2017-2018 University of California - Davis

[gyngyn]

Space reserved for prompt.

Please post the essays or lack thereof (in addition to word or character counts) in this thread and tag one of the pre-allo mods (WedgeDawg, Ismet, Lucca, or gyngyn) so we can update the OP.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback
University of California Davis Interview Feedback
Interviewed at UCD? Complete an Interview Feedback Survey!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[coralista]

Statistics (from interview day)
~7,400 applications
~2,600 secondaries
~500 interviews
~210 acceptances

Admissions Timeline (2016-2017)
June - December: Initial screening
June - January: Secondary screening
August - March: Interviews
October - April: Offer decisions, within 6 weeks of interview (via phone call followed by e-mail)
April - July: Waitlist decisions (via phone call followed by e-mail)

Secondary Application (2016-2017, there is a pre-screen):
You will have 30 calendar days to complete the secondary application from the day you received the Secondary Application request. The 30 calendar day deadline does not include the letters of recommendation.

Essay Questions Section
1. Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee.
2. Do you have a connection to Northern or Central California? (Yes or No)
3. If you answered 'yes' to having a connection to Northern or Central California, please explain below. If you answered 'no' type 'not applicable'.

Experiences Section
At UC Davis School of Medicine we realize that each applicant brings diversity and perspective from a broad range of experiences. In this section we give you the opportunity to describe in detail the 3 extracurricular activities or experiences that have been most influential in leading you to a career in medicine. We realize that many applicants have identified key experiences in the main application. However, some do not and others identify less than 3. We apologize for any redundancy - feel free to reproduce the comments from your Primary application and expand on them as appropriate.

Tailored Tracks

• Rural-PRIME: The Rural-Program In Medical Education (PRIME) is designed for students interested in becoming physician leaders in rural California communities. Curricular enhancements include weekly seminars, hands-on skill sessions covering laceration repair, obstetric delivery, mentorship with rural physicians, 3rd year rural clinical rotations and leadership opportunities related to rural health. For more information, please visit UC Davis Health System - School of Medicine - Rural-PRIME.
• SJV-PRIME: The San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV-PRIME) requires a commitment to the San Joaquin Valley, you will be expected to participate in small group activities, engage with communities in the SJ Valley, and complete your third year at UCSF-Fresno. For more information, please visit UC Davis Health System - School of Medicine - UC Merced San Joaquin Valley - PRIME.
• TEACH-MS: A collaboration between UCDSOM and the UC Davis TEACH Residency Program, the Transforming Education and Community Health Program for Medical Students (TEACH-MS) is a four year tailored track for students committed to primary care and care for the urban underserved. For more information, please visit Transforming Education and Community Health - TEACH-MS | UC Davis School of Medicine.
  
• ACE-PC: The Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) program is a 6-year pathway for medical students planning a career in primary care, Internal Medicine, or Family Medicine. ACE-PC links medical school and residency training, allowing students to complete medical school in 3 years. Applicants must first be accepted to the UC Davis School of Medicine traditional 4-year program. The ACE-PC program will offer a second interview for selected applicants. For more information, please visit Welcome to ACE-PC. Upon acceptance to ACE-PC, students receive a conditional acceptance to one of the following residency programs:
  • Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano Family Medicine
  • UC Davis Family and Community Medicine
  • Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Primary Care Internal Medicine
  • UC Davis Primary Care Internal Medicine
• MD/PhD: The Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) is an integrated training program that combines medical and graduate education, leading to both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. The PSTP is designed to train the next generation of physician scientists who will pursue careers in academic medicine.

Curriculum

• Pass/fail 2-year pre-clinical.
• TEAM-PEACE (Professionalism, Ethics and Cultural Enrichment): An embedded longitudinal curriculum for cultural competency.
• PITCH (Partners in Transforming Community Health): Interprofessional curriculum that fosters interdisciplinary learning between medical and nursing students, immerses students in community engagement projects, and aids students in developing the knowledge base and leadership skills to become leaders in improving community health.
• The 3rd year longitudinal primary care experience places students in primary care practices throughout the region every other week throughout the year. Students are required to submit a quality improvement (QI) project relevant to their site.

Interview
UC Davis utilizes the multiple mini interview (MMI).

Resources for the MMI

• "How to be successful in the MMI" YouTube video from the 11th Annual UC Davis Pre-Health & Pre-Medical National Conference in 2013
• Applicant personality study conducted at UC Davis, including results about what factors affected admissions decisions post-interview: Jerant, Anthony, et al. "Does applicant personality influence multiple mini-interview performance and medical school acceptance offers?." Academic Medicine 87.9 (2012): 1250-1259.

Applicant Host Program
UC Davis offers its interviewees a student-run opportunity to stay cost-free with a current medical student.

