San Diego, CA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 15% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools are varied, covering topics like personal motivations for pursuing medicine, strengths and weaknesses, ethical scenarios, research experiences, career goals, and reasons for choosing a specific school like UCSD. Many respondents mentioned being asked about MMI-related questions while under a non-disclosure agreement, indicating an MMI format where specific questions cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality agreements.
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MMI NDA
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MMI (Signed NDA)
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MMI - signed NDA
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Can't disclose --> MMI confidentiality.
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MMI - Not Allowed to Disclose!
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MMI - Not Allowed to Disclose!MMI - Not Allowed to Disclose!
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MMI style questions. We sign a non-disclosure agreement so I cannot go into any further detail.
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describe yourself
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what is your biggest strength and weakness?
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why should we admit you?
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What type of qualities are you looking for in a medical school?
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Ethical situation about liver transplant
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Why UCSD?
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What will you do if you aren't accepted to medical school? What about if you apply again are still not accepted?
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Why California? (Out of state resident)
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Why did you decide to change career paths?
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What are some of the weaknesses in your application?
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What influenced you to go into medicine?
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What makes UCSD a good fit for you?
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Questions and discussion about research
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What was the process of deciding medical schools to apply to? What was your criteria
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Why UCSD? Tell me more about X activity.
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What would you do if you were unsuccessful with this application cycle?
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Where do you see yourself practicing 10-15 years from now?
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Tell me about your background.
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They asked me questions specific to my life story with the goal of better understanding my motivations.
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What are your strengths and weaknesses? What book have I read recently?
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Questions about my family: Where did your parents/siblings go to school? What do your parents/siblings do now?
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What challenges do you see in your future in medicine (as a med student and physician) and how do you plan to manage them?
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What is something that your friend would like to change about you? (creative weakness question)
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What do you do in your free time?
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What do you think of the recent health care bill?
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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How did you first realize that you wanted to go into medicine?
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Please explain your role in the publication you listed
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Where else did you interview at and where does UCSD sit priority-wise in that list?
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Talk about a challenging situation you faced in your leadership position.
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What are your future plans for your medical career?
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First interviewer just asked me about random activities from my application, nothing too specific. I think she actually might have talked more than I did.
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Second interviewer asked a lot about my research. Specifically, not what it was about but more about what tasks I did/what responsibilities I had/where I got the idea to test what I did and how I started working in that lab. Asked a lot about my future career and told me how UCSD would be a good fit for that.
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Many questions about my life and personal history
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What are your strengths/weaknesses (asked by both)
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Why UCSD (asked by both)
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Specific questions about my research.
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What is a challenge you foresee as a medical student?
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What is something you have done, that you look back on with surprise?
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My first interviewer was an M.D. at a campus hospital. He knew my file like the back of his hand, this included very specific details. He did not grill me on this, he was very laid back and seemed genuinely impressed with what we were talking about. He gave a lot of great insight to why i should attend UCSD. Questions: Tell me how traveling to (specific country) affected your view of health, especially in today's context. Tell me about your parent's work. How did you come to decide to become a physician?
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My second interviewer was a PhD, and did not get a chance o read my file, so it was a pseudo closed file interview. We spent time talking about football, and one of my non-academic/medical activites. He told me alot about the work he did, and about a group he runs on campus. Most of the questions were things he would have known if he read my file (basically explaining my activites and research).
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Asked in detail about my family and financial situation (I have a rather unique background).
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Talk about your research...
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What are the 3 most important traits to be a good doctor?
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First interview was easy, the second one was grilling. Hard questions!
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why don't you go into a career in accordance with your major.
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Why medicine, Why UCSD, about yourself
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My second interview was a little more stressful. it took place away from campus, which is nerve wrecking because you rely on campus shuttle buses to take you to your next location which are not always on time. When I finally reached the location, my interviewer grilled me more than I was used to. She asked me a few standard and simple questions. She pressured me to explain the daily life a physician and when I did her tone and facial expression made it seem like "You see, life as a physician is hard, why are you doing this." I wish I would've asked her if she liked what she was doing. She was not very encouraging. She spoke like my activities and job was nothing special and not enough.
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The first interviewer was very laid back and seemed to like a lot of things about read in my file. He asked me a few standard questions (low grades early on in college to kicking butt in classes, etc). Afterwards he did A LOT of talking about the school from his perspective and all the great things about it. It really impressed me. I interjected into the conversation but he did most of the talking which I'm not sure is a good or bad thing, but again he seemed to really like me.
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The woman noticed that I take my faith in God very seriously and so she proposed various ethical situations for me to answer...
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What makes a good doctor?
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General comments about interviews. UCSD interviews are very thorough. The 2 interviewers who met me didn't carry my files in their hands/take notes/anything. Yet they knew my file inside out, upside down, back to front. They brought up every activity of importance I listed on the secondary, and talked in depth about them. You really gotta know your own file to prepare for this!
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If you couln't become a doctor (no MD, DO, etc), what will you do? What research did you do? How do you relieve stress in school?
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Tell me about your research. Tell me more about volunteer activity A. Tell me more about volunteer activity B. Why did you participate in this activity C? Why was it helpful to anyone that you did what you did?
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First Interviewer: Tell me more about yourself. Tell me about your research. How do you feel about researching later on? Tell me about your clinical experience. Can you tell me more about your volunteer activities? What are you doing this year? How did you decide to pursue medicine? What do you envision doing with a career in medicine? Do you have questions for me?
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Second Interviewer: A discussion about what I wrote in my personal statement and autobiography. Have you been to UCSD before? What are you looking for in a medical school? What was the defining moment that made you want to go into medicine? What specialties are you interested in? Tell me more about your volunteering experiences. A good conversation about preventive care, public health, and technology in medicine. Do you have any questions for me?
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asked about my work with Asian American activism, how to address minority issues
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future plans regarding MPH, work in health policy
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Tell me about your family.
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Tell me about your research.
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Tell me about your volunteer work.
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Tell about this trip you took this summer.
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Tell me about where you grew up? How was it going to high school there?
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Tell me about you volunteering experiences. What do your parents think about your becoming a physician?
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[I loved both my interviewers and thought we had really interesting and engaging conversations. My second interviewer and I got into a great conversation about immunohistochemistry and pathology and I have lots of things I want to look up now, based on what we talked about. ;)]
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1) even though I've read your app, I like to ask people to tell me the story of their lives. 2) The people I see in medicine who are unhappy tend to be unhappy because they have been turned off by a negative experience. What negative experiences have you had in your clinical work? 3) There's tons of chaos in medicine and you basically get no time off. How will you deal with that? 4) What problems do you think there are in the healthcare system? 5) what do you look for in a medical school?
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1) How did you make the decision to go into medicine? 2) Do you have acceptances? Is this the first time you applied? 3) have you researched UCSD? 4) How will you finance medical school?
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What schools did you apply to? Why? What schools did you not apply to? Why?
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Why is UCSD a good fit? (got this question from both interviewers)
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1st interviewer: Why medicine? Doctors often have patients that are difficult to deal with. How well do you think can handle such patients? What do you think is the most difficult part of being a doctor? What do you think of the current health care reform?
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2nd interviewer: Just kinda chatted about random aspects of my file.
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describe activities you're involved in.
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Why medicine?
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Questions about my research
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What are 3 characteristics that make a good doctor
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Why UCSD
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Explain virtually everything on my application, including 4 different research projects I had in detail, some of which were 4 years ago!
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what do you want to achieve as a doctor. do you want to do research? what kind?
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what kind of health system would you want to vouch for. give me a stressful situation, and tell me what you do to relieve it. do you want children. ( i am female and my interviewer was female)
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What do you do for fun?
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Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
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What is a regret you have in your life thus far
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Why are you no longer interested in research
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Why did you transfer universities
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What do you most reject from the past year?
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What would you change about our society if you could only change one thing?
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Tell me about yourself.
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What do you do for fun? / how do you deal with stress?
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You have zero clinical experience, how do you know that you want to be a doctor? (My interviewer actually answers this one for me; like I said, super stress free interviews)
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Have you ever traveled outside the US? Where would be the first place you go?
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What is the first impression people have of you? What do your friends think of you?
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Why didn't you have a lot of clinical experience? (even though I had quite a bit of experience, so I corrected this misconception)
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Tell me about yourself
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why medicine
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Tell me about your research
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what do you do for fun
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what do you want to do in medicine
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Describe how it was like growing up in your hometown? How did you get along with your family? What did you learn from growing up in your hometown?
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How would your friends describe you?
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What characteristics do you think make a good physician? (followed later with what characteristics do you have that will make you a good physician? which is essentially the same question....
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What do you do to relax?
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What do you think about euthanasia?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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As a CA resident, why did you go to college on the East Coast?
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Tell me about your teaching job. (I teach elementary school in Madrid)
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What did you gain from being a varsity athlete?
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questions about athletics, etc.
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What I like to do when I am stressed
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What led you to medicine?
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Tell me about yourself. (I thought this was dumb because it was open-file.)
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At what time in your life were you your happiest? Your most frustrated?
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What is your greatest weakness and strength in leadership?
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Do you want to go here, would you go to UCSD?
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Explain your research to me?
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Why wouldn't you just want to get one degree, the MD or PhD?
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personal questions unique to my application
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What do you like to do to relax and de-stress?
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What makes you stand out from all of the other qualified candidates?
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Tell me about your elementary school. (?)
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Tell me about your research? Who holds the patent for ----(a particular drug I was working with)?
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What do you think about Plan B being available without prescription?
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Various questions about my activities/research.
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What other career would you go into if you could not go into medicine?
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Specific questions about my application
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Have you ever thought of writing a musical piece using the sound of black holes as source material?
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If you were the czar of American medicine, what kind of system would you put in place?
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Name two values you want to work towards with your life, and explain how medicine will enable you to do.
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Doctors can't fix every patient so how would you deal with not being about to cure a patient and they died?
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What makes you think you can handle medicine?
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What sacrifices would you make for your care?
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Questions about my research exp and other things in AMCAS and secondary.
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Tell me something about yourself that is not in your application
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How do you handle stress?
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Specific questions about AMCAS and secondary.
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How many women do you know in medicine?
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What were the experiences and who were the people that made you choose to go into medicine?
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Why do you want to be a doctor as opposed to a lawyer or another professional career?
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Describe a difficult experience you had and what you learned from it
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There is a large underserved Hispanic population in this area. If you came here, what would you do about it?
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questions specific to my application
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Tell me more about the person who wrote about in your personal statement.
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What was your favorite class in college?
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Your autobiographical statement puts a very positive spin or your childhood, was there anything about your childhood that wasn't so peachy?
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What are some of the characteristics that medical students need to be successful?
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What was your favorite science class and nonscience class?
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What was your most meaningful experience during college?
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About my research. Why not just pure research. Why medicine too?
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The case I mentioned above.
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What about managed care?
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Tell me about xxxx in your research...
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Where do you see yourself 15 years from now?
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tell me about your mcat physical sciences score?
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tell me about your time with the marine corps?
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How do you feel about biomedical research?
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Tell me where you developed your motivation to study medicine...
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What do you know about UCSD?
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What are the two most important charecteristics for a physician.
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Tell me more about your volunteer experiences
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years
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What was the big picture of the research project which you were doing?
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One really hard hypothetical patient question that i was not expecting though i thought i tried my best and answered it with what i believed.
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What's a down side of UCSD? Up side?
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why med? strengths/weaknesses? Tell me about your clnical experience?
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What are your opinions about inter-racial marriage?
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What research have you done? How can it be applied to society?
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Have you ever considered a career in research?
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Tell me about your research?
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Tell me about yourself?
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Why do you want to be a doctor
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The interviews were not so much Q&A as conversational; but I felt any baloney I might have tried to slip in would have been instantly sniffed out.
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What do you for fun?
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Clarification on my "path" to where I am today. I did many things simultaneously so the order of events is difficult to follow.
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What kind of medicine do you want to practice?
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What's up with your verbal score?
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I can't remember. I would make sure that you have some intelligent questions to ask the interviewers about SD, though. One of them told me "This is not just about you selling yourself, I want to make sure to sell our school to you."
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One student interviewer really grilled a fellow interviewee about the current state of health care in America. Be prepared b/c you never know what your interviewer will be like. There's no set list of Q's for them!
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I was asked to explain how a specific volunteer expereince I had, totally unrelated to medicine, helped me to strengthen my passion to become doctor
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Can you do well in this school given your academic past?
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Why did you do this... or that?
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Would you like to stay here in San Diego?
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much focused on my amcas
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what are your plans long term?
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why do you want to get an md rather than a health-related grad degree like an mph?
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Do you have a realistic view of what it takes to balance a career in medicine and research?
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What is wrong with the US health care system today? What can be done to fix it? What about implementing universal (federal) health care coverage?
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usual clarifications on my ECs, work experience
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Tell me your motivations to be a doctor, why medicine, when did it "hit" you?
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What is the biggest problem in healthcare today and how do you plan to solve it?
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How are you going to balance career and family?
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Tell me about your high school and the best teacher you had.
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What would you do if you could not do medicine?
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What other careers have you considered?
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How I plan to handle a profession that is so demanding
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See above
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Tell me about X activity/publication
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What do you think will be the most academically difficult aspect of medicine?
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What is it about working with the community you enjoy so much?
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Why medicine? Personal strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What do you do for fun?
