**UCLA SOM c/o 2009 Thread**

[UCLAstudent]

doctorish, I don't know about the computer requirements, but there are tons of computer labs (on both the undergrad and medical school campuses) available.

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[UCLAstudent]

Bumping so Evo can move this.

 

[Kownell]

Hey all. I've just decided to attend UCLA Geffen this fall, or at least the Admissions committee decided for me.

Should I wait for student housing info. to come through the mail or should I call 'em up see what's up?

 

[lulubean]

Hey all. I've just decided to attend UCLA Geffen this fall, or at least the Admissions committee decided for me.

Should I wait for student housing info. to come through the mail or should I call 'em up see what's up?

welcome! where will you be coming from?

as for housing, check out http://www.housing.ucla.edu/housing_site/apartments/index.htm. i would apply asap online to make sure you get a good place. that being said, the housing office has said they have enough spaces to accomodate everyone.

 

[TY06]

im excited to see y'all here. congrats. i want to meet you at the orientation!
im a medical student here. please ask me questions.
here my own question...when does your orientation start?

 

[UCLAstudent]

Hi TY06, our orientation start on Aug. 1.

 

[Kownell]

hey lulubean! I'll be moving from the Bay Area. Thanks for the link. I was thinking about rooming in an off campus apartment with a friend who is doing research at UCLA, but man, those Weyburn prices are hard to turn down. Does everyone plan to live in Graduate student housing for their first year?

 

[UCLAstudent]

I am planning on living in the grad. student housing. It is really close to the medical school. Plus, you pass two Coffee Beans AND a Starbucks on the way.

 

[lulubean]

Kownell: The graduate student housing actually doesn't offer that much of a deal. I easily found comparable rates in westwood and cheaper rates in the surrounding areas on craigslist.org. I used to live in Palms which is 10 minutes away from campus - PM me if you have questions about the area.

TY06: Do you know what proportion of students live in Weyburn/Graduate housing?

 

[TY06]

Kownell: The graduate student housing actually doesn't offer that much of a deal. I easily found comparable rates in westwood and cheaper rates in the surrounding areas on craigslist.org. I used to live in Palms which is 10 minutes away from campus - PM me if you have questions about the area.

TY06: Do you know what proportion of students live in Weyburn/Graduate housing?

i dont know the exact percent/number (im sure you can ask the housing office). most students live there, i would say. what is nice is that i believe dr. parker (dean of students) tries to put all of you in the same complex...basically you will all be together. there are some others that live in westwood (if they went to undergrad here...they just keep their place). there are maybe 5 in palms. there are a few in graduate student housing.
i think it is one of the cheper deals. plus, i think its one of the very few apartments that will give free utilities. i think this is what keeps a lot of people there! and they are new! your own bathroom and room. etc.

 

[lulubean]

hey lulubean! I'll be moving from the Bay Area. Thanks for the link. I was thinking about rooming in an off campus apartment with a friend who is doing research at UCLA, but man, those Weyburn prices are hard to turn down. Does everyone plan to live in Graduate student housing for their first year?

hey there kownell - tried to write you back but sdn said your mailbox doesn't have enough space. delete those PMs mister!

 

[Kownell]

done.

PM away!

 

[UCLAstudent]

I still haven't received a housing offer for Weyburn. I called last Wednesday and they said new offers were going out at the end of last week. The lady on the phone said I had filed everything correctly. Eesh.

 

[lulubean]

hey, any of you considering doing the "prologue to medicine" program before orientation?

feel like i should (been away from science for awhile) but i really don't wanna...

 

[UCLAstudent]

Nah. My summer's going to be short enough as it is. I don't think you'd be terribly behind if you chose not to do it, lulubean.

 

[JimDiGriz]

hey, any of you considering doing the "prologue to medicine" program before orientation?

feel like i should (been away from science for awhile) but i really don't wanna...

I think an extra week or two of vacation will come in much more handy...

 

[Long Dong]

I think an extra week or two of vacation will come in much more handy...

Agreed

 

[TY06]

I think an extra week or two of vacation will come in much more handy...

oh yeah. prologue (sp?) is worthless i heard and understandably so. please dont do it! it is not helpful.
enjoy your break. travel or stay home and sleep.

 

[lulubean]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! Glad to know it wouldn't hurt me too much by not doing it

 

[UCLAstudent]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! Glad to know it wouldn't hurt me too much by not doing it

We'll all be clueless MS1s in the beginning, anyway.

 

[Jen115]

Hello all, I just got accepted off the waitlist yesterday and I am so stoked to come to LA. Though it is odd moving from the waitlist thread to the class of 2009 one. Just wanted to say hello. I haven't received anything yet, just got it confirmed on the phone. Do you think I need to start the housing thing now for Weyburn? Thanks!

