2022-2023 Drew @ UCLA

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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OOS secondary recieved today. Submitted app on first day of transmission. ORM, but big mission fit.
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Got the app complete email today, hoping for some good news soon.
 
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They suck I have been complete for over a month now I’m losing all hope here
 
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Hello! Does anyone here know if UCLA-Drew has the same letter requirements as the regular UCLA program? I have a committee letter and want to know if I have to find another individual letter. Thank you beforehand! :)
 
OOS II Received just today. Absolutely hyped.
 
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OOS II received today! Insane.
 
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Dang and I still haven’t heard of a secondary
 
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OOS II !! Lizzy M 70.5, WARS 79, no ties to Cali. Complete 7/19.
 
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IS II! Secondary completed 07/17. Did anyone get a confirmation email when they selected an interview date? I never got a confirmation email.

Also I am so stoked on this news! I don't believe it still lol
 
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mailbruin4577 said:
IS II! Secondary completed 07/17. Did anyone get a confirmation email when they selected an interview date? I never got a confirmation email.

Also I am so stoked on this news! I don't believe it still lol
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I didnt get a confirmation email
 
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Is there an email to reach out them for because I am still without a secondary?
 
I have been trying to add this school to my AMCAS app, but for some reason I can't seem to find when I try to add schools. Can someone please provide guidance?
 
Hey yall I just got the secondary right now and I had emailed them today. I cant seem to find the secondary link
 
Can someone explain the program. Do you spend 2 years at UCLA and then at CDU for your medical education. Im confused.
 
wavyboys21 said:
Can someone explain the program. Do you spend 2 years at UCLA and then at CDU for your medical education. Im confused.
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Hi, current MS1 in the program. You spend nearly the entirety of your education at UCLA if you are in the UCLA/Drew Medical Education Program. Before classes begin, there is a 2 week pre-matriculation program that was conducted on the CDU campus and hybrid for us, just to get familiar with CDU and their mission. That ended for us just three weeks ago and since then we have been at UCLA attending classes.

While we get the resources of two institutions (and even a CDU white coat and graduation) our degrees are "technically" conferred by UCLA. However there are some requirements we must fulfill as members of the CDU cohort. The big thing is a scholarly research project to be completed by the time you graduate addressing some form of health inequities. Finally, a few of our rotations are at facilities and within communities that are considered disadvantaged and underserved.

Finally, UCLA's curriculum is also now a 1-yr preclinical with clerkships/rotations starting MS2 and a 3rd year dedicated to "Discovery" (i.e. dual degree, research, advocacy, etc).

Hope that helps
 
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Mikiras said:
Hi, current MS1 in the program. You spend nearly the entirety of your education at UCLA if you are in the UCLA/Drew Medical Education Program. Before classes begin, there is a 2 week pre-matriculation program that was conducted on the CDU campus and hybrid for us, just to get familiar with CDU and their mission. That ended for us just three weeks ago and since then we have been at UCLA attending classes.

While we get the resources of two institutions (and even a CDU white coat and graduation) our degrees are "technically" conferred by UCLA. However there are some requirements we must fulfill as members of the CDU cohort. The big thing is a scholarly research project to be completed by the time you graduate addressing some form of health inequities. Finally, a few of our rotations are at facilities and within communities that are considered disadvantaged and underserved.

Finally, UCLA's curriculum is also now a 1-yr preclinical with clerkships/rotations starting MS2 and a 3rd year dedicated to "Discovery" (i.e. dual degree, research, advocacy, etc).

Hope that helps
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..
 
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fintomdcc said:
This is great info!! Do you have to go into primary care if you do this program? I am extremely interested in this program for many reasons but I'm not sure if I want to do internal medicine or family practice?
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Not at all. While the focus used to be on primary care, admin have come to realize that marginalized communities need access to specialists that relate to them as well. I, for instance, have no interest in primary care and that is supported by CDU and UCLA.
 
Wow it does help. Also do you have 2 white coat ceremonies for UCLA med school and CDU/UCLA. and how does the white coat take place. Also wanted to know is there any stereotypes you experience being a CDU/ UCLA student than you do being a UCLA student. Also are all your classes with the UCLA med school student or they separated by cohorts for CDU/UCLA students
 
1. Yes we do get two white coat ceremonies. The CDU ceremony was on their campus and happened at the end of pre-matriculation. UCLA's will be on their campus in T-minus-two weeks. CDU allowed a family member to help us put on our white coats. UCLA will have a dean do it.

2. Stereotypes are bound to occur for any type of minority in medicine, whether you are in a cohort or not. There have not been any blatant aggressions toward my cohort but there have been microaggressions experienced by classmates of color outside of the CDU cohort. As a minority in medicine, it can happen. I find that mostly, especially on SDN, many people assume CDU students have low stats or are not as high-achieving as Geffen students. None of that has been expressed (so far) in person at campus. But if it does, whatever. We are all in the same place so they can kick bricks. I will say, however, UCLA does a great job of making sure all of their cohorts (CDU, PRIME, MSTP, Geffen) are integrated which brings me to...

