UCSD out of state -- utterly impossible?

[burpster45]

So say I wanted to apply to UCSD if I'm from the midwest--do I even have a shot or what?

If so, what would I need?

And why UCSD? In all honesty, I'd love to go to San Diego and it is a good med school.

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[xrevision]

Well what do you have so far?

AVG MCAT: 35
AVG GPA: 3.82
and about 10% of the class comes from out of state (11/122)

So if you're applying from out of state, I would aim for higher than these numbers.

 

[burpster45]

3.7, but i'm not halfway done with undergrad (so hopefully have that up)

and haven't taken the MCAT, let's just safely assume a...let's say...39.

(joking, i know it's not easy, but what IF?)

 

[burpster45]

also, regardless of grades/MCAT, i know that UC schools are notorious for not taking OOSers, so I didn't know if there was something i could do in particular.

maybe woo one of their faculty for two years and get a nice insider LOR (is that even legal?)?

 

[mfrizzo3]

Impossible--> NO
Uber-Difficult--> Yes

UCSD--> ~1700 OOS Applicants, ~100 Interview, ~10 Accepted

You could very well be one of the accepted, but my advice would be to look for additional schools/regions that may interest you.

 

[j-weezy]

Impossible--> NO
Uber-Difficult--> Yes

UCSD--> ~1700 OOS Applicants, ~100 Interview, ~10 Accepted

You could very well be one of the accepted, but my advice would be to look for additional schools/regions that may interest you.

Do those numbers account for the fact that MD/PhD is a much higher percentage of OOS? As in 5 out of the ~10 accepted may be in the MD/PhD program...

 

[ylliw]

My MSAR says ~10 matriculated, which would imply significantly more accepted (especially if it is similar to UCLA, which accepts a decent number out of state but has much greater matriculation % in-state). When I interviewed at UCSD (OOS), my interviewer said that once I was interviewing, they didn't really pay attention to where I was from. I would look at it like you would any school that is hard to get into: they have more qualified people than they need and it is very random.

 

[RPedigo]

3.7, but i'm not halfway done with undergrad (so hopefully have that up)

and haven't taken the MCAT, let's just safely assume a...let's say...39.

(joking, i know it's not easy, but what IF?)

Then you'd have a good shot, but you can never "safely assume" a 39. Good luck though, UCSD is an awesome place to be.

 

[j-weezy]

Then you'd have a good shot, but you can never "safely assume" a 39. Good luck though, UCSD is an awesome place to be.

UCSD or UCLA for you?

 

[RPedigo]

UCSD or UCLA for you?

No idea as of this point... I'm going to wait until all my cards are on the table (all decisions, all financial aid packages, all second look weekends) until I withdraw. Fun predicament to have though 🙂

 

[fourchambered]

I'm OOS and accepted at UCSD. My numbers are almost exactly the average of the school's, so you don't need to be superman. Just work hard at making your EC's really interesting and something you are passionate about. That would be my advice.

 

[Corker]

Hey burpster.

I'm IS and accepted. My "take" on UCSD is that they are looking for "something special." By looking at MDapplicants, I can see that there were many outstanding students (high GPA, killer MCAT scores) who were not even granted an interview, yet some "middle-of-the-road" applicants were admitted. Part of this might be due to the fact that UCSD's secondary requires a full one-page autobiography. In my heart, I believe this was the turning point for my application. As a non-traditional applicant, I was able to lay out my life's course and really express who I am. If you have some compelling story or real passion in medicine, UCSD's secondary will allow you to tell your story. I loved that about UCSD. I felt like they really wanted to get to know you.

Good luck. I understand your desire to attend there. In my opinion, San Diego is like heaven on earth...the weather, the vibe, the beach. And UCSD is an amazing school that will prepare you in all ways for an awesome career in medicine. In addition to getting great scores, GPA, etc., find something you are passionate about...in the hospital, in your community, in research, or whatever...and pour yourself into it. Then, when the time comes to express yourself in essays, talk about those "extra" things with that passion. Your sincerity will shine through. Best of luck!

 

[carwreck]

Hey burpster.

I'm IS and accepted. My "take" on UCSD is that they are looking for "something special." By looking at MDapplicants, I can see that there were many outstanding students (high GPA, killer MCAT scores) who were not even granted an interview, yet some "middle-of-the-road" applicants were admitted. Part of this might be due to the fact that UCSD's secondary requires a full one-page autobiography. In my heart, I believe this was the turning point for my application. As a non-traditional applicant, I was able to lay out my life's course and really express who I am. If you have some compelling story or real passion in medicine, UCSD's secondary will allow you to tell your story. I loved that about UCSD. I felt like they really wanted to get to know you.

Good luck. I understand your desire to attend there. In my opinion, San Diego is like heaven on earth...the weather, the vibe, the beach. And UCSD is an amazing school that will prepare you in all ways for an awesome career in medicine. In addition to getting great scores, GPA, etc., find something you are passionate about...in the hospital, in your community, in research, or whatever...and pour yourself into it. Then, when the time comes to express yourself in essays, talk about those "extra" things with that passion. Your sincerity will shine through. Best of luck!

I agree with Corker that the autobiography is important if you get selected for a secondary. Use that opportunity to convey your motivations, your accomplishments, and your goals beyond what you were able to say in your personal statement. Definitely work hard for that good MCAT, simply because a good MCAT will give you options (no guarantees though) and put you in a more "comfortable" position throughout the application process.

Best of luck! OOS to UCSD is possible. I was accepted back in January. 😀

 

[SageFrancis]

UCSF and UCLA are more OOS friendly if you want to come CA.
As someone mentioned about UCSD, UCSF is also a "something special" school that looks beyond superstar numbers.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Stay outta my california!!