Keck-USC Class of 2010

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knovember

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I haven't seen a thread yet, so I thought that I would start one! I'm so excited to be going to USC. Woohoo! I'm starting to think about housing. Anyone else thought about it?
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Thanks for starting the thread! I'm pretty sure that I'll be going to USC next year. I've actually been working at Keck since June and I live pretty close to campus. I think that most of the students here live in South Pasadena and Alhambra, but I want to put my vote in for Eagle Rock. It's a great little town with tons of great restaurants and coffee shops.

USC 2010!!!!
 
I've never heard of Eagle Rock. Is that where you live now? Where is it in relation to the school?
 
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Come on fellow Trojans, join in. I am still waiting to hear from Davis. i just interviewed there, but am 80% sure that I will be at USC. I went to Cal Poly, SLO in CA for my undergrad and grew up in the South Bay area of CA (Palos Verdes). I am enjoying my year off and can't believe that it is almost over!!
Anyone else?
 
i'll join in...i'm considering usc but am also accepted at uc davis. i'm really curious to see the new county hospital, and i'm hoping i can make it to 'sc's "accepted students reception"...i guess it's in late april (maybe the 28th?). i called the office yesterday, and i was told that we'll be getting more info on the revisit this coming week.
 
knovember said:
I've never heard of Eagle Rock. Is that where you live now? Where is it in relation to the school?
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Yeah, I live in Eagle Rock right now and bike to work every day (it's not quite as crappy an area as people say). It's about 6 min. North of the campus and has good, cheap housing. Plus it's a college town (Occidental College) so there is a great student community.
 
argonana said:
i'll join in...i'm considering usc but am also accepted at uc davis. i'm really curious to see the new county hospital, and i'm hoping i can make it to 'sc's "accepted students reception"...i guess it's in late april (maybe the 28th?). i called the office yesterday, and i was told that we'll be getting more info on the revisit this coming week.
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Congrats on Davis! I interviewed there too about a week ago. I hope that I get in. I think I will go there over USC. There are so many things to consider. Its nice to have options, but then there is the dread of having to choose. What are your thoughts about each school?

Also, thanks for the info about the reception. I was wondering when that would be.
 
thehero5000 said:
Yeah, I live in Eagle Rock right now and bike to work every day (it's not quite as crappy an area as people say). It's about 6 min. North of the campus and has good, cheap housing. Plus it's a college town (Occidental College) so there is a great student community.
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Thanks!
 
keck class of 2005 here.. :D

fight on!
 
Just a warning: They are cashing our checks (to hold our spots)!
 
knovember said:
Congrats on Davis! I interviewed there too about a week ago. I hope that I get in. I think I will go there over USC. There are so many things to consider. Its nice to have options, but then there is the dread of having to choose. What are your thoughts about each school?

Also, thanks for the info about the reception. I was wondering when that would be.
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I am having a really hard time choosing. Obviously UCD is cheaper, and the location is more convenient for me, as I'm from NorCal. But I think that USC has the potential to offer a more exciting and unique experience--having access to LA County is huge, and I think just being in LA offers more opportunities to interact with a diverse patient base and to see unusual things. Sure, the campus isn't in the best part of town, but I'm starting to think that doesn't matter so much. Most Keck students commute, and this is true for a lot of med schools in poorer neighborhoods (Pritzker, in particular, comes to mind). It might actually be nice to have some distance between home and school...I had enough of the on-campus living thing in undergrad.

One downside is that I've heard the research at USC is not so strong, and that programs are not well put-together. I'm interested in doing some research, so this is an issue for me. While Davis is not exactly a research powerhouse, it seems that things are a bit more organized, and I *think* they have more research faculty in the medical school.

What were your thoughts? Why did you like Davis better?

And who is going to second look on 4/28?
 
Well, I still haven't heard from Davis yet. I know it will also be a tough decision for me. You just have to go with your gut. The more you think about it, the more difficult and cloudy things get.

I haven't looked into research that much because it is probably not something that I will be doing. If I do, it will be clinical.

I must agree that USC's location has many advantages as far as the many differnt cases and types of patients we will be exposed to go.

I'll be at the reception! Hope to see you there. Good luck with your decision.
 
I can say a little about the research at USC, since I'm actually working in a lab at keck right now. Since the Keck foundation donated 110 million to the USC med school in 1999, the shcool has built the Zilkha neurogenic institue and is finishing up on the Norris Cancer Reasearch tower. This is in addition to the multiple research programs that already existed at Keck, and at the USC main campus. I can assure you that if you want to do research here, you will not be dissappointed. However, I must say that I am somewhat ignorant as to what UCD has to offer, so I can't really compare the two. All I know is that there are definitely some great research opportunities here at USC; clinical as well as bench.
 