3. All classes are taken as one large class when it comes to lectures. We are divided into sooo many groups outside of lecture, however. Large groups, small groups, societies, it's honestly a lot of grouping. But each group is mixed so that you may have students from any cohort within any of your given groups. So in my small group, there are just 2 CDU students and 6 Geffen students (and someone in that group may be PRIME but who knows).
 
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Mikiras said:
1. Yes we do get two white coat ceremonies. The CDU ceremony was on their campus and happened at the end of pre-matriculation. UCLA's will be on their campus in T-minus-two weeks. CDU allowed a family member to help us put on our white coats. UCLA will have a dean do it.

2. Stereotypes are bound to occur for any type of minority in medicine, whether you are in a cohort or not. There have not been any blatant aggressions toward my cohort but there have been microaggressions experienced by classmates of color outside of the CDU cohort. As a minority in medicine, it can happen. I find that mostly, especially on SDN, many people assume CDU students have low stats or are not as high-achieving as Geffen students. None of that has been expressed (so far) in person at campus. But if it does, whatever. We are all in the same place so they can kick bricks. I will say, however, UCLA does a great job of making sure all of their cohorts (CDU, PRIME, MSTP, Geffen) are integrated which brings me to...

3. All classes are taken as one large class when it comes to lectures. We are divided into sooo many groups outside of lecture, however. Large groups, small groups, societies, it's honestly a lot of grouping. But each group is mixed so that you may have students from any cohort within any of your given groups. So in my small group, there are just 2 CDU students and 6 Geffen students (and someone in that group may be PRIME but who knows).
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Thank you for this invaluable insight. Do you know how the match lists typically compare between CDU and Geffen?
 
Mikiras said:
1. Yes we do get two white coat ceremonies. The CDU ceremony was on their campus and happened at the end of pre-matriculation. UCLA's will be on their campus in T-minus-two weeks. CDU allowed a family member to help us put on our white coats. UCLA will have a dean do it.

2. Stereotypes are bound to occur for any type of minority in medicine, whether you are in a cohort or not. There have not been any blatant aggressions toward my cohort but there have been microaggressions experienced by classmates of color outside of the CDU cohort. As a minority in medicine, it can happen. I find that mostly, especially on SDN, many people assume CDU students have low stats or are not as high-achieving as Geffen students. None of that has been expressed (so far) in person at campus. But if it does, whatever. We are all in the same place so they can kick bricks. I will say, however, UCLA does a great job of making sure all of their cohorts (CDU, PRIME, MSTP, Geffen) are integrated which brings me to...

3. All classes are taken as one large class when it comes to lectures. We are divided into sooo many groups outside of lecture, however. Large groups, small groups, societies, it's honestly a lot of grouping. But each group is mixed so that you may have students from any cohort within any of your given groups. So in my small group, there are just 2 CDU students and 6 Geffen students (and someone in that group may be PRIME but who knows).
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TY SO MUCH this was very helpful for me and many other students.
 
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OnceUponUhCloud said:
Thank you for this invaluable insight. Do you know how the match lists typically compare between CDU and Geffen?
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They are not reported separately, even for us. I could ask a dean at CDU but I haven't felt the need as all CDU students match well and not only into primary care. There has seemingly been a selection bias toward primary care in the past (meaning those fields are just what students wanted to do) but out of 26 students it is not abnormal to see people matching into specialties. When you look at the UCLA match list, CDU is reported within that. If you cared to extensively comb through the match list and cross-reference it with the MS4's listed on the CDU website (their research is posted) you can see that many people match into great programs.


Edit: cross-referenced the lists myself. 2 Ortho, 1 Derm, quite a few IM, EM, and anesthesiology, sprinkle of psych and family med. Students matched at UCLA, Stanford, UCSF, NYU, U of Chicago, UCD, Baylor, etc...
 
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Everything I'm hearing about CDU makes me like it more and now I'm bummed as heck my AMCAS wasn't verified until almost mid-August :cryi: I know it's not the end of the world but the suspense is killing me lol
 
I got a secondary to CDU and I am still working on it. Are they very selective about who they give secondaries to? I'm feeling a little down and negative about my chances to medical school overall and wondering if I should take a secondary app offer from CDU as some sort of consolation :/
 
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iwantyouradvice said:
I got a secondary to CDU and I am still working on it. Are they very selective about who they give secondaries to? I'm feeling a little down and negative about my chances to medical school overall and wondering if I should take a secondary app offer from CDU as some sort of consolation :/
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Definitely. They see something in you so I hope you can highlight the work you've done. It is early in the cycle, so please continue the good fight.
 
