is UCSD worth it?

[sassy doc]

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UCSD has a traditional curriculum, and it's been known that students are very unhappy there. I have recently been accepted (still can't believe it!) and am wondering if I choose a less prestigious school over UCSD. I want to be happy during medical school and am worried about UCSD's poor reputation on student life as well as its traditional curriculum. What do you all think? Any thoughts from current UCSD medical students or incoming/prospective students?

 

[PeripateticMD]

UCSD has a traditional curriculum, and it's been known that students are very unhappy there. I have recently been accepted (still can't believe it!) and am wondering if I choose a less prestigious school over UCSD. I want to be happy during medical school and am worried about UCSD's poor reputation on student life as well as its traditional curriculum. What do you all think? Any thoughts from current UCSD medical students or incoming/prospective students?

Personally I wouldn't. I withdrew from UCSD with 'lower ranked' acceptances. I love San Diego, but I felt the students just weren't what I want to be in medical school. They were either very heady or very quiet... and I'm neither... I think it really depends on how you feel you fit there. It's a great education, but it's also 4 years of your life... and there's good educations elsewhere too...

 

[swtiepie711]

Mind sharing your lower ranked choice? My response depends in part on the alternative 🙂

 

[fugazism]

I think Dean Kelly has done alot to combat the "UCSD students are unhappy" vibe. While the lecture heavy cirric. probably does have an effect on student mood, I think it is what you make of it. And all that sunshine sure does help with the happiness.

So...Don't let reputations scare you away. Each class is going to be a little different. Go to admit day, see if you like it. Then compare it to the other schools you were accepted to.

 

[phishee]

Personally, I would choose another "happier" school instead of UCSD. This is just based on what I saw on my interview day. I was really turned off by the school, but if you're on the fence, I agree with fugazism: Go to second look. That's what it's for.

 

[Ladyfingers]

Although I didn't apply here (I want to go somewhere else since I went to UCSD for undergrad), I work at UCSD with the med students and I don't recall anyone who is unhappy. Of course, it could be that those students are just the ones I haven't worked with. I think, at least for me, the negative really is the immense amount of class time. Most of the students are pretty cool and easy to talk to. First year med students are in class with second year pharm students, which I thought was kinda cool and interesting. You get a different kind of perspective. Plus the tutorial program for first year students is awesome.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I would suggest asking admissions for contact info for some 4th years, they have a lot more perspective and can tell you to what extent the rumors are true.

In my biased opinion, the rumors are mainly BS but it is true that our curriculum may be more intense than that of other schools. But intense does not equal unhappy.

I will admit that my primary motivator in life is laziness. I still like UCSD.

 

[md mayhem]

i too grappled with this question last year.
i picked up a strange vibe when i went there for my interview, though no one I met was overly depressed or hateful of the school. (Actually, I talked with pharm students mostly because the med students were having finals). Afterwards I got a little put off by some of the rumors, I definitely took those with a grain of salt however, and tried to get first hand accounts.

i spent a lot of time talking to students, most seemed fairly content, though they did have stories to tell of unhappinness. It seemed to me that their excuse was always- every medical school has problems. i didnt quite see that to be as true, though, as it was with ucsd. it was hard to shake off the uneasy feeling i had from my interview.

in the end, i went with my gut feeling and chose my state school. i just did not feel comfortable on that campus, didnt see myself enjoying the city, didnt' look forward to the price of living and traffic, and i'm not a huge beach person (so no + points for me there).

the facilities were also kinda crappy.

i do not regret my choice, I chose a place where i knew i would transition easily, fit in well, and get a good education and all the support i needed. sometimes i wonder how it would have been at UCSD, but i am glad i did not sacrifice happiness for a higher ranked school. hope that helps

 

[falx]

Hey-

It's great that your weighing many considerations when choosing a med school. I made my decision two years ago to come to UCSD, and I love it hear. Someone above alluded to Dr. Kelly, who is now in her 3rd full year of being Dean. In addition to Dr. Kelly, 2 new deans have been appointed in the past 3 years - Deans Moutier and Mandel. Both are awesome, and extremely student-centered. Dr. Mandel is the first person to hold his position, Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. So there should continue to be positive, student-oriented adaptations to our current curriculum.