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Having lived in the US and Europe, would you consider living and working in Europe again?
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What career alternatives to medicine have you considered?
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Go back as early as you can and explain how you decided that you wanted to be a doctor.
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Tell me about your parents, your brother, etc.
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How would you deal with the restrictions in patient care imposed by some health insurance companies? Frustration will be inevitable, but how do you plan not to sucumb to it?
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What do you do for fun? What do you do when you're stressed out?
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What is your family like? How would you describe yourself?
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How would a person who dislike you describe you?
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Tell me something about yourself that are unique from other applicants.
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What would you do if it is impossible for you to become a doctor?
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Asked me to tell him about each person who wrote me a letter.
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Tell me abot your research/volunteering/band.
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Why do you want to be a doctor (influences, motivations, etc)?
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What are the three things that you like about medicine?
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What are three things you don't like about medicine/being a doctor?
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If you had the power to make changes to reduce the number of uninsured in the US what changed would you make?
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tell something about yourself
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why MD? what do you see yourself doing in 15 years?
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Who are your favorite authors?
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Who were your mentors?
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Why do you want to study medicine?
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Have you read "Guns, Germs and Steel"?
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What is familial obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
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New this year: student interviewers will try to find out how much you know about contemporary health care issues.
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Nothing extremely innovative; the general why MD/PhD, why UCSD, tell me about your research questions.
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Do you think NIH's original goals in creating the MD/PhD have been a failure?
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How did you get such high MCAT scores?
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So why are you interested in our residency program in internal medicine (my interviewer screwed up, thinking I was there for the residency program and not the MD)?
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Tell me about your research and state the hypotheses you are testing.
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Why did you take Italian?
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Why MD/PhD and not straight PhD?
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What about medical school do you think will be most difficult? What about medical school do you think you will take to easiest?
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You see someone in your class cheating, what do you do?
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As an older student, how are you sure that you want to spend so many more years in school?
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Do you know who C. Everett Koop is and what he did?
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Do you someday plan to be an activist for universal health insurance?
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If you have so many outside interest, why are you pursuing medicine?
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Tell me about your family
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What was your most meaningful volunteer experience
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(Regarding a free clinic I worked at) Why did you spend 2 years in the lab instead of becoming a (volunteer) medic?
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Most of the questions were specific follow-up questions about my activities, what I wrote in my secondary, etc.
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Second medical ethic scenario (vague detail): A child has cancer. In those cases where the child was treated for this specific cancer, there is a 95% success rate. His/her mother, however, refuses this line of treatment and wants to try herbal remedies instead. The mother believes that any chemotherapy treatment will cause her son/daughter to lose their hair and he/she would be made fun of in school, etc. So, the mom wants to protect her child from any emotional trauma. If you are the doctor, what would you do in this specific situation?
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Did you encounter any physicians who had negative attitudes? How do you balance your concern for a physician while treading the fine line of not being judgemental.
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Was there anything missing in your childhood (i.e. were you disadvantaged)?
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What do you think about alternative medicine? What would you do if you didn't get accepted to medical school
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how'd you're family affect decision to go md
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tell me about your work experience
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Have you thought about if you will still be satisfied with just doing clinical practice 40 years from now? Have you considered research?
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In what ways will our school meet your career goals?
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Of course, why medicine?
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Everything was straight grom my application.
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What sort of ethical situation do you think would be particularly difficult for you to deal with?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of California San Diego School of Medicine discussed a variety of topics, including Multiple Mini Interview scenarios under nondisclosure agreements, personal attributes like strengths and weaknesses, ethical dilemmas in healthcare, motivations for pursuing medicine, and challenges in the field. The interview questions ranged from discussing personal qualities to addressing healthcare delivery, research experiences, financial planning for medical education, societal issues, and ethical scenarios, showcasing a comprehensive evaluation of candidates.
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MMI (Signed NDA)
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MMI - signed NDA
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MMI - Not Allowed to Disclose!
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questions about improving healthcare delivery
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How would your friends describe you?
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What would you do if you couldn't be a doctor?
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How does Penicillin work? Where is this quote from? (both references to specific things I had written about in my personal statement)
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Strengths/Weaknesses
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Discussion about music
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You seem to have a favorable opinion of the private clinic practice. Why?
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How do I plan to finance my medical school education?
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What challenges do you see in your future in medicine (as a med student and physician) and how do you plan to manage them?
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What is something you do not like about our society?
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Did you take an MCAT prep course?
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So, how did you come to be? (referencing how my parents raised me)
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Sum yourself up in one word
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Tell me about a non-science class that you took that interested you.
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A question about my employment. The interviewer was very knowledgable in the field and was still able to learn something from me.
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Asked how I'll pay for medical school education.
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none
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I'm standing in front of the admissions council and I am presenting you as an applicant...what do i tell them to convince them to accept you as a student? (tooootally caught me off guard!)
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A few questions that aimed at getting me to think critically and answer on the spot about future directions of one of my research projects. I never encountered this situation before in my previous interviews.
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With so many interests and things that you want to do, how will you be able to accomplish them all?
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What do your parents think about your becoming a physician?
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one of the interviewers wanted me to explain a class project i worked on that was mentioned in one of my LORs
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What was the most interesting question I had been asked at previous interviews.
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How do you think technology has impacted medicine and what challenges does it pose.
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How do you think technology has improved medicine? How do you think it has changed it for the worse? Also, I got some ethical scenarios where I had to decide how to handle patients.
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How would you propose to solve the immigrant issue of health care
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What do you most reject in the past year?
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Nothing all that interesting.
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What is a typical day in the life of a primary care physician?
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Would you ever go back to the country you were born to teach there.
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What do you do for fun?
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What TV medical series (grey's anatomy, ER, House, Scrubs, etc.) do you enjoy watching the most and why?
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With the current state of government regulations, what are some of the implications of genomics and individualized medicine? How will information obtained from genetic testing be controlled?
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What do you think about charging obese people higher health insurance premiums?
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Pretty standard questions, nothing that really stands out
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How can you deal with doctor's charging full price to uninsured patients while only a fraction of the price to HMO patients?
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What problems do you think you will face as a doctor?
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At what time in your life were you your happiest? Your most frustrated?
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Why wouldn't you just want to get one degree, the MD or PhD?
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a really intense discussion on my research- one that went well beyond my knowledge of the field
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After discussing my clinical and volunteer experiences I was asked, ''How do you compensate for your lack of hands on experience?'' Um...
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Discussion about recent election and various California propositions.
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What do you think about pharmaceutical companies?
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How do you think our ability to enjoy symphonies evolved?
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Scrubs, ER, House, Grey's Anatomy, Which is your favorite?
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Tell me about the most stressful situation you ever had and how did you deal with it?
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What do you think is the biggest problem in healthcare in America?
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How do you believe medicine is changing/ should change?
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What one defining quality about yourself would you want people to celebrate about you?
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a situational question in which I was asked to discuss the different ethical viewpoints
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If your friends were toasting you, what would they say?
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N/A
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What are my needs as a medical student and how do I feel medical school will fill those needs?
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Long case study about a guy. Basically at the end of the story, your patient refuses surgery that will save his life. My answer was that he was irrational and that I would choose for him. In the end, he just didn't want to be a burden on his family, so his choice was purely rational. Very good story and case that has changed a little about how I think about medicine
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Something particular to some research I had done.
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Are you a USC fan?
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How do you feel about statistics?
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you are at dinner in your honor, and every one you no is there. What do they have to say about you?
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Why do you thing that most of the physicians in your former country were women? (I am an immigrant)
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Hard patient question.
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I cant remember. It was all off my AMCAS resume and secondary application
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Questions about diversity and experiencing racism.
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Teaching wasn't something you have ever considered?
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Nothing 'interesting', pretty standard questions
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In some fields of medicine it is very hard to do a good job no matter how much you work and effort you put into it. What motivates people--what motivates you--to try to do it anyway?
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nothing really interesting
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Pretty standard questions.
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Your GPA is lower than our average GPA score for accepted students, explain some bad grades!
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I was asked very specific details about my secondary.
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why, given your proven ability to leverage your considerable education & experience to accomplish worthy things that are important to you, would you want to start over in a new field where you won't have time and status to make those kinds of contributions for quite a while?
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Typical questions about my file
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In medical school you need alot of support, how do you plan to get that as a minority in this school.
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Tell me about your high school and the best teacher you had.
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standard questions--nothing unexpected.
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just conversational, nothing surprising
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How do you plan to balance your career with everything else in your life?
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What do you think about the Asian diaspora in America?
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Where have you been accepted so far?
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Nothing really. We talked mostly about my file.
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What are your plans to finance your medical education? (Interesting just because I didn't expect this question.)
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So which democratic candidate's health plan would be most beneficial to the average person (I'm pres of the Democrats club at my school)
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If you could listen in on your friends gossiping about you, what would you hear them say?
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How would a person who dislikes you describe you?
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Given your experience working as a rape crisis counselor on a hotline, tell me what you think about the current situation involving Kobe Bryant? Do you think it will influence survivors to not report their sexual assaults?
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What is your opinion of Boy Bands? (I am a musician)
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I was given a scenario of me being a pediatrician and having to tell a mother that her two year son had brain cancer and would die in four months. The interviewer asked me how would I tell the mom.
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If you had the power to make changes to reduce the number of uninsured in the US what changed would you make? (during the interview I quoted this number from an article I read)
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How would you define compassion?
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What is familial obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? (I had no background indicating I knew what is was.)
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Not directly asked, but interviewer implied that she wanted to know my feelings about the interactions of religion and medicine.
-
Questions were very general. I was interviewed by the dean himself and he is the nicest man you will ever meet. Very family oriented. Most questions were about my family.
-
Pretty standard, (Why MSTP, where do you see yourself in 15 years, tell me about your research) although I got no cheesy interview questions (what makes you special) or ethical questions or healthcare economics questions.
-
Did the homeless people you have worked with surprise you? How?
-
How do you think the internet will affect health care in the future, and is that good or bad?
-
2 medical ethics questions! I had a lot of fun with those, only because no one every asked me about them and I spent so much time preparing for them. First scenario (vaguely recall details of it): A 35 year old female is a Jehovah Witness and is in the hospital. She specifically stated that she does not want a blood transfusion if anything should happen to her because of her beliefs. She has 3 kids and is married. She has some sort of complication and is in/out of consciousness. She requires a blood transfusion or she will die. You are the doctor and have to decide what to do. (just remember that there is no right/wrong answer. this case even went to the medical ethics committee because it was so complicated)
-
Was there a point in your life where you stopped and pondered your decision to enter medicine? What makes people in medicine jaded? How would you prevent yourself from being jaded in the field?
-
No interesting questions
-
Do you have any reservations about attending our school?
-
What do you think about alternative medicine?
-
What is the most essential quality for a physician?
-
What has been your greatest realization from shadowing physicians?
-
Tell me about your background? -Asked by a student interviewer.
-
Nothing that wasn't in my application...
-
Nothing really. My first interview was just a conversation. My second was slightly bizarre because the interviewer was totally unprepared.
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Tell me a story about a stroke patient you saw in the ER. (I worked in the ER looking for stroke patients.)
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What is consciousness?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of California San Diego School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including ethical scenarios, personal motivations for medicine, healthcare system opinions, and ethical issues like organ donation. The interviews were predominantly in MMI format with some respondents mentioning nondisclosure agreements, while questions delved into ethical dilemmas, application weaknesses, and future career aspirations in medicine.
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MMI (Signed NDA)
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MMI - signed NDA
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MMI - Not Allowed to Disclose!
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describe yourself
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What are some of the weaknesses in your application?
-
Can't remember anything particular, but I think he really drilled me to elaborate extensively on various points I said
-
Your extracurricular activities seem to be largely unrelated to the medical field. Why is that?
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If you were god and could fix one thing in this world, what would it be?
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None. Pretty standard
-
Nothing really
-
Ethical scenarios one interviewer posed, and what weaknesses do you think UCSD has
-
Tell me about an ethical issue or dilemna that you have faced
-
Getting the closed file interview started, trying to relate all the stuff I wanted to him.
-
Nothing difficult really. Did not ask any hypothetical questions...
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What you would do if you had two patients, one old one young with equal survival chance, and you could only save one of them? Why?
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nothing really to bad
-
why didn't you do well on the mcat? how will you do well on future standardized tests throughout your career as a doctor?
-
none.
-
nada
-
none
-
i was asked to read an article about organ donations and comment on the ethical issues
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How was my research going to benefit the world
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what are ucsd's weaknesses. strengths.
-
The above questions were somewhat hard, but nothing was that bad.
-
Tell me the procedure you used during your research to excize genes (Since I had done research 2 years prior I did not remember the exact reagents used which is what the interviewer wanted to know)
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See above.
-
None Really. I was asked what I think about our healthcare system, but he didn't pressure me for a complex answer.
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Do you think non-citizens should receive health care? Do you really think our tax dollars should go to caring for people who do not pay taxes?
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none really
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What do you want to do in medicine?
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Nothing too difficult. I guess one that I had a little difficulty with was ''What are you willing to sacrifice for a career in medicine?''
-
see above
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If you could implement a national health care program, what would it be?
-
Describe a time when you used leadership, communication, and problem-solving to fix a problem
-
Why do you want to be a doctor?
-
How have you shown improvement in xxx?
-
Why wouldn't you just want to get one degree, the MD or PhD?
