UCSF School of Pharmacy Class of 2013

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NocturneGminor

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Thank you, I'm thrilled to be accepted to such an extraordinary institution and especially excited to meet you all in the fall ! ;)
 
me too--i'm super excited that we only have one quarter of p-chem to take instead of 2! :laugh:
 
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I'm in SF--so I don't have to worry about moving or all that. :)
 
I am from SF as well. Born and raised...meaning free rent at mom and dad's house! haha...i am so excited about getting in...its still a surreal feeling:)
 
hello all, jw if anyone has looked into their housing situation. any recommendations on decent reasonably priced areas to look into or anyone looking for roommates for a place they already found PM me!!
 
I've been debating whether I want to live with UCSF students (not necessarily pharm students) or to live with non-students (ie an old roommate). Anyone have any words of wisdom on this issue?

Pros of living with a student: empathy, similar schedule, expand UCSF network...

Pros of living with a non-student: I don't want UCSF to envelop my life...
 
hey everyone!

i'm from arizona - so moving to sf is a pretty big deal! =)

i'm currently looking for a place to live, i was thinking about the mission bay apartments...anyone else thinking about living there?! or any other places that anyone can recommend i look into?!

also - when i interviewed, i remember hearing that a Google group for all us will be created...did anyone else hear / see this too?!

WOO HOO CLASS OF 2013!!!! =)
 
Let's see, well, I've been living in SF for the past ten years and actually been working at UC, so I can give you some insight--not a lot, though. LOL

I'm sure a lot of you have noticed that rents can be crazy here, but they have started to come down significantly, which for us is less than $2K for a 2 bedroom on craigslist in the Inner Sunset, which is where the Parnassus campus, which was unheard of just a year or two ago. I've heard both good and bad things about living in Mission Bay (good: shuttles directly to Parnassus, everyone there is a UCSF affiliate; bad: in an "up and coming part of town" meaning hella sketchy sometimes, hard getting around unless you have a car, etc.). I'm not familiar with Aldea or the other student housing that's directly by campus.

I've lived in Pacific Heights and the Inner Richmond (which is where I am now). In the Inner Richmond, crime is almost nonexistent, there's amazing Asian food, and getting to the campus means either a nice 25-minute walk through Golden Gate Park or a 10 minute bus ride.

UCSF Parnassus has three major neighborhoods close by: Cole Valley (very rich), Haight Ashbury (nice, if you can deal with the delusional hippies/drug addicts/hipsters), and Inner Sunset. There are also some great neighborhoods that are walkable/bus-able in SF, like Outer Sunset, Castro (which although I'm queer--I don't think I could live there b/c of all the crazy parties all the time), Inner Richmond, or West Portal/St. Francis Wood.

Craigslist is obviously a great place to start--I've heard good things and bad things about the Housing Office, but given how the rental market is, you should be able to get a good deal around the area (again, adjust accordingly--good deal for SF means having an awesome apartment to yourself almost anywhere else in the country). Expect rents of $1000-1500 for studios/one bedrooms, $750-1250 for in-laws (converted apartments in single family homes which are common in the Sunset), and $1750+ for 2+ bedrooms.

Hope this helps.
 
hey everyone!

i'm from arizona - so moving to sf is a pretty big deal! =)

i'm currently looking for a place to live, i was thinking about the mission bay apartments...anyone else thinking about living there?! or any other places that anyone can recommend i look into?!

also - when i interviewed, i remember hearing that a Google group for all us will be created...did anyone else hear / see this too?!

WOO HOO CLASS OF 2013!!!! =)

dude, for REAL!!! i am totally up for mission bay apartments cuz i have a car, and that is the only place that has parking for my car!!! albeit, $112 for a spot but that's a bargain in SF i think!

so if i can get a cheap enough place in mission bay (I was looking at studios because i dunno anyone who is going to UCSF...) i am totally going to move there! but i can't really spend much over $1000, i'm going to be soooo in debt.

housing is my biggest issue cuz i've thought about commuting (i live 2 blocks from north berkeley BART) but it seems expensive (BART and Muni will be $10 roundtrip a day) and time-consuming. if i can get into mission bay at a cheap enough price and get my parking spot, i'll totally go for it.

what is everyone aiming for, for move-in dates for UCSF student housing? i wonder how early i need to move in to be competitive...

Can't wait to meet you all in the fall! =) i've already sent all my transcripts and the deposit and EVERYTHING! too excited.
 
me too--i'm super excited that we only have one quarter of p-chem to take instead of 2! :laugh:

aww.. i love pchem! =T haha. oh well, at least there is still SOME pchem...

i'm so scared! i hope i don't like, fail out in my 1st qtr.
 
