Can someone help me fill this UCSD out.

[AxlxA]

Looking at it for the first time today, I am perplexed at all these boxes and useless directions.

First question: Page 4, What am i suppose to put in for family education? the box is so small it doesn't seem like we're suppose to write more than one word?

Page 5: first set of boxes regarding "If involved in research list your five most significant experience." Does this mean list each lab you were in? If you volunteered initially but got paid later on, how would you categorize this?

It keep saying "Do not exceed space provided. How are we suppose to tell them our activity without writing more than 3 words?

I'm in turmoil!!!! Stupid UCSD.

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[AxlxA]

Bah i'm too impatient. I called and asked. They said to put down titles of your activities rather than any description.

They are serious about their 1 month deadline. The lady i talked to said you can ask for extensions instead of being penalized. So I asked mine to be extended from 9/10 to 9/19th. They have all this info in their system. Do not be late!!!

 

[CHEEEZ]

So what did you end up putting for family education?

Also, when it states that you should not repeat activities, does that mean you should only have one listing for a lab job that was performed during two different summers?

 

[AxlxA]

Family Education - "Some High School" is exactly what i wrote.

Lab job - I asked them because i volunteered for first year, and now i'm getting paid. So they told me to list it 2x.

 

[thegenius]

I have found the UCSD application equally as frustrating. First, their application is this horrible looking MS Word document. When you print it it cuts off the right hand side. I tried adjusting the borders and gutters but it just screwed up the positioning of the tables, etc.

For the one word answer on education, I simply put MD and BS for my parents.

I really dislike their requirement to only list activities during your undergraduate years, or for a 3 year period. I've been preparing for med school since 1992, and I basically have volunteer/research/community/EC's from almost every year since. What 3 year period do I choose? I called them up and the lady on the phone wasn't all that nice either.

I ended up choosing the most valuable 3 year experience, then wrote another page talking about the other activites I've been in.

Then, the LOR requirements are silly too! We must have 2 LOR's from either your undergraduate Biology/Chemistry teachers. And one from a humanities course. It's not Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Math/any other science course, just Bio/Chemistry. And I happen not to have one from a humanities course, so I sent them one from my hospital and another from a professional colleague.

Overall it was completely frustrating. Why can't they spend 10-20K and have some high-schooler write an on-line app to do this?

 

[SeventhSon]

I have found the UCSD application equally as frustrating. First, their application is this horrible looking MS Word document. When you print it it cuts off the right hand side. I tried adjusting the borders and gutters but it just screwed up the positioning of the tables, etc.

For the one word answer on education, I simply put MD and BS for my parents.

I really dislike their requirement to only list activities during your undergraduate years, or for a 3 year period. I've been preparing for med school since 1992, and I basically have volunteer/research/community/EC's from almost every year since. What 3 year period do I choose? I called them up and the lady on the phone wasn't all that nice either.

I ended up choosing the most valuable 3 year experience, then wrote another page talking about the other activites I've been in.

Then, the LOR requirements are silly too! We must have 2 LOR's from either your undergraduate Biology/Chemistry teachers. And one from a humanities course. It's not Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Math/any other science course, just Bio/Chemistry. And I happen not to have one from a humanities course, so I sent them one from my hospital and another from a professional colleague.

Overall it was completely frustrating. Why can't they spend 10-20K and have some high-schooler write an on-line app to do this?

thegenius:

I called their admissions office about the LOR requirements and they said that I could enclose a letter asking for a substitution and it would most likely be ok. I would do the same.

 

[thegenius]

thegenius:

I called their admissions office about the LOR requirements and they said that I could enclose a letter asking for a substitution and it would most likely be ok. I would do the same.

Thanks for the response. I talked to the admissions office as well and I believe the directions stated that we should write a letter discussing our replacements. And I did do that.

So on top of the 2 page autobiographical sketech, I also write them 1 extra page on my extra activities we should mention (in support of another question they had) and yet another memo on the letters of recommendation I sent.

I hope they will accept my reasoning and judgement!

 

[Mutt]

So, what did you guys write in the letter asking for a LOR subsitution?

 

[Mutt]

Anyone?

Just make something up.

 

[mrhealth]

im in the same boat with LORs. i was an econ major in college and have a letter from my chem professor and one from an econ professor. im scrambling to get a 3rd one but it will be weak if i can get it at all (im currently taking a bio course and was going to try and get one from this class, but ive only been in it for a couple of weeks). should i just write a letter explaining im a non-science student and substitute it with a volunteer or research letter?

are we supposed to just assume that they will accept our non-science letter after we send in the letter of explanation (i mean it sounds like they have a strict 1 month deadline)?