2008-2009 USC-Keck Secondary Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Decicco said:
Quick question hereIcome: I took biochemistry (as required) and did well in it, but I don't feel like I learned all that much... Since biochem is required at USC, do you think that not knowing it will put me at a significant disadvantage to my peers?
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Honestly, biochem in undergrad is pure memorization as far as I remember. And I'm sure nobody remembers all the pathways and whatnot by the time they start here. I don't think you'll be at a significant disadvantage. They give you all the info you need for the tests and the 2nd year students lead regular group tutoring sessions in every topic. Plus, once you start seeing some of the stuff again, you will remember more than you think I bet. I'd say people probably have an "advantage" for the first nine weeks of class if they were biochem or mol bio majors or something like that. Other than that, it's a pretty even playing field and after those first 9 weeks, all bets are off. It's all new after that for the most part!

And to the person who asked about the money, I say it is definitely worth the extra 20K. The debt is obviously ominous, but we WILL be able to pay it off. And there are a significant number of private scholarships available for 3rd and 4th years. Plus, a majority of people go to Keck because they are interested in serving underserved communities, so there are a lot of loan repayment opportunities even if you don't get a scholarship.

Keck has an amazing curriculum that continually proves itself when the students take the boards and score well above the national average. Keck produces really well-rounded physicians who can research, have great bedside manner, and fantastic clinical skills (and who match really well in residencies). I couldn't see myself being this happy at any of the other schools I got accepted to. So, yes, I say it's worth it. If you want more specifics, I'd be happy to tell you even more reasons why. But right now I have to get back to studying.
 
They said we would be notified before thanksgiving right???
They only have 3 business days left to get us the letter!
I am scared
so I wrote a small poem


Ohh to be free
run in the sand
attend USC
 
sankondbest said:
They said we would be notified before thanksgiving right???
They only have 3 business days left to get us the letter!
I am scared
so I wrote a small poem


Ohh to be free
run in the sand
attend USC
Click to expand...


Yeah, that's what they told me too! I'm leaving for my parents on Tuesday before mail comes, so unless the letter comes tomorrow, I won't know until after! arrg! 😛
 
Just need to agonize "out loud" a little...

My parents insisted I complete this app, though I applied to USC late. Just submitted today, three weeks after receiving the secondary. I do believe I just threw away $120. 🙁
 
hereIcome: Maybe it was who led my group, but I didn't leave Keck with a good impression. Then I heard some more bad stuff 🙁 Are some of the tour guides not that good? Reading your comments gives me some hope that should I get accepted, it won't be that bad of a place to attend.
 
SN2ed said:
Reading your comments gives me some hope that should I get accepted, it won't be that bad of a place to attend.
Click to expand...

?? Yea, it sounds like you had a bad tour guide... Do you have any specifics about the "bad stuff" you mentioned?
 
Well I don't want to go into specifics for obvious reasons. However, the whole event just felt superficial. It's something that's hard to describe. When I was at Creighton, I thought back to the Keck interview and had that feeling even more. It was like Creighton brought out my misgivings about the Keck interview day.

Yeah...I'm trying to type out something more concrete, but it's tough to articulate beyond saying the event felt superficial.
 
I really liked Creighton also, but I had positive experiences at both schools... they are just very different. Maybe you could PM me some more of the specifics? USC is somewhere I've been seriously thinking about, so I'd love to hear more of what you have to say.
 
Decicco said:
I really liked Creighton also, but I had positive experiences at both schools... they are just very different. Maybe you could PM me some more of the specifics? USC is somewhere I've been seriously thinking about, so I'd love to hear more of what you have to say.
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Yeah, me too.
 
My interviewer didn't give me a card and told me to forward the thank you letter to the admissions committee..

So then do I still address it to her? Or do I ask the admission committee to forward the letter to her?
 
mzchristee said:
My interviewer didn't give me a card and told me to forward the thank you letter to the admissions committee..

