2016-2017 University of Southern California (Keck) Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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totoro_ said:
I interviewed 6 weeks ago and still haven't heard back regarding my admissions decision. Dr. Arias said 2-4 weeks at my interview but obviously it's well past that now. Anyone have any idea when decisions are coming out? Every time I try to call the admissions office no one picks up.
I'm trying to be patient but if I get in here it'd save me a lot of money as I would withdraw from my other interviews so I'm dying to hear back...
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I'm in the same boat. Interviewed six weeks ago and haven't heard anything. Someone in this thread called the admissions office two weeks ago and was told that it'd be another "2-4 more weeks".
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nylock10 said:
I'm in the same boat. Interviewed six weeks ago and haven't heard anything. Someone in this thread called the admissions office two weeks ago and was told that it'd be another "2-4 more weeks".
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Jeez this is excruciating... I was hoping it'd be today, especially after some people posted that they got their decision earlier this afternoon even though they interviewed just two weeks ago.
 
totoro_ said:
Jeez this is excruciating... I was hoping it'd be today, especially after some people posted that they got their decision earlier this afternoon even though they interviewed just two weeks ago.
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Yeah it blows. Makes me wonder what order they review applications. I guess there's always a chance we could hear later this evening but I'm not holding my breath.
 
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I wasn't able to find this information online, but I am hoping you guys can help. Does USC accept letters of interest? It has become my top choice after looking more into their curriculum and clinical rotations (so I would really like to do anything I can to get an interview!)
 
throwawaymed212 said:
I wasn't able to find this information online, but I am hoping you guys can help. Does USC accept letters of interest? It has become my top choice after looking more into their curriculum and clinical rotations (so I would really like to do anything I can to get an interview!)
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Dean Arias will literally slam dunk your app into the trash if you do. But seriously, the school said the only communication they want from you after you send in your app is a Letter of Intent on April 30th if you've been waitlisted and are accepted at other school(s) but still want to come to Keck.
 
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mogwa1 said:
Dean Arias will literally slam dunk your app into the trash if you do. But seriously, the school said the only communication they want from you after you send in your app is a Letter of Intent on April 30th if you've been waitlisted and are accepted at other school(s) but still want to come to Keck.
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This exactly. They don't care for anything extra except an LOI ONLY if you've been waitlisted AND have another (especially cheaper) option.
 
"Don't even think about emailing us updates, even if you get a cell paper published."
 
throwawaymed212 said:
I wasn't able to find this information online, but I am hoping you guys can help. Does USC accept letters of interest? It has become my top choice after looking more into their curriculum and clinical rotations (so I would really like to do anything I can to get an interview!)
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I did an essay of interest in the "anything else you would like to tell us", section of the application.
 
Any accepted people know if we can get out of a Currie hall lease once we sign it?
 
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brunodude said:
Any accepted people know if we can get out of a Currie hall lease once we sign it? I want to hold a spot because there is a good chance I'll be at Keck next year, but am not in a spot to sign a permanent lease!
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For what it's worth, if 85% of the spots are already taken, the first year class isn't going to live there. And if a significant part of the class doesn't live there, there's no point. There's literally nothing around there. No grocery store, parking is separate cost, no food, etc.
 
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brunodude said:
Any accepted people know if we can get out of a Currie hall lease once we sign it? I want to hold a spot because there is a good chance I'll be at Keck next year, but am not in a spot to sign a permanent lease!
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Having lived in this part of LA before, I would not choose to live here again! Get a cute house up in Montecito Heights and enjoy the Highland Park area.
 
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Any current student want to comment on living and traffic?
 
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Iwannaknow said:
Any current student want to comment on living and traffic?

I have the opportunity to live in Santa Monica with a close friend of mine for relatively cheap. Is it worth the traffic? Is it still possible to bond with your class?
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At best, you'd be able to commute in 30 minutes. If you drive any time close to when people are commuting (7-9 a.m., 4:30-6:30 p.m.) it will take you 1-3 hours. You can also take public transit, which will take you a bit over an hour each way.
 
Fancy_Feast said:
At best, you'd be able to commute in 30 minutes. If you drive any time close to when people are commuting (7-9 a.m., 4:30-6:30 p.m.) it will take you 1-3 hours. You can also take public transit, which will take you a bit over an hour each way.
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Public transit is faster than regular commuting?!?
 
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Iwannaknow said:
Any current student want to comment on living and traffic?

I have the opportunity to live in Santa Monica with a close friend of mine for relatively cheap. Is it worth the traffic? Is it still possible to bond with your class?
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Getting there in under an hour and 15 minutes will be a rare occurrence, I think. The freeways close to Keck just do not move. I think you will have to go through 2 of the countries busiest interchanges every day. The area the school is situated in also does not have a lot of alternate routes via surface streets. I think it would be a nightmare, but after a few months you might learn to get used to it and accept it.
 
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brunodude said:
Any accepted people know if we can get out of a Currie hall lease once we sign it? I want to hold a spot because there is a good chance I'll be at Keck next year, but am not in a spot to sign a permanent lease!
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To answer your question: Yes, you can get out of the lease if you sign it, but you would have to forfeit the $150 deposit you made when you filled out the application PLUS $100 more (if I remember correctly - I called about this same exact thing a few weeks ago).
 
