UC Post Bacc 2013 Cycle

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Dro133 said:
If you're talking about the new post-bacc pre-med program at UCSD, I talked to the director of the program last week and he said they were scheduled to get together this past Monday (the 8th) to make decisions. He said he expects decisions to be sent out starting this Friday the 12th. Fingers crossed!
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Is this decision for the wave of interviewees or students that will be ADMITTED into their program? Seems like they are done interviewing, so I'm really confused at this moment. Sorry, thanks!
 
I got my UCSF interview today too!!! It's going down April 30 for me. SUPER geeked up, I can't believe this!

Anybody have any tips/advice?
 
Dro133 said:
This is the new UCSD post-bac program: http://postbacpremed.ucsd.edu/index.cfm

It is not, as far as I know, part of the consortium, and is open to students of all backgrounds (not just disadvantaged). Unfortunately, the application deadline was back in January.
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darn it!! i woulda applied to UCSD if i'd known earlier... as a UCSD alumni, i woulda loved to go back!

thanks for your reply tho
 
PostBaccHopeful said:
Is this decision for the wave of interviewees or students that will be ADMITTED into their program? Seems like they are done interviewing, so I'm really confused at this moment. Sorry, thanks!
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You're right, they are done interviewing...this upcoming decision is for admittance into the program.
 
I just got the UCSD Postbac acceptance e-mail from Grace!!! I'm going to UCSD!!!!!
 
Thank you PostBaccHopeful!! I interviewed on March 15th!
 
Nmim said:
Thank you PostBaccHopeful!! I interviewed on March 15th!
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Congratulations! We really appreciate you sharing this information. No more UCSD for me then. 🙁
 
Oh don't give up hope! I think they said they would start to notify people if they got admitted on the 12th so maybe they just started notifying people.
 
Nmim said:
I just got the UCSD Postbac acceptance e-mail from Grace!!! I'm going to UCSD!!!!!
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Congratulations!! I got my acceptance e-mail this evening as well!
 
Dro133, congratulations to you too!!!!!

Can you tell us when you interviewed with UCSD? Thanks.
 
Congratulations Dro133! I am so excited! I am from az so I'm new to cali and I was thinking should we start a facebook group or something so maybe we can start getting to know each other or finding roomies for housing lol
 
Yeah I second that. I got my acceptance email yesterday too. I got my interview invite right before I left for spring break on March 2nd, and I flew out to UCSD on the 20th to interview. BUT I am contemplating on this program since I really don't know anything about it other than what it says on the website. CAN ANYONE TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM???

1) Is there a linkage program with UCSD SOM? (if yes, ignore the following questions)
2) cost of living total? (I assume I'm going to have to get a 60k loan?)
3) How many of us applied and how many got in? (competitiveness of the program)
4) medical student classes? (I want to challenge myself and let med schools know that I didn't go to a GPA booster)
5) how good are the UC programs' post bacs? the minimum GPA requirements to these programs is concerning to me as opposed to Georgetown or Cincy

Thanks!

and others if you can think of any...AND create a facebook group so I can join lol =)....doing this interview was the first time I've been to Cali, so it will be a brand new world for me also
 
Reckless said:
Dro133, congratulations to you too!!!!!

Can you tell us when you interviewed with UCSD? Thanks.
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Thanks Reckless! I had my interview over Skype on March 21st.


Nmim, funny story, I'm from AZ too!

ming2therescue, I have a lot of the same questions you do. I'm also curious to know more about when we find out whether or not we receive any grants.

Anyone have any experience in creating a Facebook group? 😳
 
ming2therescue said:
Yeah I second that. I got my acceptance email yesterday too. I got my interview invite right before I left for spring break on March 2nd, and I flew out to UCSD on the 20th to interview. BUT I am contemplating on this program since I really don't know anything about it other than what it says on the website. CAN ANYONE TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM???

