2016 USC Thread

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Originally Posted by JamezLit

Don't think I did good. I suck when it comes to timed writings.

You'll never know. If you do well on your interview, then you will have a good chance for acceptance.

isn't it true that another purpose of the written essay is for admissions to assess your handwriting?

i forgot when and how i learned of this.

i hope this is true!

Originally Posted by PharmacyWarrior

You'll never know. If you do well on your interview, then you will have a good chance for acceptance.

Yeah. I'm not gonna let it get to me. It's done and I'm pretty happy that it's all over with. Hope I get an interview elsewhere though just to increase my chances.

I am looking for some advice here and anything constructive would be of help. I am a southern california applicant. I am going to be frank here and say that I did NOT take my USC app seriously this cycle because I thought my GPA was low, I had two good rec letters with one bad one and only one maybe two months of pharmacy experience. Although I have just been accepted into an out-of-state pharmacy school, I began developing regrets for never having attended a UC school after PharmCas calculated my science and overall GPA as 3.52.

I am seriously debating if I should decline my acceptance to the out of state school and do another California cycle. As I have only had one acceptance letter and assuming that all other schools reject me, does anyone think what I am doing is crazy? How would you guys/gals say I could make a more competitive application (aside from getting better rec letters)?

Originally Posted by asdfsad

I am looking for some advice here and anything constructive would be of help. I am a southern california applicant. I am going to be frank here and say that I did NOT take my USC app seriously this cycle because I thought my GPA was low, I had two good rec letters with one bad one and only one maybe two months of pharmacy experience. Although I have just been accepted into an out-of-state pharmacy school, I began developing regrets for never having attended a UC school after PharmCas calculated my science and overall GPA as 3.52.

I am seriously debating if I should decline my acceptance to the out of state school and do another California cycle. As I have only had one acceptance letter and assuming that all other schools reject me, does anyone think what I am doing is crazy? How would you guys/gals say I could make a more competitive application (aside from getting better rec letters)?

If I were you, I would not decline the acceptance and go for it. You will waste your time and $ if you wait for next year cycle. Additionally, pharm schools are getting more competitive for each year so it's hard to know if you will get into one of CA schools next year (a lot of people have that same GPA or even better so it will be tough to compete with them). Also, when you reapply don't you have to explain why you rejected that school program and how have you improved yourself for next year? There are too many what if's so I wouldn't take that risk. For me personally, it doesn't matter where you go as long as you like it.

However, it is your choice so make sure you list out all of your options before making that choice. I hope other members have more inputs to help you decide. Best of luck to you mate

Originally Posted by PharmacyWarrior

Keep your fingers crossed and move on to your next interview. You have quite a nice line-up for upcoming interviews so best of luck to you lili. Is USC your top pick?

USC had been my #1 choice for 5 years since even going to undergrad! However, going out of state and really seeing what's out there and cheaper tuition, I'm kinda not sure anymore.

What about you?

Originally Posted by lilipad89

USC had been my #1 choice for 5 years since even going to undergrad! However, going out of state and really seeing what's out there and cheaper tuition, I'm kinda not sure anymore.

What about you?

I don't really have a top pick. It was like whoever invited me in first because I choose all of my schools carefully before applying. Since USC got back to me first and it is near home for me, I chose USC. Tuition may seem cheaper out of state, but the $ spent on housing, foods, etc will bring it near to USC level. It is better for me to commute and enjoy great food near home than eating unhealthy food on my own. Also, if you are going out of state then you have to take CPJE (if you want to transfer back here). It is a waste of time and $. I can't bare to think of leaving CA for good, I will miss the weather and friends.

Hope to see you in the fall

Wow I just noticed about your schedule. Next week will be crazy for you...having to drive south and then north :O

Originally Posted by asdfsad

I am looking for some advice here and anything constructive would be of help. I am a southern california applicant. I am going to be frank here and say that I did NOT take my USC app seriously this cycle because I thought my GPA was low, I had two good rec letters with one bad one and only one maybe two months of pharmacy experience. Although I have just been accepted into an out-of-state pharmacy school, I began developing regrets for never having attended a UC school after PharmCas calculated my science and overall GPA as 3.52.

I am seriously debating if I should decline my acceptance to the out of state school and do another California cycle. As I have only had one acceptance letter and assuming that all other schools reject me, does anyone think what I am doing is crazy? How would you guys/gals say I could make a more competitive application (aside from getting better rec letters)?

Not crazy at all. I applied to UoP, USC, and UCSF initially, but i eventually cancelled my UoP and UCSF applications because I figured that I actually have a pretty good chance at those schools if I just took some time off to polish my application. I left USC in the batch because I wouldn't mind going to USC if I did get accepted, and lo and behold, I got an interview. Was put on AC which is fine, but my interviewer was pretty rough, and I also have minimal pharmacy experience.

