2023-2024 University of Southern California (Keck)

[wysdoc]

2023-2024 University of Southern California (Keck) Secondary Essay Prompts:

1. What is the most fun you’ve had lately? (65 word limit)
2. If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be? (65 word limit)
3. What are three things you don't care about at all? (65 word limit)
4. Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved. (65 word limit)
5. Are you a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine? (If yes) Which Group? How does under-representation affect your community? (200 word limit)
6. Have you previously applied to medical school (M.D. , D.O., international)? (If yes) Upon reflection, what do you think went wrong? (200 word limit)
7. (Optional): Is there anything else you would like us to know? If yes, please answer the question in 200 words or less.

Good luck to everyone applying!

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[neuro-in-training]

has anyone received this secondary?

 

[clover629]

has anyone received this secondary?

I have not. I was just thinking it is strange because in previous years, apparently, Keck did not screen at all. Does anyone have information on if they screen primary applications before sending secondaries?

 

[homiesweup]

this is so weird that they haven't released secondaries or am I wrong lol

 

[cooltexan01]

this is so weird that they haven't released secondaries or am I wrong lol

Yeah I haven’t received one yet, but I’m hoping soon 🙂

 

[Labe]

this is so weird that they haven't released secondaries or am I wrong lol

I think they got it out within 6 days of application transmission last year, but the timing of the 4th might have slowed things down. Also hope not but I know other schools have tweaked prompts following the Supreme Court case, so USC might be doing the same.

 

[kath00]

Ooooorrrr, hear me out, USC and Stanford are now prescreening to save us money. HAHAHA, JK.

 

[clover629]

still no secondary for anyone?

 

[YodaPineapple]

MSAR says they start application review August 1st, so I'm assuming we may get them starting tomorrow if they want to have a week before they start reading apps, or potentially a week from tomorrow.

 

[Questvine94]

Anyone receive any secondaries yet?

 

[oatmilkplease]

Damn bruh, they taking their sweet time eh?

 

[6'0 OGFLYERCI]

No, have you? My friend got her secondary from USC weeks ago and I am still waiting. CA resident, 510 MCAT, 3.55

Can she share with us the prompts lol

 

[opabiniafan]

No, have you? My friend got her secondary from USC weeks ago and I am still waiting. CA resident, 510 MCAT, 3.55 GPA.

ur friend is trolling u so hard (i'm coping i'm coping i'm coping)

 

[kath00]

USC has not sent out their secondaries to anyone. I checked... But they said probs this week... and said interviews start in Sept.

 

[wafflefriess]

Received OOS secondary. Prompts 1-4 are 65 words max, 5-7 are 200 words max.

1. What is the most fun you’ve had lately?
2. If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be?
3. What are three things you don't care about at all?
4. Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved.
5. Are you a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine? (If yes) Which Group? How does under-representation affect your community?
6. Have you previously applied to medical school (M.D. , D.O., international)? (If yes) Upon reflection, what do you think went wrong?
7. Optional: Is there anything else you would like us to know? If yes, please answer the question in 200 words or less.

@wysdoc

 

[sparky21]

Received OOS secondary.

Can you post the prompts

 

[kaitruns]

Just got OOS secondary. Prompts are:

The following questions allow the Admissions Committee to become acquainted with you as an individual. Please answer the questions in 3-5 sentences. Each answer must be 65 words or less.

1. What is the most fun you’ve had lately?
2. If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be?
3. What are three things you don't care about at all?
4. Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved.
5. Optional: Is there anything else you would like us to know?

 

[incomingmd11]

Just got OOS secondary. Prompts are:

The following questions allow the Admissions Committee to become acquainted with you as an individual. Please answer the questions in 3-5 sentences. Each answer must be 65 words or less.

1. What is the most fun you’ve had lately?
2. If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be?
3. What are three things you don't care about at all?
4. Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved.
5. Optional: Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Is the optional question also 65 words or less or is it a different character count? Thanks for posting!

 

[kaitruns]

Is the optional question also 65 words or less or is it a different character count? Thanks for posting!

The optional question is 200 words or less!

Also, there are the same two yes/no questions as last year that I forgot to add.
1. Are you a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine? Yes/No How does under-representation affect your community?
2. Have you previously applied to medical school (M.D. , D.O., international)? Yes/No Upon reflection, what do you think went wrong?

 

[opabiniafan]

Received 3 minutes ago! My last one

 

[diamond82q]

+1 OOS Verified

 

[Reanox24]

OOS secondary received! Last one!!!

 

[augustfifther]

For the last optional question, what are people putting? I’m debating between my diversity essay and my gap year essay. I’ve heard USC doesn’t like Why School essays.