-
How do you propose we handle medical care for the burgeoning US elderly population given how expensive it is to care for them? (brought about by my interest in geriatrics)
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What should I tell the admissions committee about you?
-
What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?
-
What do you think about pharmaceutical companies?
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
In 40 years, you are being celebrated by everyone you've ever known. What will they say about you?
-
What do you feel about doctors that refuse to see medicare patients because they don't get high compensation from medicare? What do you think is the biggest problem in medicine that needs to be addressed and how would you address them?
-
None really..it was a very informal interview. Both my interviewers made me feel extremely comfortable.
-
what do you think about HMO and PPO's?
-
How do you think that technology will influence the practice of medicine?
-
What are the two most important qualities of a good doctor?
-
nothing was too difficult, most of the questions flowerd nicely...it felt like they had reviewed my file in detail
-
Why do you want to become a doctor? *I know, this is THE question you know you'll be asked, and yet, I hadn't formally prepared my answer and all my friends' warnings that the straightforward but truthfull
-
N/A
-
What is one problem/dilemma that medicine is facing today? Do you have any solutions?
-
What do you think about managed care?
-
none really...
-
no difficult questions, we talked about my application and my dreams
-
No hard questions. Just standard ones like the ones listed below.
-
Hard Patient question
-
What has been a difficult time in your life? Why didnt you do more research?
-
Draw the enzymes and substrates of the TCA cycle. J/K. None of the questions were that difficult. All of them mostly came from my application.
-
Everything was pretty standard and related in some way to my applications. (Primary and Secondary)
-
'Life or death' decision in the hospital.
-
One of my interviewers asked questions with an almost unnerving subtlety and acumen: he zeroed in on my motivations, on what I felt was the balancing act between sympathy and science, and on how critical I can be of physicians!
-
You have the grades, what's up with your verbal score?
-
About 10 different questions asking me about my interest in research, I had minimal research experience
-
To defend why I did so well on the MCAT when my grades weren't the strongest.
-
tell me your life story
-
How are you going to balance school and family
-
Why didn't you retake the MCAT?
-
See above. Yikes! I can't think back that far :)
-
nothing
-
Is there anything you'd like me to know that isn't in your application?
-
Why do you think there are so many Indians in med school and so few Filipinos?
-
Are you familiar with our curriculum? I was. Follow up, what do you think about it? (honestly, sounds boring like the rest of the medical schools but I didn't say that of course)
-
Why my mcat scores have not improved (I took them three times)? geez, if only I knew, they improve in practice tests and never on the real thing...
-
There weren't really any difficult questions, although one interviewer did ask the general "why medicine" question right at the beginning of the interview.
-
See Above. Also, why should we select you over someone else.
-
What would you do if you saw a fellow medical student cheating on an exam? (there's an honor code in most medical schools strictly against cheating, so think carefully on this one).
-
Tell me something about yourself that are unique from other applicants.
-
Why should I tell the admissions committee to accept you instead of the guy who was just in here since he has a lot of lab research experience and you do not?
-
How would you tell a patient they were going to die? Some healthcare problem questions...
-
See most interesting question.
-
What do you see yourself doing in 15 years? and when did you figure out that medicine is what you wanted to do? (these are questions they basically ask you everytime, and after awhile it is hard not to make it sound like you are repeating yourself or like you rehearsed it)
-
What qualities do you think a physician must have?
-
Which is a better novel, Huck Finn or The Sound and the Fury?
-
Nothing extraordinarily difficult.
-
Why not study a straight PhD?
-
How EXACTLY are you going to apply your molecular research to the patients that you take care of?
-
Who was the person who was not supportive of your choosing a career in medicine and why were they not supportive? (Very personal which was why it was the most difficult)
-
Should people who are healthy pay less for health insurance than those who are obese?
-
My interviewer said: Basically, my job is to present you to the admissions committee. What do you want me to tell them? What do you want them to know?
-
What profession or career did were considering when you were a child?
-
Despite having my entire detailed file in front of me, the doc requested a full history of my life, family, school, goals, etc. Other questions were equally poorly thought out.
-
Anything to add that is not reflected by your AMCAS/2ndary?
-
there really weren't any horrible questions
-
Has there ever come a time in your life when everything fell to pieces around you and you realized your own limitations? How did that help you find your place in the world?
-
How are quality of life research and economic research similar? (don't worry -- I have a background in both)
-
What makes a good doctor? -Asked by a student interviewer.
-
none, both interviews were very conversational, the "get-to-know you" type.
-
I was just thrown off a bit by my second interviewer. She obviously hadn't done that many interviews before and had just found a book about interviewing. She just kept asking me generic questions that weren't really about medicine or going to medical school. It kind of threw me off. I felt like I was interviewing for a consulting job
-
Where do I see my career in 30(!) years? I thought the AMCAS practice vision question was hard to answer well, but this one really took the cake. I can't imagine being 50 when I can barely imagine what I'll be doing when I'm 25.
-
What is consciousness?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of more than 50 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 2-3 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by automobile to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used San Diego International Airport (SAN)
-
san
-
San Diego international
-
San Diego Airport
-
San Diego
-
SAN- International
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
-
radisson
-
holiday inn express
-
Wyndham
-
Travelodge, La Jolla
-
Travelodge, Hotel Circle
-
Sheraton La Jolla
-
Sheraton
-
Residence Inn La Jolla
-
Raddsion La Jolla
-
Marriot
-
La Jolla Village Lodge
-
Inn by the Sea - La Jolla
-
Holiday Inn Express, La Jolla
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Good Nite Inn Sea World
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Courtyard by Marriott
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, researching the school, reading interview feedback on platforms like Student Doctor Network (SDN), and practicing mock interviews with peers or friends. Many also focused on staying up to date on current events, healthcare issues, and medical ethics, while some emphasized the importance of being themselves and staying calm during the interview.
-
Didn't do MMI prep for this school in particular but CASPER prep is all you need
-
MMI (Signed NDA)
-
SDN interview feedback, practice MMI scenarios
-
Research the school, reread application essays, review ethics
-
I learned about different MMI formats, but did not otherwise prepare.
-
I reviewed my application, practiced with many different people, researched the school, toured the free clinic, and spoke to different UCSD med students
-
Read SDN, re-read my application. My best advice, though, is that sleeping EARLY is the most important thing to do.
-
Reviewed application and had others tell me what may be asked w/ regard to clarifying questions.
-
Studied the school website.
-
Read the feedback on this site. Probably not necessary
-
SDN, Went on their website, read my secondary
-
SDN, school's website, looked up examples of common interview questions
-
SDN, reviewed my entire application, mock interview with a friend. Practicing my interview skills with a friend was tremendously helpful as it revealed areas of needed improvement.
-
Reviewed my application, SDN questions, and talked to current UCSD med students.
-
Re-read primary/secondary, looked at interview feedback to get a sense of questions asked :p
-
SDN, good breakfast :)
-
This website, looked over my application, thought about what questions I got asked at other interviews, thought about what I would want to know if I was looking at my application
-
read over AMCAS stuff and secondary
-
Read over AMCAS & Secondary Apps, School Website (not very helpful)
-
SDN, read my autobiography, AMCAS app, interview prep book
-
Read my primary/secondary application, talked to the student host (which helped a LOT), tried to relax.
-
SDN, AMCAS, the website
-
SDN, reread my apps
-
SDN was sooo helpful, no doubt. Many thanks to all the folks who posted before me, def a huge huge help. Read up on various things like healthcare reform, universal healthcare, etc.
-
SDN, school's website, review my files, relaxing
-
Read over primary and secondary application, MSAR, SDN, Researched the school's website, and Spent lots of time talking to current students!
-
read school's website, ethics, health care issues
-
Read personal statement, SDN, thought about ethical issues, policy reform.
-
ucsd website
-
SDN, re-read app, AMSAR, school website, mock interview (once, prior to all my interviews)
-
read through my AMCAS and secondary
-
this site, their site, my secondary
-
SDN interview feedback, school website, read over AMCAS + secondary
-
read over app, SDN
-
sdn, school website
-
lots of reading about issues, the school, healthcare, politics, etc
-
Looked through SDN interview feedback and prepared bullet points for common questions, mock interview, relaxing!
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School's website.
-
Read the feedback on this site. IF YOU'RE READING THIS SITE TO PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW, STOP!! Don't waste any more time, the search for a parking spot was more stressful than the interviews.
-
The usual, mock interview, SDN, reading about UCSD on the website.
-
read my apps, looked up school info on website
-
read SDN, read my file
-
SDN, review application, school web site, experience with other med school interviews
-
SDN, school website, interview book
-
Read SDN, talked to students, looked over my application.
-
Read SDN, looked at the school website and read about curriculum, etc. This was also my 8th interview, so not much prep needed.
-
Reread my AMCAS and secondary, read-up on the interview process, studentdoctor stuff
-
Read up about the school, re-read my AMCAS and secondary apps
-
read all about UCSD, looked at SDN, reviewed my application
-
Read AMCAS, secondary application, research project literature, spoke with students I already knew attending.
-
this was numero 7 interview so at this point there is no need
-
Reread my AMCAS, UCSD secondary, UCSD SOM website, SDN
-
read over AMCAS and secondary, reviewed medical ethics issues, read SDN
-
AMCAS, Secondaries (a must!), stuff involving my research
-
talked to friends, read student doctor
-
Talked to friends at UCSD, reread applications
-
This is my 4th interview so I was very comfortable with the basic questions like Why medicine and why this school? but for my 1st interview I reviewed my file and read up on heathcare problems and the diff b/w HMO and PPO. Also compiled a list of questions that are posted here on SDN.
-
UCSD SOM website, SDN Interview feed back, AMCAS and Secondary (both interviewers thoroughly read them before hand and knew a lot about me), NY Times news, spoke to students and doctors
-
mock interview, talked to my student host
-
sdn, amcas, secondary application, talked to students
-
school website, SDN
-
reviewed my AMCAS and secondary
-
Rereading my AMCAS and autobiography(requested in the UCSD secondary).
-
Reviewed AMCAS
-
Read through the School of Medicine website. Spoke to friends who had interviewed at UCSD.
-
Went over my essays. Talked with medical students
-
Re-read my AMCAS, looked over research notes, and just relaxed ans was myself.
-
UCSD website, MSAR, AMCAS, secondary, conversation with current students, read up on my research, current events, went through ethical questions
-
Read over my AMCAS, secondary apps
-
apps, and statements
-
went over primary and secondary applications, career services practice questions
-
Studied my secondary, read website, read ethics book, and mock interviews.
-
SDN, school's website. Talked to alumni
-
Read the website, read SDN, brushed up on current events and ethics issues
-
I prepared by avoiding all the mock interviews. Just write down your strengths and make sure you bring them up during the conversation.
-
SDN, School's website, read medical ethics book, reviewed my secondary and primary apps (The interviewers had them down)
-
Review all submitted material
-
This site, school website, AMSA reviews, Barron's reviews, kept up with the news.
-
SDN, reviewed primary and secondary applications, plus the medical school web site. None of which was neccesary.
-
Read about SD's programs. Prepared about my own research.
-
Walked right in with no rehearsal, my 8th interview...
-
I went in cold.
-
reread 2ndary (KEY for this school's interviews), sdn
-
STN, my applications
-
SDN, kept up on research lit.
-
stayed with students, read my amcas, secondary, researched the school
-
Student Doctor.Net, secondary app, AMCAS app, and their website
-
The usual: I read over my UCSD secondary, AMCAS primary, and SDN feedback. I also read about the school on-line.
-
read website, primary and secondary apps, sdn
-
read over my application, read some ethical stuff
-
Read over own statement, UCSD website, SDN, ethical issues
-
Read my AMCAS and secondaries, studentdoctor.net, and mock interview with med school faculty.
-
This site and friends that go to that med school.
-
Not much actually. I read the dean's forward on the online catalog. I got most of my information from sdn. I also attended the tour of the free clinic, followed by a FREE dinner, the night before. The tour and dinner allowed me to talk to students, and I learned everything I needed to know about UCSD.
-
Read over application, SDN, scanned NEJM, JAMA, and kept reasonably up-to-date with recent news. Looked at lists of common interview questions.
-
Read this site, Looked over my secondary.
-
SDN website, MSAR, talked to current students.
-
Read over my applications (primary, secondary), read over my researches, researched the school, and checked out studentdoctor.net.
-
reviewed my secondary, my personal statement, UCSD website, this website. Also listened to NPR a lot
-
Surprisingly I didn't...
-
SDN and researching the school
-
reread my file; read about some topics in medicine that I am involved with
-
Read interview feedback, looked over my secondary application
-
Read through my secondary (they knew it well) and looked at curriculum, etc.
-
Skimmed website, application, publications
-
I did not. If you try too hard to prepare for these things, you will only screw them up.
-
I re-read my application and read about some of the faculty research at UCSD.
-
Read through my AMCAS application, secondary, autobiography, thought of answers to the "usual" questions, looked through info I'd collected on the school, talked to friends who attend this school
-
read UCSD website, interview feedback
-
Reviewing my AMCAS, looking at the UCSD website
-
I read the 3 (studentdoctor.net) interview feedback surveys that were available. Reviewed over current medical ethics issues from the University of Washington's SOM Medical Ethics website. That site is amazing. look it up. Also, just reviewed over the school, what they offer, what i liked/didn't like and had questions about, etc.
