2015-2016 University of Southern California (Keck) Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Anyone with MCAT of 31 has received an II or have been rejected ?

I think that whoever has a MCAT score between 29-32 will take a long time to get "verified" . I am assuming that the majority of applicants have those scores. Just a speculation.......
 
mazarine said:
Great. I have a pretty high MCAT but a low GPA, so I must look terrible next to all the people with amazing stats *sigh*
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Ooofff, yeah, I'm in the same boat. Booo.
 
For what it's worth, i have the same MCAT as avgpremedkid. He was complete on the 27th and i was complete on the 25th and still have not heard back. Not to say that disproves what the above poster said about how they review the apps, but just to demonstrate that it isn't as tightly coupled as the dean's statement implies.

Good luck everyone!!
 
B-wildered said:
Anyone with MCAT of 31 has received an II or have been rejected ?

I think that whoever has a MCAT score between 29-32 will take a long time to get "verified" . I am assuming that the majority of applicants have those scores. Just a speculation.......
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I took the new mcat but my score was supposedly equivalent to a 31and I was complete on the 12th and got an II the next morning. So it seems pretty random to me.
 
timsk said:
For what it's worth, i have the same MCAT as avgpremedkid. He was complete on the 27th and i was complete on the 25th and still have not heard back. Not to say that disproves what the above poster said about how they review the apps, but just to demonstrate that it isn't as tightly coupled as the dean's statement implies.

Good luck everyone!!
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Or you were reviewed and didn't merit a reject!
 
Honestly, we can speculate as much as we want. However, we will never know exactly what goes on this mind fu..... process. There are probably many "alternate realities" within each school and within each reviewer/committee and so on. I am expecting the worst and hoping for the best, and occasionally talking to others (respectfully) in the same boat for emotional support- vent/off at SDN .... Good Luck everyone :luck::luck::luck::xf::xf::xf: !!!
 
mehc012 said:
Or you were reviewed and didn't merit a reject!
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Interesting. What makes you say that? This makes it sound like they do successive rounds of reviewing and that the outcome of each review is either a reject or pass on to next reviewer. Is that the case, or am i reading into that wrong?
 
What do you guys think happens in the case of people who have taken the MCAT multiple times? I have a 30 from my first test which I improved to a 33 on my second test.
 
doc_mcd94 said:
Lol same! I was complete first week of July and haven't heard anything so maybe they aren't going in order or there are a ton of 34's
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Same boat as you two!! I was complete mid-July with my 34 and still haven't heard anything. Hopefully they're just being thorough and fair.
 
33/3.94 here and wondering if this will happen. Last year looked as though people were still interviewing until late January with acceptances into late February. Received secondaries from every school I applied to, but still no II, but no rejections either. Just hard to know when I should start to worry about all of this. Hoping to hear some good news from somewhere soon, could really use some good news.
 
I'm assuming that they allot more interview slots for the higher MCAT scores?
Surely they dont offer about the same amount of II for each MCAT score 'pile'?
 
Not sure how much truth there is to this, but I came from USC undergrad, and there's always been a rumor of Keck's desire to rise in rankings. In particular, we hear that Keck loves high MCAT scores, in the sense that High MCAT + Low GPA > Low MCAT + High GPA.

That said, I'm positive that Keck looks at applicants holistically, so keep your chins up! 🙂
 
timsk said:
Interesting. What makes you say that? This makes it sound like they do successive rounds of reviewing and that the outcome of each review is either a reject or pass on to next reviewer. Is that the case, or am i reading into that wrong?
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Hell, I don't know how they do it. I'm just saying that it's all a black box, and no news doesn't necessarily mean what we think it does!
 
damn, i thought you had some special insight that i didn't have! But yes, that's definitely important to keep in mind. No news is good news. Better news would be II, but i'll take what i can get. Good luck!
 
who would you guys recommend contacting if I havent received a secondary yet? I was verified on 08/03 and my MCAT score came in yesterday. should i wait before contacting someone since my score just came in?
 
BaeDreaming said:
who would you guys recommend contacting if I havent received a secondary yet? I was verified on 08/03 and my MCAT score came in yesterday. should i wait before contacting someone since my score just came in?
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I wouldn't contact anyone...these things tend to take longer and longer as the cycle goes on.
 
Would any current student or applicant mind reading my "What is the most fun you've had lately essay?

Im having trouble deciding if its too cringeworthy......but it is my personality
 
Me.D. said:
Wooo! Just got an II!! Submitted the secondary 7/9. MCAT 517, GPA 3.5, LizzyM ~70 don't despair all you people with unbalanced stats 🙂
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Oh gosh we have the same lizzyM but I have GPA and lower MCAT. Take me USC I love you!!

Congrats btw 🙂
 
Pretty speedy "no thank you, you are not worthy"- complete 8/6 and rejected today. Good luck to everyone!
 
phuynh94 said:
Not sure how much truth there is to this, but I came from USC undergrad, and there's always been a rumor of Keck's desire to rise in rankings. In particular, we hear that Keck loves high MCAT scores, in the sense that High MCAT + Low GPA > Low MCAT + High GPA.