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argonana said:
I am having a really hard time choosing. Obviously UCD is cheaper, and the location is more convenient for me, as I'm from NorCal. But I think that USC has the potential to offer a more exciting and unique experience--having access to LA County is huge, and I think just being in LA offers more opportunities to interact with a diverse patient base and to see unusual things. Sure, the campus isn't in the best part of town, but I'm starting to think that doesn't matter so much. Most Keck students commute, and this is true for a lot of med schools in poorer neighborhoods (Pritzker, in particular, comes to mind). It might actually be nice to have some distance between home and school...I had enough of the on-campus living thing in undergrad.

One downside is that I've heard the research at USC is not so strong, and that programs are not well put-together. I'm interested in doing some research, so this is an issue for me. While Davis is not exactly a research powerhouse, it seems that things are a bit more organized, and I *think* they have more research faculty in the medical school.

What were your thoughts? Why did you like Davis better?

And who is going to second look on 4/28?
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I think that USC offers an almost unparalleled clinical experience...LA county is one of the busiest hospitals in the country...that translates into a lot more hands-on experience. For example, if you wanted to go into ER med, you might see five times (an arbitrary number I chose for the purposes of explaining) the trauma that you would see anywhere else...that means you could have five times the experience that comes with the increased load. LA county would give you exposure to many different diseases that you may not see elsewhere, experience working within many different cultures, an opportunity to practice your Spanish on a daily basis (if you wanted), and so many other perks. Not to mention the fact that you would be in LA...if environment has any effect on your emotional health/well-being (it has a VERY impacting effect on mine), the weather would be amazing, the beach is right there, and LA is a rich center of arts and culture and dining and everything else you could imagine.

To touch on the research...I also would like to do some research, possibly even a 5th yr of it. You are probably correct in saying that USC may not have as good of a research program as other schools. However, I really believe that no matter where you go, you will have to do the research-searching on your own...no one will go out and set everything up for you.

Either way, both schools are a great choice...and even better, they're both in CA!!! :D Good luck with the decision!
 
So are any of you Volleyball players? Sounds random, I know, but ALL of the students at USC play volleyball on their brakes. I played varsity in high school and I LOVED it. I can't wait to play at USC.
 
:eek: I suck at volleyball. I always wanted to be good at it, though. Does that count???

On a related note--any distance runners out there in the class of 2010???
 
thehero5000 said:
So are any of you Volleyball players? Sounds random, I know, but ALL of the students at USC play volleyball on their brakes. I played varsity in high school and I LOVED it. I can't wait to play at USC.
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Haha, not everyone plays a volleyball at Keck but you are right in that a lot of people from my class do play. Just a few things I wanted to point out from reading this thread...

The new LAC+USC medical center is not open yet (and wont be for at least another year).

I wouldn't really discount USC's research. You are almost certain to land a research spot in whatever you find to your liking. USC has been getting a lot of private donations (we just got 25 million dollars for a new stem cell institute a few months back). There is a ton of construction going on around campus.

I can't really speak about the clinical experience during third year since I'm a first year at Keck. As a firsr year, you do get to go into the hospital at least once a week from the beginning. That is pretty awesome since you get to interview patients one on one, etc. The clinical exposure is obviously very good. Many times, patients will treat you as if you are a doc....a good feeling, haha, when you know you are really at the bottom of the medical world.
 
Ran XC in high school. Haven't done much running since though (and with the smog in LA, I think it might stay that way).

I'll definitely need to do some plyometrics to get my vert up for those volleyball games. Seems like volleyball is where it's at, based on what I saw on my interview day.
 
argonana said:
:eek: I suck at volleyball. I always wanted to be good at it, though. Does that count???

On a related note--any distance runners out there in the class of 2010???
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YES!!! I'm not good at it, but I LOVE running! It's my way of relieving stress after a long day...and I was thinking about running the LA marathon next yr if I can handle the training schedule with med school...interested???
 
