I was there and it was awesome. The day began at 8:15 am. There were like 80-90 people there. 16 people didn't show up. I met 7 people from UCI. 3 of which I have met before. We were given the talk about UCSD's change in curriculum. Basically, it's still hardcore sciences for the first 2 years but there are no longer any Saturday classes. There are more vacation time as opposed to UCSF, which supposedly has none between blocks.
We were then given a preview of a course offered at UCSD-SOM. It was a "standardized patient" seminar in which a professional actor acts as a patient. Two students were asked to come down to participate. That guy was one good actor.
We then proceeded to the teaching rounds in which we were given a preview of how the faculty teaches students in rotation. I was amazed that the walk to the VA was only a minute. Now that is close.
After that, it was time for an exposure to the clubs and organizations at the medical school.
I think the best part was the laboratory rounds in which we get to know the various labs that we will take. My favorite was Dr. Rapaport's anatomy lab. He actually dissected a fresh cadaver for us to see. We assisted him and got to see him crack the cadaver's ribs with a hedge trimmer, lol. The funnest was the pathology department's presentation. Man, they sure had a great sense of humor.
After that, I went to the beach with a 4 other people. I can't believe the beach is only a 10-minute walk from the medical school. Damn that's sweet !!!!.
I can't believe they served beer during dinner time!!!.
Overall, my impression of UCSD is a great one. The faculty all seemed excited and very eager to teach students. They were very nice and friendly as well. Many of the professors actually stuck around and drank some beer with us. The students were very friendly and excited about the school. None of the competitive, cut-throat mentality. Oh yeah, during the introduction, they also talked about how the class hours at UCSD is actually lower than many other Cali schools and even the national average. This is something I already knew.
I was surprised that no SDN people were there, or they were there and never identified themselves as SDN. Nothing to be ashamed of guys!!! Caliboy, where were you?