1) Is there a linkage program with UCSD SOM? (if yes, ignore the following questions)
2) cost of living total? (I assume I'm going to have to get a 60k loan?)
3) How many of us applied and how many got in? (competitiveness of the program)
4) medical student classes? (I want to challenge myself and let med schools know that I didn't go to a GPA booster)
5) how good are the UC programs' post bacs? the minimum GPA requirements to these programs is concerning to me as opposed to Georgetown or Cincy

Thanks!

and others if you can think of any...AND create a facebook group so I can join lol =)....doing this interview was the first time I've been to Cali, so it will be a brand new world for me also
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1) Is there a linkage program with UCSD SOM? (if yes, ignore the following questions)
No, there is no link between the post-bacc and UCSD SOM.

2) cost of living total? (I assume I'm going to have to get a 60k loan?)
If you will have your own transportation and don't mind a 20-30min commute to school, Mira Mesa is a good suggestion ($500-$600/single BR a month for a shared 2 bedroom apartment). If you look for apartments within a 5-10mile radius from UCSD, it will most likely cost you $650-$800(single bedroom) a month for a shared apartment.

The cost of the program, $10,000 for summer + $6,500(x3) for the school year = $29,500 + books + rent + food + other financial obligations = ~$60,000. So, you are pretty much on the ball park on this one.

3) How many of us applied and how many got in? (competitiveness of the program)
Sorry, don't know the answer to this.

4) medical student classes? (I want to challenge myself and let med schools know that I didn't go to a GPA booster)
If you check their post-bacc website, they have a list of classes that you will be taking. I believe it will not be with the med students; most likely, it will be classes that you take along with the undergrads. But, let me tell you, BE PREPARED TO WORK (period!).

5) how good are the UC programs' post bacs? the minimum GPA requirements to these programs is concerning to me as opposed to Georgetown or Cincy
It seems like the program diverted from the UC Consortium this year, so the UCSD program doesn't have an established track record yet. But, they do say that it has ~80-85% success rate from the previous year's program. Also, they completely have a new administration because I know Saundra Kirk used to be their Director and she no longer works for the program.

--------------------
 
Thank you member for answering this. may I ask are you speaking from a participant point of view or someone who knows someone in the program?

I am asking all of these questions because I also got into Tulane's SMP and Georgetown's SMP and was wondering what is the advantage of doing a post bac at UCSD as opposed to those two. I'm trying to make a decision, but it's hard to do so. Can you shoot me a quick pro vs. con here? I am very fond of UCSD's "cohort learning experience," but then again it's a VERY NEW program and I don't know if its reputation has built up yet.

I have heard that medical schools look very strongly upon your improvement of MCAT and GPA in these programs, but at the same time will look to see if your rigor of courses are strong enough. I was wondering if that might be a downside to this program if the courses were to be upper level undergrad. If so, I might as wells stay here at my school (better than UCSD undergrad) to take more upper level courses as an employee for free.

Also, do you know anyone from that program who have successfully gone to UCSD from this program? even 1 or 2 people?

Thank you very much
 
Dro133 said:
Thanks Reckless! I had my interview over Skype on March 21st.


Nmim, funny story, I'm from AZ too!

ming2therescue, I have a lot of the same questions you do. I'm also curious to know more about when we find out whether or not we receive any grants.

Anyone have any experience in creating a Facebook group? 😳
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Dro, there will be $0 in grants. All has to be either paid or taken out in loans. This is one of the reasons why I am hesitating
 
That's not true! This is directly from my UCSD postbac acceptance e-mail: "Once the cohort is established, available grant funds will be allocated and students requesting them will be notified." At the interview Dr. Kelly mentioned that 3-4 students would be getting scholarships for the program (which you would know if you got one in your acceptance e-mail).

When I spoke to Dr. Kelly at my interview I asked her about the difference between the old UCSD consortium postbac with the UC schools and this new program. UCSD used to have 2 postbacs: 1 for a select number of students (3 or 4) from the UCSD med applicant pool that were outstanding, but could use a boot camp before med school. After completion, those 3-4 students would get conditional acceptance to UCSD med. The other post bac was the one with the consortium. She mentioned there was no difference between the UC consortium postbac and the conditional postbac- they took the same classes. The same goes for this new postbac- we will be taking classes with the 3-4 students that will get conditional admittance. That would mean that they consider the coursework competitive enough for their med school. The old program was changed due to a lack of grant funding, but now that they have more funding they will be able to have tutors and more resources and have people from out of state attend. The timeline for taking the MCAT has changed. They took down the old ucsd postbac website, but from what she said I got the impression that the old postbac is equivalent to the new one as far as the rigor of the curriculum goes. Also Dr. Kelly was involved in the old postbac and is still involved in this one-- she is the associate dean for admissions and student affairs for UCSD med.
 