I just ran the LA marathon last month! It was awsome, but you definitely have to keep up on your training schedule (I hit the wall on mile 21 and almost collapsed). Maybe we could have a Keck marathon group next year, and run for a charity or something.
 
how long does it take keck to get back to you with a decision...its been 6 wks since my interview
 
la_soñadora said:
YES!!! I'm not good at it, but I LOVE running! It's my way of relieving stress after a long day...and I was thinking about running the LA marathon next yr if I can handle the training schedule with med school...interested???
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i would TOTALLY be up for that!! YAY, a running buddy...yet another reason to come to usc! :p

but really, how bad is the smog? is it any better in surrounding cities (i have no idea what these would be...besides pasadena...)?
 
thehero5000 said:
I just ran the LA marathon last month! It was awsome, but you definitely have to keep up on your training schedule (I hit the wall on mile 21 and almost collapsed). Maybe we could have a Keck marathon group next year, and run for a charity or something.
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omg, that is a really great idea...I would totally be down for that!!! :thumbup:

on another note, has anyone started looking into housing yet? I've been browsing craigslist to check out what's available, price ranges, etc...but does usc have an internal list or something to try and find roommates?
 
argonana said:
i would TOTALLY be up for that!! YAY, a running buddy...yet another reason to come to usc! :p

but really, how bad is the smog? is it any better in surrounding cities (i have no idea what these would be...besides pasadena...)?
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I'm not sure about how bad the smog is in LA, but I'm from the valley and it's a heck of a lot smoggier out here...in fact, we go to LA to escape it...but south pas is beautiful...tree lined streets to run on, really cute neighborhoods...it all seems very appealing to me
 
Might I recommend Santa Monica. You couldn't pay me enough to move back to the eastside and the commute is totally manageable. Did I mention that I live 3 blocks from the beach?
 
I have to agree that South Pas is where it's at. Great little town, with tons of coffee shops and small restaurants. It's also cheaper than Pasedena, yet not as ghetto/scary as alhambra.
 
So whats the deal for friday revisit, end at 4 PM and then thats it. No going out or hitting the town?
 
hello

is anyone around in LA already? will anyone be here this summer? let's try to get a bunch of us together for fun stuff! want to try to get everyone together at a bar some night soon? maybe we can get an email list or let the rest of the class know about this site somehow...

a couple of us hung out last night after the open house day, but it would be fun to get a phone or email list so we can all hang out :)
 
im in los feliz, its fun too! and close to school. just north of silverlake. nice walkable neighborhood
 
Hey guys and gals, I couldn't make the intro to Keck this past Friday but I am still strongly considering USC. What did you guys think? Did they talk much about research possibilities? Any other comments or thoughts??? :)
 
im definitely going and that seems to be the case of most people with whom i spoke yesterday. everyone is really enthusiastic, and the current students are all so happy and fun. we went to a first year party and you can tell how cohesive the group is, its really nice.
In terms of research, I hear they arent the strongest but I feel that a lot of it has to do with individual proactivity and it seems that there are more than enough opportunities available given one's interest. It depends though upon which other schools to which you are comparing it and what area of research in which you are interested.
I also really liked the curriculum and sense I got from the faculty. In terms of lifestyle CA is the best fit for me, Im not sure where youre from or what else youre comparing to though.
anyway, hope you come :) if so see you soon!


P-Bone said:
Hey guys and gals, I couldn't make the intro to Keck this past Friday but I am still strongly considering USC. What did you guys think? Did they talk much about research possibilities? Any other comments or thoughts??? :)
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I'm an M2 at USC. As far as research, it depends on what you're looking for. We don't have a lot of big-name bench researchers, but we do have many clinicians who do research. Among my friends, we've had no problems getting projects in plastics, ortho, optho, and anesthesiology. You'll get a project and if you work hard, you'll get published, it's that simple.
 
helloooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

my name is maricela garcia and im a c/o 2005 usc grad. im over in costa rica right now teaching some third graders ecological appreciation and whatnot so i missed the new student welcome! hope to see you all real soon - im originally from lawndale, california (south bay,) but have lived in the LA area. questions? im not above using myspace (jediprincesscela) or email. shoot me a line! so excited!

fight on!
 
Hey everyone!

I attended the new student reception and was really impressed with the school. I am definately attending Keck next year and am really excited!

I will be in the L.A. area for the whole summer, and am hoping to help arrange some pre-school parties/get-togethers! I was at the after-reception party with "goodlife" and we had a blast- it was thrown by the MSI students, and we decided that we wanted to have a class that bonded and fun!

Anyway, get on the email list that goodlife started if you want to meet some people early!

