USC Interview

[Mysteree]

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I just got invited to interview at USC 🙂 Those of you who've already been interviewed, could you tell me what it was like? Any advice that you'd like to share, things you wish you'd done or asked? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Keepin' my fingers crossed!

 

[jrsdsu]

I just got invited to interview at USC 🙂 Those of you who've already been interviewed, could you tell me what it was like? Any advice that you'd like to share, things you wish you'd done or asked? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Keepin' my fingers crossed!

thing i wished i knew before= how much this school costs, insane.
you will be told to write 1 paragraph on a topic. i was asked to write about a strong influence in my life. you go to school only 2 days a week, yes you do most of the studying on your own(not worth the money they ask for). you will also be set up into a group of 5-6 people crammed in a tiny room and asked a series of question to be answered as a group(this is the part where your being evaluated).

Good luck, but once again very very expensive. 👎

 

[Mysteree]

Thanks for the quick response 🙂 Yeah, I know it's quite pricey. Only thing is the other place I'm accepted thus far happens to be private as well, difference being that w/USC I'm at least in CA. How long did they give you to write this one paragraph? Do you get time to spend w/ dental students to talk to them? What kind of questions did they ask in the group situation? If you don't mind my asking how long ago were you interviewed and did you get accepted..and while I'm at it, can I ask what your numbers were like?

thing i wished i knew before= how much this school costs, insane.
you will be told to write 1 paragraph on a topic. i was asked to write about a strong influence in my life. you go to school only 2 days a week, yes you do most of the studying on your own(not worth the money they ask for). you will also be set up into a group of 5-6 people crammed in a tiny room and asked a series of question to be answered as a group(this is the part where your being evaluated).

Good luck, but once again very very expensive. 👎

 

[jrsdsu]

Thanks for the quick response 🙂 Yeah, I know it's quite pricey. Only thing is the other place I'm accepted thus far happens to be private as well, difference being that w/USC I'm at least in CA. How long did they give you to write this one paragraph? Do you get time to spend w/ dental students to talk to them? What kind of questions did they ask in the group situation? If you don't mind my asking how long ago were you interviewed and did you get accepted..and while I'm at it, can I ask what your numbers were like?

15 mins to write, lunch time with students,case questions can vary, you cant prepare for it. i was interviewed in mid october and accepted dec.3rd. my numbers are decent. good luck

 

[Mysteree]

15 mins to write, lunch time with students,case questions can vary, you cant prepare for it. i was interviewed in mid october and accepted dec.3rd. my numbers are decent. good luck

Thanks for all your help, I take it you chose not to go there? good luck to you too!

 

[PDizzle]

There are no direct questions you will be asked. It's not an interview. They evaluate your abilities to function in a group. Nothing at your day at USC can be prepared for so just try to relax.

At the PBL session, don't interupt anyone, don't be totally quiet, volunteer to read and write on the board and just try to get into the exercise and you will do fine.


..Good luck

 

[vaio]

i interviewed in january....be sure to participate (don't stay quiet), and like dizzle said, don't interrupt others.... i still haven't heard back from them ...

 

[Mysteree]

Thanks Pdizzle and Vaio for your advice. I'll keep that in mind. Is there a lot of walking involved that day?

 

[Rajan247]

thing i wished i knew before= how much this school costs, insane.
you will be told to write 1 paragraph on a topic. i was asked to write about a strong influence in my life. you go to school only 2 days a week, yes you do most of the studying on your own(not worth the money they ask for). you will also be set up into a group of 5-6 people crammed in a tiny room and asked a series of question to be answered as a group(this is the part where your being evaluated).

Good luck, but once again very very expensive. 👎

I got an interview for USC but i'm not going. I already accepted OSU and I like there program better. The warm weather would be nice though, but not that nice for the change i'll be dropping on living expenses and tuition.

Good luck to those interviewing.

RS

 

[Mysteree]

the pbl portion...is it biological science related..?

i interviewed in january....be sure to participate (don't stay quiet), and like dizzle said, don't interrupt others.... i still haven't heard back from them ...