You only have one shot at life, you're going to be spending the next 3 or 4 years at whatever school you choose, it's not a decision you should take lightly. Take time off, get your tech license, volunteer, whatever.

Did you get an interview? My GPA is lower than yours, and I was invited.

I'm not going to lie, in my opinion, your success really depends on who interviews you because I definitely had one of the hardest interviewers there. I heard some people got asked questions about chemistry, or why usc, or even tell me about yourself. If you were asked these, you had an easy interview.

Others such as my own were really detailed and difficult, and if you want to know who interviewed me or what they asked, just PM me. I talked to a bunch of the P1s after my interview, and they told me that my interview was hard too, but they also told me a lot of things about that process that I can share if youd like to know.

Anyways, lets get some numbers going for those of us on AC and for those who interviewed / will interview.

For the 1st session, 99 people were interviewed, and 15 were accepted. That leaves 84 on AC.

Does anyone know the total amount of people who interviewed in this 2nd session? They, i think, invited 150 to the first session last year, which is different from the 100 this year. So things might be different, in a good way too, if the pool is smaller.

I also heard that people are being rejected now, can anyone verify that?

Originally Posted by ohpues

i'm not going to lie, in my opinion, your success really depends on who interviews you because i definitely had one of the hardest interviewers there. i heard some people got asked questions about chemistry, or why usc, or even tell me about yourself. If you were asked these, you had an easy interview.

others such as my own were really detailed and difficult, and if you want to know who interviewed me or what they asked, just pm me. I talked to a bunch of the p1s after my interview, and they told me that my interview was hard too, but they also told me a lot of things about that process that i can share if youd like to know.

Anyways, lets get some numbers going for those of us on ac and for those who interviewed / will interview.

For the 1st session, 99 people were interviewed, and 15 were accepted. That leaves 84 on ac.

Does anyone know the total amount of people who interviewed in this 2nd session? They, i think, invited 150 to the first session last year, which is different from the 100 this year. So things might be different, in a good way too, if the pool is smaller.

I also heard that people are being rejected now, can anyone verify that?

8)

Originally Posted by 74777

8)

someone told me their interviewer fell asleep on her, and I thought mine was tough..

Originally Posted by 74777

8)

they said 125 people interviewed today.

Originally Posted by ohpues

someone told me their interviewer fell asleep on her, and I thought mine was tough..

are you pre-medical or pre-pharmacy?

Originally Posted by 74777

are you pre-medical or pre-pharmacy?

depends on who asks

Originally Posted by lilipad89

they said 125 people interviewed today.

Looks like they'll be taking in more than 15 this time. Maybe 15 from this pool, and a little from the pool before. But that would still be a really small amount.

Originally Posted by ohpues

I'm not going to lie, in my opinion, your success really depends on who interviews you because I definitely had one of the hardest interviewers there. I heard some people got asked questions about chemistry, or why usc, or even tell me about yourself. If you were asked these, you had an easy interview.

Others such as my own were really detailed and difficult, and if you want to know who interviewed me or what they asked, just PM me. I talked to a bunch of the P1s after my interview, and they told me that my interview was hard too, but they also told me a lot of things about that process that I can share if youd like to know.

Anyways, lets get some numbers going for those of us on AC and for those who interviewed / will interview.

For the 1st session, 99 people were interviewed, and 15 were accepted. That leaves 84 on AC.

Does anyone know the total amount of people who interviewed in this 2nd session? They, i think, invited 150 to the first session last year, which is different from the 100 this year. So things might be different, in a good way too, if the pool is smaller.

I also heard that people are being rejected now, can anyone verify that?

Jim said, during his prep talk, that they will reject after the last interview date.

Originally Posted by JamezLit

Jim said, during his prep talk, that they will reject after the last interview date.

It means we will have some rejection in this round of interview?

Originally Posted by ghoorii

It means we will have some rejection in this round of interview?

Repeat from Jamezlit: They will reject students after the last interview.

This means..everyone will be put on AC until the very end. From what I remember, I think he said that they'll be accepting 15 more students who interviewed on 1/21.

Originally Posted by camnvan

Repeat from Jamezlit: They will reject students after the last interview.

This means..everyone will be put on AC until the very end. From what I remember, I think he said that they'll be accepting 15 more students who interviewed on 1/21.

when i asked the admissions office, they said they can't tell us anything but that they did change a lot this year :/. hopefully it's a good change and that it will all work out in the end. i wonder if they're still accepting approximately 190 students.

