it was a top school and it would open doors for them, usually by the time they figure it out that it is not true, it is too late."

How true are these statements? The person made it sound like I will never match into any competitive specialties if I choose to attend UCLA
 
Two points that bother me the most are :

1." This information is getting out to the residency programs and one of the local residency programs who used to take the less competitive UCLA students has stopped interviewing our students because they have had negative experiences with the poor performance of some of the UCLA graduates recently who matched into their program. This is becoming a problem for even our top students because since UCLA is a pass fail school the top students can’t distinguish themselves from the many students who are struggling, so residency programs just have to assume every UCLA student is struggling."

2. "It hurts me greatly when I meet with a UCLA student and I have to tell them they will never match into my specialty. When they came to UCLA they were told it was a top school and it would open doors for them, usually by the time they figure it out that it is not true, it is too late."

How true are these statements? The person made it sound like I will never match into any competitive specialties if I choose to attend UCLA

This was covered before but it’s obviously fallacious but simply put:
1. The students from the new curriculum hasn’t apply to the match yet, so there is no data on this
2. If the Op is referring to the students from the old curriculum, that’s simply wrong because you can just look at the 2024 match list.
 
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Is it true that UCLA’s students are truly unranked? No hidden rank system or anything of that sort?
 
Two points that bother me the most are :

1." This information is getting out to the residency programs and one of the local residency programs who used to take the less competitive UCLA students has stopped interviewing our students because they have had negative experiences with the poor performance of some of the UCLA graduates recently who matched into their program. This is becoming a problem for even our top students because since UCLA is a pass fail school the top students can’t distinguish themselves from the many students who are struggling, so residency programs just have to assume every UCLA student is struggling."

2. "It hurts me greatly when I meet with a UCLA student and I have to tell them they will never match into my specialty. When they came to UCLA they were told it was a top school and it would open doors for them, usually by the time they figure it out that it is not true, it is too late."

How true are these statements? The person made it sound like I will never match into any competitive specialties if I choose to attend UCLA
That person is exaggerating. Look at UCLA's match list and tell me how true that person's statement is lol
 
Did anyone else on the WL get an email about switching their AMCAS from combined degree to regular MD? The emails says if you don’t switch it by the 30th, then you get taken off the WL.
When I try to switch it, there’s a message that says “you have selected a program that is no longer available”. Anyone find a way to successfully switch to regular MD?
IMG_5760.jpg
 
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Did anyone else on the WL get an email about switching their AMCAS from combined degree to regular MD? The emails says if you don’t switch it by the 30th, then you get taken off the WL.
When I try to switch it, there’s a message that says “you have selected a program that is no longer available”. Anyone find a way to successfully switch to regular MD?View attachment 386001
yes, I am encountering the same thing!!
 
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