OnceUponUhCloud said:
Definitely. They see something in you so I hope you can highlight the work you've done. It is early in the cycle, so please continue the good fight.
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Thank you 🥺 I'm going to get this secondary done soon!! These prompts are hard to answer with the character limit. My stats are low but I have a strong mission fit (or at least I hope I am translating that well to my app). I wonder what their interview invite selection criteria is.
 
iwantyouradvice said:
Thank you 🥺 I'm going to get this secondary done soon!! These prompts are hard to answer with the character limit. My stats are low but I have a strong mission fit (or at least I hope I am translating that well to my app). I wonder what their interview invite selection criteria is.
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I'm not quite sure. My application is well rounded with no particular focus in any one area.

Though what I conveyed in my application were my life experiences.
 
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For those that completed the secondary, did you receive an application complete email? I have not.
 
tyrannosaurus_wrecks said:
Everything I'm hearing about CDU makes me like it more and now I'm bummed as heck my AMCAS wasn't verified until almost mid-August :cryi: I know it's not the end of the world but the suspense is killing me lol
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You're fine, My primary wasnt verified til 8/20. Received my Secondary 9/13 last cycle. If you fit the mission, they won't miss you.
 
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xDNA said:
You're fine, My primary wasnt verified til 8/20. Received my Secondary 9/13 last cycle. If you fit the mission, they won't miss you.
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Seconding this. I think I spelled out my timeline earlier in the thread, if that's helpful 😊
 
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Okay ya'll I have a silly question. UCLA requires AAMC Preview. Does CDU...? Just realized I might have totally overlooked this...
 
No they don’t two different programs.
 
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Anyone get an II recently complete in the past two weeks?
 
For the folks who are current students, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for the interview? Everything I’ve heard about CDU just makes me love it more and more, and it’s definitely my top choice out of literally all the schools I applied to. I got an II and I want to make sure I don’t blow it, especially as someone OOS!!
 
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LoKIG said:
For the folks who are current students, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for the interview? Everything I’ve heard about CDU just makes me love it more and more, and it’s definitely my top choice out of literally all the schools I applied to. I got an II and I want to make sure I don’t blow it, especially as someone OOS!!
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As someone who was OOS:
  • CONGRATULATIONS! I'm proud of you!
  • Mission fit, mission fit, and again, mission fit. If you talked the talk in your application, you better walk the walk in your interview. Be the person they read about, and all will be well. This is when being yourself matters.
  • Think about why CDU/UCLA meets your professional goals and personal interests. Why CDU/UCLA and not just CDU or not just UCLA. They won't necessarily ask you, but it's good to know and being able to articulate a specific interest in CDU/UCLA is helpful. If this is a top choice, don't be shy about saying what excites you and letting that enthusiasm shine through.
  • Explain that you want to serve the urban underserved community in LA. If you have parallels between past experiences and current work happening at UCLA or CDU, speak on it!
Remember, you're interviewing them they same way they're interviewing you. Ask questions to understand if CDU/UCLA is the place for you and get to know your fellow interviewees. These are things you can bring up in a thank you and or continued interest letter in the future.

And I know it's cliche and almost impossible, but take a breath and relax. They like you! If for some reason it isn't your best interview, don't worry. It wasn't mine by a long shot, but I'm here!
 
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LoKIG said:
For the folks who are current students, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for the interview? Everything I’ve heard about CDU just makes me love it more and more, and it’s definitely my top choice out of literally all the schools I applied to. I got an II and I want to make sure I don’t blow it, especially as someone OOS!!
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Heyy Congrats. I would say to just believe in yourself. You got an interview for a reason, and its really hard to get one because they don't send secondary's to everyone. I would read on their website about their mission and just the general why medicine questions. You are one step closer to your dreams, getting that interview puts you at a 50-50 of getting in. So watch videos and read the mock interview questions for this school to prep for your interview. Wishing you the best of luck.

Also may I ask what was the turnaround time in completing the secondary to recieving an II?
 
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Hi all, does anyone have any ideas or tips on how to address this question?
-Describe your community and socioeconomic environment. (800 characters maximum)
Specifically the describing community part.
I know how to address the socioeconomic environment but unsure how to describe the community. Are they looking more for race/ethnicities, feeling of community, small town rural/urban?
Any information is helpful. Thanks
​
 
Mamainmed said:
Hi all, does anyone have any ideas or tips on how to address this question?
-Describe your community and socioeconomic environment. (800 characters maximum)
Specifically the describing community part.
I know how to address the socioeconomic environment but unsure how to describe the community. Are they looking more for race/ethnicities, feeling of community, small town rural/urban?
Any information is helpful. Thanks
​
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I used a more stats based approach and described the socioeconomic and demographic factors. Then I tied those factors very briefly into experiences I had within that community and how those experiences influenced me.

"I grew up in XYZ neighborhood, one of the [descriptive stats] with [numerical stats] and [demographics]. Because the neighborhood is predominantely [adjectives], and suffers from [if it suffers from anything], I experienced ABC, and was motivated to do etc."

So a format like that is what I did but more fleshed out to reach the word count.
 
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I think it just doesn’t have to be the negatives of the community that’s what I heard. I also talked about how there are a lot of black and brown entrepreneurs being spotlighted and some of the projects ongoing in the community as well.
 
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