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checking in! when is everybody from san diego getting together to have drinks?
 
dude, for REAL!!! i am totally up for mission bay apartments cuz i have a car, and that is the only place that has parking for my car!!! albeit, $112 for a spot but that's a bargain in SF i think!

so if i can get a cheap enough place in mission bay (I was looking at studios because i dunno anyone who is going to UCSF...) i am totally going to move there! but i can't really spend much over $1000, i'm going to be soooo in debt.

housing is my biggest issue cuz i've thought about commuting (i live 2 blocks from north berkeley BART) but it seems expensive (BART and Muni will be $10 roundtrip a day) and time-consuming. if i can get into mission bay at a cheap enough price and get my parking spot, i'll totally go for it.

what is everyone aiming for, for move-in dates for UCSF student housing? i wonder how early i need to move in to be competitive...

Can't wait to meet you all in the fall! =) i've already sent all my transcripts and the deposit and EVERYTHING! too excited.

I know there's a facebook group already set up, even though most of the group are already in UCSF. :D

I know residential parking permits in SF are about $50 a year, so if you end up getting a studio in a nice part of town that requires a permit, it's not a bad alternative.

Are you going to make it for drinks on the 4th?
 
Personally, I'm planning on finding an apt close to campus (2bdrm) with my college friend who just got into UCSF Dental (so I can network with Dental people/parties :laugh:)

I was perusing Craigslist today and I saw a Luxury 3bdrm ($4500) but it had all hardwood floors, state-of-the-art appliances, large backyard with swimming pool, outdoor fireplace, indoor fireplace, 2 dishwashers, etc! If anyone decides to rent that place, it would make a great bachelor pad :D
 
hey everyone!

i'm from arizona - so moving to sf is a pretty big deal! =)

i'm currently looking for a place to live, i was thinking about the mission bay apartments...anyone else thinking about living there?! or any other places that anyone can recommend i look into?!

also - when i interviewed, i remember hearing that a Google group for all us will be created...did anyone else hear / see this too?!

WOO HOO CLASS OF 2013!!!! =)

I think I will be looking for a place at Mission Bay as well. It seems like a really nice place. The student who was giving us the tour at the end of the interview day was really impressed by Mission Bay and all it had to offer.

Oh and I think they said they will be setting up a Yahoo group that everyone will have to join...
 
I think I will be looking for a place at Mission Bay as well. It seems like a really nice place. The student who was giving us the tour at the end of the interview day was really impressed by Mission Bay and all it had to offer.

Oh and I think they said they will be setting up a Yahoo group that everyone will have to join...

great! i'm excited that there are a few people interested in Mission Bay! i think i'm going to go with a studio. i can only make judgment from what i see online; however, so far mission bay seems to fit my requirements / expectations the best. but i guess i will need to check it out to make the final call! =)
 
Personally, I'm planning on finding an apt close to campus (2bdrm) with my college friend who just got into UCSF Dental (so I can network with Dental people/parties :laugh:)

I was perusing Craigslist today and I saw a Luxury 3bdrm ($4500) but it had all hardwood floors, state-of-the-art appliances, large backyard with swimming pool, outdoor fireplace, indoor fireplace, 2 dishwashers, etc! If anyone decides to rent that place, it would make a great bachelor pad :D

Maybe after we've graduated and done our residency can you rent that out...:laugh:
 
what is everyone aiming for, for move-in dates for UCSF student housing? i wonder how early i need to move in to be competitive...

I am also wondering about this. Opinions? On another note, I am excited to meet you all in the fall. :) Congratulations everyone!
 
Oh, forgot to say, I live in the city but I'm planning to find a place to move into early August or so.
 
Let's see, well, I've been living in SF for the past ten years and actually been working at UC, so I can give you some insight--not a lot, though. LOL

I'm sure a lot of you have noticed that rents can be crazy here, but they have started to come down significantly, which for us is less than $2K for a 2 bedroom on craigslist in the Inner Sunset, which is where the Parnassus campus, which was unheard of just a year or two ago. I've heard both good and bad things about living in Mission Bay (good: shuttles directly to Parnassus, everyone there is a UCSF affiliate; bad: in an "up and coming part of town" meaning hella sketchy sometimes, hard getting around unless you have a car, etc.). I'm not familiar with Aldea or the other student housing that's directly by campus.

