USC keck requirement

[drabberbadge]

What do you guys think of USC keck no pre requirements? It's kind of weird no? Does that mean no science gpa comes into account?

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[alt12345]

I also found it really interesting and seems like it's part of a national trend to "humanize" medicine with more humanities majors/students represented (biggest piece of evidence being the MCAT changes). Take a look at USC's secondary questions.

I would have loved to sit in on the meetings where this was decided. I think they are essentially saying do what you want in undergrad, and they are trusting the MCAT to show off your scientific aptitude. Obviously one school changing their policy will have no actual ramifications -- every applicant will still take bio, chem, orgo, and physics at least.

Another interesting point is that USC used to be relatively stringent in terms of prerequisites (required biochem, and I think biochem lab as well?).

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

http://keck.usc.edu/en/About/Administrative_Offices/Office_of_MD_Admissions/Admissions_Process.aspx
"The school has no specific course requirements."

Easily one of the best things I've seen while browsing med schools.

I'm sure they look for gpa trends, but maybe they've seen students with non-science majors perform exceptionally well on exams, boards, etc.

 

[drabberbadge]

http://keck.usc.edu/en/About/Administrative_Offices/Office_of_MD_Admissions/Admissions_Process.aspx
"The school has no specific course requirements."

Easily one of the best things I've seen while browsing med schools.

I'm sure they look for gpa trends, but maybe they've seen students with non-science majors perform exceptionally well on exams, boards, etc.

So no science gpa?

 

[supermintyfresh]

I'm actually going to be attending Keck in the Fall! Dr. Arias, the dean of admissions, was easily one of the friendliest and most thoughtful individuals I have met on the individual trail. She mentioned that while Keck used to have conventional secondary essays that required you to write about "diversity", or "why medicine", she realized that she was getting the same, mundane responses from every applicant. After changing it up into more unconventional questions, I'm sure the adcoms were able to see a much more different side of the prospective applicant.

So no science gpa?

The sGPA will still be calculated on the AMCAS application. The admissions committee will still see it when they have your AMCAS in front of them. I think it still has some weight -- even if Keck itself does not require any prerequisites. After all, you're going to apply to other schools, right? Most medical schools will still require the appropriate Bio, Orgo, Chem, Biochem, Physics, English classes. Also, if you did not do well in a particular science class, that could hurt you and bring into question your ability to perform well in the science-heavy medical curriculum.

I do hope that one day, all medical schools will no longer have required science classes, since a medical student is spending a great deal of the next four years learning about science anyways! I really like the HuMed/FlexMed program by Mount Sinai for example, and wish that there were more of these early assurance programs out there.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

So no science gpa?

I have no idea. Wish I knew their criteria.
@alt12345 makes a good point about possibly trusting the MCAT. Maybe they really believe in their curriculum and USMLE prep. I really don't follow average board scores of schools, but I've heard that USC students do really well.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I'm actually going to be attending Keck in the Fall! Dr. Arias, the dean of admissions, was easily one of the friendliest and most thoughtful individuals I have met on the individual trail. She mentioned that while Keck used to have conventional secondary essays that required you to write about "diversity", or "why medicine", she realized that she was getting the same, mundane responses from every applicant. After changing it up into more unconventional questions, I'm sure the adcoms were able to see a much more different side of the prospective applicant.



The sGPA will still be calculated on the AMCAS application. The admissions committee will still see it when they have your AMCAS in front of them. I think it still has some weight -- even if Keck itself does not require any prerequisites. After all, you're going to apply to other schools, right? Most medical schools will still require the appropriate Bio, Orgo, Chem, Biochem, Physics, English classes. Also, if you did not do well in a particular science class, that could hurt you and bring into question your ability to perform well in the science-heavy medical curriculum.

I do hope that one day, all medical schools will no longer have required science classes, since a medical student is spending a great deal of the next four years learning about science anyways! I really like the HuMed/FlexMed program by Mount Sinai for example, and wish that there more of these early assurance programs out there.

Thanks for elaborating!

 

[mexdoc91]

The no pre-req requirement is definitely intriguing.

What I find more interesting is that they make us submit two science letters even though there are no required science pre-reqs. -_-

 

[alt12345]

So no science gpa?

Science GPA will certainly still be a factor for USC. It's on the application, like @supermintyfresh said, and they aren't going to ignore it if it's abysmally low.

@mexdoc91, as for the required science letters, isn't that still true for almost all MD schools anyway? That's why I figure these changes are more symbolic than anything -- students won't change their undergrad behavior for one school (although if they do, all the better for USC because a whole bunch of applicants applying to their school means their acceptance rate goes down). They even have "recommended" coursework in MSAR. It could be something as simple as they know everyone is going to take the typical prereqs anyway and they don't want to bother checking that you did.