I already PMd this to CAGreen when he PMd me but I'll put it here for others to read.
Something you have to understand is that every school has a few unhappy people. We have a few. And unfortunately, for a short time toward the beginning of this year this was not noticed and these people were interviewing and going to the night before dinners. Which was a disaster. These people basically should have gone to a PBL school and they are extremely bitter that the world won't magically change UCI into one for them. But if you are looking for a good traditional curriculum then this is the place to be.
If you have something specific you heard that I can rebuke let me know.
My first year of med school has been about as pleasant as a year of med school could be. They eased us into it (only 1 class to start, anatomy doesn't start til' Thanksgiving), lots of social activities, FABULOUS classmates, friendly admin, plenty of extracurricular opportunities. Class 8-12 most days - PLENTY of free time. Ocean 10 minutes away, plenty of shopping opportunities, a state park 10 minutes south of campus, close to LA and SD. No block exams - which can be good and bad. Means you have a test most weeks but no scary massive cramming. 3 months of summer before second year. A USMLE step I prep course right on campus at the end of 2nd year (apparently these are really rare). I honestly believe that it doesn't get any better than this (but I'm biased ).
If you guys have any questions let me know, we are putting together a survival guide for you guys about classes, profs, places to live, places to eat, things to do, so you will have plenty of resources this summer. But if you have any burning questions just PM me or better yet, post here so others can see the answers, I'll check this thread from time to time.
Here's some questions someone asked me through email a while back about UCI.
What is the overall focus of the school? Is it more geared toward producing good primary care doctors, or is it big on research, or something in between?
The residency programs here in primary care are some of the top in the country - so this does bleed into the medical school 3rd and 4th year a bit. But there is also a heavy research presence here. We have 8 people in every class who are MD/PhD, and also a lot of opportunities for research. I'd say as of right now its somewhere in the middle between emphasizing research and primary care. Its certainly not a research powerhouse quite like Harvard or UCSF but its definitely up there.
-What is the curriculum like at UCI? Is it a traditional curriculum? Does it include aspects of problem-based learning? Any unique features?
Its traditional, but not as traditional as places like UCSD. UCSD is VERY traditional with class 8-5. Here at UCI 1st years have lecture 8-12 every weekday. And about once a week we have a clinical class which is small group. There isn't a lot of problem-based learning in the strictest sense (where you have a case before you really understand the basic sciences behind it). There may be second year - but I'm not there yet
🙂
Second year is a bit tougher, right now they are 8-5 because of path labs. But after Christmas it will tame down so they can start studying for their boards.
I'd say the clinical training is awesome, while not unique. Once a week you work with 5 other students and a doctor on standardized patients. Its more for interviewing skills than problem based learning. Although you are learning basic symptoms and diagnoses. At the same time every 3rd week or so instead of meeting with your group and a doctor you go with one other student to a community doctor and interview real patients in their practice. Thats pretty cool.
-What is the clinical training like? (The Patient-Doctor course sounds great- really comprehensive. My aunt mentioned that she liked that she got to train in three different hospitals for her core areas and had a lot of freedom with her elective rotations.)
The patient doctor course I described above. I don't know a lot about rotations yet since I'm not there but I have heard there is a ton of flexibility. Most are done at UCI medical center by default but there are tons of other hospitals in the area that you can choose from.
-What community service activities are students involved in? (For example, from being an undergrad at UCLA, I know that they have a Mobile Clinic (provides basic medical care to the homeless in the area once a week) that they are really proud of. )
We have a lot of programs like this.
Flying Samaritans drive down to Mexico once a month to a clinic we built there to do a free clinic. Thats an awesome program.
We are in the process of opening a fully running free clinic. It will open Jan 2008, and should be fully funded and functional by the time you guys get here next Fall. Its in Santa Ana and has a ton of potential because the need there is so high. It will be relatively small and once a week at first but we hope to help it grow overtime.
There is already a referral clinic once a month in Santa Ana called Clinica Carino. It is done at a soup kitchen in Santa Ana.
-Is there anything else that I haven't asked about which you really like about UCI?
The social life here is ridiculous if you like that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong - my class is really smart but they go out a lot. So if you love having a night life - this is the place for you there is always something to do. The administration here is incredibly open and supportive - I have regular chats about life with the med ed office people, admission office receptionists etc. Its just a super friendly atmosphere.
The one thing that some don't like is that its in Orange County. Its not the most cultured place in the world. I mean its really nice. You could walk down the street at 2am with your wallet in the air and be totally safe. But it doesn't have a lot of nice little hole in the wall cheap lunch type places. Its mostly chain restaurants, and stores. I know I miss Berkeley food.
There are also a ton of electives you can do when you're here. Medical Spanish class, a program called U-Teach where you go with a pregnant woman to all her prenatal visits and her birth, a great way to get involved in OB/gyn, the Free clinic is an elective with lectures on health disparities and culturally sensitive healthcare, Health Policy class, etc.
Faculty quality - Most of our faculty are AWESOME! The director of Biochem/MCB and most of the lecturers are good, but of course you get the occasional professor who's dull or who's english skills aren't so good. It comes with being in sciences. Our anatomy professor and embryology professor are awesome. They're totally concerned with their student's well beings and I've heard our anatomy professor can often be found helping students in the lab on a Saturday at midnight before the test. Our embryology professor is amusing and makes lectures a lot of fun. Immunology professor isn't necessarily fun but he's clear, and concise. Our genetics class is a variety of professors who specialize in each topic. Basically I'd say at least 90% of our professors are the best I've had in my life. Plus they all really care - if you fail a test you'll get an email from the professor, the dean and some 2nd year tutors all checking if you need help. The faculty here definitely care about their students.
Clinical affiliates- Not in 3rd year yet so I don't really know - we rotate at UCIMC and a variety of locations around Orange County.
opportunities to go abroad - Hopefully someone else can comment on this - I don't have any interest to go abroad so I don't really know about all the opportunities. I know a group of students goes to Chiapas every year and does medical work down there.
Sensitivity to student input - the med ed office here is very sensitive to student input. In fact most of the testing styles/schedules here are based on votes from the previous class. Also, they are very responsive to students concerns about lecturers. We evaluate every professor we have, and the dean has an open lunch every month to talk to students about other major issues. Many of the electives here exist because students wanted them and we really do have a huge say in our educations.
I love studying medicine at UCI. My classmates are amazing, the faculty and administration are SOO supportive. The cooperative atmosphere is incredible. The week before an exam you receive at least 10 study guides from different classmates. We share everything and all work together to do well. Its an incredible environment to study in and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
