USC 2009-2010 Applicants

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FredDurst said:
So I'm basically done with the USC Supplemental but have a question on something. Nowhere so far have I seen a place to tell them which two of my three references they should read. Am I supposed to do this somewhere? Also, at the end of the supplemental, is there something to mail in, or is that all online? My transcripts have already been sent. Thanks.
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I haven't looked at the supplemental application the last couple of years, but I would imagine that you're only supposed to answer the two that you want them to read. As for how to send it in, I don't know having not looked at it, but I'd go back and reread the instructions.
 
socalgirlie said:
I submitted my supplemental Aug. 9th 🙂
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What usc supplemental is everyone talking about?? I didn't do one of these and I have an interview tomorrow, should I be concerned?

--oops sorry nm wrong section =)
 
Dentifrica said:
What usc supplemental is everyone talking about?? I didn't do one of these and I have an interview tomorrow, should I be concerned?
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Interview tomorrow? Isn't the first interview date for USC on the 21st? And the supplemental is on the USC site where you have to register.
 
arcticrevolver said:
Interview tomorrow? Isn't the first interview date for USC on the 21st? And the supplemental is on the USC site where you have to register.
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yes it is... He/she is referring to the dentist interview for USC..





Anyone excited/nervous for the upcoming interview??
 
NSAID01 said:
yes it is... He/she is referring to the dentist interview for USC..

Anyone excited/nervous for the upcoming interview??
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I'm a bit nervous. Even though I've gone to several other interviews, USC is my #1 right now!
 
I got this email from USC. "

Supplemental Application and Document Acknowledgement Form"


I've sent them everything on the checklist, so I don't understand why they will send me this letter. I will call USC on Monday to find out.
 
For those of you who are interviewing on the 21st, did you guys receive an email or letter that gives details of what we are doing on the interview day? All I have is the initial interview invitation email and I haven't received anything else since....Thanks!
 
grannyli87 said:
For those of you who are interviewing on the 21st, did you guys receive an email or letter that gives details of what we are doing on the interview day? All I have is the initial interview invitation email and I haven't received anything else since....Thanks!
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I received a confirmation. I just recently received another email but I think it was regarding like travel stuff.
 
grannyli87 said:
For those of you who are interviewing on the 21st, did you guys receive an email or letter that gives details of what we are doing on the interview day? All I have is the initial interview invitation email and I haven't received anything else since....Thanks!
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I haven't received anything since either.
 
Passion4Sci said:
Mum's the word so far from USC for me. I imagine my 18 units of CC credit is putting me at the bottom of the pile.
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That's unfortunate. And you got your applications in so early!
 
Passion4Sci said:
Yeah, well, I knew going in that they don't like CC credits.

Can't win 'em all... and I got into my first pick.
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What? really? they don't like cc credits? cuz i have over 18 at cc and was able to get the interview invite
 
kha8 said:
What? really? they don't like cc credits? cuz i have over 18 at cc and was able to get the interview invite
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Yeah, I asked, and it's on their website - "We strongly encourage you to take classes at 4 year schools."

Dunno. Maybe they didn't like the fact that I'm a legal murderer. Some people are very touchy about military service. Their mouths say one thing, their actions say another.

But, it's all immaterial now.
 
how early should I get there on sat? my interview it at 8:30am. I don't want to be late, but I don't want to be too early either.
 
lxh0131 said:
how early should I get there on sat? my interview it at 8:30am. I don't want to be late, but I don't want to be too early either.
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Yeah, I showed up about 1hr before. It's a good thing I did too, I had to run to a store to get quarters for the parking meters, came back about 35 min before. (It used to be 0.25/hr, now it's 0.25/15 min. So $3 for a 3hr interview instead of 0.75 It's still cheaper than Biggy though.
It doesn't really matter how early you are. There'll be students in the lobby to talk to, ask questions, etc. I'd suggest bringing a coat/sweater if you get cold though. The lobby doors open so frequently with everyone coming in that the lobby stays pretty cold.
 
Thanks guys! Just to be safe - I'll show up 1 hour in advance. I can't believe it's tomorrow... I'm getting super nervous.
 
lxh0131 said:
how early should I get there on sat? my interview it at 8:30am. I don't want to be late, but I don't want to be too early either.
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Wow 830am! So early :/ Good luck to you! I am getting nervous too
 
Does anyone know how many questions we will be asked in the 20 min interview? I am guessing 7-8, but I don't know? So nervous.. I hope this does not affect my interview.
 
lxh0131 said:
Does anyone know how many questions we will be asked in the 20 min interview? I am guessing 7-8, but I don't know? So nervous.. I hope this does not affect my interview.
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The amount of questions asked depends on your interviewer. It can be anywhere from 2 questions to 15 questions if time permits. Ultimately, it depends on the interviewers and how your personality is portrayed to them. 20 minutes is a really short time, so do your best to try to get across to them why they should choose you.