-
Read website, talked with student host
-
amcas app, website
-
Reviewed my AMCAS, my UCSD 2ndary (aka Personal Statement II), and their online catalog. Gave myself 1/2 hr. extra time in the morning to get lost on the way to their adm. office.
-
I looked at their website, read over my AMCAS, and practiced breething to calm myself down.
-
Interview Feedback, talked with friend who is MSI, walked around the campus the day before
-
Read everything on website, reviewed all my research project literature.
-
Reviewed my personal statement and tried to be calm. By this time, I already had 3 interviews so things were second nature to me. The best way to prepare for an interview is to do as much interviews as possible.
-
read over AMCAS app., secondary, and looked at the school's website.
-
interview feedback, UCSD website.
-
Read interviewfeedback.com mostly. Learned a couple things about the school second hand from other students.
-
- Went over AMCAS app - Looked at school website - Reviewed types of health care delivery - Memorized a couple of interesting research projects going on at UCSD - Prepared a couple of questions to ask interviewers
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere of the staff, faculty, and students at UCSD. They also highlighted the beautiful campus, excellent facilities, efficient admissions process, student-run free clinic, and the new curriculum as standout features that positively impacted their experience.
-
Everyone was so nice, you could tell the staff really love on UCSD
-
How nice, friendly, and welcoming the faculty and students were
-
Facilities, campus
-
SUPER FAST decision! UCSD will not keep you waiting - you find out if your accepted, WL, or rejected within a week of your interview! That's amazing in comparison to other schools I interviewed at.
-
The facilities, the people, and area.
-
the students are happy and interesting to talk to, the admissions office is well-organized, the campus is beautiful, the facilities are amazing, the curriculum is awesome.
-
Gorgeous location, great vibe from the students, and the admissions office is SUPER nice. Unlike other schools, they tell you a specific date that you will hear back w/ decisions. New curriculum and free clinic were also huge pluses.
-
Students, faculty, and staff all seemed happy to be there.
-
The new curriculum is really exciting. Systems based classes means no huge finals at the end of each quarter, and hopefully helps students better retain the information. Obviously La Jolla is gorgeous and the weather was a frigid 70 degrees in the middle of December. San Diego being the only medical school in San Diego means that students don't have to share resources with other schools and have several fantastic hospitals at their disposal. Research is big, with a very high NIH grant per faculty member statistic. And the students seemed much happier than UCSD's old reputation led me to believe they'd be. It seems as though the new curriculum has reduced the amount of lecture hours they have to sit through, and helped expose them to electives, preceptorships, etc.
-
The facilities and the new lecture hall
-
Beautiful campus, housing very close to campus, beautiful are and weather, beach is close by, the people are very relaxed and have social and academic balance
-
Friendly admissions staff, great interviewers, beautiful campus, down-to-earth medical students, student-run clinic, new curriculum
-
The interviewers have read your file in depth (you might see your file on their desk with excessive annotations and underlining!) This is a good thing because it shows the effort and care that the admissions committee invests in the students that they decide to interview. The admissions office personnel are also extremely nice, helpful and they meet weekly to discuss the interviewees so they will probably give you a decision 1 week after your interview date.
-
Everyone was very friendly; from the students, to the admissions office, to the interviewers - everyone was polite and helpful.
-
Friendliness of admissions staff and students
-
Lots of different hospitals with lots of different experiences possible at each one (the rich Thornton, the county Hillcrest, the VA, Scripps, etc), the new curriculum (PF, less lecture time), the collegial atmosphere, the weather (!)
-
friendliness of everyone
-
The friendliness of the students, overall relaxed atmosphere, willingness and knowledgeable admissions staff.
-
Nearly everything. You cannot beat La Jolla for the location of a medcial school. Weather is perfect and the beach is absolutly gorgeous. Everyone was very laid back, but was still focused on thier studies. The free clinic looks like an awesome clinical opportunity since it is COMPLETELY student run. It seems that students do very well on the boards and match well. There are many opporunities for students that I would like to take advantage of. This is definitly a top choice school for me. I can't wait to hear back.
-
Student body and the interviewers. They were more friendly than any other school. Interviewer even bought me coffee and suggested places to visit on Campus. Students were very approachable and happy despite the fact that they had a difficult exam the next day.
-
The campus, students, location, medical facilities
-
the school's atmosphere, board scores, research opportunities, pass/fail system
-
The day was very structured. The other students I iviewed with were extremely friendly.
-
Location of the school, friendliness of staff and faculty.
-
The students were amazing. I had such a great time interacting with all of them. All of them seemed very relaxed and happy even though they had a final that day. The location could not be any better than La Jolla. The fact that the interviewers had read over my whole file very thoroughly. The extensive tutoring program that they have for their students.
-
staff all very friendly, let me switch my interview to an earlier date, students seemed enthusiastic, really take care of students--podcast all lectures, have a hired notetaker, post all presentationslides
-
Beautiful campus, LOTs of resources for students. VERY student-focused.
-
everything, curriculum reform
-
This is the only school I've interviewed at where, without exception, every single person I met was a person I would like to get to know better. Everyone was nice and smart and interesting and engaging, including my two interviewers.
-
San Diego
-
UCSD has an incredible student run clinic, and a very flexible curriculum
-
students were awesome, free clinic was awesome, location/weather was awesome. also, they have a professional student service group that provides tutoring, studying aids, etc.
-
diverse patient population, community involvement, location!
-
The new facilities (pharm building) and the students were pretty cool. Also the interview group was very small, which was nice for a change.
-
They have multiple hospitals, the location is perfect, its close to downtown but also a mile from the beach, they are going to build a new medical education building, they are re-doing curriculum, the people were all very nice and the free clinics. Also they have a great academic support system; a notetaker and professional tutor: FREE
-
Students seemed nice and friendly, and they really alleviated some concerns I had about the rigorous curriculum and stress level. Things aren't bad as I had heard. The campus was pretty, and so was the surrounding area.
-
I like the San Diego area in general
-
The kindess of the students, the supportiveness of the school's staff.
-
The new library and pharm buildings (where u take your first year classes) were really nice. The students that I talked to really liked the school.
-
Dean Kelly is awesome - very friendly and enthusiastic about students. Research opportunities are excellent.
-
the amount of care and time they put in their interview process.
-
Dr. David Rose was so nice. It was the best interview conversation I've ever had. There seems to be a lot of opportunities for nature lovers and outdoor sports!
-
I went to UCSD as an undergrad so I was quite familiar with the facilities. I was impressed that they have tutors employed by the SOM to help their med students with classes. By the way, go to the free clinic tour: You get to chat with students and get a free dinner up to $15 out of it.
-
location, location, location
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The free clinic tour and the effort by the staff to make the interview process run smoothly. I truly got a feel for what the student atmosphere is like. I could see myself fitting in with the students I met there. The campuse is beautiful and close to the beach.
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San Diego is beautiful and the school has SO many affiliated hospitals that you are guaranteed to get excellent training. Faculty was also very nice and down-to-earth.
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the relaxed attitude and happiness of the students
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Student-run free clinic was most impressive...community medicine at it's best Also, tutorial office is cool...hadn't seen that at any other schools
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location! New facilities, diversity in hospital opportunities.
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The cohesiveness of the students, the fact that there are sources outside of the lecture for help (podcast lectures, lecture note services, tutorial center), the weather, and most importantly the research opportunites (ability to work at TSRI and SALK) and the student run free clinic.
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I was quite surprised by how much Dr. Kelly has transformed the school to be more receptive to input from students and thus made it more student friendly. You can start taking electives from the start.
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Before I visited I was had been told that the students weren't very happy and everyone was high-strung and stressed out. I did not find that to be the case at all. Everyone I spoke to was thrilled with their decision to be there and it seems like the school is making a conscious effort to reverse that stigma. The new biomedical library was beautiful. Everyone seemed exceptionally friendly and relaxed.
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The Student-Run Free Clinic tour was great. There were so many people waiting to be seen by the students--a harsh reminder of the 46 million people in this nation without health insurance.
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UCSD values their students and shows it by catering to their suggestions.
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All of the admissions staff was extremely friendly, as were both of my faculty interviewers.
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All the students seem happy and adjusted. There is a gorgeous new library and new classrooms, and the school has a true community feel. Everyone is so proud of the free clinic project.
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The organizations and the weath of information that was provided
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The students, faculty and administrative staff are incredibly nice and enthusiastic. There is a lot of support for medical students, planned extracurricular activities, new biomed library, amazing faculty etc. etc...
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everyone in san diego is incredibly nice. the med school is affiliated with A LOT of hospitals and other facilities. students seem happy. the student run free clinic is AWESOME.
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the administration takes really good care of their students, the students get along very well, the new biomed library was really nice
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students were happier than I expected
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the student-run free clinic tour was amazing! what a great opportunity for clinical experience during your first two years. there are also a lot of electives and flexibility in the program. The new facilities (library and grad study rooms) were immaculate.
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The number of hospitals affiliated with the school, the student-run free clinic, the salsa scene in San Diego.
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Free Clinic, Research opportunities, La Jolla Shores
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Everyone was very friendly. Because I had to take a shuttle to my faculty interview, the professor who interviewed me took the time to drive me back to the admissions office. The weather was amazing!
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Awesome weather. Did I mention the weather? It was awesome.
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The Student-Run free clinics are phenomenal. Take the tour if you interview here- it's just incredible. The summer program only has a marginal fee. Students seem very readily able to get involved with research projects on campus, and there's always something going on. Office of Student life seems very active and into keeping people well-rounded.
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the faculty, students, and lack of competition i was told to dread about the students at UCSD...and the freedom students have in selecting electives starting year one.
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The welcoming enthusiasm of the student body...random people stopping and making time to tell me how nice their school was.
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the school, the environment, the unique programs of the school.
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everyone was really nice and excited to have me there as an interviewee
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That there are only 4 students to a cadaver in the anatomy lab. Also, there are a lot of tutoring tools available to you if you are having a hard time in shcool.
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Beautiful weather. Close to a lot of out door recreations that I'd love to do. Tradition approach with lectures seems ideal for my type of studying. STUDENT RUN FREE CLINIC was simply THE BEST!
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Students are smart, enthusiastic and hard working
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The school is ranked #14 in Research and #7 in Primary Care. The facilites are excellent and state of the art. Many opportunities for research and clinical experience. Beautiful SD weather. Faculty is top notched. Disregard other negative posts about the faculty as they are excellent.
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What made the biggest impression was how outgoing the people of San Diego are. People on the street ask how you are and care what your answer is. The school was awesome. Students seemed very happy, contrary to other postings about this school. The area is amazing, pricey though. The school is cheap though, $8,000 a year
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Difficulty of the program.
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Both interviews (an M.D. and a Ph.D.) felt unscripted, informal, but were quite serious and intense. I dropped in on a first-year small-group class about "being a doctor," and watched two instructors ask students "What do you expect to cause you the most frustration as a physician?" and pushing the students (gently) for honest answers. Nearly all the students seemed cut from the University of California cloth, and were racially and ethnically all over the map. A VA hospital is right next to the teaching buildings. The weather, of course, was postcard-perfect. The fees were in line with my expectations. I liked how the Dean briefed us about the nitty-gritty of the USMLE, the residency match, the housing situation, and the class schedules, year by year. I also liked how we were taken to the tutorial center to meet one of the tutors. The students who gave us the tour liked their school (and "The San Diego factor") but were honest about the workload and the stress we would have to deal with.
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The staff presentation about the school, the interviewers were very friendly. They seem truly concerned about the students well being not just academically.
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San Diego is a beautiful town with so much outdoorsy activities. The interviewers were very approachable and friendly.
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The campus is so beautiful, breath taking (I already miss it)... excellent matching results for residents... great presentation by staff.
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The location, the student run clinic, and the number of affiliated hospitals.
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both my interviewers were awesome human beings, free clinics & asl program look great, possibility to practice "border medicine", weather, beautiful location, available electives, step ii at end of 3rd year (i like the idea of getting it out of the way)
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Student-run clinic is great
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The faculty and research at UCSD is amazing. They have so many incredible people at the University as well as the Institutes. The MST Program seems very solid, and in good hands. The students seem passionate and well-rounded.
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the low stress level of the interview, interviewers really interested in my life experiences and personality, student-run free clinic is impressive
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The ability to visit a first-year lecture and a small group discussion. AND the student-run clinic visit was great.
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The research facilities are amazing! UCSD and Scripps have some of the best research around. Also, you can't beat the year-round paradise weather of La Jolla. Also, UCSD is essentially beach front property. I also liked the student-run clinics.
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happiness of the students
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The students were very very friendly and happy. I was surprised because I had heard rumors otherwise. The free clinic was interesting.
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Students are friendly and happy, lots of great clinical opportunities in the SD community, especially the free clinic
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They had a 100% first-try pass rate for the USMLE Step I 3 years in a row. Last year broke the streak, but it was still high with a 96% pass rate. In the first two years of school you're given the time to take up a wide range of electives. I read through the medical school catalog and the offerings for electives is impressive.
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Nice buildings. Beautiful weather. Good residencies. Student run clinics...they love to hear you pat them on the shoulder about those.
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Students are happy there. The school has a great and thorough curriculum - you WILL be prepared for your boards and practice as a physician. San Diego is beautiful as everyone knows.
