**UCLA SOM c/o 2009 Thread**

[UCLAstudent]

Thanks TY06.

Have you guys logged into URSA? I logged in today and the fees for next school year are listed. Yikes!

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[rjb]

hey guys, i was wondering if you guys like to party!
knowing that curriculum is going to be super easy, i wanted to get the tone set from now... any takers?

 

[TY06]

hey guys, i was wondering if you guys like to party!
knowing that curriculum is going to be super easy, i wanted to get the tone set from now... any takers?

you will have a very diverse class...from surfers, to singers, to nerds, of all ages, drinkers, cig and other smokers, nice people, aholes, etc.
with the curriculum, you can party hard and not study at all for the first month of the block, but then it gets more serious the second month. the night after finals is always fun.
make sure you go to all the orientation week socials, the catalina trip, and the formal. the catalina trip is lots of fun...especially if you drink. hopefully you will have a good social chair.
the best thing to do, however, is to study about 2-3 hours per day (the lectures of that day) and then go to the gym, then go out and party hardy or sleep before the next day.
beware of pbl learning issues. you will start out taking a long time to do them, but really you shouldnt...its a waste of time beyond 3 hours.
i suggest attending ALL lectures and labs. but if labs are a waste of time for you, minimize the time you are in there. but go for sure to everything. they will be more strict on attendance for you guys.
thats all for now. ask me more.

 

[bovinda]

Hey everyone, I'm looking forward to meeting you all at orientation. This is my first post ever here--I just found this thread.

Having just gotten the packet of info with the list of text books and spoken with a couple of med-student-buddies at various schools, I'm wondering--think we really need all those text books? TY06, did you use all the textbooks that were required for you, and are there any you'd recommend as additional resources for us incoming first years? What do the rest of you think? Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the holiday. Happy 4th of July to all of you!

 

[TY06]

Hey everyone, I'm looking forward to meeting you all at orientation. This is my first post ever here--I just found this thread.

Having just gotten the packet of info with the list of text books and spoken with a couple of med-student-buddies at various schools, I'm wondering--think we really need all those text books? TY06, did you use all the textbooks that were required for you, and are there any you'd recommend as additional resources for us incoming first years? What do the rest of you think? Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the holiday. Happy 4th of July to all of you!

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY any books yet. you should buy robbins pathology, but thats it. maybe the genetics in medicine book. others are worthless. you should wait to buy it from us (second and third years) for a much cheaper price. save your money and buy review books you could use for the boards.
EVERYTHING THAT WILL BE TESTED IS IN THE NOTES AND IN THE NOTES ONLY. very few instances will be from the book, but on the final exam that counts, they will only ask you big concepts covered in LECTURE. trust me.

 

[JimDiGriz]

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY any books yet. you should buy robbins pathology, but thats it. maybe the genetics in medicine book. others are worthless. you should wait to buy it from us (second and third years) for a much cheaper price. save your money and buy review books you could use for the boards.
EVERYTHING THAT WILL BE TESTED IS IN THE NOTES AND IN THE NOTES ONLY. very few instances will be from the book, but on the final exam that counts, they will only ask you big concepts covered in LECTURE. trust me.

I second that

 

[lulubean]

thanks TY06 and JimDiGriz - this input is super helpful.

another Q: what do most people end up doing their summer after first year? are there many international opportunities?

 

[TY06]

thanks TY06 and JimDiGriz - this input is super helpful.

another Q: what do most people end up doing their summer after first year? are there many international opportunities?

most stay here and do research because we get paid almost 4K. there are international opportunities, but whatever you do, is up to you. you need to take the initiative to find the opportunity, whether its staying at ucla or going abroad. sadly, besides giving you money (which is great), the school doesnt help you with acutally finding anything.