 

[Kownell]

Jen: If you're close by you can stop by the admissions office to expedite the process. I was in the LA area earlier this week and was able to get my student ID/PIN, put in a $100 deposit for Weyburn, and turn in my written acceptance. The pesky campus mail takes over a week to get to my apartment. You can also call the weyburn terraces office to schedule a tour with Mary Anne if you'd like.


Regarding Prologue: I was on the fence about this one, so it's great to hear some feedback from current MS1/2s.

Helloooooo extra week of vacation!

Hello all, I just got accepted off the waitlist yesterday and I am so stoked to come to LA. Though it is odd moving from the waitlist thread to the class of 2009 one. Just wanted to say hello. I haven't received anything yet, just got it confirmed on the phone. Do you think I need to start the housing thing now for Weyburn? Thanks!

 

[lunanv]

so i'm planning on buying a new laptop for med school... i wanted to get a powerbook, but there was something on the UCLA site about how they don't recommend macs because of software compatibility. does anyone have any comments about this, especially current students??

 

[Jen115]

Jen: If you're close by you can stop by the admissions office to expedite the process. I was in the LA area earlier this week and was able to get my student ID/PIN, put in a $100 deposit for Weyburn, and turn in my written acceptance. The pesky campus mail takes over a week to get to my apartment. You can also call the weyburn terraces office to schedule a tour with Mary Anne if you'd like.


Regarding Prologue: I was on the fence about this one, so it's great to hear some feedback from current MS1/2s.

Helloooooo extra week of vacation!

Thanks Kownell for the advice. I called the housing office and stuff. Unfortunately I do not live in the area so I just mailed it, hopefully it will work out. It would be great to live with all of the other med students and the rates ain't bad. I am getting so excited for August to come!

 

[Jen115]

Hey guys, did anyone who went to second look happen to get the orientation week schedule? I have to be in a rehearsal dinner and wedding Aug5-6 and I wanted to book plane tickets that would allow me to miss as little as possible. The orientation page isnt up yet on the site. Thanks! By the way, looks like Ill be in Weyburn Terrace so hopefully we will all eventually meet.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Hey Jen, I don't think that we received an orientation schedule at Recruitment Day (at least, I didn't).

BTW, have you already received your Weyburn Terrace housing assignment? I haven't heard back yet and am getting antsy.

 

[Jen115]

Hey Jen, I don't think that we received an orientation schedule at Recruitment Day (at least, I didn't).

BTW, have you already received your Weyburn Terrace housing assignment? I haven't heard back yet and am getting antsy.

Thanks UCLAstudent. I guess Ill just call the office. I haven't received my housing assignment but I called the housing office yesterday and the guy said that the computer said that I should be getting my assignment this week and that that I got housing. He couldnt tell me what the assignment was but if you want to check you can give them a call.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Thanks, Jen. I actually have been calling the housing office weekly since mid-May. Last week, they finally told me that I'm not on "the list" that the medical school sends to the housing office. So, I called the medical school, and they said that I shouldn't worry about anything because I'm definitely on the list, and that Weyburn probably hasn't updated their files recently. I am not too concerned because I believe the medical school reserves a certain number of rooms at Weyburn, so it's not like I won't have a place to live.

 

[skreenin]

woo hoo! congrats jen. i wonder if you're the jen i know... if so even more congrats ^^

so i wonder how we're actually going to make the transition from sdn avatars/sns to real names. haha that'd be funny if we walked around with name tags or introduced ourselves with our sdn info.

i have a question regarding financial aid... has anyone received their official package yet? cause i submitted all my info about 5 weeks ago but haven't heard anything back. getting a little worried cause school starts in a little over a month!

btw. because you guys care dearly about my life already ^^ i just got back from backpacking in italy and it was awesome! (hence the lack of posting as of late) ok. that is all.

 

[Jen115]

woo hoo! congrats jen. i wonder if you're the jen i know... if so even more congrats ^^

so i wonder how we're actually going to make the transition from sdn avatars/sns to real names. haha that'd be funny if we walked around with name tags or introduced ourselves with our sdn info.

i have a question regarding financial aid... has anyone received their official package yet? cause i submitted all my info about 5 weeks ago but haven't heard anything back. getting a little worried cause school starts in a little over a month!

btw. because you guys care dearly about my life already ^^ i just got back from backpacking in italy and it was awesome! (hence the lack of posting as of late) ok. that is all.

I called the office today about financial aid and they said that they shouldn't be sending anything out until July! I guess that's when they are doing their disbursements. Also, the deadline to submit stafford loan apps before the interest rate increase on july 1 was may 5, so I guess there is nothing we can do about that. A bit more debt for us all. Oh well. By the way, I am glad that I am the Jen that you know, Skreenin. It'll be nice to know that I will have a friend already in socal.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Did you guys get the e-mail today about parking/Bruincard? So exciting that everything is "official."

