UCLA Geffen part 01

[ice_23]

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SDN'ers,

I was wondering if I should just chalk up my application to UCLA as a rejection. I have been complete there since 9/30 (i.e. turned in secondary and they received everything on 9/30), but haven't heard anything else since. Given that I am a south asian out of state resident, perhaps I have already been screened out, without them telling me? Any other ORM out of staters have any luck with a complete time of over 4 months?

Any help would be appreciated! 🙂

Thanks,

Ice

 

[premed]

Hey,

I went to UCLA as an undergrad and they have the slowest adcom. I personally know of 2 friends who are currently first years that received their 2ndaries in march, interviewed in april and were accepted in June. You can assume you were rejected if you don't hear back by the end of June.

 

[ice_23]

Oops, maybe I was unclear in my original post. I have received the secondary invite, and turned that in. That was all received by UCLA on 9/30. So i'm 4 months complete after the secondary was turned in.

-Ice

P.S. Thx for the prompt response, premed. 🙂

 

[premed]

I knew that...I was just using some friends as examples. I recommend sending a letter of intent or an update if you really want to attend UCLA. Gluck...you can PM me for any other questions.

 

[chicago13]

ice, i finished ucla on 9/30 and am also an out of stater soutth indian. and the cubs rule. but yeah i havent heard anything. i doubt i have a shot in hell there. i dont think i know anyone here in the midwest (any race) that has heard from ucla so why would they respond to me i guess. its my dream school but oh well. send them a letter if you want. i think they might start sending out rejections soon... but i guess they are really slow.

 

[lyragrl]

I, too, am a midwesterner who's heard nothing from UCLA since they received my secondary and letters of rec in very early October.

 

[Lux Aeterna]

As an out of stater who was completed on 10/1, they very politely told me they finished reviewing my file in mid january and that I had not been invited for an interview. They said they would be sending out those letters end of january / early feb.

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by ice_23
SDN'ers,

I was wondering if I should just chalk up my application to UCLA as a rejection. I have been complete there since 9/30 (i.e. turned in secondary and they received everything on 9/30), but haven't heard anything else since. Given that I am a south asian out of state resident, perhaps I have already been screened out, without them telling me? Any other ORM out of staters have any luck with a complete time of over 4 months?

Any help would be appreciated! 🙂

Thanks,

Ice

Hey,
I have a friend who is applying out of state to UCLA, and she asked about when the last interview invites are sent. Initially they said they arent sure, but they ultimately said that they might send them in Feb. Im not sure if they just meant her application would be evaluated by then or if they meant in general though. Have you tried calling, though they might be hesitant at first, apparently my friend had luck eventually. Good luck, hopefully theyll be sending them throughout this month.

 

[somekevinguy]

hey, at least you all are out of state...im in state and have had my app complete since 9/24 and everytime i call....."your app is still in review...we dont give our reviewers a deadline.."

blech...its super frustrating since i really believe i have a decent enough app for an interview too, esp being in-state. oh well...more waiting

 

[Eraserhead]

sigh... i get this from nyu... sinai... ucsf.... everyweek

Originally posted by somekevinguy
hey, at least you all are out of state...im in state and have had my app complete since 9/24 and everytime i call....."your app is still in review...we dont give our reviewers a deadline.."

blech...its super frustrating since i really believe i have a decent enough app for an interview too, esp being in-state. oh well...more waiting

 

[SurgeryRA]

So this is the out of state UCLA thread. I was on the UCLA website and it says that they send out interview invites through March and interview through April. I swear I keep finding something to cling on to to convince myself I'm not rejected yet 🙂 . This can't be healthy. But anyways here is to holding out hope for all us midwesterners trying to escape the cold for sunny california.

 

[1dharma]

To the out of staters,

I found this on the UCLA website:
"Residence: No preference is given to state of residence. However many applicants come from California. Acceptees from California are more likely to matriculate at UCLA. Out of 145 freshman, 85 percent were from California"

see http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/admiss/admreq.htm

I actually called the admissions office several months ago because I could not believe that a state institution would not grant preference to state residents. The person in the admissions office confirmed this policy. I didn't ask nor did she provide an explanation.
Can any SDNers?

good luck to all
-1d

 

[UCSBMed1]

Unfortunately its true.

UCLA and UCSF (*slight* preference to California residence) both do not give preference to California peeps.

