UC Consortium 2018-2019 Cycle

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wafino1 said:
Just a quick question, we all want to be accepted to a undergrad postbacc right? Not a graduate postbacc because we want to improve our undergrad scGPAs?
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Hey, good question. Postbac in itself refers to undergrad programs. Graduate programs are a masters or beyond. You are correct my good sir, the postbac would strengthen the undergrad GPA.

However, the med school applications are set up so that medical school can see an upward trend from freshmen year and beyond. Thus, either one looks good in the eyes of the admissions committee as long as you kill it.
 
So from what I read about the UCSF graduate post bacc program is that they give you a certificate to call it a graduate program but the grades for your classes affect your undergrad GPA. I believe they only do the graduate title so there is graduate school loans and financial aid that is not available for the other post bacc programs.
 
Does anyone know what type of questions they will ask at UCSF?
 
Nerdypickle1112 said:
So is it safe to assume they will be interviewing until then?
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This is just my personal speculation, so take it with a grain of salt. I think interviews will end mid late May and then they will hold out till June to send out rejections to give wait listed people a chance.
 
I just got accepted to the UCSD Post bacc with a scholarship but I'm still going to attend the UCSF interview. Hopefully they let me know before the deadline at UCSD...
 
gmoreno2 said:
I just got accepted to the UCSD Post bacc with a scholarship but I'm still going to attend the UCSF interview. Hopefully they let me know before the deadline at UCSD...
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Congrats! You are guaranteed an interview at UCSD school of medicine after completion of their post bac. Are you guaranteed one at UCSF?
 
IJustWannaBeSedated said:
Congrats! You are guaranteed an interview at UCSD school of medicine after completion of their post bac. Are you guaranteed one at UCSF?
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I have no idea. I will ask them during my interview. I did hear from one of my friend that UCSD SOM last year took 10 of their Post bacc students. So 1/3. I/m exited about that.
 
This is actually my 3rd year applying to the UC Consortium. By today, I do lose hope of getting in any program this year again. I really don't get what criteria the schools look at. My stats are not so horrible compared to those who got accepted but still I got nothing from the schools. It's really disheartened for me....

Sorry for my rant. I just don't know where to vent my frustration 🙁
 
Infinitely said:
This is actually my 3rd year applying to the UC Consortium. By today, I do lose hope of getting in any program this year again. I really don't get what criteria the schools look at. My stats are not so horrible compared to those who got accepted but still I got nothing from the schools. It's really disheartened for me....

Sorry for my rant. I just don't know where to vent my frustration 🙁
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Sorry to hear about that, there's not much you can do but hope and pray really. I'd just suggest trying to do something to take your mind off of it, if you aren't going to school nor working, just chill for a little while, until planning backup plan either by applying to other postbacc programs or considering a SMP.
 
I received an invitation to interview from UCD's Program this morning, so don't lose hope as I believe they are still looking for applicants that will make a good fit for their program. I will be letting them know I won't be interviewing with them since I already committed to UCI. Hoping that one of you from the forum get my spot
🙂

Good Luck
 
I noticed people who have been getting interviews/acceptances have submitted their application before march. I'm wondering if those of us who havent its maybe because they haven't gotten to our application ?( mine was complete on march 8th). or do they read all applications then send emails for interviews? getting really nervous now.
 
machine323 said:
I noticed people who have been getting interviews/acceptances have submitted their application before march. I'm wondering if those of us who havent its maybe because they haven't gotten to our application ?( mine was complete on march 8th). or do they read all applications then send emails for interviews? getting really nervous now.
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I submitted mine back in January and I have yet to hear back
 
determined for success said:
I received an invitation to interview from UCD's Program this morning, so don't lose hope as I believe they are still looking for applicants that will make a good fit for their program. I will be letting them know I won't be interviewing with them since I already committed to UCI. Hoping that one of you from the forum get my spot
🙂

Good Luck
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Congrats! Hope you enjoy UCI. How did UCDavis contact you. Via phone or email?
 
PremedAF617 said:
My app was marked complete February 21st.

Update: Received an in-person interview for Davis and got accepted into the program! Was notified by phone call yesterday.
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Congrats ! When did you do the in-person interview ?
 
machine323 said:
I noticed people who have been getting interviews/acceptances have submitted their application before march. I'm wondering if those of us who havent its maybe because they haven't gotten to our application ?( mine was complete on march 8th). or do they read all applications then send emails for interviews? getting really nervous now.
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Most, if not all, the programs accept on a rolling asmissions basis so yeah you are correct. They are reviewing the apps in order and sending interview invites as they go.
 
