University of California, San Diego

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Soheila said:
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. :)
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Thanks, it's a great feeling. I hope everyone else gets good news as well.
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im from socal and i got my letter of acceptance today too!! i interviewed last friday so i was super surprised..congrats to all that also got accepted so far! =]
 
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yay congrats! :) it seems like they reviewed applicants from every session. wonder if there's any order to this whole review process...
 
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Congrats to everyone! I got mine this morning too! They send out acceptances in batches at the end of each week, so don't give up if you haven't heard anything yet :)
 
TeRRaNoXiC said:
Can I ask what letter your last names start with?
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I'm guessing the committee spends only a limited time each week (Wednesday?) deliberating. They might start with the "definites" and work their way to the "maybes"- not sure. Based on previous years, there seems to be 3 weeks of initial acceptances going out, then they accept more in spurts until classes start.
 
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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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I got mine Friday and am from out of state.
 
I should certainly hope not!

Of you guys and gals who got in, what are you guys thinking for UCSD? I went into the interview process thinking UCSD was my top choice by a mile, but UCSF is starting to seem somewhat alluring as well.
 
BobbyK said:
I should certainly hope not!

Of you guys and gals who got in, what are you guys thinking for UCSD? I went into the interview process thinking UCSD was my top choice by a mile, but UCSF is starting to seem somewhat alluring as well.
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Typically it's the other way around lol
 
Different circumstances for different people I guess. :laugh:

UCSD is closer to family, a more familiar area, a very good (but growing) program, and has smaller class sizes. I liked all of that when researching the schools on paper.

I really did like the transit of SF though, and the program is of course fantastic. It is just farther away from family, the weather isn't as nice, it will most likely cost more to live there, and I will almost definitely have to live in their graduate student housing rather than find a reasonably priced apartment that would accommodate certain pets.
 
BambooLou said:
I'm guessing the committee spends only a limited time each week (Wednesday?) deliberating. They might start with the "definites" and work their way to the "maybes"- not sure. Based on previous years, there seems to be 3 weeks of initial acceptances going out, then they accept more in spurts until classes start.
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It's been a big mystery as to how admissions committees categorized the different applicants when making their reviews. Do they really make qualitative evaluations on each and every applicant, or do they break down each aspect of the application to a numerical score?

I remember once during a presentation by western university, the admissions representative actually showed us the breakdown they use with specific percentages, including grades, references, extracurriculars, essays, etc. (GPA itself was a whopping 50%). The reasoning behind this was that converting applicants to numbers obviously makes the review process much easier when deciding each cut. Since then, I've wondered if all schools have used this system, or at least something similar. Due to the large number of applications these schools receive, I have to believe that many of them do for the first cut and possibly for the second/last one as well.

My theory is that it's probably at the end, especially for the aggregate scores near the last cutoff, that they take a close look at each aspect of the application qualitatively. The top scores with everything combined probably get accepted with less scrutiny, which I'm guessing was what happened this past Friday. (yes, I've probably thought about this too much) :beat:
 
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TBH the interview day did not impress me at UCSD. I know it's a good school and all but there was nothing really memorable or remarkable about it.
 
kcha90 said:
Typically it's the other way around lol
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Really? I also thought more people choose UCSF over UCSD (because of UCSF's higher ranking, larger network, & the appeal of living in SF).
 
BambooLou said:
Really? I also thought more people choose UCSF over UCSD (because of UCSF's higher ranking, larger network, & the appeal of living in SF).
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He said he thought UCSF is "starting to seem alluring," as if he was hardly considering it compared to UCSD
 
kcha90 said:
He said he thought UCSF is "starting to seem alluring," as if he was hardly considering it compared to UCSD
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Woops! I quoted the wrong person. Yes, I agree with you. I also thought UCSF was typically chosen over UCSD.
 
Hey I just got accepted to UCSD! Really psyched.

I'm from out of state, are there any other out of staters who have been accepted? How are you all thinking about financial stuff? If you want to message me with any tips or ideas I'd appreciate it.

In the meanwhile congrats on everyone who got in. If you're still waiting, good luck and I wish you the best!
 
PreciousRoy said:
Hey I just got accepted to UCSD! Really psyched.

I'm from out of state, are there any other out of staters who have been accepted? How are you all thinking about financial stuff? If you want to message me with any tips or ideas I'd appreciate it.

In the meanwhile congrats on everyone who got in. If you're still waiting, good luck and I wish you the best!
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Did you hear back today? I thought they only send out acceptances/rejections on Thursdays and Fridays!!
Oh and congrats! :D
 
MAESTROoOo said:
Did you hear back today? I thought they only send out acceptances/rejections on Thursdays and Fridays!!
Oh and congrats! :D
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You're absolutely right, I got the email this past Friday. I just hadn't posted it on SDN yet! :)
 
One of my friends got accepted already, I'm pulling my hair out in anticipation X_X
 
I got the background check email today. There goes another $15 in fees... Oh well, it's all gonna be worth it, right?
 
BobbyK said:
I got the background check email today. There goes another $15 in fees... Oh well, it's all gonna be worth it, right?
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Did you already get accepted, or does the background check email come before the acceptance?
 
Another friday another round of acceptances?
 
I got my acceptance letter today before lunch! I just had the best lunch break ever lol. Suuuuper stoked, I thought i wasn't going to get in :) Congrats to all who got in and best of luck to all those who are still waiting! I know it sucks but stick it out!!
 
Well no news is good news, right? Does anyone know of any rejections or waitlist notifications?
 
Supfoo, if you don't mind me asking: what were your stats? Do you feel the interview went well?
 
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BambooLou said:
Supfoo, if you don't mind me asking: what were your stats? Do you feel the interview went well?
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Sure!

