University of Southern California Application Thread

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peartiser said:
I'd also like to know if this is a good idea. Would the admissions office find this pesky? Is it okay that we e-mail them about why we didn't get in or at least to get some interview feedback??

Thanks in advance!
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They won't tell you anything until after the application cycle, around June.
 
HermJ said:
the same thing happened to me!!! I the AC email on Monday and I got the yellow envelope today!! So weird but so happy!!! 😀
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Congrats!!! If you don't mind me asking, are you from around LA? It seems like they reviewed you again so quickly because the AC emails just came out on Monday! 😱
 
rxrina said:
Congrats!!! If you don't mind me asking, are you from around LA? It seems like they reviewed you again so quickly because the AC emails just came out on Monday! 😱
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The same thing happened with me too. I'm from around the LA area, so I was surprised because the AC email and the acceptance letter were literally one day apart for me!
 
rxrina said:
Congrats!!! If you don't mind me asking, are you from around LA? It seems like they reviewed you again so quickly because the AC emails just came out on Monday! 😱
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I'm from Norcal actually~and like Inferno0, my letter is dated Dec. 8th, which is the Wednesday. It is quite weird that they would update their decision so fast!!!
Good luck on those who are on the AC or waiting for responses!!
 
Just got my interview invite today via e-mail for Jan. 22! 🙂

Wow I was totally not expecting to hear from them before Christmas. 😱
 
bruin0289 said:
Just got my interview invite today via e-mail for Jan. 22! 🙂

Wow I was totally not expecting to hear from them before Christmas. 😱
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Congratz! Remember to be yourself!! I was a little nervous and wasn't able to show who I really am. Good luck :luck:
 
i'm pretty surprised too, that I just got an invite! Especially since i turned it in on Oct 20th, i thought if i heard back it would be in March. Guess I just beat the rest of the procrastinators by an inch 🙂
 
Got my interview invite today too! DEFINITELY a pleasant surprise 😀
 
Congrats to those who just received their interview invites! Don't worry, the USC interview is very relaxed and conversational. Like dnguyen401 said, try to be yourself.
 
hi, i was wondering if those that got interview invite for january can share their stats? thanks in advance!
 
how long after every applied did they get an interview invite im just curious i submitted recently......
 
I applied on Oct. 31st and just received an invitation to January interview on Tuesday.

I was really surprised to get it so soon, as I was actually prepared to wait till March to hear back from USC.
 
Hello everyone!
I also applied on Oct. 31st and received an invitation to January interview on Tuesday 12/14/2010.
My PharmCAS cumulative GPA: 3.84
My PharmCAS science GPA: 3.80
B.S. Biochemistry (CSULA) - in June 2011
---
Since English is my second language, I am really nervous about the interview!!!
 
Last edited:
cGPA: 3.36
sci/math GPA: 3.22
(although I think my USC prereq GPA is considerably higher...)

I applied back in early September but didn't receive my lack letter until after the first round invites were sent. I was honestly (and ecstatically) surprised to receive an invite so early cuz I thought they would want to wait for my fall grades since my GPA isn't that great, but I guess Christmas came early for me 😛
 
I am getting frustrated......Haven't heard anything from USC......=(

I applied in mid September. I got my lack letter before the first interview. And no invitations for me. I am really getting anxious. USC is my first choice.
 
Don't worry too much about it. There are still 2 interview dates left.

I strongly believe that many qualified applicants still have yet heard anything from USC either. Notice also that almost the same percentage of people are accepted from every cycle 🙂.

newgreenhand said:
I am getting frustrated......Haven't heard anything from USC......=(

I applied in mid September. I got my lack letter before the first interview. And no invitations for me. I am really getting anxious. USC is my first choice.
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I applied late august, but did not get an interview🙁, does this mean they already invited enough people for the 2nd round!?? 🙁
 
For those worried about preparing for the interview, I just wanted to give my advice. Look at the interview feedback on this website for the questions people were asked. The first question or two I was asked was from that list of reported questions, then the questions started being more about what I had talked about previously.