Is anyone else still waiting to hear back? I’m starting to worry. I got an interview at UCSD then after got waitlisted for admission. I haven’t heard from any UC Consortium besides UCI (rejection).

Anyone else still waiting for any sort of response?
 
galex95 said:
Is anyone else still waiting to hear back? I’m starting to worry. I got an interview at UCSD then after got waitlisted for admission. I haven’t heard from any UC Consortium besides UCI (rejection).

Anyone else still waiting for any sort of response?
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Same!! My app was marked complete on March 19th... I am hoping they just have not gotten to it but have also been preparing for complete rejection and looking into other options. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst!!!! :/
 
PremedAF617 said:
My app was marked complete February 21st.

Update: Received an in-person interview for Davis and got accepted into the program! Was notified by phone call yesterday.
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That's awesome! Did you have the interview on the 16th? And was it a group interview?

Also, if anyone had a skype interview on the 11th with Davis, have you heard back yet?
 
willice13 said:
That's awesome! Did you have the interview on the 16th? And was it a group interview?

Also, if anyone had a skype interview on the 11th with Davis, have you heard back yet?
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I haven’t heard back after the in-person interview on the 16th 🙁 hopefully this doesn’t mean I’m on the rejected list 🙁(((
 
On the consortium’s application FAQ, it states “You will be notified by the individual programs only if you are granted an interview and if you are accepted”. Guess that answers our question but hope we hear better news.
 
galex95 said:
On the consortium’s application FAQ, it states “You will be notified by the individual programs only if you are granted an interview and if you are accepted”. Guess that answers our question but hope we hear better news.
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I asked them during the day of my in-person interview regarding acceptance/rejection notices. They told me that people who did go through the interview(s) will definitely hear back whether they get in or not .
 
Waitlisted at UCSD and haven’t heard anything from the consortium other than the rejection letter from Irvine. I expected that since I didn’t apply until the last minute
 
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For those of you who got the interview invitation, may I ask under what email subject did you get it? Just in case I don’t miss out the email 🙁 since I havent heard from them I’m getting really worried
 
Infinitely said:
This is actually my 3rd year applying to the UC Consortium. By today, I do lose hope of getting in any program this year again. I really don't get what criteria the schools look at. My stats are not so horrible compared to those who got accepted but still I got nothing from the schools. It's really disheartened for me....

Sorry for my rant. I just don't know where to vent my frustration 🙁
Click to expand...

If your stats are similar to other stats posted on here (around 2.8-3.1), then work on other aspects of your application. This is my second year applying to the UC Consortium. Last year, my application was complete by March 1st, and I did not receive any interviews. This year, my application was complete by February 21st. I was waitlisted for UCI, and I got accepted into the UC Davis program.

These are four things that I did since applying to the UC Consortium last year:

(1) I found a professor and a premedical advisor who wrote stronger letter of recommendations for me - they really got to know me and wrote in depth letters about my disadvantaged background.
(2) I found a premedical summer program that exposed me to the medical school process and provided me with shadowing, health fairs, interaction with physicians, conversations with medical students, etc.
(3) I took classes at a nearby state college to boost my GPA while I waited for the next postbacc application cycle.
(4) I found a mentor who is experienced with the medical admissions process and was able to provide me with constructive criticism that was not only based on my grammar but also on the content of what I wanted present and how to best articulate what I wanted the admissions team to know about me.

All these actions not only made my application more competitive, but they challenged me to dig deeper and understand why I want to be a physician and what communities I aim to serve, which helped me draft a more meaningful, genuine personal statement and helped with my interviewing skills because everything I had to say was from my experiences rather than from rehearsing what I thought the admissions team would want to hear.

Everyone's application and background is different though, so really think about what would make you a stronger applicant because only you can answer that for yourself. I hope this helps!
 
PremedAF617 said:
If your stats are similar to other stats posted on here (around 2.8-3.1), then work on other aspects of your application. This is my second year applying to the UC Consortium. Last year, my application was complete by March 1st, and I did not receive any interviews. This year, my application was complete by February 21st. I was waitlisted for UCI, and I got accepted into the UC Davis program.

These are four things that I did since applying to the UC Consortium last year:

(1) I found a professor and a premedical advisor who wrote stronger letter of recommendations for me - they really got to know me and wrote in depth letters about my disadvantaged background.
(2) I found a premedical summer program that exposed me to the medical school process and provided me with shadowing, health fairs, interaction with physicians, conversations with medical students, etc.
(3) I took classes at a nearby state college to boost my GPA while I waited for the next postbacc application cycle.
(4) I found a mentor who is experienced with the medical admissions process and was able to provide me with constructive criticism that was not only based on my grammar but also on the content of what I wanted present and how to best articulate what I wanted the admissions team to know about me.

