2017-2018 University of Southern California (Keck)

[fluffy_elephant]

II received. They're starting trickle out

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[OiMama]

II received. They're starting trickle out

Just now? IS/ OOS LM? (I'm now obsessively refreshing my email)

 

[Pleides]

Just now? IS/ OOS LM? (I'm now obsessively refreshing my email)

Just link your email account to your phone. Then proceed to freak out every time you receive an email.

 

[fluffy_elephant]

Just now? IS/ OOS LM? (I'm now obsessively refreshing my email)

Yeah. Today.

IS, LM: 77

 

[Avada Cadaver]

Complete date?

7/10

 

[Lucozade27]

,

 

[halamadrid17]

II earlier today! IS, Lizzy 70, URM, Complete 7/10

 

[Lucozade27]

if we submitted a month ago, does that mean we were passed over? or do the really high stat applicants get priority first? not sure how the process works

 

[TheBiologist]

if we submitted a month ago, does that mean we were passed over? or do the really high stat applicants get priority first? not sure how the process works

I'm wondering that too for all schools; do they literally start with the 518/3.8+ and work there way down, or is it random or what

 

[spicyboi]

if we submitted a month ago, does that mean we were passed over? or do the really high stat applicants get priority first? not sure how the process works

We may never know the application process, I wouldn't stress over it ! They most likely have a number of factors, everyone is a case by case basis. Remember, it is still VERY early in the cycle. I know of people who received interviews last year as late as March.

 

[lpp06]

if we submitted a month ago, does that mean we were passed over? or do the really high stat applicants get priority first? not sure how the process works

Review of applications at most schools is not 100% linear. You've not necessarily been passed over. Some schools place priority on things like high stats, as you mentioned, URM, school-ties, complete mission fit, etc.

There are so many other things to consider too, like how the schools actually review apps. Do they give 50 apps to a reviewer and a 2 week deadline and your reviewer procrastinates until the last night while another is an earlybird type? Do they give different parts of your app to multiple people and discuss your worthiness at a meeting?

We may never know the truth

 

[Lucozade27]

Review of applications at most schools is not 100% linear. You've not necessarily been passed over. Some schools place priority on things like high stats, as you mentioned, URM, school-ties, complete mission fit, etc.

There are so many other things to consider too, like how the schools actually review apps. Do they give 50 apps to a reviewer and a 2 week deadline and your reviewer procrastinates until the last night while another is an earlybird type? Do they give different parts of your app to multiple people and discuss your worthiness at a meeting?

We may never know the truth

thank you! that was very insightful!

 

[boogiecousins94]

I was wondering if any of you could give me advice on whether or not I should apply here. I'm done with my other secondaries and am contemplating adding a few more schools. I will be OOS from CT, heres just a quick run down not including volunteering stuff (typical but also a hospice volunteer)

• 3.3cGPA 3.25sGPA (very poor first two years <3.0, 3.7 final 2 years).
• 515 MCAT 128/128/131/128

I have 3500hrs of research

• 1 first author publication.
• 3 nationally presented abstracts, one international
• Current lab manager at a top 3 hospital for past 14 months.
• Worked at 3 different medical schools total, two ivy league ones.
• Exceptional rec letters from my 3 PIs, know me very well and very high up at their respective med schools

Do you think its just a donation to apply here? I want to because I see on MSAR 95% have research so I believe this will help me and my MCAT is the 50%ile, but I know my GPA is barely 10%ile when you look at "matriculated students" on MSAR. Thoughts?

Thank you I appreciate it

 

[TheBiologist]

I was wondering if any of you could give me advice on whether or not I should apply here. I'm done with my other secondaries and am contemplating adding a few more schools. I will be OOS from CT, heres just a quick run down not including volunteering stuff (typical but also a hospice volunteer)

• 3.3cGPA 3.25sGPA (very poor first two years <3.0, 3.7 final 2 years).
• 515 MCAT 128/128/131/128

I have 3500hrs of research

• 1 first author publication.
• 3 nationally presented abstracts, one international
• Current lab manager at a top 3 hospital for past 14 months.
• Worked at 3 different medical schools total, two ivy league ones.
• Exceptional rec letters from my 3 PIs, know me very well and very high up at their respective med schools

Do you think its just a donation to apply here? I want to because I see on MSAR 95% have research so I believe this will help me and my MCAT is the 50%ile, but I know my GPA is barely 10%ile when you look at "matriculated students" on MSAR. Thoughts?