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Dro 133 no way!!! I'm looking forward to the weather so much. San diego is beautiful
 
thank you nmim for the answer. i am now 90% sure that i will be attending this program. i'll be up for sharing a 2 bed-apartment with one other person if anyone is interested.
 
ming2therescue said:
thank you nmim for the answer. i am now 90% sure that i will be attending this program. i'll be up for sharing a 2 bed-apartment with one other person if anyone is interested.
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no problem! just sharing what Dr.kelly told me when I asked her some questions 😀
Maybe someone else who asked other questions during their interview can shed some more light?
When I try to make the facebook group, I'm prompted to add members to the group before creating it. I don't know any of you guys lol so to make a group I'll need to find you on facebook and add you so message me your name and I'll create the group 🙂
 
🙂
 
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Hey guys I made a UCSD Postbac facebook group for those of you who may be thinking of going or choose to go to the program and want to connect with others. There is only 2 people in the group right now lol here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/453283858086848/
 
Has anyone heard anything back from UC Davis or UC Riverside?
 
Ya I interviewed there last week and got an acceptance e-mail friday. I think they are still interviewing though so good luck! Hope you hear back soon!
 
I interviewed a couple of weeks ago, hope I hear back soon.
 
Has anyone already interviewed at UCSF?
 
@Thaddius I got an interview w UCSF next week. Do u got an interview w them too? I'm wondering how it's all going to go down.
 
@Thaddius I got an interview on deck w UCD too. Got a call from them earlier today! My interview is gonna be in May. I was so surprised to hear from them cuz i thought that at this point, i was out of the running. I'm very grateful.
 
Congrats! ya I don't have my interview till next week at SF so I don't know. If anyone has already interviewed there and would like to share any advice or what it was like please let us know!
 
Hi all! Good luck on your interviews! I'm interviewing with 2 UC post bacc schools in May...but I know that, at least for UCSF, students take classes through UC Berkeley extension. I know the odds of being offered a spot at the UCSF program is low, but that aside is anyone having misgivings about shelling out a lot of money for a post bacc program when we could theoretically be taking UC extension classes on our own (particularly if you live close to a UC already)? Just wanted your thoughts on this 🙂
 
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The support, skills workshops, the MCAT prep, letters of rec, linkage, and prestige is what makes a formal post bac>>>than UC extension classes alone, in my opinion.

Theoretically, yeah you can do your own MCAT prep (if you haven't taken it already), yeah you can get letters of rec, and yeah you can enhance your grades through UC Extension alone, but like I said, it's that support through the process that makes this worthwhile. Besides, I don't live close to any UC's anyway so I'd have to relocate anyway lol.

But you do bring up some excellent points to consider.
 
So as of now, applicants have heard back from all the UC's? I only heard back from UCSF. If you do not get a phone call or email, does that mean you are not going to receive an interview or get admitted since it is almost hitting May?
 
There's still hope! I called UCR yesterday and was told they are still in the reviewing process. They said there's hope - don't assume that you won't be offered an interview just because you haven't heard back from them yet.
 
Has anyone committed anywhere yet?
 
hi everyone! i just got an interview from UCSF. how many people do they usually interview? does anyone know what are my chances of getting into the program having been offered an interview? also, do you guys have any tips? common questions? how should i prepare? thank you all so much!
 
@Thaddius,

I received a call to interview for UC Davis Post Bac program on Tuesday, April 23rd for an interview on Tuesday, April 30th. CRAZY I received a call from them the next day letting me know I got accepted into their program. 😀

Don't get discouraged everyone. Programs are still making decisions on finalizing their class by still giving people interviews. Time will unravel.