 

[vaio]

the pbl portion...is it biological science related..?

it can be anything....but there is no factual information that you are going to be tested on.....they will test your analytical skills, and like i said before how you interact in the group; no way to prepare for it..relax, and just remember to participate...thats it

 

[Mysteree]

it can be anything....but there is no factual information that you are going to be tested on.....they will test your analytical skills, and like i said before how you interact in the group; no way to prepare for it..relax, and just remember to participate...thats it

Oh ok, thanks so much vaio..I'm just getting nervous, you can imagine why. Thanks for the advice, I will try and stay relaxed.

 

[luder98]

Just like others said, the key is to listen, participate and volunteer if you can. If I were you, I would look in the interview page. Many SDNers were nice enough to post the questions they had. Your writing topic may be one of those questions. Mine was what was the greatest invention and why? I had seen this question before so I was quite prepared for it. They also didn't limit us to how long we could write. I saw couple of people still writing during the presentation. I personally don't like their PBL since I don't want to depend on others for my learning. Many like it though. Good Luck!

 

[blumnday99]

the pbl portion...is it biological science related..?

The mock-pbl cases aren't ever science related. It's designed to test your thought process. It requires more common sense than any specific scientific knowledge.

 

[Mysteree]

The mock-pbl cases aren't ever science related. It's designed to test your thought process. It requires more common sense than any specific scientific knowledge.

Thanks and congrats! How long ago did you interview at tufts. Can I ask why you chose to attend SC over Tufts?

 

[Mysteree]

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[blumnday99]

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[blumnday99]

Thanks and congrats! How long ago did you interview at tufts. Can I ask why you chose to attend SC over Tufts?

The location and the program. I have my family in southern CA and the weather is amazing. I didn't think I could sit through lectures all day any more, so PBL was a good choice for me.

 

[Mysteree]

The location and the program. I have my family in southern CA and the weather is amazing. I didn't think I could sit through lectures all day any more, so PBL was a good choice for me.

I'm in southern cal myself, so I agree re: our amazing weather! How long ago did you interview? What was your dental experience like? Congrats! and thanks for sharing your stats

 

[blumnday99]

I'm in southern cal myself, so I agree re: our amazing weather! How long ago did you interview? What was your dental experience like? Congrats! and thanks for sharing your stats

I interviewed last January. After graduating from UCSB, I worked in a biotech lab for 1/2 a year and then worked for Disney Cable for a year. All of my pre-dental school experience came from working at my parent's office.

 

[Mysteree]

Your parents, are they dentists??

I interviewed last January. After graduating from UCSB, I worked in a biotech lab for 1/2 a year and then worked for Disney Cable for a year. All of my pre-dental school experience came from working at my parent's office.

 

[blumnday99]

Your parents, are they dentists??

My parents, brother and uncle.

 

[vaio]

anyone know how full USC is right now? and when, if they are, going to send out more acceptances

 

[Mysteree]

...

 

[EyeAmCommi]

They interview until May so they can't be full or even nearly full at all.

 

[sunnymeliss]

The USC interview was the easiest and least stressful interview of all. There is no personal interview, just the PBL session. If you're an outgoing person and you're willing to talk, you should have no problem. The whole process was really laid back and easy. Good luck!

 

[Mysteree]

The USC interview was the easiest and least stressful interview of all. There is no personal interview, just the PBL session. If you're an outgoing person and you're willing to talk, you should have no problem. The whole process was really laid back and easy. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice..I'm pretty outgoing so hopefully I'll do fine. Do you know/remember if we walk around much that day? Thanks.

 

[PDizzle]

Thanks for the advice..I'm pretty outgoing so hopefully I'll do fine. Do you know/remember if we walk around much that day? Thanks.

They say before hand that's it a long day and there is a lot of walking. It's really not that bad though. If you're a girl and want to know if you should wear "sensible" shoes, then, yeah, wear walking shoes.