USC 2009-2010 Applicants

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For you waitlisters, if you hear anything or have talked to adcom, please post. thanx

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Checked my mail this morning since I was out of LA for the weekend, and I got my acceptance letter today!! So excited! Did anyone sign up for parking today? Also is it just the waitlist we sign up for? Mr. Granderson said I probably won't be able to sign up until the deposit is received, but I was able to set up my vehicle for the waitlist. Did not see anything about reservations or a lottery.
 
Checked my mail this morning since I was out of LA for the weekend, and I got my acceptance letter today!! So excited! Did anyone sign up for parking today? Also is it just the waitlist we sign up for? Mr. Granderson said I probably won't be able to sign up until the deposit is received, but I was able to set up my vehicle for the waitlist. Did not see anything about reservations or a lottery.

Congrats. when did you interview and what were your stats? did you get in right away or post -AC list?
 
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Checked my mail this morning since I was out of LA for the weekend, and I got my acceptance letter today!! So excited! Did anyone sign up for parking today? Also is it just the waitlist we sign up for? Mr. Granderson said I probably won't be able to sign up until the deposit is received, but I was able to set up my vehicle for the waitlist. Did not see anything about reservations or a lottery.


Congrats!! I would like to know your stats as well, if you don't mind. Also, when was your interview? When was your letter dated and postmarked?
 
Checked my mail this morning since I was out of LA for the weekend, and I got my acceptance letter today!! So excited! Did anyone sign up for parking today? Also is it just the waitlist we sign up for? Mr. Granderson said I probably won't be able to sign up until the deposit is received, but I was able to set up my vehicle for the waitlist. Did not see anything about reservations or a lottery.

i was not able to login into the parking management site. do we need to create a new account? the default message on the website was to use my ID# and my last name, but that doesn't work.
 
Congrats. when did you interview and what were your stats? did you get in right away or post -AC list?

Thank you @Getmein22 and @arrowheadgirl. I interviewed on 3/20 and I got in after AC list. The date on the acceptance letter was 4/27 and it was post dated on 4/28. I really don't know how long it took to receive because I've been out of town since Thursday 4/29 and so I didnt get the letter till 5/3.

@ZeroC0mbine - I had to create a new account with my USC ID.
 
Thank you @Getmein22 and @arrowheadgirl. I interviewed on 3/20 and I got in after AC list. The date on the acceptance letter was 4/27 and it was post dated on 4/28. I really don't know how long it took to receive because I've been out of town since Thursday 4/29 and so I didnt get the letter till 5/3.

@ZeroC0mbine - I had to create a new account with my USC ID.

thanks! and congrats on your acceptance :thumbup:
 
any other new acceptances?
 
I was accepted about this time last year. Good luck to whoever is still waiting.

I just finished finals today (done with 1st year)! Let me know if you need any questions answered.


For housing, some areas to look at :

Monterey Hills, relatively safe-pretty cheap. I found my apartment unit online
Alhambra-a bit farther away, price varies
Pasadena-probably more expensive than the two cities above
Los Angeles - I know of the apartment complexes: Mozaic and Orsini, but they are both very expensive.

You can also dorm, but the only good thing about that is convenience. You will most definitely need a car if you live in the dorms because there is nothing open at night (stores/restaurants/etc.)
 
I was accepted about this time last year. Good luck to whoever is still waiting.

I just finished finals today (done with 1st year)! Let me know if you need any questions answered.


For housing, some areas to look at :

Monterey Hills, relatively safe-pretty cheap. I found my apartment unit online
Alhambra-a bit farther away, price varies
Pasadena-probably more expensive than the two cities above
Los Angeles - I know of the apartment complexes: Mozaic and Orsini, but they are both very expensive.

You can also dorm, but the only good thing about that is convenience. You will most definitely need a car if you live in the dorms because there is nothing open at night (stores/restaurants/etc.)

Congrats on finishing first year! Thats awesome! In regards to getting in around this time last year, did you interview in March of last year (last interview session)? did you feel like you were going to get off the waitlist or did you feel like it was a dead-end road?
 
I was accepted about this time last year. Good luck to whoever is still waiting.

I just finished finals today (done with 1st year)! Let me know if you need any questions answered.