@Nikkijinky- I have heard from other people interviewing with me that got an interview at UCSF's Post Bac program that it is best to approach their interview like a typical job interview. i.e. questions like "What are your weaknesses and strengths", "Why you want to be a doctor", "Tell me about yourself", "Tell me what you can contribute to the group that your peers can't" stuff like that. Again I didn't get an interview at UCSF but this is from what I recall others saying. Good luck!!!
 
CVMedStudent said:
@Thaddius,

I received a call to interview for UC Davis Post Bac program on Tuesday, April 23rd for an interview on Tuesday, April 30th. CRAZY I received a call from them the next day letting me know I got accepted into their program. 😀

Don't get discouraged everyone. Programs are still making decisions on finalizing their class by still giving people interviews. Time will unravel.

@Nikkijinky- I have heard from other people interviewing with me that got an interview at UCSF's Post Bac program that it is best to approach their interview like a typical job interview. i.e. questions like "What are your weaknesses and strengths", "Why you want to be a doctor", "Tell me about yourself", "Tell me what you can contribute to the group that your peers can't" stuff like that. Again I didn't get an interview at UCSF but this is from what I recall others saying. Good luck!!!
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Thanks CVMedStudent!! I've only been interviewed once before for a job position. I don't have a lot of experience in it. Definitely getting anxious! :scared:
 
CVMedStudent said:
@Thaddius,

I received a call to interview for UC Davis Post Bac program on Tuesday, April 23rd for an interview on Tuesday, April 30th. CRAZY I received a call from them the next day letting me know I got accepted into their program. 😀

Don't get discouraged everyone. Programs are still making decisions on finalizing their class by still giving people interviews. Time will unravel.
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wow you got a call the next day?! they must have really liked you! they had said to hear back from them around mid may to end of june.
 
does anybody know how much (if anything) the deposit will be to any of these programs? I can't find it anywhere online.
 
Rejection like you did not get an interview or you did an interview and didn't get in? I heard back from UCSF, they say they still in interviewing process since April 23. Someone else posted in UCR is still in the process and another post indicated that UCD has accepted people. So at this point there is still hope. I haven't heard back from any other UC's.
 
Member 238625 said:
Rejection like I didn't get an interview.

I submitted my application on March 15, my transcripts were recieved on March 21 and LORs on April 4.

The UC deadline was April 10, but UCI was March 15, and I think I was too late for UCI since my LOR and transcripts were sent in later. I really hope I get interviews from at least one of UCR, UCD, and UCSF. I'm pretty much gambling on these 3 because I have yet to apply to other postbac programs, and I need to retake my MCAT again, but I want that to be a part of the program, unlike some other postbac programs that dont offer MCAT. I'll still apply, but it'll be to places like CSU East Bay, CSULA, and some DO schools' postbacs that still don't offer the MCAT.
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If you really want to know if the UC's are still reviewing applications or interviewing, then you can call up the admission office for each one and try to to be super polite. I am just waiting it out since UCSF says they won't be done with everything until early June; so they are still interviewing.
 
Member 238625 said:
I've been calling and writing emails. They just respond with this.

"Thank you for inquiring about your application status. We received high volumes of applications and we are diligently reviewing them. You will receive a phone call if you are selected for an interview, or an email if you are not selected for an interview. The review process should last to the end of May, and perhaps early June. I apologize for the lengthy process. "

Do you know what the protocol is for calling them and updating them either via email or phone about what I've been doing since submitting the app, possibly sending a resume or a follow up letter?
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I do not believe there an updating process. They did received a lot of applications and it does take a long time to go through each one.They are really careful about choosing the few people that do get interviewed since each accepted Post-Bac class is super small. I think you should wait it out and not agitate them. They already have your resume on file when you filled in all those questions on the application about your extracurricular activities and jobs experiences. When you do get an interview, then you can update the committee on what you been doing.
 
So has anyone ever gotten an interview AND was NOT accepted? It seems like everyone on this forum that gets an interview, gets admitted... Anyone out there? Is there selection process so careful that they really only interview very very very few?
 
I got an interview at UCI and I did not get accepted :')
 
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