UCSF, "hold position concerning the possibility of an interview"

[Keith]

Does anybody know someone who got a letter from UCSF that reads,

"your application has been reviewed......you have been placed in a hold position concerning the possibility of an interview. Whether or not we will be able to interview you will be determined by the number of applicants selected as first priority for interview appointments. Therefore, it may be as late as April 15th before we are able to reach a final decision about your interview status"........I am sorry we cannot be more specific regarding an interview and hope that it will be possible to schedule you"

and still got an interview at a later date? obviously i'm on hold for interview and am not "first priority", but have others gotten interviews after being in this category? do straight rejections post-secondary read differently or is this just a "let you down easy" rejection?

i just got this letter in the mail today. my secondary was sent in 12-01 and i was an august MCATer.

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[Weeble]

What I read on medicalgold.com regarding UCSF hold for interview category was that about 200 people are placed in it, and about 10% of those 200 are eventually interviewed.

 

[Keith]

Weeble----thanks for the info.

Does anybody have anything else on this topic?

 

[Keith]

so i got a call today, "hi this is ________ from the university of california, san francisco. we would really love to have you come for an interview, are you still interested?" after leaping 10 feet in the air i said yes. i was then scheduled for an interview next week. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
so it is possible to get an interview after being placed in the hold category. they are trying to wrap up interviews next week so hope for a call very soon, good luck!!!!!!

 

[Brandon]

I was placed on hold previously and was recently invited for an interview. Turns out, they told me AMCAS this year really screwed up which is why most ppl were put on hold while they sorted through the applications. Good luck! PS - I was accepted.

 

[isa]

Wow, congratulations, Keith and Brandon!

Good luck on your interview, Keith. Knock them dead!

Brandon, will you be attending UCSF this fall?

 

[Keith]

isa,

thanks

 

[SarahL]

Congratulations to all of you who got an interview. Were you all on hold, or has anyone recently been invited for an interview who hadn't been put on hold yet? My secondary wasn't complete until February 14 (I had a bad case of mono, and a bad case of AMCAS, and sent in my application really late). Do I still have a chance for an interview?? Thanks for any input you can provide.

 

[Keith]

brandon and i had been "on hold for interview". he got his interview a while ago and i just got mine today. admissions said they were trying to wrap up interviewing next week. you should here something soon. good luck!

 

[SarahL]

Thanks! I just love this forum. Everyone here seems so great. It would be terrific if all the people here who love UCSF ended up as classmates. Good luck to you, too!

SarahL

 

[SarahL]

Just out of curiosity, how is it decided who will be asked for an interview once his or her application has been put on hold? I know that if they're just reviewing your application after you've submitted the secondary, without ever being put on hold, a single individual determines whether you get an interview. Is this the case for applications put on hold, or are they reviewed by a committee?

 

[Keith]

sarahl,

i'm not sure.

 

[SarahL]

Has anyone else been invited for an interview at UCSF the last week of March? How about the first week of April? How much notice did they give you, and how did they contact you?

Sorry to bombard you with questions...I'm just on the edge of my seat....

SarahL

 

[Keith]

sarahl,
i was notified via telephone yesterday and they scheduled me right then for next week. they are trying to wrap up interviews by the end of next week. but the way things have gone this year nothing is certain.

 

[SarahL]

just bumping this up in case anyone has gotten an invitation lately to UCSF....

 

[dukee]

saral, I am in your same boat. my application has been complete for a about a month and a half. I am starting to lose hope.

 

[SarahL]

Hi dukee,

I'm glad I'm not the only one. When I spoke with the admissions office last week they said that it is now taking five to six weeks to process secondaries (I am just entering week 6). I assumed that they meant secondaries that hadn't been reviewed yet (i.e., not secondaries from people who were put on hold for an interview).

Also, there's another thread somewhere (can't remember what it's called) in which someone talks about how he got contacted for an interview and they were able to schedule it for exactly one week later. Someone told this guy that in the past they'd actually scheduled interviews with only 12 hours' notice....could be an exaggeration, though. Some interviewees in the past have apparently called up and said they were going to be in SF the next day, could they have an interview, etc., and their requests were accommodated.

It would be easier if I didn't know these things since then I could just give up hope...

I also haven't been able to find out if they will still be interviewing into the first week of April. They'd like to wrap it up on March 28, but may continue until April 4 "if necessary," whatever that means.

Since I have interviews the first week of April, I called up the UCSF admissions office and tried the "I have other interviews coming up, can I schedule my interview with you around the same time?" ruse. The nice woman who answered said she really couldn't tell me what my status was, but she wished me luck. She had gone to look in my file and my impression was that it was still under review because it seems that there wasn't anything in it for her to tell me about.

