UCI Secondary Rumors?

[lizard]

I have read at a couple of web postings of people with very high GPAs and MCATs who weren't given secondaries from UCI, even though they were interviewed everywhere else they applied. Also, I have a friend who had a 4.0 GPA and 38 MCAT who didn't get a secondary also. All these sources seem to say that UCI has an upper tier cut-off, meaning that they think that students with high numbers won't go there, so they reject them flat out. Please share any info you may have about these possible rumors.

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[lilycat]

I've heard the same thing too (even from my premed advisor!), but I'm not sure if it's an urban legend or not...

 

[lizard]

I actually called the UCI office, because I am one of those high number folks and they said that there was no truth to the rumor. Also, they decided to send me a secondary while I was on the phone. Kinda fishy.

 

[lilycat]

The process makes no sense... the fact that you can get into UCSF and Wash. U. and still get rejected from UCI & UC-Davis (as happened to some friends of mine)... I have no faith in the system.

 

[Mango]

I think this is not that uncommon. There is a school in Ohio (Wright State)which does the same thing. They have the lowest MCAT averages in the state (8's) and yet many friends of mine got rejected, while they were accepted to schools like Case Western, OSU, and Cincy, where the averages are 10-11+!

If you think about it, it does make sense. If they reject students who will obviousely get into other schools, and most likely attend those "better" schools, than they have opened up a spot for a student that is more likely to accept their offer of a seat. It may seem unfair to you, but I guess it all depends on your perspective...

Mango
MS-1

[This message has been edited by Mango (edited 11-01-2000).]

 

[fiatslug]

Lilycat: in a certain sense, the system is taking care of itself. I'm an MS 1 at UCI, and while we're all pretty happy to be here, very few (if any) of us would have turned down UCSF or Harvard or Hopkins to live in this sterile neo-Republican 'burb (at least not those of us from the Bay Area

). The admin folks at UCI know this (and they are the SWEETEST people you will ever run into in this process); it's most likely a waste of their time to offer spots to Ms. 42 MCAT who (as they know) has also applied to all the other UCs, as well as a host of other schools. The admissions process is time consuming; for every "no thanks," they have to review more candidates, meet in more commitees, etc. It does make sense to offer interviews and spots to people they think will attend. However, if you really want to go to UCI, and this is about more than the ego validation in getting offers from everywhere, give them a call, drop me an email, let's talk. If not, then don't sweat it--if you're not being considered because your stats are too good, it's likely you'll get in somewhere else. (Our MCAT average is ~32, GPA 3.7). FYI--Davis has (I'm told) halved their interview offers this year. I've also heard that the oldest person in their first year class is 26! They were once a haven for the non-trad... sigh... We love the non-trads here at UCI. On to Histology!

 

[fiatslug]

PS to lizard: if you're not a CA resident, it's extremely unlikely you'll get a secondary. UCI is almost 100% Californian. No one in my class is from out of state.

 

[lizard]

Fiatslug:
I am a CA resident, and in fact, I grew up about 20 minutes away from UCI. From what I gather from my conversation with them on the phone, I agree that the admissions folks were really nice.

I have to agree with lilycat about rejecting highly qualified candidates, because I don't think it makes a lot of sense to assume people won't go to UCI. Everyone has different reasons for choosing schools, and it isn't always based on rank. I know a few folks who would have gone had they had the chance. And as for me, UCI is one of my top choices for many reasons, including the fact that my parents are getting older and live close by. Also, I have friends who had high numbers who didn't end up getting in anywhere because they weren't quite good enough for the very top schools and their numbers were too high that the lower schools didn't even give them a chance. There are so many highly qualified CA folks that all those with high numbers cannot get into UCSF and it isn't necessarily true that they would automatically choose UCSF over UCI. I went to college in the bay area and grew up in LA, and I know a lot of bay area folks who disdain LA and can't imagine why anyone would choose to be in LA over SF. While at the same time I know LA folks who have absolutely no desire to leave LA or even Orange County for that matter.

 

[fiatslug]

True enough--on a daily basis I am stunned to hear fellow classmates who never want to leave a place I've come to call the Anus of Culture

. You are, however, in the small minority of people who might choose UCI over UCSF. But if you've got good reasons, LET THEM KNOW. They love people who actually love UCI; we do have a bit of an ugly stepsister complex here. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to like about UCI; but for anyone from the Bay Area, who appreciates the pleasures of diversity and culture, location ain't one of them.

 

[fiatslug]

Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Please also note that I am *not* on the admissions committee, so I really can't speak for them. But I'm happy to talk about the good, the bad, & the ugly about my fightin' Anteaters.

 

[lizard]

Yeah, I agree, Irvine is not a haven for liberal artistic free expression--it is no Haight or Berkeley. But if you want to talk about the pros and cons of each location, the Sunset District, the home of UCSF, is one foggy place. Rather depressing, at times. (I did research there for a summer). And you can't beat the weather and beaches near UCI, unless you go to UCSD. Also, if you ever do get to go to LA, it actually has more museums than any other city in the U.S. (except for NY, of course). Only in LA do you get to see Beck play at an opening of his grandfather's post-humous show in a gallery in Santa Monica. The club scene in Hollywood can be really fun too. Also, LA has some really great pockets of diversity, just more spread out than in SF...there are whole "ethnic cities," not just "ethnic neighborhoods." I have to admit that I like both the bay area and southern cal almost equally. I do not know if I would necessarily choose UCI over UCSF--there are other factors than simply location at play for me. And since the application process isn't just based on numbers, I may not even get that choice.

 

[Hmmrstrength]

Just to let you know, UCI is not in LA. It's in Irvine, an hour away from LA when there is no traffic. I don't even want to talk about the drive during traffic!%@# I lived in LA for 5 years, and Irvine and Newport are definately not LA. Now, I live on the Irvine/Newport boarder: BORING!!!! Something for those of you considering UCI over UCSF(why?!).

[This message has been edited by Hmmrstrength (edited 11-02-2000).]

 

[lizard]

I am sorry that this discussion has gone in the direction of talking about LA vs. SF. I know that Irvine is not LA, I have lived in the LA area for nearly my entire life. By the way, traffic and parking in SF is no day at the beach.

I just wanted to make the point that people have their own reasons for going to schools and that it doesn't seem right to reject people because of high numbers, based on the assumption that they wouldn't go there. Getting into a UC school is not easy, even for high number people and a lot of times, they don't get into highly ranked places like UCSF and would gladly go to UCI.

 

[lilycat]

Fiatslug -- I appreciate your reply, and I do understand the "reasoning" behind UCI's apparenty policy of "protecting their own" -- I kind of already assumed that in the first place. The reason I said that I don't have very much faith in the system is because I think that with UCI's type of reasoning, it is very easy for very qualified applicants to fall through the cracks -- someone's stats may be a little on the high side for UCI, but a little on the low side for UCSF or UCLA, and perhaps all the schools are thinking, "We like this person, but if we reject them, I'm sure they will get into_______(insert UCSF, UCSD, UCLA, UCI)." Falling through the cracks doesn't happen that often, but it DOES happen (I'm sure we all know someone...).

 

[fiatslug]

You're right, lilycat, especially here in CA, where otherwise stellar numbers are ho-hum. As I say, if you're really interested in UCI, let them know! We just had a crop of fresh-faced, navy suited recruits tromp through campus today... by the way, ladies, while lovely, navy is not the only color available in suits, and you would be just fine in pants if you felt like it here. This is a VERY relaxed interview.