Bellissima- Thanks for your input. Your insight is really helpful and I would agree with your theory that experience at the VA puts you in a more favorable position. Good Luck with the process! I got a generic email response today stating packets had been forwarded to hiring managers and all decisions would be made by August 20th.
i also applied to ucsd's new grad prog for october and haven't heard anything. for those of you who received the survey and/or email, would you mind filling in a bit of info? first, was the "new grad questionnaire" sent automatically or did it seem as though they actually read your application? what programs at ucsd did you apply for? thanks!