2013-2014 University of Southern California (Keck) Application Thread

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These secondary prompts seem much more fun than last year's prompts! Good luck to everyone applying to keck this cycle. It is an amazing institution with a ton of faculty and peer support.

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submitted...and I must say I enjoyed this secondary...more schools should adopt this approach.
 
submitted...and I must say I enjoyed this secondary...more schools should adopt this approach.

How long did it take you to submit?
I received yesterday but am finishing up UC Davis'.
 
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How long did it take you to submit?
I received yesterday but am finishing up UC Davis'.

Once I started on it, I pretty much finished it in an hour. The questions aren't that in depth and require pretty short responses.
 
Once I started on it, I pretty much finished it in an hour. The questions aren't that in depth and require pretty short responses.

I actually had a hard time with the "what will you be remembered for"; very difficult question to answer without sounding pretentious. I was proud of my speculative philanthropy question though :)
 
anyone else having an issue uploading a photo? :(
 
I actually had a hard time with the "what will you be remembered for"; very difficult question to answer without sounding pretentious. I was proud of my speculative philanthropy question though :)

How many words were you guys able to write for this question? I have like two sentences but I don't know what to talk about without bragging.
 
I actually had a hard time with the "what will you be remembered for"; very difficult question to answer without sounding pretentious. I was proud of my speculative philanthropy question though :)

Me too! I spent several hours on this secondary- most of the short questions took me 20 minutes to think out too. Yankee I think we're applying to all the same schools (seems to be common around these parts), what's your state of res?
 
How many words were you guys able to write for this question? I have like two sentences but I don't know what to talk about without bragging.

I think I had around 180. I used to be a teacher so that gave me some ideas.
 
Hey, when they ask what the most difficult part of preparing for becoming a physician was most challenging, do they mean what part of the pre-med stuff was hard? classes, MCAT, ECs, etc?

Also, how do you talk about significant others without sounding like a preteen? I'm thinking about talking about my boyfriend's sister's wedding for the most fun question, but I feel juvenile talking about him. We've been together for 6 years, but I just feel stupid. I'm thinking about writing about something else...
 
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Hey, when they ask what the most difficult part of preparing for becoming a physician was most challenging, do they mean what part of the pre-med stuff was hard? classes, MCAT, ECs, etc?

Also, how do you talk about significant others without sounding like a preteen? I'm thinking about talking about my boyfriend's sister's wedding for the most fun question, but I feel juvenile talking about him. We've been together for 6 years, but I just feel stupid. I'm thinking about writing about something else...

I was advised to not write about significant others by my pre med committee, but there may be a way to pull it off well?
 
I was advised to not write about significant others by my pre med committee, but there may be a way to pull it off well?


I think they're probably right, haha. Thanks for responding!
 
For USC's "If you couldn`t be a health professional, what occupation would you choose?" how should one go about answering?

I could go with research, which I genuinely like, but would that be too close to a health professional?

Or I could go with cooking, which I have always had a passion for. However, would that call into question my intent for medicine? >.<
 
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For USC's "If you couldn`t be a health professional, what occupation would you choose?" how should one go about answering?

I could go with research, which I genuinely like, but would that be too close to a health professional?

Or I could go with cooking, which I have always had a passion for. However, would that call into question my intent for medicine? >.<

I was actually asked this question by my interviewer at USC, and he extended it to say, "if the healthcare field didn't exist, in any shape or form, what would you do?" That axes anything like nursing, PA or even veterinary medicine, I think.

I think scientist is fine, though, and I said something very similar. IMO, the biggest thing is that you should want to do it for the same reasons why you want to do medicine. If you said in your PS that you want to be a doctor to help people, think critically, etc., than these should all be aspects of that career.
 
secondary submitted. Not the best stats, but i think my secondary answers were decent.
Hoping for an II :)
 
How do i write the nickname one without it being humorous :/ ugh - I know humor is a nono for applications because of the subjectivity, but how do I do this prompt!

I'm like, yo they call me the helper cuz I love helping da peepz.

What do you guys think?

If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be?

Bumblebee, because just like the transformer bumblebee, I can also turn myself into a yellow camarro, except, it's a toyota camry that has the check engine light on.
 
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How do i write the nickname one without it being humorous :/ ugh - I know humor is a nono for applications because of the subjectivity, but how do I do this prompt!

I'm like, yo they call me the helper cuz I love helping da peepz.

What do you guys think?

If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be?

Bumblebee, because just like the transformer bumblebee, I can also turn myself into a yellow camarro, except, it's a toyota camry that has the check engine light on.

While humor is generally a no-no, I don't think that applies to Keck. I brought light humor in, when appropriate, to my answers. They are playful questions, so lend themselves to that, but they also still have the ultimate goal of getting something of importance about you out of them. So, you can be funny as long as your answer still has substance. Your bumblebee one just seems kind of silly to me (no offense).
 