I don't understand how a state institution such as the University of California, knowing darn well how hard it is for California residents to just be able to go to school in their home state, refuse to limit acceptances to Californians.

Do you see Texas doing that? Or New York? Or some of the midwestern states? NO. Even my school has opened up their classes to out of staters.

I guess we shouldn't call it the UC anymore...funny because the only ones who are footing the bill for the schools are California citizens...

 

[Alexander99]

I just got my interview request (via the status webpage) this past week so they're still interviewing. Don't give up until they send you a rejection--there's always still hope until then.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Yeah, you out of staters should stay out! We got enough competition in Cali, we don't need you. 😛

 

[camstah]

i haven't heard a peep from them either....complete on 10/21....i called the office earlier this week and she said my application was still in the hands of the committee.....i think she was being nice though....didnt want to tell me i would pretty much get rejected over the phone.....

 

[Harps]

Originally posted by UCSBPre-Med1
Unfortunately its true.

UCLA and UCSF (*slight* preference to California residence) both do not give preference to California peeps.

I don't understand how a state institution such as the University of California, knowing darn well how hard it is for California residents to just be able to go to school in their home state, refuse to limit acceptances to Californians.

Do you see Texas doing that? Or New York? Or some of the midwestern states? NO. Even my school has opened up their classes to out of staters.

I guess we shouldn't call it the UC anymore...funny because the only ones who are footing the bill for the schools are California citizens...

I agree with these sentiments completely. Now that UC Davis is also opening its doors to out-of-staters, it will become increasingly competitive for Cali resident. What a bunch of crap? UCLA and UCSF (especially) wouldn't be TOO difficult to get into if it weren't for
the out-of-staters😛
What is the reasoning behind this change at UC Davis, UCSBPre-Med1?


-Harps

 

[ice_23]

But doesn't the fact that they get some of the best and brightest out of staters make those schools (UCLA/UCSF) that much better (i.e. as per the rankings)?

-Ice

 

[Harps]

Originally posted by ice_23
But doesn't the fact that they get some of the best and brightest out of staters make those schools (UCLA/UCSF) that much better (i.e. as per the rankings)?

-Ice

Doesn't help me getting in, does it now😛

I am just kiddin', man. Everyone works really hard to get in and I hope each person is rewarded fairly. Good luck.

-Harps

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by ice_23
But doesn't the fact that they get some of the best and brightest out of staters make those schools (UCLA/UCSF) that much better (i.e. as per the rankings)?

-Ice

true...but still being a UC should mean something and help us poor cali kids out...instead forcing us to apply on avg to like 30+ schools all across the country trying to find a school that is kind enough to take a cali kid.

 

[CalBeE]

I agree that as a State school, the emphasis should be on state residents. However, you also want some diversity in terms of background and life experience, so that's probably why UCSF and UCLA started accepting out-of-staters.

The fact is, they don't really have to make it harder for out-of-staters to get in. Many of out-of-staters who *dare* to apply are probably candidates with great records anyway.

 

[ice_23]

Originally posted by jlee9531
true...but still being a UC should mean something and help us poor cali kids out...instead forcing us to apply on avg to like 30+ schools all across the country trying to find a school that is kind enough to take a cali kid.

Yea i agree there. Plus you guys are paying taxes for out of staters to get in state tuition pretty quickly....that kinda sucks too.

-Ice

P.S. Although i always feel like public schools who accept tons of instaters shouldn't be ranked up with other schools that don't, primarily because I live in a state that doesn't really have a top medical school (for instate tuition, that is) 😉

 

[1dharma]

Originally posted by Harps
I agree with these sentiments completely. Now that UC Davis is also opening its doors to out-of-staters, it will become increasingly competitive for Cali resident. What a bunch of crap? UCLA and UCSF (especially) wouldn't be TOO difficult to get into if it weren't for
the out-of-staters😛
What is the reasoning behind this change at UC Davis, UCSBPre-Med1?


-Harps

LOL. i'm going to have to disagree with this sentiment, that UCLA and UCSF wouldn't be TOO difficult to get into without non-cali people. It's really not the out of staters that make these schools very competitive. According to the MSAR, Geffen had 15 out-of-staters matriculate, out of 121, and UCSF had 28, but there were 1719 applicants for those 28 new entrants. I think UCSF pulling those 28 from the 2300 in-state pool instead would not have been difficult and would not have dramatically increased any 1 in-stater's chances.