So then do I still address it to her? Or do I ask the admission committee to forward the letter to her?
Click to expand...


do you mean in the card or on the envelope? In the card, I'd address it to her. On the envelope, I'd write her name then c/o admissions committee.
 
Decicco said:
I really liked Creighton also, but I had positive experiences at both schools... they are just very different. Maybe you could PM me some more of the specifics? USC is somewhere I've been seriously thinking about, so I'd love to hear more of what you have to say.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline sending out private messages because I want to keep as much of my anonymity as possible. Besides, like everyone mentioned, I might have just been there on an off day or something. Another possibility is that the school didn't fit me well, but that doesn't mean it won't work for you or that it's a bad school. If I am fortunate enough to receive an acceptance, all that my bad experiences will amount to is another visit to the campus to check the fit again. I'll probably go there in my regular clothes to see how things are when people don't immediately know you're interviewing/accepted/interested in the school etc.
 
I want to cry... The only reason I came home was to look in the mailbox and when I looked yesterday there was nothing

WHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
 
so just got an interview invite (sooo pumped! complete since aug too for those interested) and i have a few questions for those familiar with the los angeles area...

is lax the closet airport? and is there public transportation that you can take to hotels near the school? not having too much luck with finding this info..thanks guys!
 
vbdoc77 said:
so just got an interview invite (sooo pumped! complete since aug too for those interested) and i have a few questions for those familiar with the los angeles area...

is lax the closet airport? and is there public transportation that you can take to hotels near the school? not having too much luck with finding this info..thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Yes, you can take the flyaway bus from LAX to Union Station. The flyaway runs 24/7 and has 45 minute or less service for like $5. Union Station is only a short cab ride away from USC. There are several hotels in the immediate vicinity.
 
Raryn said:
So, they said 4-6 weeks, and today makes four weeks... Anyone know how realistic the 4-6 weeks statement was? Will I definitely find out within the next 2 weeks?
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It can't be too accurate because I really have seen anyone who has heard back from USC yet. I am at the 5 week mark, and others are before me, and I don't think any of us have heard...
 
Raryn said:
So, they said 4-6 weeks, and today makes four weeks... Anyone know how realistic the 4-6 weeks statement was? Will I definitely find out within the next 2 weeks?
Click to expand...


I don't remember them saying anything about 4-6 weeks. However, they did tell me I'd hear before Thanksgiving and here we are and I have heard nothing. :shrug: I'm usually not too impatient, but this wait is taking longer than I wished! 😳
 
sankondbest said:
Can we get a :beat: to :poke: and 😕 them when we will find out if we got :soexcited: or +pissed+
Click to expand...

nice.


Hi all, just introducing myself to the Keck thread, got a recent interview invite so i might be posting here a bit. Oh, Good luck Raryn, I know USC is your top choice...as you so eloquently told me way back when...:luck::xf:

be exciting to take more classes with you next year (and beat you like always:laugh:)
 
Schoolsucks said:
nice.


Hi all, just introducing myself to the Keck thread, got a recent interview invite so i might be posting here a bit. Oh, Good luck Raryn, I know USC is your top choice...as you so eloquently told me way back when...:luck::xf:

be exciting to take more classes with you next year (and beat you like always:laugh:)
Click to expand...
Hey, USC is in CA isn't it? 😛

(and beat me? Bah! that was on like, a couple lab reports. Who cares about lab reports? 😛)
 
SN2ed said:
hereIcome: Maybe it was who led my group, but I didn't leave Keck with a good impression. Then I heard some more bad stuff 🙁 Are some of the tour guides not that good? Reading your comments gives me some hope that should I get accepted, it won't be that bad of a place to attend.
Click to expand...

I guess it's probably just the luck of the draw. Of course some tour guides probably aren't that great...they are just students who volunteer. I really don't know what "bad stuff" you're referring to that you've heard, but Keck really is an amazing school. You get to do your clinicals at LA County hospital, which means you will see EVERYTHING.

