Do i have a shot at UCs? Ideally UCSD

[kaige333]

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Hi everyone, I am pretty new to this forum and first of all, thanks in advance for reading this. I am a non-trad who has a master in biology and have had a couple years of basic/translational research experience. Here are my questions:

1. My undergrad GPA is 3.56 and science 3.62, grad GPA 3.87, MCAT I am taking in May. Do I have a shot at the University of California (UC) schools? Hopefully UCSD? I wonder at what GPA and/or MCAT UCs usually make their first cut-off at applicants.

2. At this point I have one third author paper, two poster presentations under my belt, but working on getting two more papers submitted within the next couple months. Say if I am submitting the medical school application in June/July, can I list papers as "submitted for review", would that help at all? Or only published papers should be listed?

Once again, thanks a lot for reading. Any advice is greatly appreciated =]

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Hi everyone, I am pretty new to this forum and first of all, thanks in advance for reading this. I am a non-trad who has a master in biology and have had a couple years of basic/translational research experience. Here are my questions:

1. My undergrad GPA is 3.56 and science 3.62, grad GPA 3.87, MCAT I am taking in May. Do I have a shot at the University of California (UC) schools? Hopefully UCSD? I wonder at what GPA and/or MCAT UCs usually make their first cut-off at applicants.

2. At this point I have one third author paper, two poster presentations under my belt, but working on getting two more papers submitted within the next couple months. Say if I am submitting the medical school application in June/July, can I list papers as "submitted for review", would that help at all? Or only published papers should be listed?

Once again, thanks a lot for reading. Any advice is greatly appreciated =]

First, are you a CA resident?

To answer your stats questions, you need to purchase the MSAR, published by the AAMC. It will tell you the ranges for matriculant stats.

For your second question, you should search through the AMCAS questions thread ( http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=724622 )that Catalystic and a few others work on. It will answer any conceivable question you have on how to list something on your primary app. The short answer is only list what you have published; save the follow on papers for an update letter when they are actually published.

 

[0919mmk]

First, are you a CA resident?

To answer your stats questions, you need to purchase the MSAR, published by the AAMC. It will tell you the ranges for matriculant stats.

For your second question, you should search through the AMCAS questions thread ( http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=724622 )that Catalystic and a few others work on. It will answer any conceivable question you have on how to list something on your primary app. The short answer is only list what you have published; save the follow on papers for an update letter when they are actually published.

^^^this^^^

but also, if you are a cali resident, you will need basically a 36+ MCAT to get in - my gf is a cali resident with good everything (she got 11 interviews, including ivies) and she did not get a single interview at any of the UCs. If you are not a CA resident, then you need something crazy to get in.

 

[DrMidlife]

but also, if you are a cali resident, you will need basically a 36+ MCAT to get in - my gf is a cali resident with good everything (she got 11 interviews, including ivies) and she did not get a single interview at any of the UCs. If you are not a CA resident, then you need something crazy to get in.

The UCs get about 6 high stat candidates for every seat. There's a whole lot more in play than how-above-average-your-numbers-are for the UCs.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

The UCs get about 6 high stat candidates for every seat. There's a whole lot more in play than how-above-average-your-numbers-are for the UCs.

So true, and so tough to accept.

 

[murfettie]

i have a 3.8. 34 and a lot of really interesting experiences.
interviews from ivies that i applied to (not harvard).
rejected from sd, davis. not heard a blip from irvine, sf. all assume rejected.
(edit: okay. officially rejected from uci and ucsf)
didn't apply to ucla, alma matar, lived too long in west LA in my life.

i know a girl with a 32 and a somewhat less GPA than mine, with an interview at davis. she had written some science papers.
maybe UCs dig the science thing. I'm more of a humanities person.

 

[kaige333]

Yes I am a Cali resident.

Yea regarding the science thing, that's the impression I got and feel like could be one edge to my application. But given how crazily competitive UCs are now, I really have no clue and feel anxious about my chances.

I am just trying to get an idea of how competitive I am given my stats and research experience.

Also another question is that my ER volunteer experience is from a few years back (~200 hours) but now I am working with an MD in a cancer clinic. Should I have to volunteer again? Or working with an MD is a good enough "clinical" experience? I don't really work on the floor with patients per se, but interact with him all the time on projects, designing experiments, grants, etc.

Thanks again for all the replies =]

 

[zebalong]

Yes I am a Cali resident.

Yea regarding the science thing, that's the impression I got and feel like could be one edge to my application. But given how crazily competitive UCs are now, I really have no clue and feel anxious about my chances.

I am just trying to get an idea of how competitive I am given my stats and research experience.

Also another question is that my ER volunteer experience is from a few years back (~200 hours) but now I am working with an MD in a cancer clinic. Should I have to volunteer again? Or working with an MD is a good enough "clinical" experience? I don't really work on the floor with patients per se, but interact with him all the time on projects, designing experiments, grants, etc.

Thanks again for all the replies =]

Working with an Md in a cancer clinic is good enough as long as you put the right "spin" on it.

With your research experience (but im assuming that you don't have a first auth. pub) you stand an maybe 30% shot at davis or irvine if your mcat is 33-35, honestly your ugpa is a bit low for cali schools. If you absolutely do something extraordinary on the mcat like 38+ maybe UCSD. But honestly UCSD seems almost no chance unless you have something amazing on your applic. UCSD is definitely a high stat school + super competitive even if you have the stats (which your ugrad gpa won't make the cut).

I do believe though that first author pubs in a WELL known journal is that "extra above and beyond" mark on an application that might make up for a slightly lower ugpa or mcat.

Sorry if that is a bit negative but this is from personal experience. Last cycle I didn't get into a UC's with a decent gpa (~3.7)and mcat (35) (interviewed at SF and irvine - waitlisted at both). Sucked but i got over it, got lots of love from schools all over the country and now im very happy at a school on the east coast. Definitely TRY your best to make an amazing application and if you get in then YAY but if you don't get into a UC it isn't the end of the world - im sure you can get in somewhere great if you rock the MCAT.

 

[n3xa]

If you absolutely do something extraordinary on the mcat like 38+ maybe UCSD. But honestly UCSD seems almost no chance unless you have something amazing on your applic. UCSD is definitely a high stat school + super competitive even if you have the stats (which your ugrad gpa won't make the cut).

My classmate scored a balanced 31 twice and is here in the post-bacc program for GPA repair. She interviewed at UCSD in November.

So, it happens.

 

[zebalong]

My classmate scored a balanced 31 twice and is here in the post-bacc program for GPA repair. She interviewed at UCSD in November.

So, it happens.

That is either very rare chance or she has something really special on her application. From what I've seen from people at my school (lots of cali kids here), the UCSD crowd is real selective toward higher stats.

But you are right, getting into all the UC's definitely does happen, and it doesn't happen with like a shot to the moon chance. But i think a lot of people who just enter the process are pretty naive on how competitive California can be. I almost went to Case so talked to a lot of their medical students when I was making my final choice, cali kids are the most heavily represented state there (even beats out OH which is Case's home state)... also their average MCAT is close to a 35, so while plenty of Cali kids get lucky.. plenty of very well qualified applicants don't.