 

[bb88]

What up guys,
I recently decided on coming for sure to ucla next year, and I'm amped to meet you all and get started...it'll be a helluva ride these next 4 years! Will any of u be in the area before orientation? If anyone is around, I thought it'd be cool to get together before August, I'm from the area so I can find a place to go out for drinks, coffee, whatever. Personally I'm planning to be in and out of town till we start, but hopefully we can make something happen. If anyone's got any ideas, post them

 

[lulubean]

What up guys,
I recently decided on coming for sure to ucla next year, and I'm amped to meet you all and get started...it'll be a helluva ride these next 4 years! Will any of u be in the area before orientation? If anyone is around, I thought it'd be cool to get together before August, I'm from the area so I can find a place to go out for drinks, coffee, whatever. Personally I'm planning to be in and out of town till we start, but hopefully we can make something happen. If anyone's got any ideas, post them

we could always grab a pre-orientation beer at Maloney's - my friend bartends there (also MS3 at Drew/UCLA).

 

[TY06]

we could always grab a pre-orientation beer at Maloney's - my friend bartends there (also MS3 at Drew/UCLA).

your friend is the bomb...i always see him there. he's amazing and i never get how he does it.

you will be hanging out in maloney's a lot! might as well get used to it now!

 

[UCLAstudent]

bb88, I'm glad you picked UCLA.

I'll be in Westwood a few days before orientation if you guys want to meet for coffee or something.

 

[Jen115]

bb88, I'm glad you picked UCLA.

I'll be in Westwood a few days before orientation if you guys want to meet for coffee or something.

Hey guys,
The office gave me a movein date of July 30th at Weyburn. But I'm totally down to have an sdn get together that weekend or maybe even during orientation, though it looks like there are bbq's and stuff planned too. Just a few more weeks!

 

[skreenin]

Hey all,

So has anyone asked yet if we're supposed to just show up on our move-in date or have something that says where we should checkin/live? I haven't heard anything from Weyburn after the intial contract email, and my contract starts the 22nd. (!!!). Anyone else moving in on the 22nd? ^^ there'll be lots of time before school starts so we can booby-trap jen's room or something...

 

[UCLAstudent]

I haven't heard anything else from Weyburn, either. I move in on the 28th.

 

[doctorish]

I just called the weyburn office the other day. I asked to see the apartment before moving in and she signed me up for a tour, or something like that, of weyburn. I was told that they would show me either my apartment or one of the same size so i can take some measurements before moving in all my stuff.

I think, but am not positive, that for moving in just show up at
945 Weyburn Ave., Suite 116
Los Angeles, CA 90024

At least that was my impression from talking to one of the receptionists.

summer is waaaay to short. i move in on July 30th as well

also--for those living in two-bedrooms, does anyone know who they will be living with? I forgot to ask.

 

[lulubean]

hey skreenin, i am moving in that weekend as well!

 

[skreenin]

whoa awesome lulu! i was a little worried that i'd be the only one there with nothing to do for a week. i'm gonna do some serious furniture shopping either the day i get there or the day after.

do the ucla (med/grad/undergrad) students have a mailing list or a forum or something they post stuff on when they move and need to get rid of furniture? maybe craig's list? otherwise there's an ikea in burbank that i'm thinking about hitting up. what's everyone else doing?

 

[UCLAstudent]

skreenin, I know that furniture and stuff is listed in the Daily Bruin (UCLA's newspaper). I don't know if the advertisements are online at the newspaper's website, but you could check.

 

[skreenin]

oh ok awesome. thanks uclastudent.

forgive me for posting sometimes just for the sake of posting ^^ i see our thread have only 6 pages while other schools have 9, 10+ and i get thread envy...

 

[UCLAstudent]

Haha, I am the same way, skreenin.

Hey, does anyone know what the Big Sib/Little Sib event on Aug. 7 will be like? Or is that supposed to be a secret?

 

[gutye]

I desperately hope to be posting as a matriculant by August! But can any of you guys that got in off of the waitlist give me some advice? Did you send in update letters and extra letters of rec constantly or just leave the Admissions Office alone? I've heard different things from different people and don't know whether to bombard the office or just leave them alone. Any advice? Thanks!