One thing I also find strange is that UCSF, unlike UCLA, does state that it gives preference to Cali residents, also according to the MSAR. The other 3 UC med schools don't even look at you unless you're from California.
Also, it's not the out of staters that frustrate me, it's Schwarzenegger's plan to raise tuition 40%.

 

[Harps]

Originally posted by 1dharma
LOL. i'm going to have to disagree with this sentiment, that UCLA and UCSF wouldn't be TOO difficult to get into without non-cali people. It's really not the out of staters that make these schools very competitive. According to the MSAR, Geffen had 15 out-of-staters matriculate, out of 121, and UCSF had 28, but there were 1719 applicants for those 28 new entrants. I think UCSF pulling those 28 from the 2300 in-state pool instead would not have been difficult and would not have dramatically increased any 1 in-stater's chances.

I believe getting to the interview is a critical step in the admissions. Since 30% (194/728) of the people interviewed at Geffen were out-of-states, it makes the process of getting into UCLA more difficult for in-state students. In essence, an extra 194 interview spots would've gone to California residents, who incidentally pay the taxes! So, yes, without the 2,133 out-of-state applicants and 194 interviewed, UCLA would be less competitive for Cali residents than it is now...I am simply going on numbers, not QUALITY.

-Harps

tipukhan---I know I should be typing up the report...but this comment irked me a wee bit!

 

[ice_23]

Originally posted by Harps
I am simply going on numbers, not QUALITY.
-Harps

But isn't that a big part of the picture? It would seem that most of the out of state applicant pool is self-selected; that is, those with higher stats will probably apply to UCSF and UCLA. Instate, I've found that tons of ppl with fairly mediocre stats will give these two schools a shot because they're doing the UC circuit.

I feel for the cali residents, because they are getting shafted with their tax dollars. But there is a reason why top notch students inside of cali are even applying to their "state" schools of UCLA and UCSF as an option (they are ridiculously prestigious and highly ranked). You really don't see that type of caliber student generally attending most other state schools.

But I need to reiterate; it does have to suck not having a definite safety school, and I totally sympathize with the cali residents there.

-Ice

 

[kokonut]

Originally posted by 1dharma

One thing I also find strange is that UCSF, unlike UCLA, does state that it gives preference to Cali residents, also according to the MSAR. The other 3 UC med schools don't even look at you unless you're from California.
Also, it's not the out of staters that frustrate me, it's Schwarzenegger's plan to raise tuition 40%. [/B]

Just wanted to note that this is true. UCSF does give preference to Cali residents, unlike UCLA. Someone on the admissions committee spelled it out for me, although I forget the exact metric. Something like -- your GPA, MCAT, interviews, personal statement, extracurricular activities, competitiveness of undergraduate, and recommendations are all graded on varying scales to give you a point score (max score is somewhere in the mid 20s?). And then on top of your numerical score, UCSF gives 2 bonus points to Cali residents vs. out-of-staters. That's pretty significant. Out-of-staters need to be near-perfect in order to get in, which I think is reasonably fair. (don't quote me on the exact metric -- it's just my best recollection).

I have no idea why UCLA gives no preference to in-state. I think, at the very least, that out-of-staters should not get in-state tuition so quickly, since they've hardly paid any cali taxes.

 

[1dharma]

thanks koko for that info

 

[Luwi25]

Actually, although NOT stated very often and kept on the D.L...UCLA does give preference to those that have ties to UCLA and/or who have attended here undergrad and/or grad. I've been here at UCLA for the past 7 years and I know a professor that has been on admissions at UCLA med for the last 25 years. He confirms what most med students going here tell me...that UCLA does have a preference for "their kind" to a certain extent. I know at least 20 med students in the class of 2005 who went to UCLA undergrad with me and that seems to me to be more than a simple coincidence.

So my fellow Cali residents...have faith that it does matter to be a Californian!! 😎

 

[exmike]

seriously, have you guys even GLANCED at the MSAR? Every UC heavily favors california residents. UCSF and UCLA less so, but still significant. Please stop spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt in these forums!

 

[Luwi25]

Originally posted by exmike
seriously, have you guys even GLANCED at the MSAR? Every UC heavily favors california residents. UCSF and UCLA less so, but still significant. Please stop spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt in these forums!

