It looks like UCSD is beginning to Interview...

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The Fly

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It would seem that SD is interviewing because I just got this quasi-reject letter from them! 🙁

Hello,

Your application has been put on hold for possible interview. This means
we will not be interviewing you at this time, however, you may be
interviewed at a later date. Please be advised that we only interview 25%
of those receiving secondaries.

Yvonne Coleman
UCSD School of Medicine

I don't know if this is because this is my first interview 'decline' after a string of invites, but this email really is tactless and pisses me off. 🙁 🙁 Advice??
 
I got the same email last week..

🙁
 
Don't take it so personally! Did you really expect to get immediate interview invites from every school? I would take it at face value. They're telling you they may or may not interview you later and giving you some perspective on the odds. That's better than schools that don't say anything until you either get an interview invite or a rejection letter.
 
I wouldn't get too worked up just yet. First off, I actually don't consider the email to be all that rude -- at least they are bothering to update you on your status, which many schools don't do -- instead they leave you hanging for 4 or 5 months. Secondly, I knew several people who interviewed at UCSD within a few weeks of receiving this same notification (including a few who interviewed with me last fall). If you are truly interested in UCSD, send them an update letter if anything has changed on your application, awards, work, publications, etc., and let them know you are interested in the school. Good luck.
 
Hey all- Thanks for replying! 🙂

I think SD is a great school but I feel like it doesn't bode well for LA and SF--I *really* want to go to SF (surprise, right?) and I feel like they interview a smaller percentage...

I had just received a Penn invitation this morning and was feeling good and this disarmed me of that...I don't think its rude either, but it could also say how this isn't necessarily a bad thing, etc. It just seems detached, I guess.

Its my first negative experience of the whole process (minus AMCAS!!), so perhaps that's where my 🙁 comes in.
 
I'm going to miss you all! I'll be out of touch until Saturday 🙁 because I cannot afford the absurd hotel charges for even 800 calls (using the modem jack).

Stupid lack of high speed internet connections!!! 😉

Wish me luck...I have my Sinai interview tomorrow and my Yale Friday. I have a lot of AMTRAKing to do in the next 48 hours!

Good luck to everyone interviewing in the next couple of days and to those awaiting scores...I am praying with you all. I know how it felt! 🙂
 
So much misinformation, so little time.

Whether or not you interview at SD has absolutely no bearing on interviewing at SF or LA, so chill out. Like you said, you just got an invite from Penn, so you know you're competitive for the top schools. Be happy with what you have and don't stress over what hasn't even happened yet.

Secondly, I only know of ONE person last year who interviewed at every single UC campus -- they are all pretty different schools and are looking for different things in their applicants. From my experience, UCSD definitely places more emphasis on research experience and interest in academic medicine, while UCSF is definitely more on the touchy-feely side of things and likes people that have done something either very unusual or very outstanding with their lives -- for whatever reason they LOVE teachers -- if you taught for any amount of time, you will get an interview at UCSF.

Anyways, my take-home point is that there is not a lot of rhyme or reason to this process. A lot of it comes down to intangibles like whether schools even have a "niche" for you -- for instance, a basketball team won't recruit all 15 of the best point guards in the nation, because they don't want a team full of point guards. The make-up of a med school class is somewhat analogous.

Relax, and enjoy the opportunities you've recieved so far.
 
But what if I'm a good point guard?!? 😉

I know what you say makes complete sense and is logical...its just that first negative vibe thing I'm experiencing.

BTW...I've done two years of research!! Good pubs, too! I guess I'm really in trouble now... 😉

Seriously...thanks all for the advice!
 
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