Also, the interviewers, as far as I could tell only had read my supplemental essays/application. I was asked what school I had gone to for undergrad because it wasn't mentioned in my supplemental essays.

My best advice for helping not be nervous is to apply for some jobs or something to get some interview experience. I had been job hunting a few months before my interview, and it gave me a lot more confidence going into the interview. The 2 on 1 environment was nothing compared to the 3 or 4-on-1 job interviews I had recently endured.

Also, for the writing session, make sure you read the article through and make sure you understand what it's about before you start using up your time making an outline or whatever. I heard people talking afterward saying stuff like, "so wait, what exactly was the prompt about?"
 
hitornado said:
For those worried about preparing for the interview, I just wanted to give my advice. Look at the interview feedback on this website for the questions people were asked. The first question or two I was asked was from that list of reported questions, then the questions started being more about what I had talked about previously.

Also, the interviewers, as far as I could tell only had read my supplemental essays/application. I was asked what school I had gone to for undergrad because it wasn't mentioned in my supplemental essays.
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I agree with hitornado here 👍

hitornado said:
My best advice for helping not be nervous is to apply for some jobs or something to get some interview experience. I had been job hunting a few months before my interview, and it gave me a lot more confidence going into the interview. The 2 on 1 environment was nothing compared to the 3 or 4-on-1 job interviews I had recently endured.
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For this part, I wasn't as fortunate to have had a lot of interview experiences. USC was my second school interview. Just like my first school interview, I prepared by making sure that I was able to answer every possible questions on the interview feedback section of the forum with all sincerity (http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/?view=pharmacy). And all of the questions I was asked, although they were mainly based on what I had said on my previous answers, were from that forum.

hitornado said:
Also, for the writing session, make sure you read the article through and make sure you understand what it's about before you start using up your time making an outline or whatever. I heard people talking afterward saying stuff like, "so wait, what exactly was the prompt about?"
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As for the writing section, I have a pretty bad short term memory but I am a good note taker, so I was taking note of what I thought was important as I was reading it the first time. Luckily, the article was very short, 1/2 a page long. Thus, by the time I reached the end, my ten lines were filled with notes. At that point, I still had about about a minute left, so I quickly reread the article to grasp the main idea and see if I can commit any more details to my memory. After the article was taken away, I realized that my short term memory had failed me again lol, but I was thankful for the copious amount of notes I had taken 🙂
 
PharmD in 2015 said:
For this part, I wasn't as fortunate to have had a lot of interview experiences. USC was my second school interview. Just like my first school interview, I prepared by making sure that I was able to answer every possible questions on the interview feedback section of the forum with all sincerity (http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/?view=pharmacy). And all of the questions I was asked, although they were mainly based on what I had said on my previous answers, were from that forum.
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This actually was my first school interview, and if it had happened only a few months earlier it would have been my first real interview of any kind. That's why I suggested perhaps applying for some jobs (even if you don't want them) to try to get some experience so you will be perhaps less nervous and come off more mature and confident.

I absolutely agree to read the interview feedback on this site, and stress that the first couple of questions were absolutely questions that were the site.
 
Anyone know how long you get to put down a deposit/decide? Man, I kind of wish I got a later interview so that I would hear back from USC and UCSF at the same time.
 
monkieez said:
Anyone know how long you get to put down a deposit/decide? Man, I kind of wish I got a later interview so that I would hear back from USC and UCSF at the same time.
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It should say in the packet you got, but I think it's 2 weeks from when the packet was dated.
 
i see that the next round of interviews are starting and i just wanted to give everyone interviewing a heads up..

i was SUPER nervous. USC is my number 1 choice and it was my very first interview..