Originally Posted by lilshybabu

when i asked the admissions office, they said they can't tell us anything but that they did change a lot this year :/. hopefully it's a good change and that it will all work out in the end. i wonder if they're still accepting approximately 190 students.

I had an interview yesterday and they said they would be accepting about 15 students from each interview session. Then after the last interview session they will seat the remaining slots. They are still aiming to seat 185 students.

Originally Posted by Lagunatic

I had an interview yesterday and they said they would be accepting about 15 students from each interview session. Then after the last interview session they will seat the remaining slots. They are still aiming to seat 185 students.

ohhhh i see. what's the point of that? so they can re-review all the applicants more than once? do you know if they will start to reject previous applicants? i wonder if anyone from the ac list will be admitted or are they waiting until april to decide. thanks for the response

Originally Posted by lilshybabu

ohhhh i see. what's the point of that? so they can re-review all the applicants more than once? do you know if they will start to reject previous applicants? i wonder if anyone from the ac list will be admitted or are they waiting until april to decide. thanks for the response

Yesterday they said that they want to evaluate everyone and then make decisions. So I guess turning apps asap isn't as important for USC anymore since it's not so much "rolling". We (the 8am group) didn't ask about the november interview people. But they did say nobody is getting rejected from yesterday's interview.

So I guess they'll fill 60 slots (from all 4 interviews) and then add the remaining from the huge list of ACs.

Originally Posted by JamezLit

So I guess they'll fill 60 slots (from all 4 interviews) and then add the remaining from the huge list of ACs.

that's weird... it doesn't seem like a smart thing to do. by the time they get to 60, most people will already have heard back from other schools. are they trying to get the prospective UCSF students? does anyone know about UCSF and if they have multiple interviews or when they actually hear back?

Originally Posted by ohpues

that's weird... it doesn't seem like a smart thing to do. by the time they get to 60, most people will already have heard back from other schools. are they trying to get the prospective UCSF students? does anyone know about UCSF and if they have multiple interviews or when they actually hear back?

UCSF interviews everyone in jan/feb and then all results come out in april. Upon receiving admittance, they have 2 weeks to pay the deposit and reject all other schools if accepting offer.

does anyone know how USC scores the interviews? i'm really curious...

Originally Posted by lilshybabu

when i asked the admissions office, they said they can't tell us anything but that they did change a lot this year :/. hopefully it's a good change and that it will all work out in the end. i wonder if they're still accepting approximately 190 students.

they'll be accepting 180 students.

Originally Posted by Lagunatic

I had an interview yesterday and they said they would be accepting about 15 students from each interview session. Then after the last interview session they will seat the remaining slots. They are still aiming to seat 185 students.

I had an interview back in Oct., Jim didnt tell us anything about the 15 people we didnt know till we got the result,but he mentioned in the second interview they will accept some from second interview and they go back and they take some people from the first interview....I hope they didnt change this part ....

Originally Posted by ghoorii

I had an interview back in Oct., Jim didnt tell us anything about the 15 people we didnt know till we got the result,but he mentioned in the second interview they will accept some from second interview and they go back and they take some people from the first interview....I hope they didnt change this part ....

I think they're only accepting 15 per interview group. So they would end up with 60 spots at the end of the fourth group. AC lists will then be considered....they just want to be able to pick and choose who they want, getting a more holistic view of their applicant pool. Kind of sucks for us; applying early isn't as much of an importance I guess.

Originally Posted by lilipad89

UCSF interviews everyone in jan/feb and then all results come out in april. Upon receiving admittance, they have 2 weeks to pay the deposit and reject all other schools if accepting offer.

You have to reject all other schools if we accept UCSF's offer? How do they know if we accepted other schools or have rejected other school's offers if we're accepted?

Originally Posted by diepsteven

I think they're only accepting 15 per interview group. So they would end up with 60 spots at the end of the fourth group. AC lists will then be considered....they just want to be able to pick and choose who they want, getting a more holistic view of their applicant pool. Kind of sucks for us; applying early isn't as much of an importance I guess.

My thoughts are the same. I think it's best to wait until April and focus on other schools during the meantime.

Originally Posted by JamezLit

My thoughts are the same. I think it's best to wait until April and focus on other schools during the meantime.

Thats sad....does u guys know any one who got interview with the GPA below 3.4..?

Originally Posted by letsskate

You have to reject all other schools if we accept UCSF's offer? How do they know if we accepted other schools or have rejected other school's offers if we're accepted?

I'm not sure, but that's what my roommate said last year when she got into UCSF. I think she said something about how schools will indicate on your pharmcas that you have temporarily accepted admissions into their school.

Originally Posted by ghoorii

Thats sad....does u guys know any one who got interview with the GPA below 3.4..?

i did so don't worry!