Thank you I appreciate it

upward trend is always a good thing - a 3.7 your junior/senior years might give you a chance - i'd say go for it.

if you notice, even though their accepted MCAT is a 515, many high scoring students choose not to go to Keck (probably because of the price ) and their median MCAT for last years class was actually a 512 - so they are probably hungry for some 515's lol

 

[jazzmetal]

Is there anything they're looking for in the "write something not true and say why you wish it was" essay? Be idealistic, be funny, be serious... be yourself? The last is a huge catch-all for sure. After some thinking, I got two ideas, both idealistic but one more political/society-leaning.

I don't think there's a wrong answer. Of your two ideas, which one do you think would make you look like a more appealing candidate? The answers are pretty short... Consider writing them both up and see which one turns out best.

Mine ended up being related directly to why I want to go to medical school, but I had a good (short) anecdote to include that wasn't anywhere else in my app. Also, some of my answers to their other prompts were more light-hearted, so I went a little more serious on this one to balance it out. I took the attitude that they are looking for ways to make one candidate stand out from another, so I wrote something that fit in with the rest of my application and presented something unusual about me/my goals that wasn't already addressed somewhere else.

 

[boogiecousins94]

I prewrote the secondary and submitted it today. I added this school later so I just got the secondary today and submitted it today. Is there a delay in them downloading the rec letters from AMCAS? Mine are from 6/28, I'm assuming its just a delay since i submitted within 24hrs

 

[DBC03]

I prewrote the secondary and submitted it today. I added this school later so I just got the secondary today and submitted it today. Is there a delay in them downloading the rec letters from AMCAS? Mine are from 6/28, I'm assuming its just a delay since i submitted within 24hrs

It took about 24 hours for me, but I wasn't checking consistently in that time.

 

[boogiecousins94]

It took about 24 hours for me, but I wasn't checking consistently in that time.

mine show up now I need to calm down and not check

 

[DBC03]

mine show up now I need to calm down and not check

A reminder for us all, right?


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[jazzmetal]

Does anyone know if they'll hold off on making a decision until they have all three of your letters? My third is getting uploaded today, but the USC portal already says I'm "Under Review." Really hoping they'll wait for that third letter since it's my clinical one. I did indicate on AMCAS that I had three for them... Although letters don't seem to be a huge factor for them. Also, sorry if this has been answered before - how quick is their review at this stage? I'm hoping they wouldn't reject me so fast that there wouldn't be time for my third letter to hit today! lol

 

[wesleysnipes]

Does anyone know if they'll hold off on making a decision until they have all three of your letters? My third is getting uploaded today, but the USC portal already says I'm "Under Review." Really hoping they'll wait for that third letter since it's my clinical one. I did indicate on AMCAS that I had three for them... Although letters don't seem to be a huge factor for them. Also, sorry if this has been answered before - how quick is their review at this stage? I'm hoping they wouldn't reject me so fast that there wouldn't be time for my third letter to hit today! lol

yeah they gave an II to someone with zero letters uploaded last cycle. USC is no nonsense (mainly numbers) that will jump the gun to give someone an interview if they like what they see.

 

[jazzmetal]

gave an II to someone with zero letters uploaded last cycle

Too funny! At the other end of the spectrum, UCSF seems to view letters as the key criteria for an II.
My Keck letters story ends well: they now have letter #3. And I am still Under Review.
I celebrate the little things! lol

 

[neuroyale]

Submitted and completed today! MD/PhD applicant

 

[Ayahuasca]

II a bit ago!!! Complete on 7/25, LizzyM 63-65. One of my top choices, stoked to be given a chance to interview here.

 

[Upstage]

II as I was reading this thread a few minutes ago. Been my dream school since I was a kid.


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[Kingsmen2018]

II a bit ago!!! Complete on 7/25, LizzyM 63-65. One of my top choices, stoked to be given a chance to interview here.

URM? Non trad?

 

[cassyfrog]

II!

 

[KingHourGlass]

II!

When you complete?

 

[Ayahuasca]

URM? Non trad?

Both

 

[cassyfrog]

When you complete?

7/8

 

[xochitl]

still haven't received a secondary, verified 8/3

 

[wesleysnipes]

Submitted secondary yesterday. Just an FYI, Keck reviews applications based on MCAT scores. So there is one adcom for all of the 515s, one for all of the 516s, etc.

 

[pediatricneurotrauma]

.

 

[boogiecousins94]

Submitted secondary yesterday. Just an FYI, Keck reviews applications based on MCAT scores. So there is one adcom for all of the 515s, one for all of the 516s, etc.

So like we're being compared to those with the same MCAT score as us? That's strange but I guess a way to stratify it

 

[DoctorChurpio]

So like we're being compared to those with the same MCAT score as us? That's strange but I guess a way to stratify it

and unfortunate for those of us who have a low GPA so they did well on the MCAT to make up for it...it sounds like this method of reviewing applications favors those with high GPAs since they will always have better stats than those the '514 reviewer" is looking at

 

[DBC03]

and unfortunate for those of us who have a low GPA so they did well on the MCAT to make up for it...it sounds like this method of reviewing applications favors those with high GPAs since they will always have better stats than those the '514 reviewer" is looking at

I don't know - I feel like this gives me an actual chance. It means that my activities and life accomplishments will be compared to those with the same score - that might actually give me a leg up.