Haha, got it, so humor is okay so long as they get something about me?
 
I also tried a bit of humor. Overall I think this was the most awesome secondary I've gotten yet. However there wasn't a good opportunity to talk about recent developments. Do you know if Keck is accepting of additional documents? I just got an epic internship at an ophthalmology institute and I want to make sure they know.
 
I also tried a bit of humor. Overall I think this was the most awesome secondary I've gotten yet. However there wasn't a good opportunity to talk about recent developments. Do you know if Keck is accepting of additional documents? I just got an epic internship at an ophthalmology institute and I want to make sure they know.

No, they really aren't. They don't take updates pre-interview, and at the interview Dr. Arias makes it clear that they don't really want any updates for accomplishments short of being published. If you want for them to know, you should fit it into your primary, or if you get an interview, speak of it there.
 
Secondary submitted today!

Status is complete! (LORs and fee were already in)

Good luck everybody :luck:
 
does anyone have the md/phd prompts? are they the same?
 
How long was your answer for "How will you be remembered by your medical school classmates 50 years from now?"
 
How long was your answer for "How will you be remembered by your medical school classmates 50 years from now?"

It was between 220 and 230 words. The limit is 250
 
How long was your answer for "How will you be remembered by your medical school classmates 50 years from now?"
Mine's a little less than 150 words. felt that was enough to sum it up.
 
I have a question about the first essay that asks if you represent a group underrepresented in medicine. AMCAS shows that the county of my hometown and the county I currently live in our both Medically underserved.

However, personally I don't feel that I represent a group that is underrepresented. The city I live in may be slightly short of physicians but I feel that it is not severe.

Since my AMCAS says my area is underserved does that mean I should indicate that I represent a group underrepresented in medicine?
 
I have a question about the first essay that asks if you represent a group underrepresented in medicine. AMCAS shows that the county of my hometown and the county I currently live in our both Medically underserved.

However, personally I don't feel that I represent a group that is underrepresented. The city I live in may be slightly short of physicians but I feel that it is not severe.

Since my AMCAS says my area is underserved does that mean I should indicate that I represent a group underrepresented in medicine?


Representing a group that is underrepresented in medicine refers more toward your ethnicity which is different than residing in an area that is underserved. Since the application is asking about the former, I wouldn't indicate that you represent a group underrepresented in medicine. In any case, you should just call the admissions office and ask them.
 
Just submitted; what nicknames did people put?

Magnum. By the way is "If you had enormous wealth, how would you allocate your charitable donations?" a loaded question? I think I'll go with: to Keck School of Medicine. I know how much USC likes their donations.

...I just realized how this nickname could totally be taken the wrong way by the Trojans... :eek::eek: I did explain the background story, but hopefully they don't make the connection...
 
...I just realized how this nickname could totally be taken the wrong way by the Trojans... :eek::eek: I did explain the background story, but hopefully they don't make the connection...

hahahahah amazing
 
What did you guys write your "what would your medical school friends think about you 50 years from now?"
 
...I just realized how this nickname could totally be taken the wrong way by the Trojans... :eek::eek: I did explain the background story, but hopefully they don't make the connection...

Hahahaha, this is too good.
 
Hey, I was wondering if anyone (applying or currently enrolled) had any insights about the Health, Technology and Engineering (HTE) program at USC Keck.
 
anyone know when Interview Invites start coming around?
 
I really don't know how to answer the 50 years question..... I am not that memorable. :confused: what did you guys put?
 
II received just now! So excited!

complete 7/15
 
Got an interview request today! :) So excited, didn't expect to hear so soon!
 
I submitted the secondary on July 22nd (two days ago)... did you all receive a complete email or did you just check your status online?
 
Congrats you guys! Hopefully I can join in on the excitement soon! This is one of my top schools :) When is your interview scheduled for?
 
Congrats you guys! Hopefully I can join in on the excitement soon! This is one of my top schools :) When is your interview scheduled for?

Thanks, I hope you hear back soon, sending you good vibes! :) My interview is scheduled for 9/18. It was the first available date when I checked the calendar.
 
So you got to pick? Awesome :)!

Yeah, they have a calendar that lists interview options and you choose which works best for you. I only looked at the dates for september, so I am not sure how far into the next months the options extended. But it was a nice feature.
 
I only saw the 3 dates in September so I'm guessing they do the interview dates in batches according to when they send out invites?
 
Was complete 7/10... Should I be concerned that I haven't heard anything since as some of these people getting interviews were complete after me?
 
Was complete 7/10... Should I be concerned that I haven't heard anything since as some of these people getting interviews were complete after me?

Same exact concern, complete 7/11
 
Was complete 7/10... Should I be concerned that I haven't heard anything since as some of these people getting interviews were complete after me?

i was complete on 10th too and heard nothing back...maybe we dont stand out :(
 
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