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The student-run free clinic -- there was a great aura of enthusiasm about it, and it really seems like they are making a difference in the community. Take this tour if you have the chance. The medical school actually has an artist-in-residence, which I thought was very cool. There is an amazing variety of elective courses offered. I was also impressed by the other interviewees. And, let's not forget that San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. The weather is perfect.
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The students that I met was nice people. Liked the clinics that they had and the abillity to do tons of great research.
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The students were really nice and friendly. Also, some of us had interviews at Hillcrest (teaching hospital and medical facilities off campus), but my interviewers walked me to the shuttle stop.
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San Diego is a beautiful city. It was sunny and warm in winter! The people were very nice and friendly.
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the students-my student host was really nice, and the students who gave us the tour were very patient and answered lots of questions
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Student-run free clinics, very nice and helpful students. Friendly and very informative staff (lots of curriculum info).
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San Diego is a beautiful place...
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After my second interview I had an hour gap and my interviewer asked me if I wanted to see a procedure he was about to start so I got out of my suit and into some scrubs. Also, they have three student run clinics which are very good and you can get credit for volunteering there.
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The school has a big incentive to help you through your education. They have an excellent tutorial program
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Plethora of outreach opportunities and availability of notetaking and tutoring services; most of the campus has internet access
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The level of attention that my application was given and that the school is prestigous but also still rising fast.
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Possibly the most beautiful medical school campuses in the nation, UCSD prides itself (rightfully so) on its three free clinics where even first-year students can manage patients. There's a lot of inter-year interaction among the MSTP students, who are a very social group and can easily acquire a university-subsidised apartment with an oceanview. The interviewers seem to want to get to know who you are and if you'll fit into the UCSD atmosphere.
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How well they knew me. The interviewers had literally memorized my file.
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Everything was VERY relaxed and low key. I had a blast hanging out with the students, especially at the dinner after interviews were over. The Salk Institute is probably the most beautiful spot to do research in the world.
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The interactions between the med students, attendings, and the patients at the student run free clinic, the assoc. Dean taking an hour out of his time to speak with us.
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location is amazing, campus had a nice feel to it, faculty and students were so nice
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That UCSD has a really high pass rate on the boards..about 98% i beleive
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Free clinic, weather, enjoyment of school by students, staff, opportunities for
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Student-run clinic; great electives in first and second year
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Free Clinic is amazing. the students run 3 clinics and toured us around after the interviews. great way to pick up low stress patient interaction.
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The 3 beautiful female interviewees I spent the day with! No really, the interviewers were most impressive. They thoroughly reviewed my essays and asked very thoughtful questions. I got the sense that they were genuinely interested in learning more about my strengths and interests. Oh yeah, La Jolla is a beautiful environment. Some med students go surfing during their lunch double-hour break.
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The students were really happy! The school really made you feel welcome.
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The students are REALLY happy. Also, the Student-Run Free Clinic seems an amazing opportunity to serve the community, learn hands-on, and remember what medicine is all about.
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How helpful and friendly the staff and faculty were. Also, there are great opportunities to get lots of clinical and leadership experience in the Free Clinic, which students operate in three locations around San Diego.
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The friendliness of the faculy and students. The facilities, curriculum, and the beaches !!
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The facilities - they have an AWESOME VA hospital... and San Diego is beautiful!
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The campus is gorgeous and the students were all really nice and didn't seem stressed.
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Students I met seemed to really dig the school. There are some pretty good opportunities for clinical exposure in the early years at the UCSD-run free clinics for migrant workers.
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- Friendlyness of staff and students - Effort to minimize red tape - Intensity of pre-clinical training - Student staffed Free Clinic
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the lack of patient interaction, facilities, lecture-heavy curriculum, competitive atmosphere, and stress levels among students at UCSD. Suggestions included incorporating more clinical experiences, updating facilities, balancing lecture hours, and fostering a more supportive and collaborative environment to enhance the overall experience for students.
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Nothing
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Nothing!
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They start the day with a Q & A assuming we already know all about the school from the website. But the dean even admitted the website was not great and that not much information was on there. I felt the MMI was not great at judging who I am as a person and we were not able to meet or speak with any faculty.
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The MMI style interviews. I do not feel that the interviewers adequately are able to know your personality, but that is probably not what they are looking for.
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Nothing. Everything was impressive.
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Almost nothing.
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The new medical education building is very nice but apparently first year med students take classes in the pharmacy building. Only second years get the new lecture hall. It would have been nice to see student housing, but they are all so different and spread out it wouldn't have been that valuable. La Jolla is....nice. If you like suburbs and grass, La Jolla is great. But if you're looking for a vibrant night life, lots of great restaurants, etc. you'll need a car.
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The student tour guides were picked about a minute before the tour and weren't very enthusiastic.
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The interview day wasn't as well organized as I would have liked. Down time and the presentations were short and lackluster
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No light breakfast or coffee in the morning
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Absolutely nothing. I love UCSD! But since that info doesn't help. Maybe the fact that you might have to take the school bus to a off-campus location for one of your interviews (such as the Hillcrest Hospital)
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Really nothing... I was thoroughly impressed with the school.
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A slight inferiority complex w.r.t. UCLA/UCSF. And I didn't really like the person who was leading our tour.
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Nothing.
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One minor thing. The first is that the free clinic tour website said that the dinner was free, and it was not. I just wish I would have known before hand.
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Lack of night life... I am passed that stage but I know many who view this as very important.
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the second interviewer
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the 8-5 class schedule first year
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nothing really...
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The tour was not very extensive. We didn't get to see any of the hospitals.
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The main teaching hospital is located in Hillcrest, not La Jolla. The tour only included lecture halls, tutoring offices, student lounge, and medical library. Outside of student life, La Jolla does not seem to have much going on.
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none
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nada
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The program I was most interested in getting involved in has been canceled.
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a med student bragging about not going to lecture-- is that supposed to sell the school?
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First interviewer was late and drove me to my second interview. He deleted his email, so the office does not confirm with its interviewers via phone. Sloppy and makes you feel like your time and energy is not valued.
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no online video lectures, but that's really not a big issue.
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loooong interview day
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nothing really
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the other applicants. they were all pretty boring and anti-social. but the med students i met were awesome were really excited about their school.
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Nothing, really.
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The facilities of the hospital and school were not equivilant to other schools I have seen, the interviewers were rude and arrogant, students seemed forced to interact with interviewees.
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The facilities.
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a few of the buildings are older and need upgrading. But otherwise I really liked the school
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-The students weren't as friendly as those I've seen at other interviews. They were talking amongst themselves right in front of interviews and did not seem too enthusiastic about meeting us. -Some buildings look run down. -The curriculum is still very traditional. -Clinical is not interwoven seamlessly into all 4 years, although there is an effort to incorporate it in recently. (UCSD is becoming more progressive but still quite 'purist' in their curriculum)
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there is traffic in the area. you have to own a car to do ANYTHING outside of the campus.
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One of my interviewers was unemotional and unresponsive to my answers - she asked interesting and tough question, but she didn't interact well and give feedback. It was a one-sided conversation which made me nervous and put-off
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The school seemed to be trying a little too hard to dispell "rumors" that were going around about SD.
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The students just did not seem happy. They seemed stressed out and complained about not having enough housing, too much lecture, and the honors system makes for a competitive environment.
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n/a
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Lecture-intensive schedule, students talked alot about bad professors and lecturers
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The time spent in the classroom and the student vibe - they didn't seem happy.
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Didn't get a chance to talk to 3rd and 4th year medical students.
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unless you're participating in the free clinic, patient exposure seems limited, compared to other schools I've visited, during your first two years.
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The facilities. The anatomy lab ''is awful'' according to students. At least it's a short course. They just received $30 million from the state to build a new building for the medical school. MS1s next year will be attending lectures in the new Pharmacy building. The rumors of being lecture intense seem to ring true, although I was quite impressed by the curriculum overall.
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My faculty interviewer did not seem familiar with the medical school and its programs; she was not able to address my questions.
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Hm... nothing.
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The curriculum, the lack of clinical skills facilities, the need to travel to the hospital to interview, then come back to interview again - not enough time was given for me to find the buildings.
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The weather was kind of crappy and the parking meter was broken so i had to drive around inorder to buy one. The facilities do also look abit.
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Nothing at all
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person preference--i prefer a more urban setting.
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some of the facilities looked a bit old, the medical school campus seemed small
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it's a public school, so the facilities reflect that - in comparison to private schools
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The number of hours UCSD students spend in class, the fact that they didn't really show us any of the facilities and that our tour guide basically told us that nothing had been revamped since the school opened in the 70s.
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Very few minorities, stepping onto the medical campus is like stepping back in time, this is one of the worst schools in the country in terms of hispanic and african american enrollment.
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You do not get any patient interaction unless you participate in the student run free clinic or a preceptorship.
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They compare themselves too much with UCLA. I don't even care about UCLA
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The students seemed stressed out. It's not that they weren't friendly, but it seemed like many just didn't have time to talk to us. San Diego area is very "soCal" with lots of Aston Kutcher carbon copies. Remember that the Republican National Convention was held here, so it's got a conservative flavor. Don't be surprised by that.
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nothing, i would love to attend this school
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Some of the interviewers had to leave campus to go interview (luckily not me) but it seemed a little inconvenient
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I didn't really get to talk to many students because it was a time for exams.
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The tour guide for the free clinic never showed up.
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A lot of constructions on campus, but that means the school is growing really fast. Nothing much really.
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Facilities are old, campus is ugly even though La Jolla is beautiful
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Outside the school of medicine, the school looks like a big community college. But who cares, you'll be spending your time at the SOM anyways.
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You would have to have a car if you go there and the traffic doesn't seem inviting, not as bad as LA, but still bad.
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Discouragement by students in regards to the program- no early clinical built into the first two years of the program, staggered midterm schedules so there are midterms nearly every week (and resulting high stress level), faculty reluctance to experiement with the program to a more efficient organ-based approach (as many schools are now employing), and finally the mandated independent research project for all MD students in order to complete the program. Lastly, school's proximity to the local naval base makes for unnecessary noise pollution at times. What stood out to me is how unhappy the medical students seemed (even the student tour guides) in respect to other medical school I have seen.
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The gross anatomy room (that we were unfortunately not shown) is underground and so has no windows; that could make for depressing dissections. I wish we could have seen a lecture. The buildings are a kooky mix of bungalows and high-tech stainless steel, and indeed the program also feels a little kooky: stem cell research, fellowships for future physicians wishing to learn more about the deaf, cancer, robotic surgery, primary care, trauma--a crazy mix (but that could be a good thing). I wish I could have seen Hillcrest, where much of the clinical teaching takes place. I sense that UCSD is a mix of structured lectures and do-it-yourself individualism: you have to come here ready both to submit to a tough class regimen and yet blaze your own trail. Although the medical center is on the UCSD campus, it feels removed from it. The campus is not adjoined by any true neighborhood, so eating and drinking near school is limited to a few places: that may mean lots of driving or lots of shuttles, though a few live close enough to walk or bike to classes.
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I didn't meet many students b/c I was there during a large test block. Our scheduled tour guide didn't show up and thus we got kinda jipped on the tour. I didn't feel like I learned much about the school's facilities or about student life.
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Lack of minorities + diversity on campus, lunch was not great, school seems to look for students with solid research background or interest
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The lecture halls looked like dank dungeons, the curriculum is traditional and intense, and one of the student guides was at times discouraging.
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sprawl of campus & clinical sites, lots of lecture, hardcore nitpicky academics with a focus on details rather than problem solving, anatomy in 2nd year
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I got a slight elitist vibe from the school. It felt a little like they were using a "you'd-be-foolish-not-to-come-here" angle in recruiting applicants on interview day, which kind of rubbed me the wrong way. (However, after seeing all the wonderful things UCSD has in store, they may be right.) The interviews (especially the informationals) ended up being too short. By the time you stated your interests/goals, etc. to the interviewer, there was not much time for them to get to into explaining their research. The cost of living in the area surrounding UCSD is really high. MSTP students said it was not uncommon to take 9 years for some graduate programs!! The curriculum seems very lecture-based and traditional (not much PBL)
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The students were trying so hard to convince us it wasn't a "gunner" atmosphere, it was hard to believe.
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To be honest, the students seemed incredibly stressed there. Too much lecture time and H/P/F system make for unncessary competition. I am not sure, but at most of the other UC medical schools, the basic science years have a P/F currciculum only, but at SD, there is an honors option. Also, La Jolla is an incredibly pricey city!
-
really old facilities
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The med school buildings are kind of ugly. They have some really freaky statue of a woman stuck to tree with water shooting out of her wrists.
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The interview day was really long!
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The amount of lecture time. (I believe you're in class for approximately 5-8 hrs a day.) However, our student guides and my interviewer made a good point about the this type of lecture-based learning... with lectures it's up to you if you attend, in the case of case-based learning you're pretty much required to attend them all. In fact, at UCSD most students usually skip out on lectures covering material that they are already familiar with.
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The overall depressing attitude of UCSD. Many medical students are unhappy with UCSD because of its stressful environment and hard competition.
-
I really don't like the idea of having a car during med school; but, at ucsd, it's a must. I just really don't want the expense.
-
I think that there is a lot to be said for traditional lecture-based curriculum, but I have some misgivings about the amount of class time here.