That said, I'm positive that Keck looks at applicants holistically, so keep your chins up! 🙂
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haha interesting how you mention that. I think you're right and I'm a living testament to that statement. My LizzyM is 69 and I have a 37++ MCAT 😉. Good luck on your interview btw!!!
 
from all the students and physicians i have met from USC...they all have their quirk...in a positive way.
 
phuynh94 said:
Not sure how much truth there is to this, but I came from USC undergrad, and there's always been a rumor of Keck's desire to rise in rankings. In particular, we hear that Keck loves high MCAT scores, in the sense that High MCAT + Low GPA > Low MCAT + High GPA.

That said, I'm positive that Keck looks at applicants holistically, so keep your chins up! 🙂
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I'm not sure how this would raise their ranking unless MCAT is favored above gpa in creating a school ranking. I guess I could see if they believed that a high MCAT led to a higher step 1/step 2 score. However, this is very debatable as the two tests couldn't be more different from each other.
 
Third year here and love it! Feel free to ask questions, but google it and search the thread first!

Advice: dress professionally for your interview! Follow instructions on the application and website.
 
I was asked about interview day. Here's some info:

The interview day is relatively chill...in some ways. You will have a student-led tour, a lunch with students, a faculty interview, and a student interview (not necessarily in that order). Both interviews are closed file, meaning the people have never/will never see your application - there is a possibility that the interviewer is also on the admissions committee but most interviewers are not. So this is your time to pretend like you have a 4.0 and a 45 and just let the other parts of you shine through.

My interviews are generally pretty fun and relaxed. I am mostly looking to see if I can imagine you in my class fitting in with people. I want to see that you can describe to me why you want to be a doctor -- you might be surprised that this is hard to explain without practicing, so practice (out loud speaking to someone else). Also, I want to know that you are a real person. What do you do for fun? I want to see that you are passionate about some thing(s) both inside and outside of medicine. I want to see that you have clinical experience, even if you are interested in research. I honestly do not want to hear many details about your bench research on the blah blah hormone because I trust the members of the admissions committee to verify the quality of your work. That said, if I (or more likely, the faculty interviewer) happens to know something about the topic you have researched, you should be able to talk about it.

Keck is generally a fun and casual place to be, BUT medicine is still a conservative field. Take your cues from your interviewers about the level of casualness...I would expect more casual in the student interview and a bit more composed and formal in the faculty interview. Know that even the office staff, tour guides, and students you have lunch with WILL let the Dean know if you do something rude/inappropriate. Dress conservatively, even though I know you are a unique flower who wants to be memorable. You do not want to be remembered for dressing inappropriately, and that is much more likely to be the case. Just suck it up, put on your dark suit and white shirt (and tie if you're male). You can lose the jacket during lunch and tour if you'd like, but otherwise, just rock that suit.

I love Keck and I hope you do too!
 
Rejected. Complete 8/1. Good luck everyone else 🙂
 
timsk said:
What'd you use??
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I tried to make it fun and quirky to fit with the tone of the questions. It's not inappropriate by any means and it does reflect my personality, but I hope it doesn't come off as stupid, haha.

musicalfeet said:
I'm just going to assume if I haven't been rejected yet then I'm still....in the running.....or haven't been reviewed yet. Especially as it seems they've sent out 2 waves of rejections already.
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Yeah, I'm sure that's the case with everyone who hasn't heard back yet.
 
swimmingxxx657 said:
I tried to make it fun and quirky to fit with the tone of the questions. It's not inappropriate by any means and it does reflect my personality, but I hope it doesn't come off as stupid, haha.



Yeah, I'm sure that's the case with everyone who hasn't heard back yet.
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I had a ridiculous one as well - I got an II so I wouldn't be concerned about that having a negative impact on your app.
 
swimmingxxx657 said:
I tried to make it fun and quirky to fit with the tone of the questions. It's not inappropriate by any means and it does reflect my personality, but I hope it doesn't come off as stupid, haha.
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If they wanna hear stupid, they should've asked for what I tell Siri to call me :laugh:
 
Would it be a waste of money to apply here now?
 
ciestar said:
Would it be a waste of money to apply here now?
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I don't think so. Based on the posts in this thread, there are applicants who applied early who haven't heard back yet, and applicants who applied recently who have. It seems to be kind of a random process, so I don't think it'd hurt to apply at this point. If you like the school and applying isn't a problem financially, you should! Good luck!
 
Mr. Beefy Lion said:
Do you guys think my nickname "dirtbag" is too unprofessional? I am using dirtbag as a reference to a vaccum cleaner...I have a funny story that goes with it. This is a serious question, lol
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Do you ride a harely? "

What's the difference between a harley and a hoover? On the vacuum, the dirtbag rides inside."
 
Is it bad that I am completely indignant about my rejection e-mail today? I mean, there is NO WAY anyone was cleverer than I was on the secondary. nm the fact that I am terribly underqualified to live in a community of attractive/smart people. But at least give me a chance to SHOW you that personally in an interview. </s> #sourgrapes
 
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