 

[gutye]

And here's the faculty research website Jen:

http://www.research.ucla.edu/faculty/

 

[Jen115]

I desperately hope to be posting as a matriculant by August! But can any of you guys that got in off of the waitlist give me some advice? Did you send in update letters and extra letters of rec constantly or just leave the Admissions Office alone? I've heard different things from different people and don't know whether to bombard the office or just leave them alone. Any advice? Thanks!

Hey Gutye,
I got off the waitlist in early June. I pretty much left the admissions office alone. Besides I was finishing school and I don't live in the area so it was hard to bug them. What I did was send them a letter of intent telling them how much I wanted to go and why. This I sent right after I got my waitlist letter in March. I then sent them an update letter in early May to let them know what I had been up to, showing them that I was still productive. Other than that I just called to make sure they received my letters and then waited. I hope that this helps, good luck!

 

[skreenin]

Haha, I am the same way, skreenin.

Hey, does anyone know what the Big Sib/Little Sib event on Aug. 7 will be like? Or is that supposed to be a secret?

hehe i am not alone

on a more serious note. i received an email from gloria (i requested a fin aid estimate) and she said that they're not doing estimates anymore because they're going to start sending out the finalized fin aid packages towards the end of this week. she said just to make sure all our forms are in line and have been confirmed as received so that we get our packages on time.

 

[lulubean]

are any of you not already in LA getting sad to leave your current homes? i leave new york in a week and a half and am starting to get so bummed! still very excited about starting at ucla, but nostalgic about leaving my little social bubble and the great city it's in.

as for furniture, i am definitely hitting up craigslist (particularly the free section), ikea, and the daily bruin. would also love hear other ideas!

 

[onihr]

hey guys,

how many days did you have to wait to set up a BOL account after submitting your SIR and SLR?

 

[UCLAstudent]

I can confirm that financial aid info should be sent out very soon. I e-mailed financial aid and was told that Gloria is currently processing our files.

onihr, I don't know the answer to that question because I'm using the same BOL account as I did in undergrad.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Hi guys, financial aid info is now available on URSA.

I'm off to Los Angeles for the day to take care of business.

 

[lulubean]

fyi re: status of financial aid apps

so i just spoke to the woman at the financial aid office and she said NOT to use URSA to look into your financial aid status - they have not been updating that site with current info. Instead use:

http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/offices/fao/medstudent_tools/forms/emilslogon.cfm

i freaked out cuz URSA said my application was missing several documents but was referred to the site above instead.

 

[Jen115]

Hey guys,

I just checked my BAR account and I have a $10,000 payment due on July 20th! I called the office and they said that I need to pay it even before aid comes, oh so stressful. I guess the debt begins! But I just wanted to let you know so no one is late on their payments. I was kind of surprised by how soon the due date was.

 

[lulubean]

oh man, maybe that is what uclastudent was talking about then. july 20th? how come they didn't send us anything in writing, a real bill, or something???

 

[TY06]

oh man, maybe that is what uclastudent was talking about then. july 20th? how come they didn't send us anything in writing, a real bill, or something???

they dont. sometimes they send a reminder email. yea it sucks that they just put it up. and your expected to check online.

honestly though, i dont think its due till at least one month into school. you should find out. i know online it says by july 20th, but i didnt pay by then and i didnt till much much later. i didnt get late charges. check out what the real scoop is.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Yeah, that is what I meant by July 20th. I received this response from the UCLA SoM financial aid office:

"First of all, there is no need to stress - our application database is separate from URSA, thus it will always show incomplete" and "Here at UCLA fees are posted ahead of time - something you will have to get used to because we are on the semester system, whereas UCLA (undergraduates) is on the quarter system."

So, that's reassuring. I e-mailed again and said that someone I know was told by the BAR account office that the fee is due by July 20th ... I'll post the response when I get it. I don't think we have anything to worry about.

 

[skreenin]

Whoa... yea i checked the bill out and got a little freaked out... but i'd have to agree, i doubt too many people will take a look at their bill before they even show up to LA. I mean people move around on and off wait lists until early August i hear... hopefully they tell you something good UCLAstudent ^^

 

[gutye]

Hey guys,

I just checked my BAR account and I have a $10,000 payment due on July 20th! I called the office and they said that I need to pay it even before aid comes, oh so stressful. I guess the debt begins! But I just wanted to let you know so no one is late on their payments. I was kind of surprised by how soon the due date was.