For housing, some areas to look at :

Monterey Hills, relatively safe-pretty cheap. I found my apartment unit online
Alhambra-a bit farther away, price varies
Pasadena-probably more expensive than the two cities above
Los Angeles - I know of the apartment complexes: Mozaic and Orsini, but they are both very expensive.

You can also dorm, but the only good thing about that is convenience. You will most definitely need a car if you live in the dorms because there is nothing open at night (stores/restaurants/etc.)

how were your finals koercive? was your 1st year manageable? extremely stressful? can you give us some insight on your experience so far :).
 
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Hi everyone,

I also received an acceptance letter as well. I interviewed on 3/20 and received the good news on 4/29. I am EXTREMELY happy, this means I can attend my #1 school and also stay close to home. I look forward to meeting everyone in the fall and for some I'll be seeing you guys at the welcome reception on 6/24.

koercive: I am thinking about not purchasing the parking permit because it is so expensive. Instead I was thinking about parking on the side streets.. Do you have any recommendations on where to park or if this is even a good idea?

Arrowhead & to those who are waiting so patiently: never give up, you may be hearing good news any day. :xf:

Lulu
 
Hi everyone,

I also received an acceptance letter as well. I interviewed on 3/20 and received the good news on 4/29. I am EXTREMELY happy, this means I can attend my #1 school and also stay close to home. I look forward to meeting everyone in the fall and for some I'll be seeing you guys at the welcome reception on 6/24.

koercive: I am thinking about not purchasing the parking permit because it is so expensive. Instead I was thinking about parking on the side streets.. Do you have any recommendations on where to park or if this is even a good idea?

Arrowhead & to those who are waiting so patiently: never give up, you may be hearing good news any day. :xf:

Lulu

It can be done 1st year, but it's a long walk. You'd probably get there early enough to get a spot off of Valley or just off Mission (not sure the name of the side street). It's tricky second year because all the spots will be taken by the time you get to school. Same with third year. (No parking on the N side of Valley before 9am, which is when you should be in class P3). It might be worth a try.
 
It can be done 1st year, but it's a long walk. You'd probably get there early enough to get a spot off of Valley or just off Mission (not sure the name of the side street). It's tricky second year because all the spots will be taken by the time you get to school. Same with third year. (No parking on the N side of Valley before 9am, which is when you should be in class P3). It might be worth a try.


How long is a long walk? I'm all about getting in shape, but I don't know about a 30min walk :)..... So pretty much you would recommend that I do fork up the money and get a parking permit because it would be well worth it? Oh also, I noticed that the parking flyer that I got, noted that pharmacy students park in Lot 71 & the SSP. I was looking at the campus map and the SSP lot looks kinds far...How far is that parking lot?

Thanks
 
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How long is a long walk? I'm all about getting in shape, but I don't know about a 30min walk :)..... So pretty much you would recommend that I do fork up the money and get a parking permit because it would be well worth it? Oh also, I noticed that the parking flyer that I got, noted that pharmacy students park in Lot 71 & the SSP. I was looking at the campus map and the SSP lot looks kinds far...How far is that parking lot?

Thanks

It's about a 10 minute walk (depending on your pace), but it's about an 8 minute walk from the parking lots (except for Biggy, which is about 3-4 mins) So, it's not necessarily about the time/distance as much as having a guaranteed parking space vs not knowing from one day to the next if all the parking spaces will be taken when you arrive on campus. You can always get a parking permit later if you want. That'd give you time to test out how it goes and see if it's worth it. They recently repaved Valley Blvd and it looks (I haven't checked thoroughly) like they may have gotten rid of the time restrictions on parking. It used to be no parking before 9am on the north side and no parking after 4pm on the south side. It may make it harder for parking on the north side in the am when you come in for class, but it also opens up that side of the street so that perhaps the spaces that are available will be otherwise closer to the crosswalk. Just be sure to show up a few minutes early in case there's a train across the intersection there. For some unknown reason (rant) they like to park over the intersection for 20 minutes or more right at 8am, restricting access to campus. You'll see what I mean if you show up late and can't get across. :mad:
So yeah, try it if you want. Worst case scenario it doesn't work out and you end up with a permit that you were thinking about getting anyway.
 