GPA: 3.54
sGPA: 3.3

The interview went very well. I felt that I really connected with my interviewers and got to explain to them what I'm all about, beyond just stats. I also had a lot of fun with the essay. I know some people didn't like the interview day format, but I enjoyed the laidback vibe. It looks like it's up in the air between here and SF now...but I'd honestly be very happy with SD. Hope to see ya'll in the fall :)
 
got my acceptance today! still in shock...I thought my below average gpa would put me out of the running >.< goes to show you that stats aren't everything to ucsd! yayyyyy!!!!!!!
 
I got accepted this morning too! my very first one, so I'm very relieved lol :woot:

I can't believe it either, especially after an interview which I didn't feel went that great. hopefully this gives some encouragement to everyone else still waiting :)
 
Congrats to those accepted! I was was just wondering which interview date did you guys have?
 
^Honestly, interview date has nothing to do with anything. Like they said before, they will review each application when they get to it. I suspect they may notify the highest scorers first, since it doesn't seem like anyone has been rejected yet.
 
I posted these questions in another thread, but figured they might be more appropriate for this one. I'd really appreciate your help! :)

1) Is the curriculum at UCSD really that much more difficult than other schools, like some people suggest? I'm sure classes with med students must be TOUGH, but I wonder if the pass/fail system helps. I also heard that some of the curriculum is unnecessary, though the school claims that they are preparing students for the "future" of pharmacy.
2) Is their pass/fail/honors system a good thing or a bad thing? Apparently at UCSD, all classes are pass/fail, and some have an added "honors" distinction for the top students. Sure, it must be less stressful if you want to just pass, but isn't it more difficult to distinguish yourself when you apply for residencies later? The only way to do that academically is to secure as many "honors" designations as you can, which sounds even MORE stressful than the letter grade system.

Thanks!

Here is the link to the other thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=985003
 
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I have heard that UCSD has one of the toughest programs around, because of those second year classes. Whether that pays dividends in the end, none of us still applying would know. Maybe if we can get a current student to answer that for us. One worry for me is that if the curriculum is unnecessarily hard, then that leaves less room for internships/working during school, which could help lower my debt load. I'm all for useful, hard curriculum that is going to turn us into the best damn pharmacists we can be and all that, but if it doesn't actually help then that is wasted effort to some extent.


The pass/fail/honors seems like a good thing to me. I have heard that it can be harder for residency people to deal with it, but most of the UCSD students who want a residency get one. I think the stat was like 80% do? So it can't be that big of an issue.
 
Residency is not an issue if you go to UCSD
 
BobbyK said:
I'm all for useful, hard curriculum that is going to turn us into the best damn pharmacists we can be and all that, but if it doesn't actually help then that is wasted effort to some extent.
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I couldn't agree more. Since I'm not certain whether the clinical path is for me, I've decided against UCSD as my top choice for this reason. I'm a hard-working individual, but I have to be smart about how I apply my time & energy too.
 
BambooLou said:
I couldn't agree more. Since I'm not certain whether the clinical path is for me, I've decided against UCSD as my top choice for this reason. I'm a hard-working individual, but I have to be smart about how I apply my time & energy too.
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That's kind of where I stand, too. I mean, I'm definitely interested in clinical pharmacy, so I'd like to go to a school that focuses on it. But I'm not 100% sure that's what I want to go into :/
 
BobbyK said:
I have heard that UCSD has one of the toughest programs around, because of those second year classes. Whether that pays dividends in the end, none of us still applying would know. Maybe if we can get a current student to answer that for us. One worry for me is that if the curriculum is unnecessarily hard, then that leaves less room for internships/working during school, which could help lower my debt load. I'm all for useful, hard curriculum that is going to turn us into the best damn pharmacists we can be and all that, but if it doesn't actually help then that is wasted effort to some extent.


The pass/fail/honors seems like a good thing to me. I have heard that it can be harder for residency people to deal with it, but most of the UCSD students who want a residency get one. I think the stat was like 80% do? So it can't be that big of an issue.
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Don't feel any pressure to respond to this, but can you elaborate on this a little bit? Who did you hear this from? I'm seriously considering UCSD as I've been accepted there and everything, but as an out-of-stater, I'm having trouble getting a conceptual picture of the school. What you're saying about lowering debt-load is a major consideration on my mind when I'm thinking about moving to California.
 
PreciousRoy said:
Don't feel any pressure to respond to this, but can you elaborate on this a little bit? Who did you hear this from? I'm seriously considering UCSD as I've been accepted there and everything, but as an out-of-stater, I'm having trouble getting a conceptual picture of the school. What you're saying about lowering debt-load is a major consideration on my mind when I'm thinking about moving to California.
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What he's talking about is not California-specific. UCSD's curriculum is believed to be more intense (was stated during the interview and on this forum), which may leave less room for students to study adequately if they also would like to commit their time working to offset the total cost of their education.

I should add: If you are looking to stay competitive for residencies after graduation, then this added intensity may be worth it. If you are not, then it may be wiser to consider other programs that will get you to your pharmacist goal while allowing you to balance other activities.
 
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What BambooLou said. If you're looking at two equally priced schools, but one has a curriculum where you can work, then you're going to come out with less debt at the one where you will be unable to work. That isn't to say that UCSD will not allow you to work, but that the hours you will be able to comfortably do might be restricted.
 
BobbyK said:
What BambooLou said. If you're looking at two equally priced schools, but one has a curriculum where you can work, then you're going to come out with less debt at the one where you will be unable to work. That isn't to say that UCSD will not allow you to work, but that the hours you will be able to comfortably do might be restricted.
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Theoretically there should be less pressure, even with the "harder" curriculum, since it's P/F grading.
 
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