All these actions not only made my application more competitive, but they challenged me to dig deeper and understand why I want to be a physician and what communities I aim to serve, which helped me draft a more meaningful, genuine personal statement and helped with my interviewing skills because everything I had to say was from my experiences rather than from rehearsing what I thought the admissions team would want to hear.

Everyone's application and background is different though, so really think about what would make you a stronger applicant because only you can answer that for yourself. I hope this helps!
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Thank you for sharing your journey with us! I found this to be very helpful. I recently graduated in 2017, and I'm planning on taking physics and retaking calculus on my own if things don't work out with the UC Consortium. You mentioned taking classes at your state college, and I wanted to hear your input on taking classes at a four year university or at a community college, and how that would look in the eyes of admission committees. I have the option of taking them through UC Berkeley Extension or at a community college. I'm leaning towards community college simply because of the significantly lower price tag. Money is tight and it would be really difficult to pay $1000+ per class at Berkeley. Would it look bad if I took a few classes at a Community college instead of at a university? I'm caught up in a limbo here, and don't really know the best course of action.
 
UnknownButNotHidden said:
Thank you for sharing your journey with us! I found this to be very helpful. I recently graduated in 2017, and I'm planning on taking physics and retaking calculus on my own if things don't work out with the UC Consortium. You mentioned taking classes at your state college, and I wanted to hear your input on taking classes at a four year university or at a community college, and how that would look in the eyes of admission committees. I have the option of taking them through UC Berkeley Extension or at a community college. I'm leaning towards community college simply because of the significantly lower price tag. Money is tight and it would be really difficult to pay $1000+ per class at Berkeley. Would it look bad if I took a few classes at a Community college instead of at a university? I'm caught up in a limbo here, and don't really know the best course of action.
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I was also considering a DIY post bacc and debating between a cc and a 4 year. I would rather choose a cc because its more cost effective. However after inquiring with a faculty member at UCI who works with the post bacc program, she stated that it's better to take any upper div courses at a 4 year because admissions want to see you perform at that level. GEs, pre reqs and lower dive can be taken at a cc.

This could just be a suggestion from them. There's very little info on this topic and I haven't been successful in reaching out to some one who did a DIY post bacc at a cc and got into med school.
 
UnknownButNotHidden said:
Thank you for sharing your journey with us! I found this to be very helpful. I recently graduated in 2017, and I'm planning on taking physics and retaking calculus on my own if things don't work out with the UC Consortium. You mentioned taking classes at your state college, and I wanted to hear your input on taking classes at a four year university or at a community college, and how that would look in the eyes of admission committees. I have the option of taking them through UC Berkeley Extension or at a community college. I'm leaning towards community college simply because of the significantly lower price tag. Money is tight and it would be really difficult to pay $1000+ per class at Berkeley. Would it look bad if I took a few classes at a Community college instead of at a university? I'm caught up in a limbo here, and don't really know the best course of action.
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Interviewed at UCI and they suggested I retake physics and calc as well. Community level is perfectly fine for those classes I was told during my interview. Especially if cost is an issue. I'm planning to retake those classes at my local CC this year and applying again in January for the postbacc again. I believe that is why I was waitlisted and received no other invitations. Those core classes need to be done in order to take advantage of the mcat prep each program offers. UCI was really the only school that would allow you to retake those courses cause their mcat prep wasn't until next spring. All other schools start with mcat prep in summer so if your core classes are low or not passing, chances are that's why they passed you up for interviews and acceptances (at least according to what UCI told me). Hope that helps!
 
neurologyplzzz said:
Interviewed at UCI and they suggested I retake physics and calc as well. Community level is perfectly fine for those classes I was told during my interview. Especially if cost is an issue. I'm planning to retake those classes at my local CC this year and applying again in January for the postbacc again. I believe that is why I was waitlisted and received no other invitations. Those core classes need to be done in order to take advantage of the mcat prep each program offers. UCI was really the only school that would allow you to retake those courses cause their mcat prep wasn't until next spring. All other schools start with mcat prep in summer so if your core classes are low or not passing, chances are that's why they passed you up for interviews and acceptances (at least according to what UCI told me). Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Do you know if we can retake physics at a community college even though we barely got a C in the class? Isn't it C- and lower that we would usually have to retake?
 
