I don't think this is accurate.
The reason the guy posted it is because there was a news article that reported 50% of ucla students failing at least 1 shelf exam and 50% of students not taking Step 1 by some point in their third year. From what I understand, these are both true, unfortunately. I think the reason for these issues is most likely due to the new curriculum being implemented poorly. There has been drastic changes in student enrollment (see this reddit post: ), and I think some folks are trying to correlate the two (again, I think it's prob mostly due to the new curriculum).
Alright, this one may get deleted later.
Asians still comprise the largest group of students at DGSOM per MSAR.
DGSOM has 60%+ low SES students. Compare this to 6% at NYU. Most Schools have closer to 20%. You can check the data on admit.org excel document on rankings and see where this is pulled from.
People are always trying to figure out why DGSOM has slightly lower metrics on average. I promise you that the SES stats above are more correlated than race. There are also a lot of people that do not get into DGSOM as it has a huge applicant pool. Many of these people are Asian because the reality is that there are public high schools in greater LA where 70% of the student body is Asian. This can lead to a lot of frustration, but Asians still comprise the majority of the class.
People also love to attribute "poor performance" with having "less asians." The reality is that if someone wants to perpetuate the "school in crisis" stuff, it would be because the school and newest admission team is committed to their interpretation of equity and that has meant taking more low SES kids than nearly anywhere else. This can be understandably be a little rocky when you also have a shortened and student-friendly new curriculum and there were probably some minor issues. They seem to be trying to update the curriculum to address some of this.
If you want to base an argument on a school taking too many poor kids now, feel free. The uniqueness of a DGSOM class compared to other schools primarily stems from this, in my opinion. By the way, there are also low SES Asians! And my guess is they are more represented at DGSOM than nearly anywhere else. Do you think these students can become outstanding physicians at the same clip as people that have had more foundational opportunities? That can be debated. I think it is gutsy for a school to do what DGSOM does because as the SES data will tell you that is the true outlier with the student body. It is also kind of cool, compared to a peer institution with 6% low SES being the one with free tuition for all but also the highest stats with lowest SD.
I know a lot of people here are young, but try and have some agency and be a little less insecure. Even my words are just words on a forum. If this same perpetuated crisis rumor and instagram videos are enough to make you reconsider DGSOM and wish you were going to a different admit weekend, I do not think you are approaching this the right way. Medical school is for adult learners and you determine what you get out of your education and what opportunities are available to you regardless of where you go. If you can't get into a residency that you like while tied to the biggest healthcare system in LA (UCLA Health), it is on you, not the school and its reputation.
I also have worries, admittedly (that school in crisis article just annoys me). This next match list in march/april will be the first one with the new curriculum. We may find out if any residency directors are susceptible to rumors and I do not put it past them. But I also doubt it, and UCLA home programs are largely fine and they want to keep their students. Another thing is I also think that something odd is going on with their financial aid post Geffen scholarship and we will see what happens with that. I get the feeling they are low on donors, which is a shame. I also think that they are a bit nontransparent and "wishy washy" is not a bad way of describing their admin offices as someone else put lol.
But at the end of the day,
only pre-meds could find a way to not see the value of going to the best medical school tied to the largest healthcare system in LOS ANGELES 😂😂 if you want to go to gunner-culture school where you can freeze half the year and work your ass off to make sure you dont feel in crisis feel free lol. UCLA is one of the best gigs in the country, if you do not have to pay an arm and a leg for it (and maybe even if you do), and it ALWAYS will be because LA is an extremely desirable and diverse place. I currently plan on passing on two T10s with full ride/tuition off if DGSOM can even approximate that amount of aid/ COA (which sadly, may not be the case based on last year's thread).
To anyone worried about the caliber of student that is considering DGSOM or goes to DGSOM, look at where else the students got in. Most of the time, it will include multiple acceptances to elite schools.