It seems the big waiting list movement has gone. I am still thinking if I should apply one more year. Dose anyone know if PharmCAS keeps re-applicants' letter of recommendations for the next application cycle?
 
Parking is free on Valley, but the walk can be annoying if you are staying late on campus or if you are running late. On the plus side, you save a lot of money.

Compared to undergrad, classes weren't that much harder, but you just have a lot of things going on at once (rotations,organizations,etc.). Finals/classes were manageable except for one class.. (you'll know what I mean when you start-this class frustrates pretty much the entire class, but you'll have to learn to get over it). First year is pretty much a year of pre-requisite review. If anyone is wondering if they should start studying now, the answer is no. just relax!

If you are a social type that likes to go out, you will still have time for that, but not as much as you probably did in undergrad.
 
so it's almost june.. is it safe to say that there's no more waitlist movement? =[
 
It probably won't move as fast, but we have a P1 that left Western 1 week into classes to start at USC because we start a week after them.
 
After we receive the receipt for our deposit, what else should be expected in the mail or email?
 
hey guys, i'm a current pharmacy student at SC. we completed finals last week. congrats to those who made it this fall. look forward to meeting you all.
 
Parking is free on Valley, but the walk can be annoying if you are staying late on campus or if you are running late. On the plus side, you save a lot of money.

Compared to undergrad, classes weren't that much harder, but you just have a lot of things going on at once (rotations,organizations,etc.). Finals/classes were manageable except for one class.. (you'll know what I mean when you start-this class frustrates pretty much the entire class, but you'll have to learn to get over it). First year is pretty much a year of pre-requisite review. If anyone is wondering if they should start studying now, the answer is no. just relax!

If you are a social type that likes to go out, you will still have time for that, but not as much as you probably did in undergrad.

are you talking about biosys?
 
After we receive the receipt for our deposit, what else should be expected in the mail or email?

you'll get a few mail from the office of admissions, including a list of the top 100 drugs. but that test isn't until late october so enjoy your summer.
 
so it's almost june.. is it safe to say that there's no more waitlist movement? =[

hard to say...every year is different. it depends on if students want to attend UCSF over USC.
 
Well, our long, hard two year journey to pharmacy school has finally ended.

Got the USC rejection notice yesterday. That means Pomona all the way!

Gut reaction... not sadness, but relief. Relief that this whole harrowing journey has finally concluded and that, no matter what else happens, my darling wife has overcome outstanding obstacles (not just the hurdles every potential student faces, but also boundaries of immigration, language and cultural adaptation) to become a pharmacist. I'm so incredibly proud of her!

Pomona, here we come!! :D
 
any1 currently waitlisted that has not received a small envelope yet?
 
small, white, lovely envelope came in the mail today
 
rejected. :( so rejected after being interviewed would mean we had a bad interview score right? like it wouldn't be possible to have had a good or ok interview and still not get in right?
 
rejected. :( so rejected after being interviewed would mean we had a bad interview score right? like it wouldn't be possible to have had a good or ok interview and still not get in right?

maybe it wasn't the interview, how was the writing portion? they evaluate that too just as much as the interview.
 
When was the letter dated and received? Im out of town so i will have to call home to check. Anyone did not receive a letter?
 
I have a strong feeling that I am going to have that small letter soon. I am living in NorCal.
 
rejected. :( so rejected after being interviewed would mean we had a bad interview score right? like it wouldn't be possible to have had a good or ok interview and still not get in right?

im convinced that USC holds a strong emphasis on GPA even after the interview. I feel like that was my one setback on my application. I'm 4/4 in other interviews, so I was hoping to get that "Automatic In" that previous posters were talking about before, but once I hit the AC list i knew my chances were slim.
 
Its all over folks. Rejected. Small envelope dated 5/18.
 
im convinced that USC holds a strong emphasis on GPA even after the interview. I feel like that was my one setback on my application. I'm 4/4 in other interviews, so I was hoping to get that "Automatic In" that previous posters were talking about before, but once I hit the AC list i knew my chances were slim.