neurologyplzzz said:
Interviewed at UCI and they suggested I retake physics and calc as well. Community level is perfectly fine for those classes I was told during my interview. Especially if cost is an issue. I'm planning to retake those classes at my local CC this year and applying again in January for the postbacc again. I believe that is why I was waitlisted and received no other invitations. Those core classes need to be done in order to take advantage of the mcat prep each program offers. UCI was really the only school that would allow you to retake those courses cause their mcat prep wasn't until next spring. All other schools start with mcat prep in summer so if your core classes are low or not passing, chances are that's why they passed you up for interviews and acceptances (at least according to what UCI told me). Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
That actually helps a lot! I haven't taken physics yet, but this will be my third time taking Calculus. Math is my absolute weakest subject. I failed both calc 1 and 2 the first time I took them and only passed with a D the second time around. Math was the culprit in tanking my sGPA. I'm absolutely terrified that my poor performance in math is what will ultimately be the reason I don't even get into medical school. Maybe I'm worrying about it too much, but I don't know especially since it's getting more competitive every year!!
 
UnknownButNotHidden said:
That actually helps a lot! I haven't taken physics yet, but this will be my third time taking Calculus. Math is my absolute weakest subject. I failed both calc 1 and 2 the first time I took them and only passed with a D the second time around. Math was the culprit in tanking my sGPA. I'm absolutely terrified that my poor performance in math is what will ultimately be the reason I don't even get into medical school. Maybe I'm worrying about it too much, but I don't know especially since it's getting more competitive every year!!
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Maybe try taking lower level math first and work your way up? a refresher in other math courses may help you. don't give up! we can do this!
 
PremedAF617 said:
If your stats are similar to other stats posted on here (around 2.8-3.1), then work on other aspects of your application. This is my second year applying to the UC Consortium. Last year, my application was complete by March 1st, and I did not receive any interviews. This year, my application was complete by February 21st. I was waitlisted for UCI, and I got accepted into the UC Davis program.

These are four things that I did since applying to the UC Consortium last year:

(1) I found a professor and a premedical advisor who wrote stronger letter of recommendations for me - they really got to know me and wrote in depth letters about my disadvantaged background.
(2) I found a premedical summer program that exposed me to the medical school process and provided me with shadowing, health fairs, interaction with physicians, conversations with medical students, etc.
(3) I took classes at a nearby state college to boost my GPA while I waited for the next postbacc application cycle.
(4) I found a mentor who is experienced with the medical admissions process and was able to provide me with constructive criticism that was not only based on my grammar but also on the content of what I wanted present and how to best articulate what I wanted the admissions team to know about me.

All these actions not only made my application more competitive, but they challenged me to dig deeper and understand why I want to be a physician and what communities I aim to serve, which helped me draft a more meaningful, genuine personal statement and helped with my interviewing skills because everything I had to say was from my experiences rather than from rehearsing what I thought the admissions team would want to hear.

Everyone's application and background is different though, so really think about what would make you a stronger applicant because only you can answer that for yourself. I hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Sorry, dumb question, but by state college do you mean community college? I'm in a similar boat where I haven't heard from anyone (except UCI rejection). I was wondering if you knew if by re-taking courses at a local community college would be looked down upon.
 
Has anyone received an in-person interview invitation after the Skype interview on 4/25 for UCD?
 
JesikahFutureDoctor said:
Sorry, dumb question, but by state college do you mean community college? I'm in a similar boat where I haven't heard from anyone (except UCI rejection). I was wondering if you knew if by re-taking courses at a local community college would be looked down upon.
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Hi! I meant state college as in CSUs, like CSU Los Angeles, CSU East Bay, etc.

From people I have talked to, like medical students and deans, they generally agree that you should not take your pre-requisites at a community college. However, of course, if you cannot afford to take the classes anywhere else, community college classes are acceptable. There is no set rule of where to take classes, but everyone on admissions has his/her own unintentional biases whether they explicitly state it or not while reviewing applications. Overall, you won't be penalized for taking classes at a community college, but my suggestion would be to classes at a CSU to avoid any potential biases admissions team may have on your application.

If you read the post by "bone apple teeth," he/she said

"Interviewed at UCI and they suggested I retake physics and calc as well. Community level is perfectly fine for those classes I was told during my interview. Especially if cost is an issue. I'm planning to retake those classes at my local CC this year and applying again in January for the postbacc again. I believe that is why I was waitlisted and received no other invitations. Those core classes need to be done in order to take advantage of the mcat prep each program offers. UCI was really the only school that would allow you to retake those courses cause their mcat prep wasn't until next spring. All other schools start with mcat prep in summer so if your core classes are low or not passing, chances are that's why they passed you up for interviews and acceptances (at least according to what UCI told me). Hope that helps!"
 
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