I second that! 🙂

 

[1dharma]

Originally posted by exmike
seriously, have you guys even GLANCED at the MSAR? Every UC heavily favors california residents. UCSF and UCLA less so, but still significant. Please stop spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt in these forums!

of course you're right. But it's just so odd how the "official position" doesn't jive with what everyone knows

 

[Harps]

Originally posted by exmike
seriously, have you guys even GLANCED at the MSAR? Every UC heavily favors california residents. UCSF and UCLA less so, but still significant. Please stop spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt in these forums!

Huh....the numbers came from the current MSAR!

Dude, no one is saying UCs don't prefer Cali residents...

-Harps

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by Harps
Huh....the numbers came from the current MSAR!

Dude, no one is saying UCs don't prefer Cali residents...

-Harps

Uhm.. people ARE saying they dont.

Originally posted by kokonut

I have no idea why UCLA gives no preference to in-state. I think, at the very least, that out-of-staters should not get in-state tuition so quickly, since they've hardly paid any cali taxes.

 

[Harps]

Originally posted by exmike
Uhm.. people ARE saying they dont.

My bad, I didn't catch kokonut's post!

-Harps

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by Harps
My bad, I didn't catch kokonut's post!

-Harps

n/p 😉

on a related note, this "preference" for cali residents hasn't helped me one bit since i've been thoroughly ignored by the UC's.

 

[MedicinePowder]

I went through the process two years ago. From my experience, talking to others, and obsessive reading of SDN two years back, I came to the conclusion that UCLA's SOM admission process is FISHY at best.

And YES, they like their "own" kind. The only students that were accepted from my undergrad to UCLA were students who had done thier B.A. at UCLA and were now doing a postbac or a masters.

I've also known of students with zero acceptances everywhere else except UCLA.

 

[kokonut]

harps and exmike, why the heck are you guys talking about?

1) i was saying that ucsf *does* show preference.
2) i was taking at face value what UCLA says.

Are you saying that UCLA lies? they explicitly say:
"Residence: No preference is given to state of residence. However many applicants come from California. Acceptees from California are more likely to matriculate at UCLA. Out of 145 freshman, 85 percent were from California."

Just because the MSAR says that UCLA interviews and accepts more Cali residents means absolutely nothing about their preferences. What it means is that more Cali residents apply, and higher percentage of accepted Cali people matriculate. It does not mean that Cali people get any sort of boost in the admissions process. And this is exactly what UCLA says on their website.

koko

 

[Luwi25]

Med schools don't exactly tell you everything about their admissions process. They don't tell you that if your father is "David Geffen" you will definitely get into UCLA. They don't tell you that if you grandfather, father, mother and brother went to UCLA med, then you'll have a preference over other applicants. BUT, it is a known fact that UCLA med does extend a certain amount of preference to their "own kind".

So yeah, I guess you can say they lied on their MSAR. But name a school that DOES NOT lie?

 

[sinnah83]

Anyone have any news on when UCLA will send out final decision letters?
Last I heard was "sometime in February".

 

[kokonut]

Luwi.

I disagree. UCLA never said that they give no preference based on your legacy or based on your undergraduate institution. I would certainly hope that they give UCLA undergrads a numerical boost while calculating their application "score" -- almost every other med school does! And heck -- if your father donated 200 million to the med school and it's a totally different place because of him, you probably deserve a better chance at attending than your average Joe as well.

But that's a different beast from giving preference to your state of residence. I do not believe that whenever UCLA sees a Cali resident applying, they automatically give them a boost. That is what "giving preference to Cali residents" implies, and something that every other UC does.

koko

Originally posted by Luwi25
Med schools don't exactly tell you everything about their admissions process. They don't tell you that if your father is "David Geffen" you will definitely get into UCLA. They don't tell you that if you grandfather, father, mother and brother went to UCLA med, then you'll have a preference over other applicants. BUT, it is a known fact that UCLA med does extend a certain amount of preference to their "own kind".

So yeah, I guess you can say they lied on their MSAR. But name a school that DOES NOT lie?

 

[bell]

yawn...

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by sinnah83
Anyone have any news on when UCLA will send out final decision letters?
Last I heard was "sometime in February".

allegedly mid to late feb, but im thiking more on the lines of march the way they take so long.