I've lived in Pacific Heights and the Inner Richmond (which is where I am now). In the Inner Richmond, crime is almost nonexistent, there's amazing Asian food, and getting to the campus means either a nice 25-minute walk through Golden Gate Park or a 10 minute bus ride.

UCSF Parnassus has three major neighborhoods close by: Cole Valley (very rich), Haight Ashbury (nice, if you can deal with the delusional hippies/drug addicts/hipsters), and Inner Sunset. There are also some great neighborhoods that are walkable/bus-able in SF, like Outer Sunset, Castro (which although I'm queer--I don't think I could live there b/c of all the crazy parties all the time), Inner Richmond, or West Portal/St. Francis Wood.

Craigslist is obviously a great place to start--I've heard good things and bad things about the Housing Office, but given how the rental market is, you should be able to get a good deal around the area (again, adjust accordingly--good deal for SF means having an awesome apartment to yourself almost anywhere else in the country). Expect rents of $1000-1500 for studios/one bedrooms, $750-1250 for in-laws (converted apartments in single family homes which are common in the Sunset), and $1750+ for 2+ bedrooms.

Hope this helps.

Wow, awesome post. Thank you for the info. Having talked with other UCSF students, the most effective way to stretch your buck is to find a 3- or 4-bd apartment and rent with some friends. This is what most P2 and P3 end up doing. The problem is that most us don't know one another yet and may not feel comfortable to make that type of a commitment. On the other hand, on-campus housing would end up being a similar arrangement.:laugh:
 
Just to put it out there, pm me if you are interested in finding housing near campus. One of my best friends today was my freshman year roommate as an undergrad. It would be nice to make some new friends through this process as well!:D

Congratulations to all of us for making it in. I am super excited about meeting each one of you and getting to know you. It's just beginning to hit me now...what an opportunity this is...
 
Wow, awesome post. Thank you for the info. Having talked with other UCSF students, the most effective way to stretch your buck is to find a 3- or 4-bd apartment and rent with some friends. This is what most P2 and P3 end up doing. The problem is that most us don't know one another yet and may not feel comfortable to make that type of a commitment. On the other hand, on-campus housing would end up being a similar arrangement.:laugh:

Hehe! It might be a good thing--or a bad thing to live with other pharm students. I'm glad and very lucky I don't have to change my living situation. If you do the on-campus housing, don't they just set you up with someone random unless you specifically ask for someone?

On an aside, it's always been my experience that it's best to live with acquaintances--all the roommates that I've lived who were friends at first I ended up hating after a while, and I feel weird about living with total strangers. So who knows, maybe you should find people here who want to move in with you.
 
just wanted to make my mark :)
reapplicant, accepted in the postmarked-march-19 group, LA!

hi
 
I know there's a facebook group already set up, even though most of the group are already in UCSF. :D

I know residential parking permits in SF are about $50 a year, so if you end up getting a studio in a nice part of town that requires a permit, it's not a bad alternative.

Are you going to make it for drinks on the 4th?

what time is it at? i'm in the UCSF group on facebook, i posted on it, wondering what time it was going to be at.

but... even with parking permit, it can't be fun finding parking on the streets, right?

i think living at mission bay would be nice... i was thinking either a studio, or sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with 1 other person, just for the sake of my social life.

but grad school seems diff from undergrad, i think we meet most people through classes and not "dorms" right? so maybe my social life won't wither away if i'm in a studio.

i'm looking at a move-in date of july 15 or so, because i want to be competitive for housing!
 
what time is it at? i'm in the UCSF group on facebook, i posted on it, wondering what time it was going to be at.

but... even with parking permit, it can't be fun finding parking on the streets, right?

i think living at mission bay would be nice... i was thinking either a studio, or sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with 1 other person, just for the sake of my social life.

but grad school seems diff from undergrad, i think we meet most people through classes and not "dorms" right? so maybe my social life won't wither away if i'm in a studio.

i'm looking at a move-in date of july 15 or so, because i want to be competitive for housing!

Looks like it's going to be at 8PM on the 4th over on Yancy's (I just checked the Facebook group). Funny, I've never been there even though I've been working here for years.

Parking actually isn't that bad in most neighborhoods that are close to UCSF, depending on where you live. I usually don't spend more than 10 minutes looking for parking in the Inner Richmond, but that's because I'm a block away from all these bars on Clement Street and it can be a challenge on the weekends. Parking might be a challenge at certain times in the Haight also. If for some reason you want to live in downtown, Chinatown/North Beach, or Nob Hill/Russian Hill, parking is a b****, but it's too far from anything UCSF related to make it worth living there.

