University of California, San Diego

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BobbyK said:
Harder than I expected. The essay wasn't anything difficult, but the interview was harder than just about everyone else made it out to be. I guess I just got a hard one.

Also, if you are driving there, take note not to park in the massive parking lot nearest the building. The guy in the parking info booth didn't warn me about that, so now I have a ticket I have to contest. What a way to end the day.
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How long did your interview last?
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BobbyK said:
Harder than I expected. The essay wasn't anything difficult, but the interview was harder than just about everyone else made it out to be. I guess I just got a hard one.

Also, if you are driving there, take note not to park in the massive parking lot nearest the building. The guy in the parking info booth didn't warn me about that, so now I have a ticket I have to contest. What a way to end the day.
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In what way was it more difficult?
 
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today i called a lady who confirmed that the interviews were closed file. although i hope the way i explained it allowed to make a correct judgment of the interviews (she wasn't familiar with the concept open/closed file). can anyone confirm this?
 
It's open file. Plenty of chance to get your questions answered by their current students, so come ready with questions. Good Luck!
 
BobbyK said:
Harder than I expected. The essay wasn't anything difficult, but the interview was harder than just about everyone else made it out to be. I guess I just got a hard one.

Also, if you are driving there, take note not to park in the massive parking lot nearest the building. The guy in the parking info booth didn't warn me about that, so now I have a ticket I have to contest. What a way to end the day.
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What was so hard? Questions you didn't expect? Tough interviewer?
 
My interviewers were pretty chill. Very conversational. They gave me the last 20 minutes to ask them questions, which I liked. Overall the interview day was pretty meh though. I don't know why but it just seemed like people weren't happy there.
 
Should also mention that if you are not one of the first few groups to interview, you will finish your essay in about 20 minutes and spend the remaining time (up to an hour and a half) sitting in a silent room while people come back to write their essays.
 
I thought the interviewers were really nice. Like many others have said, they just wanted to get to know me as a person. They also gave me 15 minutes to ask questions. Overall, I was very impressed by the school. It has a great clinical focus.
 
you all will like the essay. It will be a nice breezy surprise and you pretty much have all your spare time to work on it, which is all the time minus 30-45 minutes for the interview. Definitely try to go to the student host room. The currents students have great advice and will help u be less nervous. go there if your interview time allows, i am glad I did. interview is open file and questions are spontaneous, but nothing new. They are questions that you find when you search "Pharmacy School Interview Questions" and you might get follow up questions to your response. Study your supplemental and pharmcas application and study UCSD and its qualities. Come with prepared with questions b/c they give u time to ask questions and it does not look good when they give you 10 minutes and you have no questions to ask.
 
The interview was just as expected, no surprises. The people were very nice. I'm not a big fan of La Jolla, though. UCSD remains my third choice school for now.
 
Soheila said:
The interview was just as expected, no surprises. The people were very nice. I'm not a big fan of La Jolla, though. UCSD remains my third choice school for now.
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Good, it's tied for first for me :D
 
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TeRRaNoXiC said:
yeah, the interview was pretty chill. they asked me only 10 minutes worth of questions and I asked them 20 minutes worth of questions back. not sure that they actually allotted specific amounts of time for us to ask questions but it was very conversational and their questions were all followup based on what i said. i didn't get asked any situational or behavioral questions such as "what are your strengths/weaknesses" or "tell me about a time where..." or "what would you do if..."

I had fun at the interview, though i felt a lot of other applicants were very nervous. it helped that i knew some of the other applicants, pharmacy students and even the pharmacist that interviewed me through prior networking haha. helped lighten the mood.

i came away very impressed by the environment and facilities, if i get in i'll definitely come back for a visit and shadow my p1 friend for a day before making my decision!
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Sounds like you'll be getting in for sure!
 
like sailingallalone, I thought the interview day experience was just so-so.

I was the very first group to interview, which was nice I guess, but I had NO time to mentally prepare myself after the presentation. The lady stopped speaking and the interviewer called my name a few seconds later. Although the interviewers were nice enough, it was only partially like a conversation (like when they branch off with questions based on your responses). It did seem like they had a list of questions to get through, as they asked about my biggest strength/weakness, MANY of my extracurriculars, and what I like to do for fun.

The essay was the stronger point for me, I think. I took like 90 minutes to write the stupid thing LOL. Loved the prompt. I think they're mainly looking to see if you can structure an essay like you did in high school (thesis, couple of body paragraphs, supporting details, etc.). Overall, I left UCSD knowing little more than when I went in, which was disappointing. I had hoped that I would get a better feel after interviewing and listening to their whole presentation. Maybe it's just me, but the students here seem a little more... boring than those at USC and UCSF (although I do know current UCSD students who are very personable/fun). I'll have to wait until after my interviews at those schools to finalize my personal rankings, but right now I would pick those over UCSD.