Personally, last year I think I had about...5-6 questions maybe? I don't really recall too much about quantity of questions asked, but I remember my USC interview wasn't that great and was asked some pretty tough questions. So be prepared for anything to say the least. Good luck. 👍
 
lxh0131 said:
Thanks! Good luck to you too! I wonder if I'm in the first interview group?
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You should be. We start at 8am and you'll get 1/2 hour with Jim Granderson to orient you to the school and the interview process and beyond. Then at 8:30 you'll be taken to your interview by a student. You could be in anyone of 20 or so rooms on the 1st-7th floor of the pharmacy building.
 
lxh0131 said:
Does anyone know how many questions we will be asked in the 20 min interview? I am guessing 7-8, but I don't know? So nervous.. I hope this does not affect my interview.
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Yeah, 7-8 is about right.

Why pharmacy, what have you done, what would you like to do, why USC, why should we pick you. That kind of stuff. There are others, but we usually don't get past 7.
 
Thanks rycetrix and farmercyst.

Although I'm still nervous (this is my first pharmacy interview), it helps knowing what to expect.
 
Just got back from my interview.... which I think went well. What didn't go well was the writing sample. Does anyone know how heavily they weigh the writing portion?
 
lxh0131 said:
Just got back from my interview.... which I think went well. What didn't go well was the writing sample. Does anyone know how heavily they weigh the writing portion?
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I wouldn't worry too much about it. I know people in my class who didn't finish or also didn't follow the directions and they made it. Don't stress over that too much. As long as your interview went well you should feel good about it.
 
Passion4Sci said:
Yeah, I asked, and it's on their website - "We strongly encourage you to take classes at 4 year schools."

Dunno. Maybe they didn't like the fact that I'm a legal murderer. Some people are very touchy about military service. Their mouths say one thing, their actions say another.

But, it's all immaterial now.
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I've only heard positive things about military service. I know the associate dean was military, so I doubt they frown on it.

As for CC credits... unless things have changed, I wouldn't worry about it. over 75% of my prereqs were at CC.
 
USC Applicants (Or any CA-school applicants)-

Does it matter where you received your degree from?
I'm completing my bachelors at UC Riverside and I'm wondering if this will hurt my chances of getting into USC pharmacy school because of the lack of prestige in this university.

Thanks.

edit: editing this post 2 years later, I'm laughing on the inside at how stupid/insecure I was about attending UCR. I realized that it doesn't matter which institution your attend-- in the end it all comes down to gpa.
 
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hey farmercyst! how do you think the interviews went today? good luck everyone :luck:
 
Jerking said:
USC Applicants (Or any CA-school applicants)-

Does it matter where you received your degree from?
I'm completing my bachelors at UC Riverside and I'm wondering if this will hurt my chances of getting into USC pharmacy school because of the lack of prestige in this university.

Thanks.
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i attend uc riverside. we've graduated some students who've been accepted into usc and ucsf. if you're that insecure about attending ucr, try transferring universities.
 
I don't like the fact that a computer is going to calculate and decide my future. *sigh*
 
socalgirlie said:
hey farmercyst! how do you think the interviews went today? good luck everyone :luck:
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I think they went fairly well. All mine were pretty good. I had a reapplicant that I had interviewed last year as well. It was very awkward. Quite frankly I thought she should have been accepted last year, but obviously interviews aren't EVERYTHING. It's a shame to, I think she'll be a really good pharmacist.
 
Jerking said:
USC Applicants (Or any CA-school applicants)-

Does it matter where you received your degree from?
I'm completing my bachelors at UC Riverside and I'm wondering if this will hurt my chances of getting into USC pharmacy school because of the lack of prestige in this university.

Thanks.
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GPA is heavily weighted, I'd say prestige matters very little. The majority of our applicants come from UCs so the majority of our acceptances go to UCs. We still get ~14% from CSUs (Cal Poly, CSU system combined). I came from a CSU so obviously prestige may factor in, but it's probably not huge.
 
Farmercyst said:
GPA is heavily weighted, I'd say prestige matters very little. The majority of our applicants come from UCs so the majority of our acceptances go to UCs. We still get ~14% from CSUs (Cal Poly, CSU system combined). I came from a CSU so obviously prestige may factor in, but it's probably not huge.
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hi famercyst.
pharmcas sent my application on oct 26. I have not heard from them regarding interviews or rejection or anything.
when should I expect to hear from them whether I qualify to get an interview or not?
when are rejection letters sent out?
thanks. you're the usc-go-to guy arn't you?
 
KMIMSM said:
hi famercyst.
pharmcas sent my application on oct 26. I have not heard from them regarding interviews or rejection or anything.
when should I expect to hear from them whether I qualify to get an interview or not?
when are rejection letters sent out?
thanks. you're the usc-go-to guy arn't you?
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You were a late applicant since USC is rolling admissions so they probably didn't even consider you for the November interview because they already had the spots filled. If you're GPA is high enough, you'll be considered for the January interview. You should expect to hear something regarding an interview 3-4 weeks prior to the interview date itself. The next interview date is 1/23.