I think the same. GPA is huge even post-interview. I know I rocked my interview. They even told me I should "rest assured" as I was walking out of my interview because of how well it went. My GPA must have been the reason for my rejection. Looks like I will be re-applying, once again. :thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:
 
Has anyone received their financial aid award yet? When should we expect to receive it?
 
When do most students start working as an intern pharmacist? I haven't received my fin aid award letter yet, but I think I'm definitely going to have to continue working. Right now I work in a lab doing research, but if I get a job while in pharmacy school I'd prefer to just start working in a pharmacy especially since my job wont let me work part time. I have my Pharm Tech license to hold me over until I get the intern pharmacist license (BTW, does anyone know when we get that since it seems as though the dean needs to fill part of it out?).

Also, what are the chances of getting a pharm tech or intern pharmacist job at LAC+USC Med Center?
 
When do most students start working as an intern pharmacist? I haven't received my fin aid award letter yet, but I think I'm definitely going to have to continue working. Right now I work in a lab doing research, but if I get a job while in pharmacy school I'd prefer to just start working in a pharmacy especially since my job wont let me work part time. I have my Pharm Tech license to hold me over until I get the intern pharmacist license (BTW, does anyone know when we get that since it seems as though the dean needs to fill part of it out?).

Also, what are the chances of getting a pharm tech or intern pharmacist job at LAC+USC Med Center?

The first week of school (actually a week before the first week of school, unless they change something) you'll have orientation which will include filling out forms for your intern license, getting fingerprinted, background checks, etc. After about 6 weeks you'll get your intern license.

I don't know anyone who interns at LAC+USC. I'm thinking they may not have interns, but that just sounds weird to say. Perhaps they just hide well.
We usually hire 3-4 students at the campus pharmacy, about 4 students at University hospital, and at least 2 students at USC/Norris. All those would be within walking distance of the pharmacy building. Intern jobs have been harder to find recently. I know a couple P1s/P2s that are still looking, so get acquainted with people and HRs early. Most like to hire first years and try to commit them to 4 years. Kaiser and Huntington are known for it. They will not hire P2s at Huntington because they have a structured training program.
 
i don't believe I received a rejection letter yet. Is the admissions office screening out applicants or are all waitlisted people officially rejected now? I thought that we have until August to know for sure?
 
There isn't a thread for the upcoming cycle yet that I can find, but my question is for Farmercyst or anyone else who might have a recommendation, so I hope posting in this thread is okay!

When lining up my letters of rec for the upcoming application cycle, I found out that due to circumstances beyond my control, my "best" letter of rec will not be written until early August. Assuming everything else will be complete by that time, would I still potentially be considered for the November interview, or would I need to have a complete application in June/July in order to be considered for November? Also, would it be better to submit in late June/early July with slightly lower quality letters of rec., or early/middle August with the highest quality letters possible?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
There isn't a thread for the upcoming cycle yet that I can find, but my question is for Farmercyst or anyone else who might have a recommendation, so I hope posting in this thread is okay!

When lining up my letters of rec for the upcoming application cycle, I found out that due to circumstances beyond my control, my "best" letter of rec will not be written until early August. Assuming everything else will be complete by that time, would I still potentially be considered for the November interview, or would I need to have a complete application in June/July in order to be considered for November? Also, would it be better to submit in late June/early July with slightly lower quality letters of rec., or early/middle August with the highest quality letters possible?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

IF I recall correctly, it takes up to 6 weeks to forward your info from PharmCAS to USC. If that's the case and your LOR comes in and you submit in August, they'll have your application by mid-late September. That would give them 3 weeks to evaluate your application and make the decision whether or not to invite you for interview. It's a tough question. I'm not sure if 3 weeks is enough time given that they receive ~1600-1700 applications/cycle. I don't know what the breakdown by month is, but I'd imagine mid to late July would be near the middle of the curve. You might be okay waiting. Worst case scenario, if your LOR is what tips you over, it wouldn't be an issue not to get the Nov interview. Waiting for your summer GPA to post would be more significant since that would mean you have GPA issues. One option might be to see if USC will allow you to submit 3 LORs to PharmCAS and send a 4th one directly to them. Then you get the best of both worlds.
 