-
I ran into my friend who I had lost touch with who is a second year there. He told me not to go there and go to almost any other school. He hates the 8-5, the fact that only a percentage of students get honors, and there is a thesis that they need to do. He wishes he was somewhere else, but said he'll be thankfull when he gets to third year.
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Apparently, the good weather clouds over in May and June, but for the rest of the year, it's pretty nice. Also, there is significant classroom time in the first two years (Some students opt not to go for some of the classes because they feel they have enough material to get by on their own or with tutoring assistance).
-
I signed up for a tour of the free clinic, but the tour guide never showed up!
-
my first interviewer was really tough! he seemed to have decided before i got there that he thought i was not qualified to be there and would not be an asset to the program. i felt like i had to spend the whole interview changing his mind about me. also, he was late, and when i went to go check on him, he showed up, which makes me think that he thought i was the one who was late. really stressful experience. I had to run to my second interview.
-
Students say it's competitive (grading system is set up for competition-only certain PERCENT of students get honors), lots of lecture hours.
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...but not beautiful enough to compensate for the fact that UCSD is completely lacking in EVERYTHING.
-
The only thing that I did not like was that the curriculum is still very lecture based but I knew that ahead of time.
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I did not get to see the anatomy lab.
-
The library looks a little dated, but is undergoing renovations
-
One interviewer was never sent my file (he recieved it as we were talking).
-
I thought some of the information about the school given at informational talks could have waited until acceptances were issued. Even the undergrad campus isn't the party scene that I was expecting. The first two years are dominated by 8 to 6 lecture hours. Since most students hail from CA, if the attitude isn't your style it will be difficult to adjust. That said, I was thoroughly impressed by the school and would love to have the option to go there.
-
Too much walking.
-
Can't think of a single thing
-
students seemed a bit young and while they all were happy with UCSD no one seemed really really psyched on it.
-
They have a grading system
-
hard-core curriculum, but now they are improving on it (i attend school there now)
-
Real lack of aesthetic beauty in the architecture; the entire anatomy course if packed into one quarter (a little over 10 weeks)
-
somewhat isolated feeling to campus
-
Facilities....pretty standard.
-
The architecture is not the prettiest that I've seen.
-
Older buildings
-
Med school facilities are kind of drab.
-
Nothing really. The school impressed me tremendously in spite of the cut-throat rumors I have heard.
-
The students who met with us for lunch and gave us a tour seemed a little immature, a little too "laid back."
-
My second interviewer.
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They are still on an 8-hour per day lecture schedule. I hope they get on the end-at-noon bandwagon soon.
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- Anatomy in year two instead of one (don't know why this bothers me)
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known about the varying interview styles, the need to ask early for a student host, the lack of breakfast provided, the off-campus interview locations, and the relaxed atmosphere of the interviews. Many also mentioned the importance of following parking instructions, being prepared for shuttle transportation, and the need to be informed about the school's programs and facilities.
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Nothing!
-
That I would love it here.
-
Everyone said that their interviews were really informal and conversational, but one of my interviews was highly structured. It caught me off guard, so I wish I had been more mentally prepared for that type of interview.
-
If you want to stay with a student host, ASK EARLY. I asked the week before my interview, and almost everyone I asked already was hosting someone. Also, follow parking instructions very thoroughly to avoid getting a ticket!
-
Interviews might be off campus
-
No breakfast, eat beforehand.
-
Nothing
-
Interviews are the first thing after a morning presentation. You have a 1 hour presentation which is somewhat slow and boring, then either interviews immediately or an hour break followed by two interviews. They are usually 30-45 minutes, mine lasted 40 minutes for one and 70 minutes for the other. They are conversations and meant to get to know you, I did not get any difficult ethical questions.
-
One of your interviews might be at a hospital location that is not on campus. So you will need to take the bus there. Don't worry, they will help you along the way and keep track of time so you don't miss the bus or your interview. Also, the adcom meets a week after your interview date! So you will likely get a decision as early as 1 week after your interview date.
-
That my interview was off-campus. I was the only one who had to go offsite, and by the time I came back I was late for lunch.
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That my interview would involve taking a shuttle
-
That my interviews would be really chill. Although some of the other interviewees on my day had some tougher interviewers, so I guess it's sort of random who you get.
-
Free clinic dinner is not free. How different the student environment is, compared to all of the rumors you hear. Everyone is very laid back, works together, and super cool.
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If you have heard the rumor that UCSD is super competitive, it is exacly that A RUMOR. The students are very happy, and work and party together. Things have seriously changed.
-
Lack of public transportation. Very difficult to get around without a car. I had to rent a car to get to the school from the airport and to get to the interview site.
-
About the harsh interviews
-
That shuttle buses to interviewers would be late
-
If you left your Residency Form and Schedule of classes form at home on the interview day like I foolishly did, don't freak. The admisisons office is super friendly and they let you bring/mail/fax those forms at a later time.
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How much I would like this school.
-
no breakfast even though they have you report at 7:55am
-
nada
-
The program I was most interested in getting involved in has been canceled, and I didn't find this out until I arrived because information about the program was still being sent out to all applicants. However I still would have come and there is lots to love about this school!
-
don't like the senior project- most students view it as a formality so it seems like a waste of time. 10% honors is sucky too
-
interviews are long. they're scheduled for 1 hour each, but my second one ran 30 mn over. i had to take the shuttle to my interviews, and it dropped me off late so i had to run to my interviews. wear comfortable shoes.
-
my interview was scheduled the monday after they finished classes, so there weren't many students i could speak with
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That there was no breakfast- no bagels or coffee or anything. Every other school has had something especially so early. I was starving by the time lunch came around (which kinda sucked too)
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All the crap you hear about UCSD is false. I mean, the facilities are not the newest, but do you really care? The library is bran-spankin new, you take classes in the new pharmacy school building, etc. Honestly, it DOES NOT matter. Also, the admissions office was great. evrytime i needed something, they responded and were very helpful. they were not trying to be my best friend, but heck, they get tons of us neurotic pre-meds calling everyday. the students did not seems overly stressed or bitter about their lecture time. you dont have to go to lecture. seriously, just go to UCSD, see for yourself. Its a major research school, so see if you fit.
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There is A LOT of lecture time!
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there are 3 different free clinics which are open on different days. know which one you are going to for your tour.
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Although one of my interviews was "closed file," my interviewer had read about my activities/interests but not my grades or scores.
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Nothing really
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n/a
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Nothing.
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How stress-free the entire visit was going to be.
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the interviewers were more keen on my construction labor experience than anything else. They thought it was awesome that I drove heavy equipment and water trucks.
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Make sure you eat breakfast beforehand, they don't provide any food or drinks until lunch. Traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The Free Clinic tour and dinner program is only offered certain days, so make sure you sign up and review the dates well in advance.
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Bring cash if you want to buy coffee. They won't give you drinks before lunch.
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Driving in and around the campus is not simple.
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UCSD is heading towards a new direction, interms of surgery. There will be more focus minimally invasive techniques like laproscopic or robotic surgery.
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That there is no reason to stress for this interview. And after the interview..you are either accepted or put on the waitlist..no immediate rejections.
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where the admissions office is for the school of medicine. UCSD campus is huge. having a campus map would have been nice.
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it seemed as though the students spend a lot of time in classes, there are tests almost every monday
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some of the interviews are at different locations off site
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That La Jolla is so expensive.
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How spread out the campus was!
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Their amazing faculty that interview me.
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The ISP requirement- independent study projects. The fact that housing is difficult to find. PB is a good place for food. UCSD is VERY research oriented, make no mistake.
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nothing...
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some interviewees had to take a shuttle to the medical center which is off campus.
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Like some other feedback had said, make sure you sign up for the student run free clinic tour (which is the day before) the interview. It's worth it to see students in action. Also cool to see the accupuncture they were doing in another room.
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Interviewers at this school play hardball
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How awesome the school is.
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Nothing too surprising.
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All of the aforementioned.
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I wish I had known that the tour of the student-run Free Clinic would be given the night before the interview. (We were only told about this tour the day before the interview!)
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Of course no 2 interviewers are exactly the same, but I was told by more than 2 people who had just interviewed to REALLY know your secondary application, including exact dates etc. UCSD is where I want to attend Med School so I put much effort into the preparation. The extra time spent preparing and the added stress this added were COMPLETELY not needed. And it actually threw me a bit when I was in the interviews, and they were only conversational, not like I was expecting nor like any other interviews I had been on.
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that there would be tests during the week I visited.
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Student life outside campus is not great except for the beach areas and few clubs, chronic issue of lack of diversity everywhere...(INCLUDING the CLUBS!!!)
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There were no real unexpected surprises.
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just because someone is a taxi driver does not mean they know where they are going
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As a previous reviewer wrote, Cloud 9 is a great way to get from the airport to wherever you're going (cheaper than cab).
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There is a lot of lecture time and stressed-out students.
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It rained when I got there. Don't assume the weather is always perfect. It's almost always perfect. =)
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50% of their interviewees are offered acceptance. Contrary to popular belief they accept UCSD undergrads to the school of medicine. The top feeder schools for the med school are UCSD, UCLA, UCBerkeley, and Standford.
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That I would like other UCs more.
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The hotel I was staying at had no irons available!
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see above.
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There are three campus-affiliated housing complexes which are relatively cheaper than off-campus housing, but they have very long waiting lists. It's sometimes possible to find housing there by hooking up with current residents looking for roomates. Also, you most likely need to have a car as the public transportation system is not all that great.
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50% of applicants who receive an interview will get accepted.
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You don't want to know.
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They have a great tutorial program. They are very helpful to students. The administration people and financial aid people really want to help you.
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UCSD's average debt after graduation is over $30,000 less than the mean for public medical schools
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I would have less nervous had I known how conversational and supportive the interviewers were going to be. Not everyone in my group had this experience though.
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UCSD seems very open to alternative medicine.
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The school is associated with at least 6 other institutions.
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The NRC rates UCSD's Neurosciences grad program as #1 in the country.
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One of my interviewers explained that he did not have my grades, only the other interviewer had them (after I explained a bad grade years ago!)
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no letter grades!! they use high pass, pass, no pass. i guess all the stuff i'd read was way outdated.
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Not much. Wish I knew about the free clinic tour because they didn't tell me about it in advance and so I couldn't go.
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traditional curriculum based on lectures; classes are 8-12 everyday and may last longer depending on what year and what day; in the past 4-5 years the school has worked hard to boost student morale; students now seem satisfied with the school
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most clinical facilities are 20 mins+ away.
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That one of my interviewers was gonna take me on a walking tour of campus for the whole interview! But that was more fun than stressful.
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There are so many electives available. I wish I had known more about them so I could've asked specifics.
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That there was absolutely nothing to worry about...It seems the Admissions Office actually has an interview policy that dictates that interviewers can only ask "get to know you" questions.
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The interviews can last a long time. Especially with my faculty interviewer (1.5 hours). The student interview was about 1 hour. On the day of my interview, there were only 5 MD applicants total. The rest, which were around 20 people, were MSTP applicants. Apparently, they squished many of the MSTP into that one date.
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I "discovered" the right answer to the "what would you do if a dying patient refuses a blood transfusion?" question. Wow I hope that answer didn't cost me my chance at admission. Obviously I hadn't read too much on medical ethics beforehand - oopsy.
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- Wished I had thought up more questions. Everbody gives you a chance to have things answered (Dean of Admissions, students, interviewers, staff).
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the UCSD interview experience to be smooth, positive, and impressive. They appreciated the relaxed and conversational nature of the interviews, the welcoming atmosphere of the campus, and the opportunities for student engagement. Some shared concerns about the school's traditional curriculum or specific interview experiences, but overall felt UCSD was a great institution with strong research opportunities and a supportive community.
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Everything was really smooth and easy to navigate
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Very positive interview experience. Nice interviewers who paid attention to our conversations.
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Awesome school. I was so impressed and would really love to go there
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I was not left with a positive impression of the school even though it's objectively a great school!
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UCSD is amazing!!!!!! They actually try to set up each student with interviewers who have similar interests, which I thought was a nice touch.
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Fabulous school - interview was pretty relaxed, and the entire day just made me fall in love with UCSD even more!
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Very impressed across the board. Especially with how quickly they report to give results.
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Fantastic school and definitely one of my top choices
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This was a top notch school and Brian is probably the most helpful admissions director you will find.
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I don't know how true or valid the "inferiority complex" in comparison to UCLA or UCSF are. I think UCSD is pretty dang close to UCLA and its location is much better. Right now, this is one of my top choices for in state.
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They don't serve breakfast or coffee so make sure you take care of that before arriving. Also bring your own water bottle in case you get thirsty talking up a storm during the interviews.
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If you have an interview, they are interested. The adcom and interviewers invest a lot of time and care in reviewing your application so you should be proud that you received an interview and stay confident during the process! Good luck!
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Overall, a great school that I hopefully will attend come September of next year!
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Great school! Thrilled to be accepted, and may matriculate here!
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Great school that clearly cares a lot about its students and is working to jump into the upper echelon of schools (not that it's currently not awesome, but the change to the new curriculum seems to be inspired by the curricula that other top ranked schools have adopted and the view that they're losing some students to those schools because UCSD is viewed as having a traditional, lecture-heavy curriculum)
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Great place. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The students seem really happy with where they are and what they are doing.
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New curriculum changes will be clarified in much more detail during the orientation intro, so don't worry about not being able to find much specific information online. Definitely go to the free clinic tour, it gives you a good feel for the clinical environment and type of environment you'll have the opportunity to be exposed to.