 

[chapinsita]

So I?ve been kinda out of the loop for a while. I haven?t even checked my online status since christmas at any school, but I do still ask my parents every once in a while. (I?m studying abroad right now and more concerned with learning the language and getting a tan than harassing med schools).

So UCLA hasn?t accepted ANYone? I though Jan 15th was the first day that they start accepting. Is this not the case? Am I missing something? I thought since I interviewed around Dec.5, and still heard nothing, I was out of the picture. Hmmm...why are people saying Feb?

P.S. Hey Jlee, good to see some familiar posters, I hardly recognize anyone on these forums anymore! Hope all is good with you!

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by chapinsita
So I?ve been kinda out of the loop for a while. I haven?t even checked my online status since christmas at any school, but I do still ask my parents every once in a while. (I?m studying abroad right now and more concerned with learning the language and getting a tan than harassing med schools).

So UCLA hasn?t accepted ANYone? I though Jan 15th was the first day that they start accepting. Is this not the case? Am I missing something? I thought since I interviewed around Dec.5, and still heard nothing, I was out of the picture. Hmmm...why are people saying Feb?

P.S. Hey Jlee, good to see some familiar posters, I hardly recognize anyone on these forums anymore! Hope all is good with you!

i know seriously!! i was wondering what the heck happened to you? just busy with your sh^t? hope you have been doing well chapisita. i talked to some of my ucla friends and a couple are on the adcom...they said prolly get some letters out by mid feb to march. they just hella slow this year.

hope both of us get in...then ill already have a friend in the entering class! 😀

 

[CaliBoy]

Originally posted by Luwi25
Med schools don't exactly tell you everything about their admissions process. They don't tell you that if your father is "David Geffen" you will definitely get into UCLA. They don't tell you that if you grandfather, father, mother and brother went to UCLA med, then you'll have a preference over other applicants. BUT, it is a known fact that UCLA med does extend a certain amount of preference to their "own kind".

So yeah, I guess you can say they lied on their MSAR. But name a school that DOES NOT lie?

I feel that I can help you guys out by putting an end to some myths--these things I know with 100% certainty:

1. UCLA has zero preference for state residency. As far as I know, it's the only UC medical school with this policy. The origins of this policy stem from UCLA's commitment to a diverse medical student class. However, you will find that still the majority of each new entering class is comprised of California residents, primarily because there is a higher #of applicants from California and subsequently, a higher # of matriculants from California compared to other states. However, you will see many more out-of-state/international residents in our medical classes than you will at other UC's.

2. There is NO perference for undergraduate institution, including UCLA undergrads. However, there does tend to be a disproportionately high number of graduates of UCLA undergrad programs in the medical classes at UCLA. This is due to two factors: (1) The number of premeds at UCLA is extremely high and most of them apply to UCLA for medical school. Since there is no preference for undergraduate institution, you would expect that with a larger number of applicants from UCLA, a larger number of interviews will be granted to UCLA students. Accordingly, a larger number of acceptances will be given to UCLA students. (2) A large proportion of students who went to undergrad at UCLA and ultimately get accepted to med school here will decide to matriculate here. I should know, I was one of them--- and so was a third of my class!

Hope that helps. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions about UCLA. 🙂

 

[CalBeE]

My friend who interviewed at UCLA last week say the word is that the school may do things differently this year, sorta have a less rolling decision schedule. They just thought it would be more fair to those who interview later. So that could mean we won't hear back until March/April.

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by CalBeE
My friend who interviewed at UCLA last week say the word is that the school may do things differently this year, sorta have a less rolling decision schedule. They just thought it would be more fair to those who interview later. So that could mean we won't hear back until March/April.

NOOOOOOOOO!

the only way i would have gotten in was sneak in via rolling admissions. oh well. now im really screwed. good day.

 

[markus21]

Is UCLA still sending interview invites???????

 

[CalBeE]

Originally posted by jlee9531
NOOOOOOOOO!

the only way i would have gotten in was sneak in via rolling admissions. oh well. now im really screwed. good day.

haha...and oh, UCLA interviews in March too, but I'm not sure about April.

 

[sinnah83]

I found out from someone that UCLA plans to send out final decision letters earlyty next week or late this week.
I guess we should fingers crossed.