P.S. good luck to everyone still interviewing!
 
I stayed at the sheraton and will recommend it in case anyone is looking. If you reserve online, you'll get a cheaper rate than the group rate they have. Basic internet is included and the staff was nice. I liked that it was a bit away from the main street, meaning the place was quiet. There are some shops nearby if you need to get some last minute interview accessories.

As for the interview it was pretty chill. The format or the questions aren't anything special. You get two interviewers (from professors, current students, and alumni) and they just ask you questions that aren't anything out of the blue. I really couldn't tell if I did well or not. I didn't feel like I answered anything wrong but I don't think I blew them out of the waters by no means.

Oh and the lady giving the presentation is the associate dean... not some random lady (lol).

ps. they give you choices of fruits (bananas, apples and oranges if I remember correctly) and some oj and water (I think) for snack. I loved that since they normally give you donuts at other schools. Plus something tells me donuts first thing in the morning won't help me..
 
For those who interviewed, did UCSD provide a good amount of information on what their curriculum is like and how their rotations work?
 
Also, where are you supposed to meet for the interview? As in which building? I couldn't find the info in my email
 
Thanks for the info! Do you think they push their students into doing research or do you think students can get a broad range of experience with ambulatory or clinical pharmacy?
 
funnybunny said:
Thanks for the info! Do you think they push their students into doing research or do you think students can get a broad range of experience with ambulatory or clinical pharmacy?
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They definitely don't push people into research. I think they made it pretty clear that they are open to having any number of research students, whether it be 0 or 20 people. The alumni I talked to say they prepare you for just about anything you want to do in pharmacy and about 40% take the clinical/ambulatory route after graduating.
 
Soheila said:
They definitely don't push people into research. I think they made it pretty clear that they are open to having any number of research students, whether it be 0 or 20 people. The alumni I talked to say they prepare you for just about anything you want to do in pharmacy and about 40% take the clinical/ambulatory route after graduating.
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Yep. It's such a great school if you want to do clinical work, I fell in love with it during the interview! :cool:
 
funnybunny said:
Thanks for the info! Do you think they push their students into doing research or do you think students can get a broad range of experience with ambulatory or clinical pharmacy?
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My interviewer certainly wanted research students :rolleyes:
 
BobbyK said:
My interviewer certainly wanted research students :rolleyes:
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I think you are expected to work on at least one research project while you are there. But there are many areas of research, and not all of it is drug discovery and stuff like that (phew!).
 
kcha90 said:
I think you are expected to work on at least one research project while you are there. But there are many areas of research, and not all of it is drug discovery and stuff like that (phew!).
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My impression was that the research didn't have to be laboratory work but just some sort of investigation project...I could be remembering wrong.
 
Does anyone know what UCSD has that is unique? For example, Western has the block schedule and Touro has the 2+2 system. What are the rotations like during the 4th year? Do they have any extra-curriculars besides research and clerkships?
 
TeRRaNoXiC said:
Of course. There's a VA hospital right on campus so tons of people volunteer there, they have rotation sites mostly in SD due to small class size, industry connections with big pharma like Pfizer and you take classes with med students your first two years. That's what I can think of off the top of my head!


Also, it wouldn't be much of a PharmD program if all they had was research. It'd be more like a PhD program. Clerkships are not extracurriculars btw.
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Do you feel like the curriculum is very intense compared to other similar schools like USC? I hear the second year with the med students is pretty tough. What are their classes/grading system like? Do they have small group discussions or any interdisciplinary studies?
 
for those that interviewed recently, what was your essay prompt? i heard it was chill.....my friend interviewed last year, and she said her essay prompt was to write about cartoon character that you would want to meet. and for another session, it was in what movie would you want to live out in reality?
 
angeleyesoasis said:
for those that interviewed recently, what was your essay prompt? i heard it was chill.....my friend interviewed last year, and she said her essay prompt was to write about cartoon character that you would want to meet. and for another session, it was in what movie would you want to live out in reality?
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That sounds fun. I hear MD and DO interviews have fun questions and stuff like that. All the pharmacy interviews are boring.
 
angeleyesoasis said:
for those that interviewed recently, what was your essay prompt? i heard it was chill.....my friend interviewed last year, and she said her essay prompt was to write about cartoon character that you would want to meet. and for another session, it was in what movie would you want to live out in reality?
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If you could be a character in a novel, which one would you be and why?

It was super easy and chill, and they give you ample amount of time to finish it. They just want to see if you can put a few sentences together. Writing a very long essay is actually slightly discouraged (by them).
 