IF I recall correctly, it takes up to 6 weeks to forward your info from PharmCAS to USC. If that's the case and your LOR comes in and you submit in August, they'll have your application by mid-late September. That would give them 3 weeks to evaluate your application and make the decision whether or not to invite you for interview. It's a tough question. I'm not sure if 3 weeks is enough time given that they receive ~1600-1700 applications/cycle. I don't know what the breakdown by month is, but I'd imagine mid to late July would be near the middle of the curve. You might be okay waiting. Worst case scenario, if your LOR is what tips you over, it wouldn't be an issue not to get the Nov interview. Waiting for your summer GPA to post would be more significant since that would mean you have GPA issues. One option might be to see if USC will allow you to submit 3 LORs to PharmCAS and send a 4th one directly to them. Then you get the best of both worlds.

I called PharmCAS, and they stated that if the rest of my application was complete and processed (with the final LoR labelled "pending"), it would be sent out to schools. Then, when the final letter arrived, a "revised" version would be sent off within 24-48 hours. This is again according to the operator who answered the phone when I called PharmCAS. Assuming this is true, and USC were to actually receive the revised (and now complete) application in early August, would you then probably recommend that I just wait patiently, instead of using an additional LoR?

Thank you for the insight, it's been really useful reading your responses in this thread!
 
I called PharmCAS, and they stated that if the rest of my application was complete and processed (with the final LoR labelled "pending"), it would be sent out to schools. Then, when the final letter arrived, a "revised" version would be sent off within 24-48 hours. This is again according to the operator who answered the phone when I called PharmCAS. Assuming this is true, and USC were to actually receive the revised (and now complete) application in early August, would you then probably recommend that I just wait patiently, instead of using an additional LoR?

Thank you for the insight, it's been really useful reading your responses in this thread!

Perhaps one of this year's applicants can help with this one. I know USC requires you to send copies of your transcripts directly to them even though they are also sent to PharmCAS. Do they require the LORs to got straight to them as well? If so, then patiently waiting should be fine. If not then I'd worry about it. The only reason I say so is because when I was applying, once you submit your application, they wouldn't let you update it until the academic update window (late Dec-early February). Maybe the LORs are an exception to that, but it does worry me somewhat. (I don't trust operators. Partially because I was one, partially because I've had bad experiences with others.)
 
I've heard SC requires 1500 internship hours before getting your license. Was wondering if anyone knows if SC pharm students can possibly get both work compensation and internship hours? I've heard some places will only sign off internship hours while others will pay you and sign off hours.
 
Call the dean and ask in order to be completely sure. I'm not sure about work compensation in relation to internship hours, but I was under the impression that the 1500 hours is built into the curriculum. The website says

" Minimum 300 hours of Introductory Practice Experiential Experience (IPPE) (as required by ACPE) will be satisfied by two 4-credit (one month) externships in the summers of the P1 and P2 years.
• Minimum 1440 hours of Advanced Practice Experiential Experience (APPE) (as required by ACPE) will be satisfied by nine 4-credit (one-month) clerkships in the P4 year.

It sounds like the externships only take up the first month or so of each summer.
So I think as long as you are not in the middle of one of the externships they assign you, you are free to work/intern somewhere for pay. But again, call the school/dean just to be completely sure.
 
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I've heard SC requires 1500 internship hours before getting your license. Was wondering if anyone knows if SC pharm students can possibly get both work compensation and internship hours? I've heard some places will only sign off internship hours while others will pay you and sign off hours.

SC requires that you get the 1500 hours required by the state during your time at USC. You will have the IPPE hours required by ACPE for graduation as well as the APPE hours required by ACPE. Essentially, the only reason they're required by SC is because they want you to have met all state and ACPE requirements by the time you graduate.
As for getting paid, you can work while in school and get paid internship hours that will qualify toward the state requirement of 1500 hours, but you won't need to, per se, since it's taken care of by the school. Paid hours essentially become optional for those who like money. (Most people). I probably have 1500 hours of paid internship work, but it doesn't meet the ACPE requirements, even though it meets the state's requirements.

Long story short, you can work, you can get paid, but you still have to complete the hours scheduled by the school.

Hope that helps.

[moderators note] Oh, and thread moved because it's a school/pre-pharmacy related question rather than a pharmacy question. That and I think it'll help the other SC students who may have also had similar questions.
 
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