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I loved this school. It is an amazing place full of amazing people.
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San Diego is so beautiful. I know some people did not like the tree-house admissions office and the medical education building in the pharm. school, but such things did not matter to me. The campus and vast resources coming from having undergrad campus right next to it really make up for it.
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It's a great school, it's highly funded for research, so lots of opportunities for research. La Jolla is beautiful. People are friendly over there.
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The day started with a introduction by Dean Kelly followed by the 2 interviews. Interviews often take place off campus so beware. Afterwards, there was a lunch with medical students and a tour(I missed lunch b/c my shuttle bus coming back was late). Afterwards we had a presentation by student life and watched a video about the student run free clinic.
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the students kept hounding in the fact that the ucsd curriculum was changing to a model more like that of ucla's. it was obviously something they were very happy about. right now they have a traditional (8-5) model
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UCSD is a beautiful campus. The staff and students were very welcoming. Dean Kelly gave a very informal talk and she kept it short. Then at 9am we all got our individual interview schedules. Interviews are for 1 hour each at 10 and 11, except if the interview's off-campus in which case the interviewee has to leave a bit earlier to make both interviews. Lunch is at 12, followed by a tour. Everything is over at 2pm. One of the shortest interviews I've ever been on. Concise, structured, but by no means any less thorough. I really like the structure of UCSD interview.
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I had a very good interviewing experience. Both of my interviewers offered me drinks before we even got started, and then we had a good conversation the rest of the time. No stress at all! The students were intelligent, kind, and very cool to hang out with! The other interviewees definitely felt like people that I would want to go to school with. I would suggest going on the tour of the Free Clinic and having dinner with your tour guides. I couldn't have asked for a better day, and UCSD is now definitely one of my top choices.
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Schedule: 8am Dean Kelly Presentation 9:30 1st Interview 11:00 2nd Interview 12:00 Lunch and Tour with 1st years 1:30 Director of Student Life presentation 1:45 Video from Free Clinic Tour
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You should be sharp on their student run clinic and the offerings of sd. It never hurts to mention key names of faculty in the school. Don't stress.
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7:55a arrival, no coffee or beverages available (however thanks to SDN this wasn't a surprise). Great presentation by Dr. Kelly, followed by two interviews back to back. Opportunity to sit in on a lecture during break. Ladies, bring comfortable shoes! There's a good chance you will be taking shuttle buses or walking all over creation for your interview. ;) Lunch with students (boxed lunch was actually pretty tasty and fresh) followed by student-led tour. Then an overview of the rest of the admissions process by Brian Z., a 15-minute movie about the free clinic, and an overview of the Office of Student Affairs by Sandra. I'm heading back this evening for a tour of the free clinic and a free dinner. Dress is casual for this. Note that it appears that Dr Kelly has completely eradicated the prior cutthroat/competitive atmosphere. The students were obviously happy and there appears to be a lot of camaraderie. We need to squash these rumors! ;)
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it was very relaxed and conversational. the interviewers know your file very well, so be prepared to talk about yourself and anything you wrote in your application. no hard questions.
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The second interviewer had another person driven to her the previous week because their first one arrived late, makes me think there is a problem with the way they schedule interviews. Since some people have to fly in, get hotel and skip work, it would be nice if they were more considerate of our time by being prepared- we are as applicants.
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one of my best interview days...i really enjoyed learning about the school.
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Pretty good day. Not as stressful as I had heard the interview at ucsd could be. I guess it depends on who you get though. One of interviewers really hammered on my research- like 30 minutes worth! So be prepared. They actually read your secondary and amcas so they are very prepared with their questions which was good. They send you by yourself to all areas of the campus (and city for that matter) for your interviews. Back to back so you really have to hustle not be be late to your second interview. I wish they would change that. Overall good stress-free day
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I had a great experience. Dr. Kelly was amazing and gave a nice little orientation. After which I had two interviews. Granted, they were very in depth and they covered everything in my application and them some. I really felt they were trying to understand who i am as an applicant. then we had a nice lunch, a great tour and a little ex-troduction by the director of student life. honestly, it was very relaxing.
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This really seemed like a great place. I like that there was a mix of lecture (which dominates) and case-based learning/group time. The students said that you don't even have to go to lecture; the syllabus and notes are very thorough, and there are even podcasts. My interviews were both pretty stress-free, and I felt great about them.
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I thought I was going to really like UCSD but left the school really uninterested in attending. Besides the location the school does not have much to offer and they are arrogant about being difficult to get into.
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Comfortable.
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Super stress free day. I really enjoyed talking to the students. The administration strives to keep the stress level down for the students (full time tutors for first year classes, subsities for sporting events and museums, etc.). UCSD went from the middle of my list to near the top by the time the day was over.
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The day before the interview, there was a tour of one of the free clinics and then dinner. This was pretty helpful, but there was only one student involved, so we only got one perspective of the school. The interview day started at 8am with a PPT presentation by Dean Kelly. She was a super friendly person. Afterwards there were 2 one-on-one interviews. I got one faculty and a resident physician. The interview was much more stressful than other interviews I've had - felt like I was being grilled sometimes. My interviewers were sometimes skeptical of my answers and asked follow-up q's as if they wanted to prove me wrong. Due to the stressful nature of the interviews, the UCSD interview experience ranks low. After interviews, there was lunch with current students (they were NOT enthusiastic and were defensive about rumors about the UCSD competitiveness and curriculum structure, leaving me with a bad impression overall). As of now, the weather, in-state tuition, and research opportunities are major factors that sway me toward UCSD. Their friendliness factor needs some work. I wish everyone at UCSD were more like Dean Kelly :)
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very relaxed and conversational. I also interviewed with Dr. Carolyn Kelly (asst. dean of admissions)
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The day started with a short presentation by one of the deans. Then, we were sent to our interviews (each about an hour). Both of my interviewers were great. They asked me relevant challenging questions and provided good feedback. The interviews were very much like a flowing conversation. After the interviews we were provided lunch and had time to chat with many current students. Then came the student led tour, followed by a couple short presentations. That's pretty much it. Overall, everything went great.
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I stayed with a first year student who made me bring my own pillow and towel to her apartment - not to mention her and 3 of her classmates stayed up studying for their test until midnight (why then, did she volunteer to host?) Unfortunately I had to rent a car for less than 40 miles total roundtrip.....one of my interviewers left me with a sour taste in my mouth (though my other interviewer put me at ease). The school of course is in a beautiful place, the facilities are a mix of new and old (new library is very nice!) The curriculum is going to be revised in February (the admissions officer is uncertain of the changes that will come)....
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My first interview was relaxed and my interviewer talked more than I did. He seemed to be convincing me to come to UCSD. My second interviewer was different and it was hard to tell what she thought of me. She did ask me to explain a slight discrepancy in the dates I listed for employment (I never noticed it and was surprised that anyone did!).
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Overall it was a good day. I liked that they have free clinics and the city is gorgeous, but I just felt like students weren't happy there and that was a big turn-off for me. I have family in SD and was really excited going into the interview and loved the facilities, but students at other schools seemed ot be enjoying the experience a lot more and I would probably go to those places over SD.
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great school, great location, ucsd will get you ready to be a solid physician
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Contrary to previous reviews, my tour guides seemed enthusiastic about their school experience. The facilities were ok. Interviewers were very laid back and conversational. They don't reject anyone right away, you are either admitted or placed in an ''acceptable pool''.
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Great presentation at the beginning – clearly explained application process and dates that pertained to our interview date (such as adcom’s next meeting). 45 minutes. First interview, in international health building, with a clinical professor. Asked a lot about grades, took a lot of notes. Seemed interested but formal. Second interview, PhD – professor of lung physiology. Asked much more personal questions. Very interesting curriculum – anatomy in the second year. Spend a LOT of time in class.
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Dr. Insel was awesome and seems like a great program director. It kind of sucks when you are shuttled around all over La Jolla to meet with your interviewers, buts its ok. Make sure you speak to as many students in the program as possible. It totally helps get an idea of the types of people that attracted and accepted to UCSD. Weather was awesome, and during the tour they timed us checking out The Salk Institute with the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.
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I lucked out with my interviewers in that there was common ground between us that enabled them to move away from their interview script. It was really conversational
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First interview but I am definitely glad I had it here. SD is a very relaxed atmosphere. You see this in the environments, the students, the faculty, and the admissions staff. UCSD goes out of their way to ensure their students' and even their potential students' well-being. Definitely get to know a first year more by finding a student host. On interview day, they just want to know who you are as a person so you really don't have to prepare. All questions were standard so if you can't answer ''Why Medicine?'' that's not a good sign for both the interviewer and for yourself (why go into a career if you don't even know why?). Good luck!
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Overall, my interviews were great. I just wasn't very impressed with the school. They kept talking about all of the great things that would be built in 5 years, which is awesome - but doesn't do me any good, as I will be graduated by then.
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Staff and students were truly welcoming to us, and the school is making a real attempt to keep students happy. Very, very positive experience.
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The interviews were really laid back, especially that student interviewer. There are some hard questions but as long as you stay cool then all is well. Take the time to ask your own questions because that was how I learned about the cool surgery stuff.
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My best interview exp so far.. Informal, relaxed, conversational
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interviews were incredibly conversational. good experience.
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I was very impressed with how much effort the administration and staff put into making a student's journey enjoyable. It seemed like a really great place to go to school.
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spent a lot of time with the other interviewees, overall the day was well-planned and the office staff very helpful
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you meet in one room to have an introductory talk about UCSD, then you are led off to different interview locations. you meet for lunch and a tour and then have some information sessions afterwards
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The two days I spend in SD were incredibly laid back and even fun. My interviewers were equally laid back, though I didn't really click with one of them and she seemed in a great hurry to get back to her
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N/A
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I was impressed with the school, curriculum, and facilites. I asked my medical student interviewer about quality of life and he explained the recent changes (new dean of students, advising, programs) that have been made to make the school more student friendly.
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Awesome experience. Got to talk with the guy who invented microinjection. There is definitely some awesome research going on here and I would like to get in on it.
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Overall positive - I put no change because I was familiar with UCSD and its feel. The Dean of Admissions is *SO* cool- I really liked her and wished I could have spoken to her more. The students seem cooperative, not competitive, but they do seem more stressed out than any other campus I've visited. That being said, I'm sure their USMLE scores are sky high. I wished we could have spoken to 2nd years and 4th years -tour guides were only 1st years.
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the day was great, we did get a box lunch, but the weather was gorgeous and it was easy to get along with everyone on the campus, including my interviewers
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Great interview...great admissions staff...wonderful experience
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My two interviewers were very nice, asked relevent ??'s, it went very well.
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The day was great. You start off with an orientation of the curriculum, financial aid, etc. Then you have your interviews, a tour, and lunch. Then you learn about the Student Run Clinic. Later you can visit the Clinic which you should!
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The day starts early and the interviews are done before lunch. Afterwards there is a tour, meetings, and a video. The interviews were very low stress despite what some people write.
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Get there early. Started with orientation that had the facts like applicants, secondaries, interviews, acceptances. Also on the cirriculum. Afterwards, we had 3 hr time for 2 individual 1hr interviews. So basically you get 1 hr of break(could be before, during, or after the two interviews). Then free box lunch with med students. A short tour of SOM. then a talk with the student life director, then a wrap up with Dr Kelly and a free clinic video.
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Great experience.
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The interview day was well planned and ran very smoothly. Had a short orientation with an admissions director, got to sit on a second year class, had two interviews with a faculty researcher and a researcher at the nearby VA hospital (right across the street), lunch with students, a tour and a quick outro with a video about their student run free clinic project and final words from the same admissions officer from the orientation. Campus is beautiful and students seemed really happy despite having exams looming. The interview group was invited to join the lunchtime league soccer game. It was a laid back, nice interview day.
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Early morning briefing, 2 x 1-hour interviews, lunch with students, debriefing after lunch.
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UCSD may be, like, too Californian, y'know, for some, but, dude, it's awesome, and UCSD as a university ranked number 13 (in the world) on the Shanghai Report, which means you can get an M.D., do research in flip-flops and beach shorts, not wig out, and still score a California neurosurgery residency (as one of their students did last year). =)
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Pleasant. I wish I was less stressed thereby more myself. UCSD made the experience quite pleasurable.
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SD was definitely the lowest stress interview I attended. I had two faculty interviewers, which was great. One of them was really interested in helping me discover my future career path and gave me a lot of advice. It almost didn't feel like an interview! I was very impressed by both interviewers' interest in the students.
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Very relaxed and enjoyable tour + interview with one faculty member. The other went by faster than the speed of light (<20 mins). Tour was great!
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The interview was well done, the lunch was good but one of the student guides was annoying.
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a very positive experience, i liked the school a lot more than i thought i would... actually i was very impressed. but can excellent clinical opportunities and a great atmosphere make up for the hardcore traditionalist academics? that is the question for me, given my learning style.
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very laid-back and stress free. everyone is very friendly and nice.