For those of you who had research experience, did they ask you a lot of questions about your research?
 
So judging from last year's thread it looks like they started reviewing applications and sending out acceptances the week after the last interview. Does anyone know of any interviews taking place after this weekend? The anticipation is killing me!
 
I had my interview today. At first I felt very confident (good oral communication skills, answered all questions using great examples), but now I'm not certain I am the candidate they are looking for. Their emphasis is on educating non-retail/hospital pharmacists and I feel like I may have come across as under-ambitious (I said I just wasn't certain). At least half of their students don't pursue a residency, so I can't imagine this will be a deal breaker for me, but I'm afraid it may. Regardless, I was honest and well-spoken, which is what I came to do, so I don't think I'll feel too bummed about a negative outcome.
 
BambooLou said:
I had my interview today. At first I felt very confident (good oral communication skills, answered all questions using great examples), but now I'm not certain I am the candidate they are looking for. Their emphasis is on educating non-retail/hospital pharmacists and I feel like I may have come across as under-ambitious (I said I just wasn't certain). At least half of their students don't pursue a residency, so I can't imagine this will be a deal breaker for me, but I'm afraid it may. Regardless, I was honest and well-spoken, which is what I came to do, so I don't think I'll feel too bummed about a negative outcome.
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Don't psych yourself out. They can't realistically expect everyone to be interested in clinical pharmacy. Even if that were the case, there aren't enough residency opportunities out there if everyone wanted to do clinical. If they don't accept you for that reason, then it's their loss :)
 
chasingpharmd said:
Don't psych yourself out. They can't realistically expect everyone to be interested in clinical pharmacy. Even if that were the case, there aren't enough residency opportunities out there if everyone wanted to do clinical. If they don't accept you for that reason, then it's their loss :)
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You're right, I am probably over-analyzing this :thumbup:
 
You guys might think this is funny. Sure made my heart skip a beat.

I headed over to the mail room today to check to see if I had anything new, when lo and behold I have a letter from UCSD. So many thoughts ran through my head. Did I get accepted? Was I so bad I got rejected immediately? Is this kind of survey?

Turns out it was my parking ticket appeal response. I parked in P604 during my interview, which apparently wasn't allowed, but they got rid of it on appeal. So all of those crazy thoughts for something that, in comparison to acceptance/rejection, pales in comparison.
 
Well according to last year's thread they did start sending out decisions in the first week of February :) I don't think that'll happen this year but just saying...
 
Haha yeah I know! I think that made it even worse, because it wasn't completely far fetched. I don't really expect to be in that first round of acceptances, but the letter made me think it was possible :p
 
Congrats on getting that ticket cleared. I felt the same way when UCSF sent out their survey. The email began with "thank you for applying" and I thought wow, rejected just 3 days after my interview?

I do hope they start sending out decisions soon, I can already tell February is going to be a long month.
 
I checked my inbox this morning... and inside there was a letter of admission. o_O

Anyone else receive anything yet? I'm actually kind of paranoid that there was some glitch... I wasn't expecting them to decide a week after interviewing me.
 
And so it begins...
I remember reading in last year's thread that they only send out acceptance/rejections on Thursdays and Fridays.
 
I didn't get one. There goes my self esteem
 
not to be all overdramatic or anything but...FML. I mean, I'm sure they didn't give out all sixty acceptances today but still ):
 
Just got letter of acceptance, interviewed 1/19/2013
 
Do they send an email for a hold and rejection or it's all done by a mailed letter?:confused:
 
kcha90 said:
Just got letter of acceptance, interviewed 1/19/2013
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To the ones who got acceptance letters, are you out of state? The assistant dean said that they review in batches and send out letters after each review week. Just wondering if they look at out of state first...
 
orangeconverses said:
To the ones who got acceptance letters, are you out of state? The assistant dean said that they review in batches and send out letters after each review week. Just wondering if they look at out of state first...
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CA born and raised :)

Edit: it was through email, if that matters. I haven't received anything in mail
 
Last edited:
nothing yet, either through email or snail mail (interviewed 1/18). can't say I'm surprised, though lol... c'mon, pharm schools! I just want ONE acceptance. please XD
 
kcha90 said:
Just got letter of acceptance, interviewed 1/19/2013
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You must be very happy, I remember you said it was one of your first choices! That's excellent news.
I'm quite jealous of all you who have heard back already. :)
 
theunworthyone said:
I checked my inbox this morning... and inside there was a letter of admission. o_O

Anyone else receive anything yet? I'm actually kind of paranoid that there was some glitch... I wasn't expecting them to decide a week after interviewing me.
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Congratulations!! That's so exciting! What day did you interview?
 
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