2018-2019 University of South Carolina - Columbia

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Hey guys! Got an II a while ago for October 10th (message me if I'll see you there!) but was wondering if anyone could give me insight on the interview process at USC or if any current students could help me prepare for my interview (it'll be my first one! pretty nervous but excited). Thanks!!
 
d_swizzle said:
Hey guys! Got an II a while ago for October 10th (message me if I'll see you there!) but was wondering if anyone could give me insight on the interview process at USC or if any current students could help me prepare for my interview (it'll be my first one! pretty nervous but excited). Thanks!!
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Genuinely surprised by the school -- very nice campus and atmosphere. So far some of the friendliest and fun student bodies I have met (I imagine they don't attract the typical gunner kids). The interview process is relaxed, two standard interviews but nothing crazy.
 
II for 11/28. By the way, if you didn't hear back last week, my RSVP link said there would not be any additional interview days until January (I tried to switch my interview day but decided against it after being told that Jan was my only option).
 
I sent my secondary in last night, but when I checked my profile today it made it appear as though everything I sent in last night wasn't there. the check list went from all checked to unchecked. However, the $95 charge still went through. Is this normal or do I need to contact the admission department?
 
Is anyone else struggling with the II link? I have been trying to confirm my II but as soon as I hit submit I get a 502 Bad Gateway page.

Also, how in the world can y'all serve Chik-fil-a w/o their nuggets or sandwiches?! Blasphemy!
(jk free food is free food and I'm very grateful)
 
Did anyone else get a postcard from their interviewer in the mail?

Trying to see if it's just a nice gesture and nothing more, a nice gesture because a rejections on the way, or a sign that I got in. The ambiguousness is killing me.
 
RumDMC said:
Did anyone else get a postcard from their interviewer in the mail?

Trying to see if it's just a nice gesture and nothing more, a nice gesture because a rejections on the way, or a sign that I got in. The ambiguousness is killing me.
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I got one, interviewed 10/3 still haven't heard anything back though
 
RumDMC said:
Did anyone else get a postcard from their interviewer in the mail?

Trying to see if it's just a nice gesture and nothing more, a nice gesture because a rejections on the way, or a sign that I got in. The ambiguousness is killing me.
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All interviewee's get a postcard from USC-Columbia I believe
 
kharwood said:
I got one, interviewed 10/3 still haven't heard anything back though
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Same. I thought one of them said we'd hear something one way or another on the 15th so I got some anxiety when I didn't hear anything. Good to know it's not just me.
 
Anyone else get a letter today? I got one that says the committee assigned me a score and will update me on my status through the interview cycle.
 
Anaphase said:
Anyone else get a letter today? I got one that says the committee assigned me a score and will update me on my status through the interview cycle.
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Assigned you a score? What in the world kind of shenanigans are being run here
 
BillEvans said:
Assigned you a score? What in the world kind of shenanigans are being run here
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It says it’s a score assigned after the committee assessed my application so I’m assuming this means I didn’t receive a score low enough to get rejected or high enough to get accepted. So I’m assuming I’m on a “continuing to evaluate” status- I think I remember them mentioning something about that in my interview.
 
Anaphase said:
Anyone else get a letter today? I got one that says the committee assigned me a score and will update me on my status through the interview cycle.
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Does it mention 'highly rated by the admissions committee"?
I think its a soft rejection, could be worse but I'm still pretty bummed.
 
@Anaphase
Heres some things I found from last years thread:

Mr.Monster said:
if you are not accepted post-interview, you will be continually reviewed by the admissions committee. In other words, the committee scores your application. If you score makes it above a certain cutoff, you are accepted. If you are way below, you are rejected. If you are just below, your score will be put on hold (aka continue to review). Once the score threshold makes it to your score, you are accepted. Or that's my understanding of their process. Does that make sense?
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doctor247 said:
Ahh I see. So do you get updates on these reviews ?
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Mr.Monster said:
No. Your score is simply compared to the group of interviewees each time the adcom meets. They do not release the scores or anything like that. What I told you about how the score deal works is based on what I have heard from friends who go to the school.
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beck860 said:
When you say post interview, are you referring to the one-ish week after your interview? And if you're not accepted in that timeframe then you are rejected or put on hold?
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ExpatC said:
That's correct. But the 'hold' list is continually evaluated throughout the application cycle. Recently at second look day, there were some people accepted the week after they interviewed, and some other people that had interviewed early on (Sept?), were placed on 'hold', then accepted in Dec. From my understanding, being on hold is not a waitlist. It's just their way of ensuring they don't fill the class early in the cycle, meaning they have to waitlist everyone else.