As someone else has pointed out, UCSD is extremely rigorous in the first two years. However, we still have tons of time to have fun. I, for one, live a 3 minute walk from the beach. And it was 85 degrees on Monday.

If anyone has questions about UCSD, please feel free to PM me.

falx

 

[piggi]

bump

Hey-

It's great that your weighing many considerations when choosing a med school. I made my decision two years ago to come to UCSD, and I love it hear. Someone above alluded to Dr. Kelly, who is now in her 3rd full year of being Dean. In addition to Dr. Kelly, 2 new deans have been appointed in the past 3 years - Deans Moutier and Mandel. Both are awesome, and extremely student-centered. Dr. Mandel is the first person to hold his position, Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. So there should continue to be positive, student-oriented adaptations to our current curriculum.

As someone else has pointed out, UCSD is extremely rigorous in the first two years. However, we still have tons of time to have fun. I, for one, live a 3 minute walk from the beach. And it was 85 degrees on Monday.

If anyone has questions about UCSD, please feel free to PM me.

falx

 

[Bolo]

Don't go to ucsd unless you really want to.

 

[pyrois]

Definitely don't go if you personally don't see yourself happy there.

During my visit all the students seemed very happy. Then again at the time I hadn't really heard about UCSD's "reputation for unhappy students." I remember looking at their schedule and it didn't seem like a lot of lecture compared to Yale (3-4 hrs of lecture/day) but it did seem like a lot relative to Albert Einstein (1-2 hrs of lecture/day).

Maybe I just have different standards for happiness, but if you don't think you'd be happy there, of course don't go. Prestige should take lesser priority over preference.

 

[falx]

In re: hold for interview question. I was on hold for interview for a bit of time when I applied. Although I can't promise it will help, I think the admissions committee responds positively to a well-written letter stating why you are interested in UCSD, and why it fits in with your current and future plans. Be genuine, relatively concise (they are busy), and that may give you a chance. This is the time to do this, as I think March and maybe the first week of April are the last interview opportunities.

falx.

bump

 

[starrydreamer]

Wow, I feel like UCSD is bagged on a lot on SDN and in general.

It may be true that there is a lot of class, but I think the fact that we are learning things which will help us to be a better doctor for our future patients should be motivating enough. In college, there was no forseeable reward for studying hard (other than a good gpa, which wasn't motivating enough for me😛 ), but in medical school, I think I would be motivated to want to study hard because I know that this time it's not just about the test scores but about the actual life of a human being.

Of course, I understand that what you learn in class isn't so important as what you learn in your clinical experience.

But irregardless, I just want to stand up for UCSD. Maybe because I might go there and I do NOT want any doubts instilled in me by these negative opinions...haha I think I'm going to leave SDN...

 

[PeripateticMD]

So, when I interviewed at UCSD, it was my first interview. The people seemed nice, the place is right on the beach. It was a bike-friendly, jog-friendly city to live in. But our tourguide (super sweet), was saying she hadn't been able to work out in a few weeks and hadn't even seen the beach in a few weeks... but still, I thought they were the normal premeds turned meds (and I wasn't too big of a fan of the premeds i went to school with), so I thought it was normal. The next day I had USC. And it was kind of like going from Bratislava to Prague, sure people were content at UCSD but at USC they were, well, gregarious, engaging, involved (in everyything), partying, busy, and all that. And then I thought that was just USC. And then as I went on to the other 9 interviews (all in 3 weeks mind you, since I had to leave the country again), I realized that the one that stood out was UCSD. And that my first impression, that UCSD was normal was wrong. It was the outlier. It wasn't a dismal place by any means, but it felt the most tight. And I'm sure they know very well and are trying to change it (did anyone else on interview day hear them comparing themselves to UCLA and other CA schools? - they were the only one that did this). And the new dean spoke to us, there is definitely a push to make it a more chipper place. So there. Another of my two cents...

 

[Senor Fish]

UCSD won't become a more chipper place unless they change the cirriculum. The students I met there were struggling to keep up. They did feel however that they were getting a great education- they were just suffering while getting it.

If you are uber-smart, I think UCSD would be a great choice. I'm just average-smart and felt UCSD would be too much for me (granted I'm trying to balance family and med school, so my priorities may be a bit different).

