Hi everyone!
I guess I'm finally back in business! I would check SDN every once in a while, but it would always be done. I also apologize for not answering your private messages. SDN usu. emails me when I get one, but they haven't since they changed the new server. I just wanted to thank everyone for their patience, and my classmates for being such a great and supportive source for everyone!!
AND A HEARTY CONGRATS TO ALL ACCEPTED AND HIGH-PRIORITY (you have a very very good chance of getting in... but as I've said, the list isn't ranked until May 15th so do what you can to increase your chances!!).
=====I will see you at accepted student weekend!! =)
Most of what I would have said has been said, but I wanted to make a few additional comments ... I'm just going to cover a few topics now b/c I'm really tired, but will get the rest tomorrow or so. I made a list =)
1) ROOMIES
I do agree that it is semi-premmature to start looking for roommates not only because most of the class isn't full yet, but because leases in SF are really irregular and strict. In other words, if you are looking for a place now and sign a lease now, you may start having to pay for it now. Posting on SDN, accepted student site (if it's up yet), UCSF housing website has a great bullentinboard (where I found my roommate... I posted an ad, and she responded.. a classmate), craigslist (tho I don't recommend this option as much because... well, just from my experience when I was looking for housing, I tended to get along much better with people who were going to UCSF as well. It's hard for professional studnets to live with business people, etc. sometimes... but then again, sometimes it's a breath of fresh air... Hmmm.. There's some funny people in SF sometimes, and craigslist doesn't screen them out as well. I met some peculiar people through there... But GREAT GREAT place to find apartments, just not my first bet for roommates).
2nd look weekend is a PRIME place to look for roommates! you get to meet them in person and look at the places together!!
As hinted, most people's best bet is to live with an old friend, a classmate, an upperclassmen, or a fellow UCSF student. Good luck!
BTW-I have a great place and may be looking for a rooommate! Mine's getting a condo next year! =)
2) 2nd Look Weekend
Should you go if it's not convenient? If you already know it's your first choice, and you're going to go regardless, don't worry about it. Stay at home. I do promise you it'll get you really really fired up for school and more importantly, introduced to some of the amazing classmates you'll have. It's really the people who make the school at the end, I've happily learned this the last few months. Linking up for roommates is great at this time as I mentioned earlier.
For those not sure about UCSF, I very very very strongly reccomend 2nd look weekend. I've been doing some work with it, and we've been trying to include more opportunities to really fele the student life here and to get to kno us (the students here already) and your potential classmates that are also there with you. We're working on an "underground UCSF" tour, which will show you the campus in more context (with stories, histories, and commentaries from us, candid!!) than when you were on the tour. Some people think our campus is small and limited--we want to prove them wrong!!! =) It's magnificant and rich and bustling!!! Us first years are hosting a party/mixer at one of my classmates place Saturday night after the dinners (which are nice too, we take you out--or order in dinner for you... sign-ups are in the morning, and you can choose to be in a "themed" dinner... URM, Asian, LGTB, etc. ). And on Sunday, some of us will take you to Golden Gate Park just a few blocks away for a picnic lunch--a great great opportunity to see some of hte treasures that would be in your backyard if you go here... and like I've been harping, getting to kno us and your classmates!! I'd like to emphasize here how this optional Sunday event is NOT ON CAMPUS too. We think it's very important that you guys get to kno each other with the pressure of UCSF looming over (you kno what I mean... people are just different on campus sometimes, even after they've gotten in...). =)
SO PLEASE COME COME COME!! It'll be totally awesome!! Any questions--let me kno... and any suggestions--please let me kno so I can get the comments through the committee right away. we're making final touches on the events for the weekend.
3)Letters of intent/updates
In writing all the way, not email. I think it's a requirement even that all you send to UCSF has to be a mailed letter. They don't even take faxes. Besides letters are the level of formality and respect the committee needs =)
4) Clinical Extracurriculars experiences
Sweeties, endless clinics here. Student iniated, student run. In addition to 5th Street, which I want to say has been the very best clinical experience for me, is 6th Street (adj. to the needle exchange center so mostly IVDU patients.. this particular clinic is going thorugh some major changes now tho so we'll see what happens with it =P), and St James Infirmatory (Sex-workers clinic--great place. I should start working there in a few weeks so I'll give an update)... There's this aesome elective (student run, iniated like everything else), U-teach, which many of u may have heard of where you get to know and follow a pregnant mom throughout her whole pregnancy--her appointments, have lunch iwht her, and ultimately be there with her at her delievery (I've had several classamtes who personally delievered the baby as well). Health hut is more directed towards low-income children, but it's an awesome organization that runs health fairs at places such as chinatown (maybe this is what someone was referring to when they said "chinatown clinic?") where you do health screening and prevention... and most importantly, get kids interested in their own health. Endless endless things. This is just a slice of the things, the things I've done personally.
5th street, wanted to give you a story. So last time I went, there was this other classmate of mine (his first time, my second), a second year (who was the coordinator, meaning he signs the patients in and triages them a bit before they see us, my classmate and I), and an awesome preceptor from SFGH. 5th stree clinict, to give you guys more context, takes place inside a homeless shelter.
So my classmate and I interview the first patient togehter since neither one of us have interviewed a patient alone at the clinic. We tkae a history, talk to the patient, and do the physical ourselves! Helping each other fill-in questions and tests that we didn't think about individually. Then the preceptor comes in, and one of us presents a short history and prsents our findings to the preceptor. She then talks to the patient briefly and does a focused physicial exam, pointing out clinical pearls/tips to us as she does the exam.. and making sur ewe hear everytihng she hears (even if we heard it by ourselves earlier, she just wants to describe what we're heairng in more detail and with more clinical context). Then we leave to discuss together what the patient may have. It was a team/discussion setting that started out with her asking ask "so what do you guys think?" After we told her what we thought, and togehter we refined the diagnosis, we went over to the medicine cabinet where she asked us "now how to treat..." Of course, there's a lot we don't know, but she would give us guided questions whenever we didn't know.. and Then we would go talk to the patient about his/her diagnosis, our treatment plan, and acutally teach the patient ourselves about their disease and how to/why the medication.. It was so so awesome to have guided autonomy in such a low-stress environment! My classmate and I divdied up after ht efirst paitnet to do our own and learned so much and had so much fun that night. I'm always excited about going back... =)
**Ultimately, as I've hinted with every experience and elective here, it's all you! Everytihng is student initiated and run. The school takes indepedent and creative students and encourages (and has resources) for you to do whatever you want. It's so easy to do. I've had classmates, in their first year, who are already designing and running electives!! SF also has the best public helath measures (in the whole country) for its citizens so there's plenty of clinics/programs in the city that would be esctatic to have a medical student working there. **
5) Staying in SF
Stay with a student--handsdown! It's free, and most importantly, you can see how it's like to live as a student here... get all the advice you want.... and the student will likely show you around and introduce you to their friends/professors/favorite spots, etc. Well, I do if you stay with me! I'm on the list. =)
6) Letters
My sources on the committee have told me acceptances are sent out mid-month. high priority, waitlist, rejections can be sent out at any time.
7) If you love UCSF, but their love seems unrequitted at the moment...
don't give up!! Keep writing (no more than once a month, tho). Limit calls (they don't like them from what I hear... just write and be thoughtful of what they write). Check prior postings for types on what to write =)
Posting continued... too long!