I was also a late applicant last year (applying around 10/8). Last year, the interview date was 1/24, and I got my interview invite on 12/17. Don't fret, let the adcoms take their course of action.
 
how much does the interview weigh? And how are the interviews scored? Is there a number scale or something?
 
rycetrix said:
You were a late applicant since USC is rolling admissions so they probably didn't even consider you for the November interview because they already had the spots filled. If you're GPA is high enough, you'll be considered for the January interview. You should expect to hear something regarding an interview 3-4 weeks prior to the interview date itself. The next interview date is 1/23.

I was also a late applicant last year (applying around 10/8). Last year, the interview date was 1/24, and I got my interview invite on 12/17. Don't fret, let the adcoms take their course of action.
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well my gpa is average but I have a lot of other things to back me up.

are rejection letters sent at the same time as interview letters should?
if they don't like my application will they reject me sooner or wait till they compare me to more people which will delay the interview invitation?
 
KMIMSM said:
well my gpa is average but I have a lot of other things to back me up.

are rejection letters sent at the same time as interview letters should?
if they don't like my application will they reject me sooner or wait till they compare me to more people which will delay the interview invitation?
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Actually, for rejection letters, you won't hear back from them until all the interviews are done. They kind of just keep everyone along for the ride...even those who will not be getting interviews. That puts more people in agonizing pain of waiting, but that's just how their process works.
 
rawrthelion said:
i attend uc riverside. we've graduated some students who've been accepted into usc and ucsf. if you're that insecure about attending ucr, try transferring universities.
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I'm not insecure about attending UCR, I really like Riverside.
However, I'm not going to dismiss the fact that UCR has a bad rep amongst other UC's.
 
Jerking said:
I'm not insecure about attending UCR, I really like Riverside.
However, I'm not going to dismiss the fact that UCR has a bad rep amongst other UC's.
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It doesn't have a bad rep. It just doesn't have a rep. UCSF, UCSD, UCLA, Cal, and UCI have reps. We don't hear much about the other UCs. Occasionally we'll get someone from UC Davis, UCR, but more common from the other schools. Again, I think that has more to do with proximity to campus. UCR would more likely apply to Western or Loma Linda (1) because of the lack of reputation compared to the other schools (2) because they're closer to the housing the students already have (apts, parents, etc.)
One thing they don't tell us is where students apply from. They give us the in-state vs out-of-state/international numbers. They give us the breakdown of where the accepted students come from (USC vs UC vs CSU vs oos/int) and they tell us where the people who were accepted, but declined went. (UCSF, UCSD, Western, UOP, other).
 
rycetrix said:
Actually, for rejection letters, you won't hear back from them until all the interviews are done. They kind of just keep everyone along for the ride...even those who will not be getting interviews. That puts more people in agonizing pain of waiting, but that's just how their process works.
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True, some people never get rejection letters. It's assumed anyone without an interview invite after March interviews was rejected. Anyone without a seat at beginning of classes is also assumed to have been rejected. I think some people MIGHT get a letter, but I don't think so.

desler said:
how much does the interview weigh? And how are the interviews scored? Is there a number scale or something?
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I'm not sure how much it's weighted, but with 450-500 interviews, even small differences count. As for the scale the Overall rating is letter grades. A(Accept ASAP) B+ (Should be accepted) B (able to make it through the program) C (Do not accept)
A's and C's must be explained. How that translates in to acceptance vs waitlist, I have no idea. I will not go into how my interviews were graded as some of you may have been interviewed by me, but I've only given one person a C out of 20 interviews. So most people do fairly well.

KMIMSM said:
hi famercyst.
pharmcas sent my application on oct 26. I have not heard from them regarding interviews or rejection or anything.
when should I expect to hear from them whether I qualify to get an interview or not?
when are rejection letters sent out?
thanks. you're the usc-go-to guy arn't you?
Click to expand...

I submitted my application 10/30/06 and got my first "lack letter" 12/14/06 (still have the email).
That's as early as I'd expect because right now they're processing the interview data and trying to select the first round of students. After that, they'll do some more application reviews and send out January interviews. Just so you know, I didn't get an interview invite until late February for the March interviews. I was put on waitlist and not accepted until May/June 07, so you may be in for a long wait, but it might just work out ok. :luck:

And yes, I do what I can.👍
 
Farmercyst, you really do a lot for our peace of mind. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Seriously.

I have a question, although I don't expect there'll be a straightforward answer. I'm wondering why the decisions were made within 3-4 weeks last year (11/13 interviews with first week Dec. decisions mailed), but this year are expected to take 4-6 weeks? Did the number of people interviewed this year increase from last year?
 
6 weeks is wayyy too long ! 🙁
 
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sungieality said:
Farmercyst, you really do a lot for our peace of mind. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Seriously.

I have a question, although I don't expect there'll be a straightforward answer. I'm wondering why the decisions were made within 3-4 weeks last year (11/13 interviews with first week Dec. decisions mailed), but this year are expected to take 4-6 weeks? Did the number of people interviewed this year increase from last year?
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I thought it was just so that people wouldn't call and bug them all the time as to their status. Uop quoted 3-4 weeks but I received a decision in a week.
 
My application was late...my fault...so i am in tier 3..so i was wondering when people from tier 3 are gonna start to hear back..thanks

oops wrong thread!
 
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