for the interview, there really isn't a way to prepare yourself.. i went in prepared to answer questions that i thought they were going to ask but as soon as i sat down, i forgot everything.. i forgot to say A LOT of things but i guess it didn't matter in the end. they really just look for integrity in their candidates.. when i didn't know an answer i said that i didn't know..
the interview does go by really fast.. just remember to smile

and try not to stress too much about it afterwards.. i came out of the interview defeated thinking they didn't like me, and how i forgot to talk about this and that.. but i ended up getting accepted

if anyone wants to know specific details about my interview or other stuff feel free to ask 😀
 
hmjung said:
i see that the next round of interviews are starting and i just wanted to give everyone interviewing a heads up..

i was SUPER nervous. USC is my number 1 choice and it was my very first interview..

for the interview, there really isn't a way to prepare yourself.. i went in prepared to answer questions that i thought they were going to ask but as soon as i sat down, i forgot everything.. i forgot to say A LOT of things but i guess it didn't matter in the end. they really just look for integrity in their candidates.. when i didn't know an answer i said that i didn't know..
the interview does go by really fast.. just remember to smile

and try not to stress too much about it afterwards.. i came out of the interview defeated thinking they didn't like me, and how i forgot to talk about this and that.. but i ended up getting accepted

if anyone wants to know specific details about my interview or other stuff feel free to ask 😀
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haha my situation was the opposite.. it was my 2nd interview at USC so I was very confident going in and coming out of it I thought it went really well and was a great improvement from my 1st interview... but I still got AC 🙁
 
desler said:
haha my situation was the opposite.. it was my 2nd interview at USC so I was very confident going in and coming out of it I thought it went really well and was a great improvement from my 1st interview... but I still got AC 🙁
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yea see you never know what the interviewer is thinking.. because i swear the professor seemed soooo bored with me and gave me some weird questions which threw me off.. lol

good luck with the AC.. hope you get in! (that is if you want to go to USC) 🙂
 
desler said:
haha my situation was the opposite.. it was my 2nd interview at USC so I was very confident going in and coming out of it I thought it went really well and was a great improvement from my 1st interview... but I still got AC 🙁
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I felt the same way as well 🙁 My interviewers and I were even laughing together and talking about the Manny Pacquiao fight. *Sigh* Oh well, what's done is done. Hopefully they will pull a lot of people off the AC :xf:
 
hmjung said:
i see that the next round of interviews are starting and i just wanted to give everyone interviewing a heads up..

i was SUPER nervous. USC is my number 1 choice and it was my very first interview..

for the interview, there really isn't a way to prepare yourself.. i went in prepared to answer questions that i thought they were going to ask but as soon as i sat down, i forgot everything.. i forgot to say A LOT of things but i guess it didn't matter in the end. they really just look for integrity in their candidates.. when i didn't know an answer i said that i didn't know..
the interview does go by really fast.. just remember to smile

and try not to stress too much about it afterwards.. i came out of the interview defeated thinking they didn't like me, and how i forgot to talk about this and that.. but i ended up getting accepted

if anyone wants to know specific details about my interview or other stuff feel free to ask 😀
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Congrats on the acceptance 🙂
What types of questions did you say "I don't know" to? Like about current events/drugs, etc? Any advice for future intervieweees?
 
The interviewer asked me "who has the answer to solve our economic crises?" haha which was a curveball.. i said that i wish i knew but i don't think any one person can solve the crises or what the solution could be, so i don't know.. yea that one was weird lol.

they asked pretty general questions like why pharmacy, why USC, what have i done to prepare myself..

my best advice is to smile, and be honest.. also it might help to research the school so that it shows you really want to go there. i think that impresses them. GOOD LUCK 🙂 and let me know if u want more details
 
I just got invited to interview today for Jan. 22. =) So excited, but I'm starting to get nervous already!!! What was the essay section like?
 
So you barely receive an invite today? Was it by email?