 

[brazzimamma]

+1 IS Secondary Received today, 8/1

 

[6'0 OGFLYERCI]

The optional question is 200 words or less!

Also, there are the same two yes/no questions as last year that I forgot to add.
1. Are you a member of a group that is under-represented in medicine? Yes/No How does under-representation affect your community?
2. Have you previously applied to medical school (M.D. , D.O., international)? Yes/No Upon reflection, what do you think went wrong?

Are the two yes/no 65 words or 200 words?

 

[velvetcoffee]

Secondary received 8/1

 

[sunberry]

OOS secondary received

 

[opabiniafan]

For the last optional question, what are people putting? I’m debating between my diversity essay and my gap year essay. I’ve heard USC doesn’t like Why School essays.

heard the same thing! I think the gap year essay would be more informational to adcoms unless you've got a killer diversity essay/your gap year stuff is covered in your primary. i'm a trad applicant so i just sent in my diversity essay

 

[coolcookie24]

OOS secondary (MD/PhD) received. All MD prompts plus the following:

List of publications and papers submitted including one or two sentences describing your role on each publication. (No word limit)

Please check the fields below in which you have a special interest

Please provide the names of faculty with whom you would like to meet, if invited for an interview. For each faculty member suggested, provide a sentence or two explaining why you would like to meet that person. (No word limit)

 

[kingkongdong69]

OOS received about an hour ago. This is my last one, excited to be done with secondaries!!

 

[moonshapedpooll]

anyone other in-state still waiting?

 

[monkeym8]

anyone other in-state still waiting?

me

 

[coconutheadBG]

IS received today. Finally, some interesting and fun secondary prompts.

 

[sunberry]

How are people answering questions 2 or 3? I'm not sure which direction to take..

 

[spicy_lemon76]

How are people answering this question? "What are three things you don’t care about at all?" I'm not sure which direction to take..

yea i really don’t even know where to start or how to answer appropriately

 

[pablo213]

OOS received about an hour ago. This is my last one, excited to be done with secondaries!!

+1 OOS

 

[misotope]

anyone other in-state still waiting?

Me too. Verified 7/21

 

[mcattooeasy]

Does it show LORs is incomplete in Application Status for anyone? Even though it says they are received in the document status.

 

[whyamihere99]

I have the same issue!

 

[Hippo.Jr]

+1 IS secondary received.

 

[firstfundamentalform]

Is anyone else's letters not received on the portal? All my other schools have received them, so i think this is a manual issue waiting for them to enter it?

 

[misotope]

Me too. Verified 7/21

Nvm! Got one 20 mins ago

 

[Hippo.Jr]

Is anyone else's letters not received on the portal? All my other schools have received them, so i think this is a manual issue waiting for them to enter it?

Mine are like that as well. They probably have to manually input it.

 

[premed-dodo]

Just a request for advice. The urologist I worked for offered to call USC medical school to recommend me (he already wrote a recommendation letter). He owns a private practice near the school, and he graduated from that medical school. Would this help at all? He's not a faculty member at USC.

 

[pablo213]

Just a request for advice. The urologist I worked for offered to call USC medical school to recommend me. He owns a private practice near the school, and he graduated from that medical school. Would this help at all? He's not a faculty member at USC.

Well it may or may not help you, but I don't think it can hurt you in any way, so i would take him up on that

 

[coconutheadBG]

Does it show LORs is incomplete in Application Status for anyone? Even though it says they are received in the document status.

Probably has to do with their strict requirement of only having a max of 3 letters so they are checking to make sure people don’t send extras.

 

[opabiniafan]

Just a request for advice. The urologist I worked for offered to call USC medical school to recommend me (he already wrote a recommendation letter). He owns a private practice near the school, and he graduated from that medical school. Would this help at all? He's not a faculty member at USC.

see if he has any sort of connection to a dean, particularly the dean of admissions! a letter from a usc alumni certainly won't hurt but the most impactful people in the process are the people directly on adcoms and the deans.

 

[sy120]

When it asks if you have a faculty mentor from Keck, does it mean like a research mentor? I'm an SC alum and a couple of my letter-writers are on Keck faculty, but they weren't my research PIs or anything, plus I graduated a few years back. Not sure whether I should click yes and list their names

 

[fieryzaza]

Is anyone else's letters not received on the portal? All my other schools have received them, so i think this is a manual issue waiting for them to enter it?

having the same issue

 

[goat12]

based on reddit and previous sdn threads, is it true that Keck dosent recommend that we use the optional essay as "why us"?