Update Letter Policy
Admission decisions will be based upon the information contained in the application materials at the time of review. The Admissions Committee will only accept updates from applicants invited to interview. Updates MUST be sent via the Message Center in the applicant portal and follow the character count limit. Attachments and additional letters of recommendation will not be accepted.

Notes

• Curious about the match at UC Davis? Check out these residency match results.
• Match Day 2017: Article from UC Davis Health and YouTube video

Good luck to those applying this cycle.

 

[joeception]

This school is my top choice, I am a bit below average in terms of sGPA for medical school matriculates, but I hope my connection to the central valley can get me an interview.

 

[mychemicallovestory]

Does anyone have the 2018 secondary questions with character counts?

 

[Zanna]

Got the secondary invitation this morning!

 

[primarydr]

Got the secondary invitation this morning!

+1!!

 

[sunc92]

Got a secondary as well!

Does anyone think that listing best friends living in the Northern/central CA areas as "ties" is too much of a stretch? I did my undergrad in southern california

 

[ambitiousMED]

Mine says they are still reviewing applications. So I guess it is a reject before II ☹

Edit: I was supposed to click on the link they sent in the email. Oops! I got a secondary as well!

 

[aaronrodgers]

How do they screen secondaries? Is it by metrics only or also EC

 

[California Bear]

Secondary! Bay Area native.

 

[hebrewBAMmer]

This is confusing. I got an "Application Received" email saying:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your application to our medical school. The Admissions Committee is reviewing applications and you will be notified of your status by e-mail as soon as a decision has been reached.

But then I click the status link in my email which says:

"
Supplemental Application Incomplete
Complete Supplemental Application (click here)"

So.... I got one?

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

This is confusing. I got an "Application Received" email saying:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your application to our medical school. The Admissions Committee is reviewing applications and you will be notified of your status by e-mail as soon as a decision has been reached.

But then I click the status link in my email which says:

"
Supplemental Application Incomplete
Complete Supplemental Application (click here)"

So.... I got one?

In the same boat. Can someone who got a secondary clarify if this is what they see on the portal? (or alternatively... does anyone who hasn't gotten a secondary see anything different?)

 

[ambitiousMED]

This is confusing. I got an "Application Received" email saying:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your application to our medical school. The Admissions Committee is reviewing applications and you will be notified of your status by e-mail as soon as a decision has been reached.

But then I click the status link in my email which says:

"
Supplemental Application Incomplete
Complete Supplemental Application (click here)"

So.... I got one?

I see the same thing. So I assumed I got one? Now, I am not sure either!

 

[Seiken_]

@hebrewBAMmer

When you guys click on the "(click here)", it will take you to the secondary application.

 

[hebrewBAMmer]

@hebrewBAMmer

When you guys click on the "(click here)", it will take you to the secondary application.

Right, I understand that. It's just their email makes it sound like they haven't decided if I will receive one or not.

 

[sunc92]

I see the same thing. So I assumed I got one? Now, I am not sure either!

You should get two emails. 1) Application Received; 2) Application Update (with the link to the secondary)

 

[Seiken_]

Right, I understand that. It's just their email makes it sound like they haven't decided if I will receive one or not.

Sorry! Did not mean to sound disrespectful, was just trying to clarify for the others as well. We got the secondary :^)

 

[ambitiousMED]

You should get two emails. 1) Application Received; 2) Application Update (with the link to the secondary)

I only received the application received email.

 

[cke11]

In the same boat. Can someone who got a secondary clarify if this is what they see on the portal? (or alternatively... does anyone who hasn't gotten a secondary see anything different?)

Sorry! Did not mean to sound disrespectful, was just trying to clarify for the others as well. We got the secondary :^)

Right, I understand that. It's just their email makes it sound like they haven't decided if I will receive one or not.

I tried to tag you guys wondering about secondaries, but I received an "application received" email as well as an "application update" email that said "Congratulations! Based on a review of your application, the Admissions Committee invites you to complete our secondary application."

 

[hebrewBAMmer]

Sorry! Did not mean to sound disrespectful, was just trying to clarify for the others as well. We got the secondary :^)

Oh no you're fine! Promise

That's great! (especially since I'm not from NorCal)

 

[heyhihello]

I'm in the same boat and only received the "Application Received" email.

Looking through the secondary, I realized they are pretty clear about the one year of organic chemistry requirement.
I did one sem organic and one sem biochemistry, as that satisfies requirements for most other medical schools.
Should I bother filling out the secondary?

 

[st3ph3n3urry]

Completed the secondary, but not seeing the submit button in the menu. Anyone else see it? Do they have to receive your letters of recommendation before it appears?

 

[California Bear]

Completed the secondary, but not seeing the submit button in the menu. Anyone else see it? Do they have to receive your letters of recommendation before it appears?

Ayeee how'd you finish it so quickly?

 

[mangogreen]

Completed the secondary, but not seeing the submit button in the menu. Anyone else see it? Do they have to receive your letters of recommendation before it appears?