TLDR: Hold is good...It means you haven't been rejected and it's better than the silent treatment some schools give their applicants.
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RumDMC said:
Does it mention 'highly rated by the admissions committee"?
I think its a soft rejection, could be worse but I'm still pretty bummed.
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Mine doesn't say highly rated my the admissions committee- did you get a letter too?

Thanks for the info from the previous threads! What I'm getting is that there's a chance of getting accepted within the next few weeks or otherwise making it onto the waitlist. Luckily judging from past years threads, a good bit of people get accepted off of the waitlist.
 
IMG952018101995155818946~2.jpg
Anaphase said:
Mine doesn't say highly rated my the admissions committee- did you get a letter too?

Thanks for the info from the previous threads! What I'm getting is that there's a chance of getting accepted within the next few weeks or otherwise making it onto the waitlist. Luckily judging from past years threads, a good bit of people get accepted off of the waitlist.
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Yeah I got the letter too. Still bummed, but it doesnt sound like it's so bad after all. This entire process is so drawn out, I need closure!
 
RumDMC said:
@Anaphase
Heres some things I found from last years thread:
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Hey guys- current M1 here. I was tagged in this ^^ thread from last year and thought I'd chime in. My letter did not say highly rated and I was accepted. I know it's hard but try not to read into the wording of your letters because there are some people who were "highly rated" and they did not receive an acceptance. The same goes for postcards- it really just depends on who you interview with; some people will not get postcards, some people will get one or both. But it honestly has nothing to do with your chances/whether or not you are going to get accepted. This is just a small school and that's just who they are. After I got interviewed, I received one postcard from the interview that I felt didn't go as well as my other one. But now that I'm here, I've learned that the doctor who interviewed me (and didn't send a postcard) really pulled for me with the admissions committee. So it really does not tell you a whole lot about where you stand, unfortunately. That being said, around 400 are interviewed and only about 50-75 make the waitlist. Do not sit around and wait for word- make sure you are still actively working on your application. Trust me- it will make your life so much easier and you will have a better chance of being accepted/making the waitlist. Good luck!
 
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beck860 said:
Hey guys- current M1 here. I was tagged in this ^^ thread from last year and thought I'd chime in. My letter did not say highly rated and I was accepted. I know it's hard but try not to read into the wording of your letters because there are some people who were "highly rated" and they did not receive an acceptance. The same goes for postcards- it really just depends on who you interview with; some people will not get postcards, some people will get one or both. But it honestly has nothing to do with your chances/whether or not you are going to get accepted. This is just a small school and that's just who they are. After I got interviewed, I received one postcard from the interview that I felt didn't go as well as my other one. But now that I'm here, I've learned that the doctor who interviewed me (and didn't send a postcard) really pulled for me with the admissions committee. So it really does not tell you a whole lot about where you stand, unfortunately. That being said, around 400 are interviewed and only about 50-75 make the waitlist. Do not sit around and wait for word- make sure you are still actively working on your application. Trust me- it will make your life so much easier and you will have a better chance of being accepted/making the waitlist. Good luck!
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Thank you for the information! When did you interview and when did you hear that you were accepted? Did you send any updates?
 
Anaphase said:
Thank you for the information! When did you interview and when did you hear that you were accepted? Did you send any updates?
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No problem! I interviewed in January and was accepted at the end of April. I did send updates- and they are SO incredibly important as long as you don't get too carried away, send them to the wrong people, or send them out of desperation. Timing and tastefulness is everything. I think I got the "you will continue to be reviewed" letter a week or two after my interview, then got another letter in early March that was something like "on-hold" until the waitlist is determined. The waitlist was emailed out one of the last days of March. I sent updates to admissions after I got that letter but before the waitlist came out. If you do send updates, make sure they are significant...higher MCAT score, new job/leadership position, publication, etc. What's hard is that you have to remember that everyone in this application pool has a very similar foundation. I really thought I had a competitive application until I met my class and learned that on top of the high GPAs/MCAT scores, almost everyone has worked in healthcare, most people have direct patient care experience, research, volunteering at hospitals/nursing homes/food banks, teaching experience, mission trips, and then they top it off with some kind of musical/athletic/artistic achievement or they're fluent in other languages. It's just so competitive. So really try to give yourself the best chance you can. Don't take a chance on a low MCAT score or any other weakness (that you can control) in your application.
 