Good luck with the decision.

 

[sassy doc]

hey all,
thanks for your help. i'm probably going to end up at ucsd, unless a miracle happens and i get accepted to ucsf. in any case, looks like i'm going to be back in california for school.

 

[fugazism]

is anyone else waiting for the phone call today???

 

[mikeinsd]

given that yesterday was a school holiday, I dont think they met... I dont know this for sure, but i would assume as much

 

[fugazism]

given that yesterday was a school holiday, I dont think they met... I dont know this for sure, but i would assume as much

Someone from admissions told our group (Feb 1st) at the end of the day, that if you are straight up accepted you can expect a phone call from Dean Kelly after 3pm.

 

[mikeinsd]

just called yvonne for you, they did not hold a meeting yesterday because it was a university holiday, she said they will instead be meeting tonight, and you will have to wait until tomoro for the magical phone call, so relax for the rest of today and start worrying tom. morning 😀

 

[fugazism]

thanks.

 

[melissainsd]

Hi Mike! I feel weird talking to you on this thread (like we are cheating on Mayo). I ended up with an interview at UCSD after all. This thread is making me a little nervous about the school, but since my interview is so late I assume I can only hope for a waitlist at best. Any idea what time I should leave for the interview (I will be traveling from San Marcos)?

 

[mikeinsd]

well a big congrats on the interview! UCSD is well known for having HUGE movement off the waitlist (i think they said at my interview that about 100 of the current M1's were waitlisted before being accepted), so even if you are interviewing for the waitlist, it isnt so bad a shot! (and i do not know if you are or not, if anyone could shed light on that, feel free)

dont let this thread scare you, I havent really posted in response to the OP's question yet here, because I do not know a whole lot... I do know the few people I have talked to who are M1's that graduated from UCSD undergrad when I did (I have seen them around town/campus) have only said good things - yes it is tough and all, but, to echo most other people, the new dean is really trying to alleviate the whole 'ucsd people are depressed and overworked stigma'

anyhow - to answer your question, I just called a freidn who lives in san marcos, and, here is the bad news, it will likely take over an hour to get to school at that time in the morning (I said you had to be there by 8, he said to leave at 6:30... it seems crazy but the traffic from north to south has become just plain horrendous in the morning)

if you need directions or anything pm me, as you know i would be glad to help!

(when is the interview date btw?)

 

[coral]

Hi Melissainsd,

I live in Escondido, and after commuting to UCSD for undergrad, I completely echo mikeinsd's suggestion of 6:30. 15S is a mess, and I believe the invite says no later than 7:55, but you have to figure in time to buy a permit and park (another hassle), and then walk, so maybe even a bit earlier than that. The main crunch is the 78 to the 15 and then past Via Rancho.

Good luck on your interview! I'm interviewing on March, 6th, so I hope it isn't for waitlist.

 

[iceman77_7]

Hey all, I'm interviewing next week and was wondering if your status page has a blank next to "Invited for INterview". I'm just being extremely neurotic and was wondering if this was typical.

 

[melissainsd]

Is the 5 better?

 

[fugazism]

G'Luck To Everyone Waiting for Decisions Today

 

[swtiepie711]

Good luck, Fugazism!

 

[chemist323]

Good luck as well, I'm also waiting to hear.

 

[fugazism]

any news yet?

 

[mikeinsd]

the day i was waiting i had to board a plane that would be in the air from about 2 to 530 pst so I called in at 130 while boarding the plane, said i was sorry for calling but i would be unreachable till the end of the business day, and she transferred me thru to Dean Kelly (I think at that point i yelled and scared the hell out of the person sitting next to me)

anyhow - point being, if you really do not wanna wait, just call and get it over with, they wont kill you 😉

 

[fugazism]

I got in!! is anyone out there comitted to going next year?

 

[sassy doc]

congrats on getting in! Looks like we're going to be classmates! 🙂 It's such a tremendous accomplishment! See you in April for the second look welcome back weekend!

 

[fugazism]

congrats on getting in! Looks like we're going to be classmates! 🙂 It's such a tremendous accomplishment! See you in April for the second look welcome back weekend!