 

[Jen115]

Did you guys get the e-mail today about parking/Bruincard? So exciting that everything is "official."

Yeah, I got all that stuff. Definitely exciting! Speaking of parking though, from what you have heard do you think I could get by without a car in Westwood? I'm trying to save my nickles and dimes so if I can avoid getting a car at least for the first year I would like to. Thanks!

 

[UCLAstudent]

I don't think you'll need a car first year. I went for four years as a UCLA undergrad without a car and it was not a problem. I think you'll need a car starting third year, though. Public transportation in Los Angeles is horrible.

 

[TY06]

Yeah, I got all that stuff. Definitely exciting! Speaking of parking though, from what you have heard do you think I could get by without a car in Westwood? I'm trying to save my nickles and dimes so if I can avoid getting a car at least for the first year I would like to. Thanks!

well, i guess you could get away. but i dont recommend it. you want to be able to go shopping, go out and see the city, go out to bars, clubs, etc and you will need a car. friends can drive you, but then you will be depending on others and they will get annoyed. you also have to go to preceptor visits, etc that you will need a car for. there will be things you need to get done here when you get a car, just life things, and you will need a car.
the kids that live in weyburn, even though its a bout a 5 minute walk, still drive their car to school whenever they can park (after 4:30pm). you will want to stay late in the library and so you need a car to get back.

basically, i think you can get away, but it will be stressful and will limit you. if you can afford a car, i would get one. it can be a crappy cheap car just to get you around town.

 

[TY06]

so i'm planning on buying a new laptop for med school... i wanted to get a powerbook, but there was something on the UCLA site about how they don't recommend macs because of software compatibility. does anyone have any comments about this, especially current students??

mac should be just fine. i know plenty of people in our class who have it. as long as you know how to work with one and your microsoft office is compatible with the ibm windows office.

 

[TY06]

Thanks, Jen. I actually have been calling the housing office weekly since mid-May. Last week, they finally told me that I'm not on "the list" that the medical school sends to the housing office. So, I called the medical school, and they said that I shouldn't worry about anything because I'm definitely on the list, and that Weyburn probably hasn't updated their files recently. I am not too concerned because I believe the medical school reserves a certain number of rooms at Weyburn, so it's not like I won't have a place to live.

you are supposed to be guaranteed weyburn. so dont worry.

so are they dedicating a complex to med students? our students all live in the same complex basically. its nice to live next to your friends...it helps when you want to study, drink, go out, walk home together, hook up with, etc. you should check and make sure they do it for you guys!

LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

as far as the curriculum, you guys will love it. im jelous that you are the third group to go through it. there have been many changes made and it should be perfect for your group.

 

[lulubean]

woo hoo! congrats jen. i wonder if you're the jen i know... if so even more congrats ^^

so i wonder how we're actually going to make the transition from sdn avatars/sns to real names. haha that'd be funny if we walked around with name tags or introduced ourselves with our sdn info.

i have a question regarding financial aid... has anyone received their official package yet? cause i submitted all my info about 5 weeks ago but haven't heard anything back. getting a little worried cause school starts in a little over a month!

btw. because you guys care dearly about my life already ^^ i just got back from backpacking in italy and it was awesome! (hence the lack of posting as of late) ok. that is all.

the transistion idea is really funny, i hadn't thought of that. well i will start - my real name is Luu, lulubean was a nickname i got during college. so if you see me on campus, say hi. anyone else care to come out of the sdn closet?

as for financial aid, did you at least get an estimate mailed to you? that's all i have received so far - still waiting for the official word...any...day...now...

btw, i just got back from italy (rome) yesterday! did a quick 2 week tour of paris-nice-florence-rome. absolutely lovely. where in italy did you visit?

 

[UCLAstudent]

Yeah, it will be so cool to meet everyone in person! I already know a handful of our classmates from undergrad. At the Phi Beta Kappa ceremony, we had to announce our name and future plans, and there were four of us who will be attending UCLA.

I haven't gotten anything on financial aid yet ... only an estimate (which I asked for and received by e-mail).

Oh, good news. My name is now on the medical school housing list, so I should be receiving an offer sometime next week.

 

[skreenin]

Hey all,

funny, for some reason my computer kept showing the thread as having no new posts... i'll have to check more compulsively from now on

Luu, i'll come out of the sdn closet with ya ^^ my name is Won. As for Italy, man i went all over. Started out in london, england... then went to verona, rome, siena, san gimignano, pisa, florence, venice, assisi, amalfi coast, island of capri, naples, palermo and agrigento. It was friggin amazing. i'll prolly show you guys pics on those nites when we're supposed to be studying but arent...

hmm... i should ask for an estimate too.