(and I have a LOW GPA)

 

[lalamee]

How do you know this?

So like we're being compared to those with the same MCAT score as us? That's strange but I guess a way to stratify it

"Dr. Raquel D. Arias, associate dean of admissions at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, explains, “In order to give every candidate a fair review of their personal qualities and accomplishments, a single screener evaluates all candidates with a particular MCAT score at our school. This controls for the inevitable influence that this important test has on the process. An admissions officer reads every application submitted to the school.” (There is no automated filter.)"

How Medical Schools Review Applications

 

[wesleysnipes]

and unfortunate for those of us who have a low GPA so they did well on the MCAT to make up for it...it sounds like this method of reviewing applications favors those with high GPAs since they will always have better stats than those the '514 reviewer" is looking at

I'm in the same boat as you however I have a strong upward trend so hopefully that makes up for my low GPA. At the end of the day we can only hope to put the best product out there and hope that they like it.

 

[wesleysnipes]

I don't know - I feel like this gives me an actual chance. It means that my activities and life accomplishments will be compared to those with the same score - that might actually give me a leg up.

+1. Non-trad?

 

[DBC03]

+1. Non-trad?

15 years out!

 

[DoctorChurpio]

I don't know - I feel like this gives me an actual chance. It means that my activities and life accomplishments will be compared to those with the same score - that might actually give me a leg up.

(and I have a LOW GPA)

"Dr. Raquel D. Arias, associate dean of admissions at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, explains, “In order to give every candidate a fair review of their personal qualities and accomplishments, a single screener evaluates all candidates with a particular MCAT score at our school. This controls for the inevitable influence that this important test has on the process. An admissions officer reads every application submitted to the school.” (There is no automated filter.)"

How Medical Schools Review Applications

It sounds like that's the exact reason they want to do it DBC03. I really hope this is the case, because EC's are definitely the strongest part of my application. Hopefully this method is to put more weight in accomplishments rather than GPA/MCAT

 

[Kingsmen2018]

so that gives us applicants with high gpa a huge edge then?

 

[boogiecousins94]

Yea I have a 515 but low gpa with huge upward trend. This essentially neutralizes the mcat portion of our application then right? This makes it seem like they do it to compare ECs instead of academic metrics

 

[boogiecousins94]

so that gives us applicants with high gpa a huge edge then?

They must rank MCATs somehow still because even if you have a 4.0 with a 500 you could have the best GPA out of the 500 group but you're not all that competitive in reality.

I think they use MCAT to compare people instead of GPA and use this as a method to accomplish such. There are a lot of people with high GPA and low MCAT but not as many with a low GPA high MCAT so I think its a way of "standardizing" the applicant pool much like the MCAT is standardized.

Maybe they allocate certain amounts of II per each MCAT grouping?

 

[Pleides]

It's well known that Keck favors applicants with high MCAT scores so it's not like academics takes a back seat to ECs. Plus it's been said that they have an unofficial cutoff of a 33/514 (90th percentile) for ORM applicants.

 

[liquidcrawler]

It's well known that Keck favors applicants with high MCAT scores so it's not like academics takes a back seat to ECs. Plus it's been said that they have an unofficial cutoff of a 33/514 (90th percentile) for ORM applicants.

The MSAR reports their median MCAT as 515. You are telling me half of the people they accept are URM? I don't think so.

 

[cassyfrog]

Anyone know what the post-II acceptance rate is for USC?

 

[Pleides]

The MSAR reports their median MCAT as 515. You are telling me half of the people they accept are URM? I don't think so.

Check last year's thread for Keck. I'm not sure how accurate it is but it's what has been reported.

 

[Pleides]

Anyone know what the post-II acceptance rate is for USC?

~57% as heard from someone with US News data

 

[TheBiologist]

It's well known that Keck favors applicants with high MCAT scores so it's not like academics takes a back seat to ECs. Plus it's been said that they have an unofficial cutoff of a 33/514 (90th percentile) for ORM applicants.

idk who said this but I don't think it's true......

here is the stats & data from last year:

MCAT (Accepted): 515
MCAT (Matriculated): 512

Matriculated Race Distribution:
White/Asian: 134
Black, Native American, Hawaiian, "other": 57

MSAR says that 7 of these applicants are duplicate races, and that there are only 184 total matriculants

so the average MCATwas a 512 with 134/184 (~73%) people being ORM