JoeCaputo said:
Getting there in under an hour and 15 minutes will be a rare occurrence, I think. The freeways close to Keck just do not move. I think you will have to go through 2 of the countries busiest interchanges every day. The area the school is situated in also does not have a lot of alternate routes via surface streets. I think it would be a nightmare, but after a few months you might learn to get used to it and accept it.
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Yeah I figured. I looked it up on Waze before I posted and it said 20 minutes to there anytime between 7 and 9 am, and 35-40 in the afternoon. Seemed too good to be true
 
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I guess that could be right sometimes. Especially if you live close to the freeway entrance. 7am is definitely going to be a much quicker trip than 8:30, so I don't know if I trust 7-9 being one time range. If it is 45 minutes to an hour, I think it is doable. That's what I had to get to the undergraduate campus, and the first couple months it was a pain, but then I got used to it.
 
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It is roughly 30 minutes. Don't worry if it is shorter though; both of mine ran shorter than the allotted 30 mins but I still got in! Best of luck :happy:
 
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GrumpyGus said:
Invites for interview or once they scheduled all of Feb they're done?
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I assume both, honestly. From looking at past yeas it seems that by from December on interviews are extremely limited and that the last interview dates were the end of february. so they're probably almost done with IIs and will filter through on a case-by-case basis
 
GrumpyGus said:
Invites for interview or once they scheduled all of Feb they're done?
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I'd like to think it's the former as the website also states that acceptances go out until April.
 
Iwannaknow said:
This exactly. They don't care for anything extra except an LOI ONLY if you've been waitlisted AND have another (especially cheaper) option.
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Why cheaper? This is one of the most expensive medical schools, and writing a letter of intent means you would choose it regardless, no? I just don't understand why the admissions staff seems so insecure here. If you're waitlisted and send them a letter of intent, why do you have to convince them that you're in love with the school? If you're willing to pay $60k a year to be "thrown to the wolves" in their county hospital/prison ward, as an interviewer from another school described it, doesn't that show you really want to go there? I haven't received an acceptance yet and I'm still waiting to hear back from other interviews, but I've already been waitlisted here and I have no idea how I'd be able to convince the school I want to go here.
 
yungspleen said:
Why cheaper? This is one of the most expensive medical schools, and writing a letter of intent means you would choose it regardless, no? I just don't understand why the admissions staff seems so insecure here. If you're waitlisted and send them a letter of intent, why do you have to convince them that you're in love with the school? If you're willing to pay $60k a year to be "thrown to the wolves" in their county hospital/prison ward, as an interviewer from another school described it, doesn't that show you really want to go there? I haven't received an acceptance yet and I'm still waiting to hear back from other interviews, but I've already been waitlisted here and I have no idea how I'd be able to convince the school I want to go here.
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Well they are able to see where you hold an acceptance. It's not that you tell them straight up "I will go here over state school X." She basically told my interview group that when they take people off the waitlist, they already know who has no acceptances, and thus for sure will come. Dr. Arias seems to be a "no crap" kind of person. She doesn't want to be continually taking people off the waitlist (e.g. Accept someone off the waitlist who declines). She'd rather accept the few people she needs to and be done with it. So if she sees you have an acceptance at state school X, she's not going to take you off the waitlist without an LOI, because she's knows USC is so expensive it's not worth it for some people.

I don't think it's a product of insecurity so much as pragmatism. Want to talk about insecurity in admissions head over to the Mayo Threads lol.
 
dr. arias said the committee meets every other monday and decisions are sent the following tuesday. last monday was a committee meeting, so next tuesday 12/13 should be another round of decisions. i wonder if the committee would still meet 12/26, since it's the day after xmas?
 
Has anyone interviewed for the MD/MPH program?
 
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Atoms4Peace said:
Has anyone interviewed for the MD/MPH program?
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There's no separate interview for that. I applied to MD/MPH. Once you're admitted MD they'll send your stuff over to MPH who will decide based on your application and MD interview feedback.
 
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Pre II rejection just now after 5 months of silence
 
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Rejected pre-II. Oh well +pissed+
 
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amygdaloid5 said:
dr. arias said the committee meets every other monday and decisions are sent the following tuesday. last monday was a committee meeting, so next tuesday 12/13 should be another round of decisions. i wonder if the committee would still meet 12/26, since it's the day after xmas?
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Highly doubt it. I asked about decision timeframe at my interview last Friday and they said expect it to be a bit longer -- like end of January -- due to the Christmas holiday.
 
So scared to see the rejection wave coming. Already got rejected from one dream school today, don't think I could take another :nailbiting:
 
Hau5MD said:
So scared to see the rejection wave coming. Already got rejected from one dream school today, don't think I could take another :nailbiting:
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So confused. Why a bunch of pre-II rejections now, but leave another portion without IIs but also not rejected?


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Doogie Howser MD said:
So confused. Why a bunch of pre-II rejections now, but leave another portion without IIs but also not rejected?


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The email servers got tired so they have to sleep it off till morning? Maybe the interview invites (or more rejections) are coming tomorrow ;)
HopefulPilot said:
Complete since 7/10. Looks like I dodged another round of rejections by being so bad that they haven't even gotten to me yet!
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6/28. By now Im starting to think they just pity me too much to reject me :oops:
 
Cut me loose or love me, USC. Peez.
 
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Hau5MD said:
The email servers got tired so they have to sleep it off till morning? Maybe the interview invites (or more rejections) are coming tomorrow ;)
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Hopefully that second part is just a theory. However, some IIs would be nice!
 
Each wave of rejections I survive is going to make it that much harder when I finally get the axe :sorry:
 
II out of the blue. Totally thought I was rejected. Complete Mid-July, Lizzy M 70
 
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