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The interview day was hectic and exhausting, but I met a lot of great people (faculty and students) and got a strong sense of what life would be like there. I say it was hectic because there was a lot of commuting between interviews. While it is fabulous that such UCSD is affiliated with so many great Institutes (e.g. Burnham, Scripps, Salk), getting back and forth between them in a timely manner was difficult/impossible. Christine Moran, the program coordinator, and Natalie(?) did an amazing job staying on top of the schedules of the many applicants, and coordinating drop-offs/pick-ups at each location, but really it was too much for anyone to handle. As a result, I (along with most other applicants) was late to many of my interviews (and not just by a couple of minutes!). Being late had the additional consequence of greatly shortened the length of the interviews. I met really great people doing fascinating research, but I had to interrupt them at times to tell them that I must leave immediately to catch my ride to the next interview. It was stressful, but I got a lot out of the interviews. The interviewers knew my application well, and were able to ask focused, pointed questions. Some were a little too pointed. I found some (though not all) of interviewers to be aggressive and somewhat edgy. Again, I overall enjoyed the conversations I had with these people and was definitely impressed by the school. I would warn applicants not only to know their application, research, and goals well, but to be able to defend them against persistent (and sometimes harsh) questioning.
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overall a great experience, strong school with many opportunities for early clinical exposure and research
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UCSD is a great school with amazing research and primary care programs. I was definitely impressed by this during interview day. However, the curriculum at UCSD is still heavily lecture-based, and students seemingly spend most of their time in lecture (and, therefore, I saw many unhappy students there). Overall, interview day went well (even though there was an early 7:45 AM start time). Just relax and enjoy the weather...the interviewers are pretty laid back.
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it was my first interview, but really laid-back and informal to the point that I forgot it was an interview. They also get back to you very quickly (3 weeks or so), which is nice.
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laid back, conversational, easy
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Great interaction with the students and administration. This school is full of opportunities, the curriculum is solid, and the location can't be beat. I would love to be here!
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Like the majority of students who have interviewed at UCSD I found both my interviewers to be very conversational and relaxed. It was obvious that both had spent the time to carefully read my application and each of them had different questions regarding my secondary application. Your day begins with a brief introduction to the school by the director of admissions. Afterwards, you're given your interview schedules and everyone meets back at the admissions office for lunch and a tour of the school. Me and my first interviewer spent a great deal of time talking about my cultural background and views on the current state of medicine. We got a pretty good dialogue going and even traded book recommendations. Unfortunately, our time was cut short. Otherwise I'm sure I could have talked to him all day. My second interviewer was a little more business with the typical "why medicine" and "where do you see yourself 10 years from now" questions. Not stressful at all. We talked about the curriculum of the school and the high caliber of the doctors the school seems to produce. Between the two of them I think they got a multifaceted view of me as a potential student. Our student tour guides shared lots knowledge about the school and said admittedly around 4 years ago a majority of the students were unhappy. However, a lot of changes have been made since then and first year students seem to be very happy. Overall it was a very relaxed day and if given the chance, take the tour of the free-clinics.
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Overall, not so bad but definitely does not live up to its reputation.
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I had a great day at UCSD. All the students were friendly and upfront. Every student will be honest with you in saying that they chose UCSD because a) they wanted to stay in california, b) it was the only UC they got into, and c) in-state tuition is huge. And, to be honest, I can't blame them: if I get into UCSD, I won't be able to turn it down because in-state tuition is about half the price of going to school on the east coast (or out-of-state). Having said all that, UCSD is a great school - ranked in the top 10 in primary care and in the top 15 overall. Also, it's beautifully situated, and I love the sun and outdoors. I felt that I would be completely happy there.
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A good, low stress experience overall. I only gave it a 3 because SD is one of my top choices and I was nervous. There were no tough questons, my interviewers basically just asked me to elaborate on various things I had discussed in my application. I arrived the night before and went on the tour of the free clinic. The student leading the tour was very nice. On interview day, I had one interview with a Ph.D. faculty member, and another with a practicing physician. The interviews were more like pleasant conversations. In between interviews, I sat in on a class for a bit. There was a student led tour at lunch.
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It was a great place and school, and if I hadn't run into my friend I would have loved it there. But I don't know how I can convince myself to consider it anymore.
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I know everybody says this, but San Diego is absolutely gorgeous and the weather is very pleasant indeed (although it did get cloudy while I was there). I had 2 facutly interviews, but some people had 1 faculty + 1 student. The interviews were very conversational and quite stress-free. They really just wanted to get a feel for who we are and why we think UCSD is a good fit for us. I felt very much at ease while talking to both my interviewers. Also, the staff were very friendly and they didn't oversell the school to us. I have discovered that it's best not to have too high expectations about schools when we go for interviews (that way, you won't be too disappointed if it's not what you imagined it to be). In any case, my experience at UCSD was quite good, and I think it's a really good school. Many of the students told me that they chose UCSD because they wanted to stay in CA and UCSD was the only school that they got into without being waitlisted. I'm not sure if they would have picked it if they had gotten into other UCs. But, I think the students were happy and they all seem to get along quite well. There's not much racial diverstity at UCSD, but the students have very different and interesting backgrounds. The most impressive part of my visit was a tour of one of the student-run free clinics (sign up for that if you can). It was amazing to see all the dedicated students (medical, dental, and pharmacy school), physicians and other volunteers working hand in hand to bring free healthcare to a very needy community. There are three different community-based clinics which are open to anyone who wants to volunteer their time and effort to working with the medically underserved.
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Before any of my interviews started, I was very nervous because it was my first interview and at my first choice. However, my first interview with a medical student made me much more comfortable and at ease. I felt more confident following my interview with her and my stress level decreased a great deal coming into the second interview with a faculty member. Overall, my interview experience at UCSD was great. I enjoyed it a great deal.
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Over all very pleasant. Great campus/location (SoCal rocks), really cool students, friendly and informal interviews, decent food :)
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A HUGE LET DOWN. My preconceived notion of the institution was very positive. That's why people warn against preconceived notions! Students were seemingly unhappy. Cafeteria what??? Why did so many people boast about skipping classes--Is that supposed to be cute? 8-5...hmm, I'll pass. Unfortunately, I was not rejected :(
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Interviewers are very pleasant, they really just want to get to know you.
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I had two faculty members interview me. Both were really nice and genuinely interested in knowing me. Both encouraged it to be a conversation and not just only a question and answer format.
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An incredibly easy-going experience. I felt as though the interviewers weren't trying to grill me, but rather understand me better. It was relaxing to talk about my family and my upbringing first before I had to explain why reasons to go into medicine.
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Very cool place to be. Easy interviews. They just wanted to get a sense of my character it seemed. I have been there as a student before, but the interaction with the faculty impressed me greatly.
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You'll arrive the day before your interviews to make a not-entirely helpful tour of the campus. Christine Moran will whisk you away to the Salk Institute in time for a beautiful sunset, and then you're immediately taken to one of UCSD's student-run free clinics. Interview day is jam-packed with interviews in typical SoCal laid-back style (although this depends on your specific interviewers and how well you know your research). UCSD takes care of your living and eating arrangements for the duration of your stay.
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San Diego is an up and coming school. It will replace UCLA, in my views, as the premier medical center in southern California within the next 10 years. The school is in a great location and the faculty are very nice. I felt that my interview was more like a vacation than an interview.
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This interview is not one to worry about. Everything was relaxed and very conversational. It was also EXTREMELY well-organized and ran very smoothly.
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My interview was very positive. I felt the first interviewer asked the more difficult, explain this explain that in my application, along with cheating issues, ethics questions, why become a physician. The other focused on my goals, now and in the future, upcoming opportunities, and focused more on my personality. Between the two I felt that they really had a good idea of whom I am, not just the premed applicant
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the day was organized very nicely. we first received an introduction to the school by the admissions director, then went out for our interviews. we each had two interviews with faculty members--one had access to our complete AMCAS file while the other had only our essays. those of us with time between interviews were able to sit in on a class. the day ended with a video of the free clinic and a question-answer period. it was very low stress and a nice day.
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I had an interview with a 4th year med student, and we chatted as though we were old friends. Then i had an interview with a professor, who basically went through my file and asked me to clarify on certain things I wrote. UCSD does not do stress interviews...they just want to ascertain what type of person you are.
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First interview: scheduling mistake and so the interview started late. The professor was nice, very chatty, asked me all about my life, culture, beliefs, habits, background, etc. Then, all of a sudden he looked at the clock and told me I had to go to my next interview because we ran out of time. That's when he gave that question regarding the admissions committee and what I wanted them to know. 2nd interview: 4th year med student. Quite nice although I think I started off on the wrong foot. I had more fun with her because of the issues. She was grilling me on things, though, like my research and my free clinic work, etc. Overall: I thought my interviewers were really open with me. I asked them specifics about their lives and their relationships with spouses. I asked the doctor/researcher/professor what his role is in his children's lives and how being a clinician has impacted family life (i'm very family oriented). i asked my 4th year interviewer what is was like to be married (to someone not medicine/science-related) while in medical school? How do you maintain a healthy relationship, etc?
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UCSD has been known for having more difficult interviewers but luckily the ones I had were extremely supportive and relaxing. Based on the questions that were asked, the interviewers had my application closely and were genuinely interested in learning more about me as a person. I interviewed with a Ph.D. and a MD. The environment was extremely relaxed. If you have the opportunity, stick around at the end of the day to tour the student-run clinics. It's amazing how chaotic the clinics are but the students are doing fabulous work. Plus, you get a free dinner!
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The introduction to school was informative and low stress. The interviewers seemed to be interested in personal skills rather than views/skills/problem solving. one of the dudes seemed to be conducting a personal brainstorming session in his head for his research while conducting an interview..wierd.
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One of the longer interview days I've had. Started at 7:55 am to be precise, sat in a room with the other applicants, then an admissions officer came in and gave an orientation to our day and an overview of the med. program and resources. Then all applicants had their 2 interviews, plus an hour to look around and visit classes. At noon, we met up with some friendly med students over lunch, and they led us on an informal tour of the on-campus facilities. At around 1:30 we watched a video on their free clinic, and from 2-3 we heard from an outreach person and closed the day with an admissions officer. I recall a financial aid session somewhere in there, too. The interviews were by far the most relaxing I've had so far. Both interviewers only asked questions on my background, experiences, interests, and goals. They often made references to my essays and gave praised several comments I made in them. One of my interviewers even took me on a walking tour of campus for the whole interview. They made much effort to click with me during the interview, making for a very conversational experience.
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I liked my interviewers. We connected right away and it was just a conversation. They were really interested in knowing more about my past life experiences and welcomed my stories. This was also my first interview and I was a bit nervous.
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Very positive. Happy students is a good sign!
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Really nothing to worry about here -- they just want to get to know you -- no questions about healthcare policy or ethics or anything.
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Overall, the UCSD interview was the best I have had. Everyone was friendly. My faculty interviewer spent most of the time talking about his research. He only asked me a few simple questions about my academic background, research, etc. But that was only 5 minutes. The remaining 1 hour and 25 minutes was about his research. That was good because I didn't have to talk. I found his research interesting but had trouble staying awake because I woke up at 3am to drive from Irvine to La Jolla. The student interviewer was nice as well. Most of her questions were easy and straightforward. There were no ethical or healthcare questions. They were just trying to find out more about me.
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Very low stress, definitely not an interview to be too worried about.
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The first interview was a little rough. He arrived about 10-15 minutes late and wanted me to start out by telling him the rumors I heard about UCSD, and what I liked and didn't like about the school. He then proceeded to ask me some ethical questions and the questions mentioned above. Very little about my actual application. Most of my answers were pretty shoddy, and in general I think I made an ass out of myself. The second interviewer barely asked me anything at all. He got two phone calls in the middle of the interview which kind of disrupted things. He just kept flipping through my application saying stuff like "Wow you are a very impressive applicant" and "Would you really even come to UCSD?". After he asked me where I had been accepted (nowhere at the time), he then said stuff like "I don't see any red flags in here, I don't know why you haven't been accepted everywhere you applied". Anyway it was a weird interview and it was like the guy was practically kissing my ass the whole time. In the end he told me he didn't see why I wouldn't get accepted there. It balanced out the pretty crappy interview I had earlier.
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Nothing to worry about. A totally laid back day with most questions revolving around clarifying points in your file. Remember that UCSD requires an Independent Study Project (ISP) from students which requires writting a thesis before graduating.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Most applicants suggested providing breakfast or refreshments in the morning, improving communication regarding events like clinic tours, and enhancing organization during tours and parking instructions for a smoother experience.
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Nothing - thanks for making this a great experience
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Advertise the free clinic tour better. I only knew about it because of SDN.
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Free breakfast would be nice. Also, more clear instructions for parking would be great - somehow, I followed the instructions to a T and ended up getting a parking ticket. But hey, it's all good :)
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Some bagels and coffee in the morning would have been good, but otherwise no complaints.
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Provide breakfast in the morning for applicants. Keep up the good work
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None. The UCSD admissions office is the best of all the schools I have interviewed at. They are very friendly, helpful and quick to respond.
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I really appreciated the transparency and kindness of the admissions office.
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Nothing really. The tour could have been better organized -- we almost didn't get one
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Admissions office is extremely organized and responsive, more than any other school I've hd experien
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Don't wait till Nov. 14 to have your frist decision meeting. . . lol please.
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It would be great to have some coffee/juice available in the morning.
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Nothing!
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Breakfast or at least coffee
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Refreshments/food in the morning!
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You may want to consider having coffee and bagels/muffins available for applicants. Otherwise the da
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speed up the process from post-secondary to interview invitation.
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Formulate an online application and payment system to avoid snail mail delays.
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