I'm not sure what all this means....I do know that one person reviews the applications and decides whether someone gets an interview, but I don't know if it's point-based or not. For instance, at UCSD the letters of recommendation are scored, along with GPA, MCAT, EC's, etc., and the overall score determines whether you get an interview. UCSF uses a point-based system for the essay, MCAT, grades, etc., but I'm not sure about the LOR's. I don't know how UCSF would score my recommendations since I sent them seven!

Maybe this is all more than you wanted to know...But UCSF is my first choice (I work there) and I have done a fair amount of research on all this. Incidentally, today is an administrative holiday at UCSF, but if you wanted to call you might be able to reach someone anyway. A lot of people work today and take another day off as comp time. I've called too many times to try again today.....

I wish you lots of luck and hope we'll be in class together! Have a great weekend.

SarahL

 

[sundevil1]

To all still waiting:

I think UCSF is pretty set on their last interview day of March 28, that was the last day possible I was told. I withdrew my app. (post interview offer) yesterday but it was hard, everyone there is so nice and helpful, I couldn't believe it. She told me that they need a week to get your file ready for the interview so I had to let them know by yesterday. I hate to be the one to say this but as far as UCSF goes, I think time is running out. Of course, it's not over until the adcom sings, so I would wait until somebody calls and they are told they are officially done requesting interviews. You locals have an advantage, you could be there the next day, so maybe a weeks notice is not necessary. I'm just trying to pass along any info. I can. Good luck.

 

[SarahL]

Thanks, sundevil1. I might be hoping for the impossible...I'll have to get out and enjoy San Francisco this weekend so I can stop thinking about it. Have a great one!

SarahL

 

[dukee]

SarahL,

Thanks for all the information about UCSF. It is such a small world. I work at UCSF, but I have no love from them yet. I think UCSF is my first choice too, but I am not sure I will ever get the interview invite. Maybe I will try calling on Monday to see what is up. I do know there is a point system, but who knows how they pick who they interview. Have you gotton in anywhere yet? Where have you interviewed? Anyway, good luck! Let me know if you find anything else about UCSF. All I know is that my file is still somewhere that is not in the office, so maybe it is still being reviewed. But how long does that take! Over one month a half!

 

[SarahL]

Hi dukee,

Well, that's probably great that it's not in the office! I think mine is still being reviewed too. Maybe they've given the reviewers a deadline.

I applied really, really late -- the last day for AMCAS and the UC application admission. My interview at Pitt was in February (still waiting to hear) and I have three in April: UCSD, Colorado, and Einstein. Since I only applied to five schools, I'm just waiting to hear from UCSF.

UCSF is notorious for being *extremely* slow. I work with a physician who went to UCSF for med school, was chief resident at Columbia, and then applied for a fellowship position at UCSF. He said he was the last of all the residents he knew to find out where he was going. And he is a total star. It's like working with an astronaut or something. Med school admissions is just as slow.

I sure hope you get an interview; it would be great if I did too and and we could meet each other.

Have a nice weekend!

SarahL

 

[SarahL]

Hi dukee,

I read on SDN somewhere that the secondaries at UCSF undergo several reviews (a posting by BeckyG, a student at UCSF is involved in some way with admissions). That partly explains this hellacious wait....Good luck!

SarahL

 

[dukee]

hey sarahl,

I got a rejection letter today from UCSF. I guess I will not be there this year. Anyway, good luck.

 

[lady in red]

Hey Sarah,
I just wanted to jump and wish you guys good luck. I tried getting a job at UCSF (I had 7 job interviews with UCSF labs, but did not get a single job offer there!!), so i got 'picked up' by Stanford (they are less picky and pay more, too!) I don't think they care whether you work there; they know they are the best, and everyone wants to go to school there and work there. I was trying to convey to my interviewers how happy I was to be invited, but it did not seem to make a difference. looking back, i think they place a lot of emphasis on the essay and on the letters. The reason I think so is because I got the secondary WAYYYYY before my August MCAT (the only MCAT i took, thanks god) came in. If they want you, they are REALLY prompt in everything, including the interview. The only thing that could have distinguished me was my essay. I think Becky mentioned that before, also. Another observation I read somewhere--they are trying to put together a CLASS--this is why they are looking for people with different 'life experiences', whatever that means in each person's mind. They don't want what some people call 'medi-clones'--a bunch of identical applicants--well, that look identical on paper.
They have 75 or so admissions committee members, so you never know who reads your application.
Don't give up hope just yet--a lot of people who get in there also get into Hopkins, Harvard and Co. A LOT of these people will turn down UCSF--this is why they issue almost 100 more acceptances than the size of the entering class.
If you have questions about interview or anything else, PM me--i'll be happy to help.