Guys, do something more worthwhile with your time than calculating how many people get in at what point and what the percentage is and what everything means. If you're qualified, you'll get accepted. I know it's a stressful time but creating unnecessary stress for yourself is....unnecessary

Also don't worry about your perception of the interviewer's perception of you. If you read the interview info pages a lot of students write that they felt that they bombed the interview but they still got accepted. Just because your interviewer isn't asking for your autograph or starting to tear up at your life story doesn't mean they don't like you!

Originally Posted by Jackie B

Guys, do something more worthwhile with your time than calculating how many people get in at what point and what the percentage is and what everything means. If you're qualified, you'll get accepted. I know it's a stressful time but creating unnecessary stress for yourself is....unnecessary

Also don't worry about your perception of the interviewer's perception of you. If you read the interview info pages a lot of students write that they felt that they bombed the interview but they still got accepted. Just because your interviewer isn't asking for your autograph or starting to tear up at your life story doesn't mean they don't like you!

easier said than done my friend

it's hard to plan what to do with the rest of your year when your acceptance is on the line. can't really look for a good job knowing you might get accepted, can't cruise through the year knowing you might get rejected.

besides, it takes like 5 seconds of time to do the math or just think about this kind of stuff, let us eat our cake.

and also, happy chinese new year.

Originally Posted by Jackie B

Guys, do something more worthwhile with your time than calculating how many people get in at what point and what the percentage is and what everything means. If you're qualified, you'll get accepted. I know it's a stressful time but creating unnecessary stress for yourself is....unnecessary

Also don't worry about your perception of the interviewer's perception of you. If you read the interview info pages a lot of students write that they felt that they bombed the interview but they still got accepted. Just because your interviewer isn't asking for your autograph or starting to tear up at your life story doesn't mean they don't like you!

I completely agree. It's out of everyone's hands right now. Talking about it won't make any difference except for stressing you out.

agree with everyone..its over now. just enjoy the experience. =)

who here thought the essay prompt was ridiculously hard for 50mins?! i barely finished...

Originally Posted by jjzz123

agree with everyone..its over now. just enjoy the experience. =)

who here thought the essay prompt was ridiculously hard for 50mins?! i barely finished...

I thought USC only asks you to summarize something rather than crafting one?? Everything's changed?

Originally Posted by pharmacyinlove

I thought USC only asks you to summarize something rather than crafting one?? Everything's changed?

No. Its a 50-minute argumentative essay now. I wish it was the summary, that sounds a lot easier .

Originally Posted by JamezLit

No. Its a 50-minute argumentative essay now. I wish it was the summary, that sounds a lot easier .

It was not so bad. As long you take 5-10 minutes to clearly pick a side and outline support for decision, then you should be fine. Spend the next 30-35 minutes to craft your response and the last 5 minutes to proofread it all over. We have to make choices all the time in life. At least you have 50 minutes to respond to this one

All of you did great so try to think positive and move on. It's a new year so stop dwelling on what you could or should have done. Time to start praying (if you really want to get in usc) and continue to prep for your next interview. I hope to see a lot of good news from you guys soon and Happy Lunar New Year to all of you. Enjoy it, and hope you guys will have good news for this year

i just got another evaluation letter right now. AC from first interview.

Originally Posted by ohpues

i just got another evaluation letter right now. AC from first interview.

what does the letter say ? it said u r still in AC or just about ur pre-req?

Originally Posted by ghoorii

what does the letter say ? it said u r still in AC or just about ur pre-req?

just about my prereqs.
it actually says pretty much the exact same thing as my first one. it even says

"If you are selected for an interview you will be notified by email approximately 1-3 weeks before one of the following interview dates: Oct. 29, 2011, Jan. 21, 2012, Feb. 25, 2012, March 24, 2012. Please note: we usually interview around 30% of our applicants."


hahaha i wonder if they would really resend me another invite

Originally Posted by ohpues

just about my prereqs.
it actually says pretty much the exact same thing as my first one. it even says

"If you are selected for an interview you will be notified by email approximately 1-3 weeks before one of the following interview dates: Oct. 29, 2011, Jan. 21, 2012, Feb. 25, 2012, March 24, 2012. Please note: we usually interview around 30% of our applicants."


hahaha i wonder if they would really resend me another invite

Lool thats funny I hope they pull good number of us out of AC

Originally Posted by ghoorii

Lool thats funny I hope they pull good number of us out of AC

the wait is seriously dominating my life.

Originally Posted by ohpues

the wait is seriously dominating my life.

Me too , u r not alone ....

Originally Posted by ohpues

the wait is seriously dominating my life.

ditto! i'm hoping it comes out 2nd week of feb at least..or that friday..ahhhh haha i'd love to talk to anyone who got interviewed over PM.