Hey current UCLA med students~ about the car thing. i was talking to a MSII at ucla and he said that since we get sent out to hospitals starting year 1 it's a good idea to have a car, and that he doesn't really know anyone that doesn't have one. Is that an accurate assessment do you think? cause personally i'd rather wait on purchasing one myself... but if it's going to interfere with med school stuff then it's a no brainer... any advice is much appreciated

 

[skreenin]

ok i totally didn't notice that the thread was moved to allopathic... that's prolly why i never saw it on pre allo ^^ hehe... oops.

anyway, for those that ran a search for this thread to find it, note the new location. if you're rolling your eyes and thinking "duh" then nm

 

[UCLAstudent]

skreenin, you can ask for an estimate from Gloria. Her e-mail address is [email protected].

I just got my housing offer today! It is a two bedroom apartment. That's weird that everyone on SDN has reported that their lease ends on 5/31. Mine ends in late June.

 

[lulubean]

skreenin, you can ask for an estimate from Gloria. Her e-mail address is [email protected].

I just got my housing offer today! It is a two bedroom apartment. That's weird that everyone on SDN has reported that their lease ends on 5/31. Mine ends in late June.

congrats on your housing assignment uclastudent!

 

[UCLAstudent]

Why thank you. It was stupid to be worried about it since housing is guaranteed, but I'm glad I called.

 

[Kownell]

Just like every great superhero before me, I prefer to keep my SDN identity hidden. That is, until that fateful day we all meet on Aug. 1.

Hey all, I've been SDN-MIA for a while. I'm just trying to live it up here in Northern California.

As for housing, I just received my assignment not too long ago. I'll be in a regular two bedroom at Weyburn.

Did you guys call Weyburn about the underground parking already?

Keep me updated folks.

 

[Jen115]

Hey guys,
I too have been trying to enjoy my last days as a Nor-Cal girl. It's so weird that this time next month I'll be in socal for the next four years. I just got Weyburn too, 2bedroom. Seems like it is the popular assignment. My lease goes to 6/30 if that means anything. Though my move-in is 7/30 so I guess I will just have an intense move-in right before orientation. I called the office and looks like I will have to miss my friends rehearsal dinner afterall, that friday Aug 5 from 3-5 is our white coat ceremony! So tell all of your friends and family to save the date. As for transitions from our aliases, mine is a no brainer, my name's Jen.

 

[TY06]

ask me questions. good luck.

 

[Jen115]

ask me questions. good luck.

Hey Ty,
I have a couple questions for you. First, what is the typical schedule like for I dunno, lets say a week? Also do you know how these selectives work? How many can you take at a time or I guess how many should you take? And how hard are they to get into? They also mention a research one, do you know of a good site to scroll through faculty research? Ok i better stop. Sorry for the bombardment, thanks!

 

[TY06]

Hey Ty,
I have a couple questions for you. First, what is the typical schedule like for I dunno, lets say a week? Also do you know how these selectives work? How many can you take at a time or I guess how many should you take? And how hard are they to get into? They also mention a research one, do you know of a good site to scroll through faculty research? Ok i better stop. Sorry for the bombardment, thanks!

1. typical schedule for the first 3 blocks is as follows. mondays 8-12, tues-thursday 10-3:00/4:30, friday 8-12.
2. YOU GUYS WILL GET FREE FOOD FROM STUDNET INTEREST GROUP MEETINGS FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF SCHOOL EVERYDAY!! LOOK FOR THEM.
3. You can take 1 or more. There are year-long and block-long selectives. You can get into any of them as long as there is room (you only need to qualify/take a placement test for Spanish). I suggest you take just 1 block-long selective that interests you. You want to avoid classes that make you do term papers (14 pages+). Most others have no homework...ask the second years when you get here which ones were fun and easy. Another easy one is the year-long Salvation army selective if you like helping homeless, etc. It's very easy to complete.
4. Research selective: that one sounds good, except for time. I am not sure how much time you would have to do research. most of us had trouble just doing simple selectives that met once/week. the thing is that you want to use your free time to go to the gym, out drinking, seeing friends, finding girls/boys, going to the beach, cleaning, shopping, cooking, etc. but, you could do research with anyone you want. start by looking at different departments and who you want to work with.
there is a faculy research page...ill try to find it and post for you. otherwise, you can just use google and the website search box itself.

hope this is helpful. ask me more Qs

 

[UCLAstudent]

TY06, do you feel that you got adequate clinical experience in your first year?

 

[TY06]

TY06, do you feel that you got adequate clinical experience in your first year?

yes: doctoring, preceptor 1/month, salvation army clinic on saturday, mobile clinic every wednesday, selective, visits (block 3 medicine and surgery, geriatrics, pediatrics, our house/mourning), shadowing opportunities through interest groups, you can email any doctor and they will take you on, etc.