And the curriculum in the first two years is really well built and well thought out. It is very front-loaded, meaning we do A LOT right when we start and then it trickles down until clinical years. This means that right when you begin med school and you're ready for the hardest thing you've ever done, you will get the hardest thing you've ever done. Other schools start out slow and it seems like that would be sort of misleading. Here, I just get to look forward to the next system because it gets less and less intensive as you go. (Not less hard...just less time-consuming) At other schools, they dread what's coming. Plus, USC students have scored phenomenally on the boards for the past 5 years since the curriculum change. It's inarguably a wonderful school.

Also, it may seem like a small deal, but you would not believe how wonderful it is to have our own desks in a classroom with 23 other people. I honestly don't know how students at other med schools handle studying in the library all the time. Tons of people do choose to study in the library here as well, but it is just so nice that there is a designated space that is just mine. I have a key to the room and a key to my individual desk. I can leave anything there that I want, and I tend to leave some of my studying stuff there. I sit in my MDL (classroom) with two or three other students on a very regular basis and we study together, using the whiteboards when we need to, pulling up things on the computer and projecting it when we need to. It's just amazing. It's something I don't think is stressed too much in the interviews, but I can't imagine being somewhere without an MDL. I know other schools have similar rooms that students can use, but it is much different when it is specifically assigned to you and you feel like you always have the right to be there and you don't have to duke it out with other students. Plus, it's a built in group of friends right off the bat, which can feel really nice in a big med school class like ours.

I'm sorry that you had a bad impression. Keck is anything but superficial. People really truly love being there. LA, in general, is quite superficial, but you are totally removed from it at med school. People go to USC because they want to help the underserved...more so than at other schools. You sort of have to have that desire because you will be at the County hospital and you will see the most underserved people in LA County. Anyway, it means people are helpful and kind and we all work cooperatively.

And to the person who was asking about transportation, there is a free shuttle from campus to Union Station and vice versa. You don't even have to take a cab!
 
Schoolsucks said:
nice.


Hi all, just introducing myself to the Keck thread, got a recent interview invite so i might be posting here a bit. Oh, Good luck Raryn, I know USC is your top choice...as you so eloquently told me way back when...:luck::xf:

be exciting to take more classes with you next year (and beat you like always:laugh:)
Click to expand...


You won't be "beating" anyone at Keck. We have pass/fail. If you pass, you pass. If you fail, you take the test again. Nobody talks about what they got on the individual tests because it's nobody else's business. But if you get a 70 or a 90, you still pass. There really is no competition.
 
hereIcome said:
You won't be "beating" anyone at Keck. We have pass/fail. If you pass, you pass. If you fail, you take the test again. Nobody talks about what they got on the individual tests because it's nobody else's business. But if you get a 70 or a 90, you still pass. There really is no competition.
Click to expand...
He wasn't being serious... He was just teasing me, because hes a bastage like that.
 
hereIcome said:
I guess it's probably just the luck of the draw. Of course some tour guides probably aren't that great...they are just students who volunteer. I really don't know what "bad stuff" you're referring to that you've heard, but Keck really is an amazing school. You get to do your clinicals at LA County hospital, which means you will see EVERYTHING.

And the curriculum in the first two years is really well built and well thought out. It is very front-loaded, meaning we do A LOT right when we start and then it trickles down until clinical years. This means that right when you begin med school and you're ready for the hardest thing you've ever done, you will get the hardest thing you've ever done. Other schools start out slow and it seems like that would be sort of misleading. Here, I just get to look forward to the next system because it gets less and less intensive as you go. (Not less hard...just less time-consuming) At other schools, they dread what's coming. Plus, USC students have scored phenomenally on the boards for the past 5 years since the curriculum change. It's inarguably a wonderful school.