Other neighborhoods you might want to consider living are Pacific Heights, since UCSF has a campus on Mt. Zion; or in Laurel Heights, and UCSF offers shuttles in both places to Parnassus on a regular basis.

I'm not sure how the parking situation is at Mission Bay, if you get your own parking spot or not. It would only make sense that you would, even if it means paying a little extra.

Also, I think the 122 of us will get to know each other pretty well since we'll be taking classes together the next 2 1/2 years--though from what I know personally, the pharmacy students tend to be the most outgoing and meet people all over. There's also other ways to meet people, like at the gym, etc. The gym at Bakar which is in Mission Bay is incredible--I love swimming there just for the views of the skyline.
 
Hehe! It might be a good thing--or a bad thing to live with other pharm students. I'm glad and very lucky I don't have to change my living situation. If you do the on-campus housing, don't they just set you up with someone random unless you specifically ask for someone?

On an aside, it's always been my experience that it's best to live with acquaintances--all the roommates that I've lived who were friends at first I ended up hating after a while, and I feel weird about living with total strangers. So who knows, maybe you should find people here who want to move in with you.

The on-campus housing application asks if you have a preference for roommates, either individually (person's name) or by discipline (dental, medical, pharmacy, etc).

I think living with other pharmacy students can be a positive experience so long as we are :cool: I am basing this from my experiences as an undergrad. During my freshman and sophomore years, I lived in a suite with other students of the same major. We did the whole school thing fairly well (helped each other out with questions and assignments) and we got together for social events (playing intramural games, watching basketball/football games). When we needed our space, we just closed our doors or went to the library. I am hoping that whomever I live with in SF is down to explore the city with me during our breaks and host poker nights :)
 
Ok, I have a confession--I already bought my UCSF Pharmacy hoodie. When I tried it on, I think that's when it hit me--I'm going to UCSF...

I'm still in shock. :D
 
Ok, I have a confession--I already bought my UCSF Pharmacy hoodie. When I tried it on, I think that's when it hit me--I'm going to UCSF...

I'm still in shock. :D

:laugh: Nice! Gonna buy mine soon too :)
 
I thought I was the only one who wanted to run out and buy it the second i got my letter! lol

That's gonna be funny if we all show up at cocktails and we're all wearing the hoodies! :laugh:
 
Shoot. I was totally thinking of wearing mine to the get-together on April 4th... I guess it'll make it easier to spot me :laugh:

My dad got me one two days after my acceptance :laugh:

- As for parking, I work at UCSF 4 days a week right now and it takes me between 5-15mins to find parking about.... 10-15 blocks away :laugh:
But, it's still more convenient than taking the bus IMHO :thumbup:

- And as for mission bay bakar fitness center, its TOTALLY AWESOME; new equipment, 2 swimming pools, small tv screens on the treadmills/stationary bikes/ellipticals, etc. Actually I'm going there tonight to play some ball so if anyone wants to join, feel free, I'll be the one missing all the shots :smack:
 
Ok, I have a confession--I already bought my UCSF Pharmacy hoodie. When I tried it on, I think that's when it hit me--I'm going to UCSF...

I'm still in shock. :D

I have a greater confession...I bought the UCSF pharmacy t-shirt the DAY OF my interview (after the interview session). :whistle: I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to use it but now I will be able to! I will definitely buy some more UCSF paraphernalia when I get to SF. :p
 
haha wow! you guys.... =x i think perhaps it STILL hasn't hit me how big a change this is going to be... working for 2 yrs, then going to UCSF... i haven't realized i'm going back to school yet!!!

maybe cuz i might be staying in my current apt in berkeley, so it doesn't feel like life will be that diff...

and yeah, for $112 a month you can get a parking garage permit for mission bay. i'm pretty psyched about the gym, that is a really good reason for me to want to move to mission bay.

has anyone given UCSF housing a call yet, to ask about housing??? ask what's available?
 
This thread is great. Hello fellow UCSF class of 2013 classmates. Are there any older students interested in campus housing that is finding it hard to swallow having to share in a group house or apartment. Which means giving up all of my personal items except clothes. :scared: I am thinking of living off campus some where just outside of the city. Does anyone know what affordable areas are outside of the city that is not too far from campus?
 
Well, the only really affordable cities outside of SF are south, like Daly City and South San Francisco. North of SF is really expensive since that's Marin County and rents while comparable, aren't really worth having to drive over the Golden Gate everyday (which is a $5-6 toll everyday!).