I'm assuming it allows everyone to fill out the secondary, even if you haven't passed the screening. This might be why they won't let you submit.

 

[PremedPri]

I'm assuming it allows everyone to fill out the secondary, even if you haven't passed the screening. This might be why they won't let you submit.

I received the link that UCD SOM received my app, but did not receive the Secondary confirmation follow up email, however I have access to the secondary application and I see the submit button.

 

[Isoval]

I received an email from them today stating that my application has been received.

AMCAS transmitted 6/16/17.

 

[Averagemanboy]

Completed the secondary, but not seeing the submit button in the menu. Anyone else see it? Do they have to receive your letters of recommendation before it appears?

I am in the same boat. I got the email telling me to fill out the secondary. I have finished it but I don't see a submit button. They must have to receive the letter of rec or something. This makes no sense LOL

 

[OchemOficionado]

I'm in the same boat and only received the "Application Received" email.

Looking through the secondary, I realized they are pretty clear about the one year of organic chemistry requirement.
I did one sem organic and one sem biochemistry, as that satisfies requirements for most other medical schools.
Should I bother filling out the secondary?

You already spent the money to submit a primary there so why not?

 

[Loncria]

If we didn't get that second email confirming our invitation for our secondary, does that mean we most likely didn't pass the screen? It seems the secondary link is visible to anyone from the application portal.

 

[SapoAmarillo]

Has anyone that received both emails been able to submit their secondary application? I've completed everything and do not know what I need to do to submit this thing...

 

[drRNA]

Has anyone that received both emails been able to submit their secondary application? I've completed everything and do not know what I need to do to submit this thing...

Nope, same problem here...

 

[cke11]

Has anyone that received both emails been able to submit their secondary application? I've completed everything and do not know what I need to do to submit this thing...

I received both email and at the tailored tracks tab at the end there is a submit button that I can click

 

[aaronrodgers]

Also have no idea how we submit the whole secondary app. I tried doing the payment first but still cannot submit.

 

[SapoAmarillo]

I received both email and at the tailored tracks tab at the end there is a submit button that I can click

Yeah, even after you press that submit button though it only saves your changes (and I keep not making any because I'm only applying MD, and I'm not planning on changing the program I'm applying to). Even after you hit submit there your application will still say you haven't completed on the home page. I called their office and they said that others had called in with the same problem and they're trying to fix it.

 

[Kingsmen2018]

What do they mean by connection exactly

 

[Bethesda&Rockstar]

This might be a ridiculous questions but for the letters of rec, is it 3-6 additional from the letters that were submitted with the primary application? If not how to you make sure that UCD receives it because it currently states they have not received them.

 

[Gutsy]

Do you think the school will actually call our supervisors for our experiences??

 

[ojy77511]

I got secondary today morning. I think it was auto screen or something because I got it at the same time as email saying they received my app


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Bethesda&Rockstar]

Has anyone that received both emails been able to submit their secondary application? I've completed everything and do not know what I need to do to submit this thing...

Does your LORs say complete?

 

[drRNA]

Does your LORs say complete?

Looks like the submit button is there now, my LORs not complete yet

 

[aaronrodgers]

Looks like the submit button is there now, my LORs not complete yet

where do you see it?

 

[Hellohihihihello]

Do we need to do anything at all if we qualify for the fee waiver? or do we still need to pay?

 

[drRNA]

where do you see it?

Far right on the menu bar for me

 

[Bethesda&Rockstar]

Looks like the submit button is there now, my LORs not complete yet

Did you already submit them in AMCAS?

 

[ambitiousMED]

If we didn't get that second email confirming our invitation for our secondary, does that mean we most likely didn't pass the screen? It seems the secondary link is visible to anyone from the application portal.

I emailed the admissions and they said:

Your AMCAS application is under review. You will be notified via email if invited to complete a secondary.

So, we really need that second email to know we are invited to fill out the secondary. So I guess we didn't pass the prescreen.

 

[fluffysquirrel]

.

 

[hebrewBAMmer]

I emailed the admissions and they said:

Your AMCAS application is under review. You will be notified via email if invited to complete a secondary.

So, we really need that second email to know we are invited to fill out the secondary. So I guess we didn't pass the prescreen.

Interesting, so we have access to the secondary even if we didn't officially get one? That's odd

 

[ambitiousMED]

Interesting, so we have access to the secondary even if we didn't officially get one? That's odd

Probably just want your money lol

 

[joeception]

for this question:

Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee.

Should we discuss a low mcat section? (cars-124) or just leave that out? Maybe they're talking about felonies?

I think it is asking for semesters of low GPA and low mcat subsections would work as it could be considered concerning

 

[cke11]

For the discuss and part of your application that may be concerning, would we talk about taking the MCAT twice, I don't want to point out a negative but it seems like they're asking for one?