Also, does anyone know the deadline to update the school(s)
on fall grades?
 
lp224 said:
I just got invited to interview today for Jan. 22. =) So excited, but I'm starting to get nervous already!!! What was the essay section like?
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It's a pretty low stress environment IMO so don't get too nervous. The essay portion was pretty straight forward. You read a short article (~1/2 page) and then summarize it. I think there was a previous post on this thread that has more detailed info about the essay section. Good Luck!👍
 
ya..apparently someone cancel their interview and a spot was open. lol




Thanks, Pharmasaurus88, for the advice =)
 
That's in 9 days! Well, Good luck to you, lp224 and anyone else interviewing this month! 👍
 
Does anyone know if I should go ahead and fill out financial aid? Or can I wait until/if i'm accepted? Their website said Feb. 1 deadline which seems super early, especially since I probably won't get my W2s by then.
 
monkieez said:
Does anyone know if I should go ahead and fill out financial aid? Or can I wait until/if i'm accepted? Their website said Feb. 1 deadline which seems super early, especially since I probably won't get my W2s by then.
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If I am not mistaken, the financial aid person at the information session in November told us to just fill out the FAFSA for USC regardless if you're accepted yet or not. The actual income on FAFSA can just be a rough estimate considering that you have not worked substantially different from last year's.

I hope that helps.
 
Could anyone please let me know what I should bring with me on the day of interview at USC?
I would appreciate your reply!
 
For the ones that interviewed already, do any of you guys recall anyone carrying a portfolio or such?

I am planning to bring one but not sure if it will serve any purpose at all.

Thanks for the reply in advance!
 
I brought a black portfolio that has a notepad and some pens. I used it only at the end, when a few current students were answering our questions, to jot down what they were saying. Having said that, it is perfectly okay to go through the whole interview day without one. Pencils will be provided for the summary portion.

Like someone said before, DO NOT FORGET to bring your PICTURE ID!!!

:luck:Good Luck Everyone:luck:
 
I also brought a portfolio with a notepad and a pen/pencil. It's useful for taking a few notes down or holding extraneous papers (i.e. the stickers they will give you for your interview and essay). It's also good for the Q&A portion with the current pharm students. It doesn't hurt to bring one as long as it looks professional (i.e. not a manila envelope). Good luck to the January interviewees! :luck:👍
 
PharmD in 2015 said:
As for the writing section, I have a pretty bad short term memory but I am a good note taker, so I was taking note of what I thought was important as I was reading it the first time. Luckily, the article was very short, 1/2 a page long. Thus, by the time I reached the end, my ten lines were filled with notes. At that point, I still had about about a minute left, so I quickly reread the article to grasp the main idea and see if I can commit any more details to my memory. After the article was taken away, I realized that my short term memory had failed me again lol, but I was thankful for the copious amount of notes I had taken 🙂
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How long did they give for the writing session? How long did they let you look at the article before it was taken away?
 
Croutonz said:
How long did they give for the writing session? How long did they let you look at the article before it was taken away?
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The writing portion is 20 minutes long.

They will first hand out pencils (sharpened with an eraser) as well as two sheet of papers stapled together, one for the note (with 10 lines) and one for the summary.

Then, they will hand out the article. We have 5 minutes after we flip the article over to read and take note. They will take away the article after that 5 minutes.

Afterwards, they will give us 15 minutes to write the summary.
 
how was the January interview?
 
desler said:
how was the January interview?
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For me, the interview went by very quick, like I was there only for 5 minutes. I actually went over time and the student had to say we were late. Other than that, I could not tell much from the interview. I was not stumped by any question nor did the interviewers gave me any good signs.

Now it's time to wait, 3 to 4 weeks. It's weird how the wait time is longer compared to the 2 to 3 weeks for the previous year.

Good luck to everyone else.
 
Hi, guys
I just wanna make sure after we finish all the pre-reqs,
we just need to send out the transcripts and update the pharmcas.
not the usc supp. app. right?

Thanks in advance~!:laugh:
 
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