Well, I haven't made up my mind exactly. Unfourtunately UCSD's admit day and the other school I want to second-look at are on the same weekend! I went to UCSD for undergrad, so I have an idea of what it is like...I might go to the other one....but then I won't be able to meet all the awesome UCSDers. ahhh, what to do?!

 

[doc12345]

congratulations on the acceptances! I was accepted today , too, and I have a question: when is the UCSD's admit day?

 

[sassy doc]

you'll get an e-mail soon (probably tomorrow or friday). it's in late april (i think April 27-28). Anyway, congrats! Will you be going to UCSD?? What other schools are you considering right now?

 

[mikeinsd]

congratulations on the acceptances! I was accepted today , too, and I have a question: when is the UCSD's admit day?

april 27 and 28 is right, and congrats!

 

[doc12345]

you'll get an e-mail soon (probably tomorrow or friday). it's in late april (i think April 27-28). Anyway, congrats! Will you be going to UCSD?? What other schools are you considering right now?

Thank you! I am really excited about UCSD, however UCLA is my first choice for personal reasons (still waiting to be invited👍 (or rejected ) for the interview there), but definitely, if not UCLA, I will be in UCSD next year.
To add to the discussion on weather it is a good school to go to. I really loved it during my interview there, the students seemed really happy and enjoying their time. Also, one of my interviewers was MS4, and she said that all the bad things (unhappy atmosphere, overloaded unhappy students) was 2 years earlier, but currently with the new dean it has changed. So I think it is a great choice by any standards. I also liked that during the 4th year, you have a lot of flexibility in your schedule and rotations you want to take (you can even have time off for vacation which most students use to go to the residency interviews), and most students match to the top choice residency programs.

 

[SeventhSon]

i'm a current first year.

I'm happy/fine, obviously I don't know what things would be like at another school. If you are having trouble, I encourage you to come to second look.

All admissions offices understand that the vibe that current students put out is very important; some are more militant (parodixcally) about making sure current students act happy around interviewees, and it can be untruthfully happy. Just something to keep in mind.

There is a lot of lecture, but that should not be a factor in your decision because if you don't like it, then don't go to it, 90% of class time is not mandatory... you can learn on your own with syllabus/books and use class notes... i have scored in the top 10% on blocks where i went to none of the lectures...

 

[sassy doc]

it's good to hear that from current medical students that ucsd isn't what it used to be. i'm looking forward to meeting everyone at the second look weekend, and hope to see everyone in september (we start in september, right?)

 

[phishee]

Congrats to all those accepted. Did your status pages change? I didn't hear anything, so I'm assuming rejection or "acceptable pool", but my page does not have a date next to Final Decision Letter Sent.

 

[sassy doc]

definitely call brian if you haven't heard from them.

be optimistic. of the 122 students in the class of 2010, 77 of them were from the waitlist.

hope to see you in the fall!

 

[instigata]

definitely call brian if you haven't heard from them.

be optimistic. of the 122 students in the class of 2010, 77 of them were from the waitlist.

hope to see you in the fall!

I think it was actually 89...that's what they told us 🙂

 

[sassy doc]

go instigata (and august mcaters)! hope you'll get in! it's a pretty good turnover, no?

i heard 77 from brian, but i've been hearing different numbers from people since being on sdn. who knows? it's like a 60% chance post-interview acceptance rate.

 

[instigata]

go instigata (and august mcaters)! hope you'll get in! it's a pretty good turnover, no?

i heard 77 from brian, but i've been hearing different numbers from people since being on sdn. who knows? it's like a 60% chance post-interview acceptance rate.

thanks sassy..i envy you 😀

 

[doc12345]

Congrats to all those accepted. Did your status pages change? I didn't hear anything, so I'm assuming rejection or "acceptable pool", but my page does not have a date next to Final Decision Letter Sent.

Mine changed. Definitely call Brian. It could be that your application didn't get reviewed yet because your interviewees didn's submit their reports by the time of the adcom meeting. It happened to me.

 

[iceman77_7]

Mine changed. Definitely call Brian. It could be that your application didn't get reviewed yet because your interviewees didn's submit their reports by the time of the adcom meeting. It happened to me.

Did your pages change after you got invited to interview?