Also, it may seem like a small deal, but you would not believe how wonderful it is to have our own desks in a classroom with 23 other people. I honestly don't know how students at other med schools handle studying in the library all the time. Tons of people do choose to study in the library here as well, but it is just so nice that there is a designated space that is just mine. I have a key to the room and a key to my individual desk. I can leave anything there that I want, and I tend to leave some of my studying stuff there. I sit in my MDL (classroom) with two or three other students on a very regular basis and we study together, using the whiteboards when we need to, pulling up things on the computer and projecting it when we need to. It's just amazing. It's something I don't think is stressed too much in the interviews, but I can't imagine being somewhere without an MDL. I know other schools have similar rooms that students can use, but it is much different when it is specifically assigned to you and you feel like you always have the right to be there and you don't have to duke it out with other students. Plus, it's a built in group of friends right off the bat, which can feel really nice in a big med school class like ours.

I'm sorry that you had a bad impression. Keck is anything but superficial. People really truly love being there. LA, in general, is quite superficial, but you are totally removed from it at med school. People go to USC because they want to help the underserved...more so than at other schools. You sort of have to have that desire because you will be at the County hospital and you will see the most underserved people in LA County. Anyway, it means people are helpful and kind and we all work cooperatively.

And to the person who was asking about transportation, there is a free shuttle from campus to Union Station and vice versa. You don't even have to take a cab!
Click to expand...

hey thanks for all of your insight.It is much appreciated especially as I prepare to prepare for my interview! I am super stoked about this invite and would love to go to USC! Do you mind if I PM you some personal questions that only relate specifically to my candidacy?

Oh and about Raryn, that was just a joke; I cant beat that fargin' icehole Bastage to save my life.
 
Anyone is welcome to PM me with specific questions. I had some really good advice last year from people on this board, and I'm just trying to return the favor 😉.

Sorry to misinterpret your joke!
 
OMG I JUST GOT MY ACCEPTANCE LETTER! 11/28

This is the best feeling in the world. I love this school sooo much. I think I am pretty much set on going here!!!
 
Raryn said:
which puts you getting the letter at pretty much the exact 6 week mark? + a few days for postage?
Click to expand...
Yeah Almost exactly. They said it would be B4 thanksgiving but i think they meant their decision...the letter probably took 1-2 days because I live in the NW part of the USA
 
for those who interviewed already, what time did your day start? when did it end?
 
oneandonlylo said:
for those who interviewed already, what time did your day start? when did it end?
Click to expand...

Theres no way to know. Mine started at 7:30am, others started at 10:30. Mine ended at 2:30, others ended at 5:30.
 
Yay, accepted today! I love California so much--it feels great to have the option to come back. 🙂
 
I just called the office and checked, and the girl said that they are still on schedule with decisions being mailed out 4-6 weeks after the interview. She also said that she was working on a batch to be mailed out today.

No specific news for me though... but it has only been 5 weeks.
 
Lady Marid said:
Yay, accepted today! I love California so much--it feels great to have the option to come back. 🙂
Click to expand...

CONGRATS LADY MARID!!!!
I love Cali so much too! it was the best thing ever to find that fat envelope in my mailbox

who knows...we may be classmates next year🙂
 
sankondbest said:
CONGRATS LADY MARID!!!!
I love Cali so much too! it was the best thing ever to find that fat envelope in my mailbox

who knows...we may be classmates next year🙂
Click to expand...

That would be pretty cool. ^_^ Yeah, I agree, Cali is a pretty awesome place to be. I really liked USC when I visited!
 
and was told decisions for Oct 17 interviewees have been mailed out ("recently"). good luck everyone! :luck:
 
Ooh good luck!!

Will anyone be at Keck this Friday by any chance?
 
Raryn said:
Woot.

I just called the admissions office, and my decision letter was mailed out *today*, exactly at the 6 week mark.

I'll find out Thursday or Friday then!

*dares to be hopeful*
Click to expand...

Mine was sent yesterday :scared: (Interviewed 10-22)
 
Last edited:
Decicco said:
Mine was sent yesterday :scared: (Interviewed 10-22)
Click to expand...
I'm a little bit encouraged by the fact that *no one* has so far reported a waitlist or rejection from Keck. I mean, its possible that I would be the first, but still.

I'm hoping they just don't send those bad decisions out till later 😉
 
Mine was sent today, interviewed 11-7.
 
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