The good thing about those cities is that rents are substantially cheaper. You might be able to do a UCSF Vanpool from San Mateo County (I know they have them all over the Bay Area) for I think $60-70 a month. If you want to drive into SF, you'll have to park in the Sunset to avoid the 2 hour parking areas and then take the N-Judah streetcar to get to campus. Another option is to buy a parking permit at 55 Laguna, which is one of the UCSF parking lots, and then from there you can take the Lime Shuttle directly to Parnassus if you want to commute.

Honestly for me, the aggravation of driving on the freeways, parking, then taking the shuttle to UCSF every day wasn't worth it, which I did for 6 years when I was living in Daly City. I'd see if you can find a roommate situation close to Parnassus. There are lots of people who are looking for roommates who are older.

(sigh, I hate using the term older! :laugh:)
 
I am thinking to move to SF early in July. Until the class starts, there are couple of months that I have.

What will be the best way to spend this time?

Summer job? Internship? Any thoughts?

Seriously, internship or summer job might work.

Otherwise, exploring the awesomeness of SF is good too--if you're a single straight guy who's not a douchebag, this is heaven. ;)
 
Yay! Got my sweater...but parking is a bitch!!!! I had to spend a whopping $3 in the UC lot. lol. But I am happy to have my sweater...but they only had blue ones (that say pharmacy) I wanted different colors! haha

I am happy anyways....doesn't life seem a little more awesome since you got the letter? It does to me! :)
 
Well, the only really affordable cities outside of SF are south, like Daly City and South San Francisco. North of SF is really expensive since that's Marin County and rents while comparable, aren't really worth having to drive over the Golden Gate everyday (which is a $5-6 toll everyday!).

The good thing about those cities is that rents are substantially cheaper. You might be able to do a UCSF Vanpool from San Mateo County (I know they have them all over the Bay Area) for I think $60-70 a month. If you want to drive into SF, you'll have to park in the Sunset to avoid the 2 hour parking areas and then take the N-Judah streetcar to get to campus. Another option is to buy a parking permit at 55 Laguna, which is one of the UCSF parking lots, and then from there you can take the Lime Shuttle directly to Parnassus if you want to commute.

Honestly for me, the aggravation of driving on the freeways, parking, then taking the shuttle to UCSF every day wasn't worth it, which I did for 6 years when I was living in Daly City. I'd see if you can find a roommate situation close to Parnassus. There are lots of people who are looking for roommates who are older.

(sigh, I hate using the term older! :laugh:)

Thanks Stkyrice. This is good information. I guess I will have to get creative and see if I can find something that will work for me long term. I did not realize it was so difficult to get into the city from outside. Maybe I will have to sacrifice and give up what I have worked so hard to get. :thumbdown: Not ideal. I am taking my bed with me. Nothing like a good nights sleep. Maybe storage is a good option for me and in four years I can get my posessions back. But either way I am so psyched to be going to UCSF :).
 
Is it feasible to find a job that I can only work couple months in SF?

Definitely! I am looking forward exploring SF. Do you know any cool dance clubs having with awesome Euro techno music??

Not sure, honestly--given the economy, it might be difficult. There are temp agencies that are available here in SF, and UCSF has an in-house agency, but that's more for administrative/support, and not so much science-related.

As for Euro techno music--I don't go to the clubs anymore, but there is a good dance station based here that's also on the net: http://energy927fm.com. I know a lot of clubs do advertisements there, and you can also try using yelp or other forums to look for other dance clubs. :) I know the more famous general ones are 1015 (in SoMa), Ruby Skye, and Mezzanine, but the venues change there from day to day and week to week.
 
Dang! My UCSF sweatshirt only says UCSF and not PHARMACY, I guess I will have to purchase more UCSF gear :laugh:

As for clubs, maybe try Ruby Skye? It has House music but already thats too techno/trance for me... and I honestly do not know the difference between Euro techno or regular? techno :laugh:
 
side question: has anyone looked at the statement of legal residence? if so, how specfic/accurate do some of these dates have to be? (eg. Date in which my driver license was issued)
 
side question: has anyone looked at the statement of legal residence? if so, how specfic/accurate do some of these dates have to be? (eg. Date in which my driver license was issued)

I just put down the year when I got my license since I can't remember the exact month and day either.

Though I did realize that when I got my driver's license, most of you weren't even in kindergarten yet. :eek:
 
side question: has anyone looked at the statement of legal residence? if so, how specfic/accurate do some of these dates have to be? (eg. Date in which my driver license was issued)

I called the office of admission and registrar and they said just be as close as you can remember. So long as you live in California, you will have no problems with this form for the most part. Out of state is where this form gets a little tricky.
 
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