beck860 said:
No problem! I interviewed in January and was accepted at the end of April. I did send updates- and they are SO incredibly important as long as you don't get too carried away, send them to the wrong people, or send them out of desperation. Timing and tastefulness is everything. I think I got the "you will continue to be reviewed" letter a week or two after my interview, then got another letter in early March that was something like "on-hold" until the waitlist is determined. The waitlist was emailed out one of the last days of March. I sent updates to admissions after I got that letter but before the waitlist came out. If you do send updates, make sure they are significant...higher MCAT score, new job/leadership position, publication, etc. What's hard is that you have to remember that everyone in this application pool has a very similar foundation. I really thought I had a competitive application until I met my class and learned that on top of the high GPAs/MCAT scores, almost everyone has worked in healthcare, most people have direct patient care experience, research, volunteering at hospitals/nursing homes/food banks, teaching experience, mission trips, and then they top it off with some kind of musical/athletic/artistic achievement or they're fluent in other languages. It's just so competitive. So really try to give yourself the best chance you can. Don't take a chance on a low MCAT score or any other weakness (that you can control) in your application.
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Thank you for your insight! You’re definitely helping to put me at ease right now. What tier of the waitlist were you on?
 
Just got accepted!!! OOS applicant, II in late august and interview on Halloween! Super surprised by such a quick turn around, got the call at 9am today!
 
CES5 said:
Just got accepted!!! OOS applicant, II in late august and interview on Halloween! Super surprised by such a quick turn around, got the call at 9am today!
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Could you message me your stats? Also CONGRATS! That’s super exciting
 
CES5 said:
Just got accepted!!! OOS applicant, II in late august and interview on Halloween! Super surprised by such a quick turn around, got the call at 9am today!
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What was the interview like? Did you fly into Charlotte or Columbia and how did u get to and from the airports? What do u think this school is looking for in an applicant beyond stupid stats lol

So many questions! Also, congrats!!!
 
Its not letting me dm you @CSurgeon95 so ill just put them here- LM 71 (508 MCAT--> retake 510) with a 3.95 GPA. Im OOS but go to school at USC now so I have "close ties". I actually live in Columbia @BillEvans since I go to school here (would be more than happy to let someone crash at my place if you need a couch before an interview). But I would recommend flying into Columbia if you can. The airport is like ~15min from here and an uber would be cheap, Charlotte is a good hour and a half away. And I talked A LOT about primary care in my interview, since thats the field I want to go into. ~40% of their class goes into primary care and the school was founded with the goal to inc primary care physicians in SC so I really talked about why I thought the education there would help me with my personal goals. To be fair, I think the school is really looking for something you're passionate about and how you can tie it back to them, so make it personal! Another thing I thought was interesting was that the dean of admissions did say that they are full for this interview season now and have already extended all the interview invites that they're planning on doing. Hope some of this help!
 
CES5 said:
Its not letting me dm you @CSurgeon95 so ill just put them here- LM 71 (508 MCAT--> retake 510) with a 3.95 GPA. Im OOS but go to school at USC now so I have "close ties". I actually live in Columbia @BillEvans since I go to school here (would be more than happy to let someone crash at my place if you need a couch before an interview). But I would recommend flying into Columbia if you can. The airport is like ~15min from here and an uber would be cheap, Charlotte is a good hour and a half away. And I talked A LOT about primary care in my interview, since thats the field I want to go into. ~40% of their class goes into primary care and the school was founded with the goal to inc primary care physicians in SC so I really talked about why I thought the education there would help me with my personal goals. To be fair, I think the school is really looking for something you're passionate about and how you can tie it back to them, so make it personal! Another thing I thought was interesting was that the dean of admissions did say that they are full for this interview season now and have already extended all the interview invites that they're planning on doing. Hope some of this help!
Click to expand...

OH sorry forgot one of your questions. The interview was super laid back with multiple opportunites to talk to the students of the class so you could get a feel for how they liked the school. I really loved the atmosphere of the students, it was very much a "we are in this together" type of feeling from how they all talked about their class and I really appreciated that. Im not one who really wants to go to school with a bunch of gunner kids so I liked the atmosphere a ton.
 
CES5 said:
Its not letting me dm you @CSurgeon95 so ill just put them here- LM 71 (508 MCAT--> retake 510) with a 3.95 GPA. Im OOS but go to school at USC now so I have "close ties". I actually live in Columbia @BillEvans since I go to school here (would be more than happy to let someone crash at my place if you need a couch before an interview). But I would recommend flying into Columbia if you can. The airport is like ~15min from here and an uber would be cheap, Charlotte is a good hour and a half away. And I talked A LOT about primary care in my interview, since thats the field I want to go into. ~40% of their class goes into primary care and the school was founded with the goal to inc primary care physicians in SC so I really talked about why I thought the education there would help me with my personal goals. To be fair, I think the school is really looking for something you're passionate about and how you can tie it back to them, so make it personal! Another thing I thought was interesting was that the dean of admissions did say that they are full for this interview season now and have already extended all the interview invites that they're planning on doing. Hope some of this help!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply! I interviewed yesterday so I wanted to see if there was a stats difference. I think I found one of your posts showing your clinical hours and we were pretty similar on that as well. Congrats on your acceptance!
 
