University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine Admission
University of California, San Diego,
School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine Application

The Facts

The University of California is a rather large, public institution located in the town of San Diego, California, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 28,000 students. The university's School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 500 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 23, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps known for its focus on independent study projects, as well as its collaborative atmosphere. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers joint degrees in the MD/MPH, and the MD/PhD in the areas of biochemistry, biomedical engineering, biophysics, cell biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, pathology, pharmacology, as well as physiology.

Admission to UC San Diego's School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 4,300 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 274 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 120 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 11.6 in Biology, 11.4 in Physics, and 9.9 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The School of Medicine has about 800 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse academic and medical backgrounds. The school also boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 1:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Graduates of the university's School of Medicine often go on to be accepted to some of the most prestigious residency programs in the nation, including the university's own program. Students most frequently specialize in the areas of internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, ob/gyn, emergency medicine, surgery, radiology, otolaryngology, dermatology, as well as opthamology.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical training including 12 weeks of medicine, 4 weeks of neurology, 6 weeks of ob/gyn, 8 weeks of pediatrics, 6 weeks of psychiatry, 12 weeks of surgery, as well as rotations in primary care. Students complete their clinical clerkships at various affiliated facilities including UCSD Medical Centers, VA Hospital, Navy Hospital, Children's Hospital, Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Sharp Memorial community Hospital, Clinica De Salubridad de Campesinos, as well as the U.S. Public Health Service Outpatient Clinic. Students are also required to take at least 12 weeks of various departmental electives.

What's Good

"I feel as though you leave the school very well-rounded. You see and do it all."

"The research opportunities here are boundless. There is always something new being discovered here."

"The faculty couldn't be better. Enough said."

What's Bad

"The off campus housing can be very pricey around here."

"There can be a bit of cutthroat competition here, which gets on my nerves from time to time."

"The basic science requirements are all review, and I feel like they're a waste of time."

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