Julianne
University of Washington c/o 2005
 
mfleur said:
Might I recommend Santa Monica. You couldn't pay me enough to move back to the eastside and the commute is totally manageable. Did I mention that I live 3 blocks from the beach?
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What is the commute like?? We are going to have class starting at about 8AM I think, so is that an okay time to drive across town? I haven't lived in the LA area since I was little, so I'm looking for some housing advice... I was considering the eastside, but the beach is SOOO appealing...
 
i'm also wondering about the commute from santa monica. seems like it would take a reeeeaaally long time.

i had some pretty negative interactions at revisit. the MSIV who took us to our shadowing session basically stated that we shouldn't go to keck if we have the option of going to any uc. i know for a fact that there are folks at keck who chose to go there over ucla, uci, ucsd, etc...i wish i could have spoken to some of those people.
 
Hi all!

I just figured I'd pop in with a hello as well, I was at the Student Reception and can't wait to start at USC in the fall! I will be out in LA mid-summer (around July), and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone, and definitely hanging out before school starts with whoever will already be in LA. The next task to tackle is finding an apartment, ugh...

I'm definitely on the email list that has gotten started, can't wait to meet everyone...

Katherine
 
thanks again for organizing the email list! ;)
 
hi! i'll be starting at usc this fall! i can't wait to meet all of you :)
 
So I work in a lab at Keck, and I've got some news hot off the presses so to speak. Apparently, Keck is going to scale back the class size for our year to around 160 as opposed to 180. It has to do something with the infrastructure not being up to code (apparently the bathroom to student ratio is not satisfactory). So, just for our year, they are dropping the class size to fix the problem. I, for one, think it's pretty cool that we'll have less people in our class (even if it's only 20 people less). Just thought you guys would want to know.
 
Well, i just told Georgetown no thanks, so i guess that means i'm heading to Keck next year . . . can't wait to meet you all and move to southern cali . . .
 
w00p! Got the call today. I'm going to Keck this fall!!! YAY!
 
husky4life said:
What is the commute like?? We are going to have class starting at about 8AM I think, so is that an okay time to drive across town? I haven't lived in the LA area since I was little, so I'm looking for some housing advice... I was considering the eastside, but the beach is SOOO appealing...
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30 minutes around that time...20 if you are on surgery clerkship and leaving at the butt crack. I love living in SM. I do get stuck in traffic when I drive in rush hour on the way home but I'm so much happier when I get home. I'm not much of a lecture person so it worked out really nicely for me.
 
Hi guys!
I just got the call from Erin Quin yesterday! I'm coming to USC too! I am so excited to meet you all. I'd love to get this thread bumping along with lots of good information.

I'm in Boston right now. Is anyone else moving to CA from the east coast? Want to compare notes on how you're going to do it?

There was mention of an e-mail list earlier too. Did that ever happen? If not, I'd be happy to organize something.

Yay USC! :love:
 
OK, so I know this probly sounds ******ed ... but anyone know when Orientation and/or classes start? I looked on the Keck website and found that last year had Orientation beginning August 8th, but couldn't find anything on this year. I was waitlist accepted a week or so ago, so prehaps thats why I feel I'm missing some info ... any ideas (I'm trying to plan a trip to Europe, but obviously can't risk it going too close to when classes begin).

Also, congrats to everyone else on here now who finally got the call from Dr. Quinn ... and if that email list is started I want in :)
 
Got a call on 5/26/06!!!! Hello future classmates. Where do students usually live and how much does it costs (around)? What do you think would be the best way to move my stuff and get my car there driving, shipping it, or what? I'll be going there from Knoxvillle TN. So from Knoxville to LA!
 
Apparently most students live around Alhambra or South Pasadena since both are less than 5 miles from the med school (less gas and less commute ... both of which are a big deal in LA). As previously posted some people choose to live in other "nicer" areas of the city such as Santa Monica. It'll most likely cost you more to live there as well just since it's such a nice place. Alhambra is supposed to be the most economic option, but either there or South Pas is gonna set you back ~$700-$1100 for a room in a multi room apt/house more ($1200ish) for a single apt and maybe $800-1000 for a studio. Just check out craigslist tho for costs, since I'm just pulling these from memory. As for getting here, I'd recommend finding a bunch of friends who want to see LA and roadtripping it on over (stop in all the interesting spots between) that way you can kill both birds with one stone.

Good luck and congrats
 
I'm an MS2, and I heard that they're pushing your start date to 1 week later.

BondER711 said:
OK, so I know this probly sounds ******ed ... but anyone know when Orientation and/or classes start? I looked on the Keck website and found that last year had Orientation beginning August 8th, but couldn't find anything on this year. I was waitlist accepted a week or so ago, so prehaps thats why I feel I'm missing some info ... any ideas (I'm trying to plan a trip to Europe, but obviously can't risk it going too close to when classes begin).

Also, congrats to everyone else on here now who finally got the call from Dr. Quinn ... and if that email list is started I want in :)
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