Thanks for the advice and well wishes Jen, hopefully I'll see you guys in August!

-gutye

 

[UCLAstudent]

Okay, here's the response I got:

"What is correct is...the July 20 deadline is for paying the bill with a credit card or personal check. You can wait and let financial aid disburse (first week of August) and pay the bill without a late fee. The only time you will get a late fee is if you try to pay a portion or all of the bill with a credit card or personal check after July 20."

 

[lunanv]

uh oh! guess i better get on putting that 10k together soon, huh?

 

[lulubean]

thanks uclastudent - what a relief (sort of). do any of you know when financial aid disburses?

 

[UCLAstudent]

Did you guys get the e-mail about orientation week? Sounds like fun!

 

[crimsoncash]

Did you guys get the e-mail about orientation week? Sounds like fun!

Looks like fun! Are you all going on the Catalina trip?

 

[skreenin]

oh definitely ^^ wow i'm kinda glad that they're providing all these trips and bbqs and stuff cause honestly i don't think i'm ready to sit down in front of a text book again... hehe the catalina flyer says to rsvp fast cause they sold out last year... do you think they'd actually turn people away?

in any case, i'm freaking out cause i'm moving down on friday. i called the weyburn terrace office and they said that you do just go to the building listed on their website to check in from 9am-5pm... but after 5pm you need to call their maintenance line 310.794.8615 and someone will check you into your room.

and on a side note... can anyone tell me if it's worth a day of my life to read the new harry potter book? free time is short and it must be well spent ^^

 

[UCLAstudent]

Ooh, I am planning on going to Catalina! That will be so great ... not a bad price, either. I have actually never been. And I think that the picnic at Sunset Rec. Center should be really fun. There's a big open field where I like to play soccer and ultimate frisbee.

 

[lunanv]

uh oh... i didn't get the email for some reason! i hope it's because UCLA still has my old undergrad email address and it didn't get forwarded to the new one...

anyway, can someone PLEASE forward me the email? preeetttty please? i don't want to miss out on stuff!!!

PM me for the address (since i hear it's bad to post them in forums...)

thanks again!

 

[lunanv]

i love my future classmates! thanks so much for sending me the email

can't wait to meet you all -- and catalina will be great!

 

[Kownell]

Catalina should be fun guys. Who's down for some kayaking?

I'll be moving in Weyburn on the 28th guys. I'm new to Westwood so I'll definitely need a tour guide.

Also skreenin, did you get your actual room assignment already?

 

[UCLAstudent]

I'm moving on the 28th, too! I can give you a tour, Kownell.

 

[skreenin]

Catalina should be fun guys. Who's down for some kayaking?

I'll be moving in Weyburn on the 28th guys. I'm new to Westwood so I'll definitely need a tour guide.

Also skreenin, did you get your actual room assignment already?

Kayaking sounds awesome ... ^^

i haven't gotten an actual room assignment yet kownell... i guess we'll get them when we check in~ i hope we're all in the same building, that'll be so cool

 

[Jen115]

Hey guys,
I'm definitely down for Catalina. I haven't heard from Weyburn either, I move in the 30th. Won, did you find out who your roommate was at least? I kinda want to coordinate with mine before I move in. I might also beg you to describe your place so I know how much lighting and such I need to bring. I can't believe were less than 2 weeks away from meeting! Also has anyone heard from Financial Aid?

 

[Kownell]

After a nearly fifteen minute wait on the phone, I found out that I'll be living in suite 41#. Any other takers for the 4th floor? However, I forgot to ask who my roomate is going to be. I hopes he's one cool-cat.

For those of you who REALLY want to know about your housing assignment I think the ASK UCLA housing website might be a better option to use rather than waiting on the phone. That is unless, you're doing something constructive while waiting on the phone like watching the Maury Povich show or Celebrity Justice.