CES5 said:
Its not letting me dm you @CSurgeon95 so ill just put them here- LM 71 (508 MCAT--> retake 510) with a 3.95 GPA. Im OOS but go to school at USC now so I have "close ties". I actually live in Columbia @BillEvans since I go to school here (would be more than happy to let someone crash at my place if you need a couch before an interview). But I would recommend flying into Columbia if you can. The airport is like ~15min from here and an uber would be cheap, Charlotte is a good hour and a half away. And I talked A LOT about primary care in my interview, since thats the field I want to go into. ~40% of their class goes into primary care and the school was founded with the goal to inc primary care physicians in SC so I really talked about why I thought the education there would help me with my personal goals. To be fair, I think the school is really looking for something you're passionate about and how you can tie it back to them, so make it personal! Another thing I thought was interesting was that the dean of admissions did say that they are full for this interview season now and have already extended all the interview invites that they're planning on doing. Hope some of this help!
Click to expand...

I def would fly into Columbia if it wasn't twice the price as flying into Charlotte. Thank you for the helpful advice for the interview! I'll make sure I mention that I am open-minded regarding primary care lol. I am actually looking into places to crash for a night around there.

-that is interesting, I wonder what percentage of interviewees are actually granted an acceptance since they have already filled up their slots this early
 
I just got an II so I don’t think it’s over!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Oh congrats! Idk maybe I heard them wrong!
 
Anaphase said:
Thank you for your insight! You’re definitely helping to put me at ease right now. What tier of the waitlist were you on?
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I was in the top third which is seriously like 99% chance of acceptance. I'd say the middle third is 70% and then bottom third is more like 30%. They've gotten to the bottom third for the past couple of years but you just don't want to risk it if you don't have to.

BillEvans said:
I def would fly into Columbia if it wasn't twice the price as flying into Charlotte. Thank you for the helpful advice for the interview! I'll make sure I mention that I am open-minded regarding primary care lol. I am actually looking into places to crash for a night around there.

-that is interesting, I wonder what percentage of interviewees are actually granted an acceptance since they have already filled up their slots this early
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I spoke to admissions on Wednesday and this is correct. They have already scheduled all of their interviews for this cycle. Granted, if you have a stellar application, they will fit you in. But that is still insane and should only show how it's getting more competitive every year. So again for the people in the back- do not think you will be that exception and think they will look past your low MCAT or lack of volunteer hours.
 
Owenfeb11 said:
Does anyone know the USC-Cola interview style? Can't seem to find it online
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Its very based on your application! Like they clearly read through your primary and secondary and ask questions based on that.
 
alaskan_bull_worm said:
Interviewed yesterday and got an email this morning from Dr. Thornhill to call him and was told I was accepted!! Super stoked!!
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That’s wild! Congrats!

How did you prepare to have such a successful interview?
 
BillEvans said:
That’s wild! Congrats!

How did you prepare to have such a successful interview?
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I interviewed last year and got waitlisted and didn't make it through last year. So I just spent the last year improving upon all the weak points of my application. As far as the actual interview itself, just know your own application inside and out. For me, it wasn't difficult at all to expand upon my experiences because I was heavily involved in all my extracurricular activities that I listed!

If you have any more questions feel free to DM me! good luck!
 
I have an interview 2/6/19. Any advice? Do you think an interview so late in the cycle means that I would most likely be waitlisted?
 
Has anybody ever been on hold after their interview and got accepted before the waitlist is out? I interviewed in October and was put on hold and am still considered “under review”. Just wondering what are the chances that they would send out acceptances before the waitlist.
 
So they told us today that the admissions committee meets right after interviews on interview day and you get a score (with 10 being the highest possible). Then they said that the only people that will get accepted next week are those that score a 10 and if you score lower, you will most likely still be under consideration. So to me that seems like they barely accept any people right after interviews because they said not many people could score a perfect 10. Seems a little odd.
 
tacos1404 said:
So they told us today that the admissions committee meets right after interviews on interview day and you get a score (with 10 being the highest possible). Then they said that the only people that will get accepted next week are those that score a 10 and if you score lower, you will most likely still be under consideration. So to me that seems like they barely accept any people right after interviews because they said not many people could score a perfect 10. Seems a little odd.
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Agreed. I think it’s an odd system, but it allows them to give spots to the best applicants, regardless of the time they are interviewed. I was there yesterday too! What was your fun fact?
 
Owenfeb11 said:
Agreed. I think it’s an odd system, but it allows them to give spots to the best applicants, regardless of the time they are interviewed. I was there yesterday too! What was your fun fact?
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Tried to pm you but it wasn't letting me???
 
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