*USC Keck School of Medicine Class of 2011*

[dasacohen]

hey all--

time for me to to join this thread. I'm still waiting for my SO to get into here and then it would be a definite. somewhat like mike, I too might have three of my high school friends attending keck as well. I'm up at berkeley right now finishing up, but then I''ll be down in LA and us classmates should all hang out/grab a drink or something like that.

Looking forward to meeting you all and playing a little beach volleyball (plus dodger stadium is SO close to keck )

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[SoCalOrBust]

Hey all,

First off congrats to all of you that will be starting at Keck this August. Having finished step 1 and 3rd year clerkships I can tell you that you have some fantastic training ahead of you and you will be very well prepared for your careers.

I am going into fourth year and I have a spot that opened up at my apartment this summer. There is one other 3rd year that will be here. The rent is about 560 a month, school is about 25min away in the morning with traffic and you dont have to use the freeway. Its a safe neighborhood and a grocery store, movie theater, coffee shop and an LA fitness are within easy walking distance. Oh and the place is owned by a USC faculty member that will give you honors for your family med rotation in 3rd year!

All I ask for is someone thats reasonably clean- doesnt leave dishes out for a week, that sort of thing. Im applying for G surg and my roomy is applying ENT; you'll hang with us as we do applications this coming year.

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for this! anyone interested let me know.

 

[SoCalOrBust]

Oh and I have this coming week off and can answer questions... although im not about to spend all of that precious week sitting at the computer

 

[pennybridge]

I'm still waiting for my SO to get into here and then it would be a definite.

admissions won't just let her in? maybe you could send them a video displaying how "serious" you two are....

 

[WayChanger]

im wondering this too...do any current students know when they ask for this? im in a masters program and i won't have any complete transcript until early August probably. does anyone know how they define 'satisfactory academic progress' and how strictly they look at it. ever since i got in, ive been slacking majorly and i'm a little scared

There's no definite deadline for sending in your transcript; the admissions office does not seem terribly concerned about this. The safe thing to do would be to send it in before classes started, at the latest.

 

[microgal]

admissions won't just let her in? maybe you could send them a video displaying how "serious" you two are....

Penny be nice, there will be none of that here.


Welcome Dasacohen, hope your girlfriend gets in too.

 

[bbadrinath30]

quick question for you socalorbust, what are the summers like??? calm, hectic or somewhere in between? I remember my tour guide saying you start building contacts and gaining weight for your residency apps in the summer but i couldnt remember what year that started or if it was all four. thanx for the info.

 

[deleted128318]

quick question for you socalorbust, what are the summers like??? calm, hectic or somewhere in between? I remember my tour guide saying you start building contacts and gaining weight for your residency apps in the summer but i couldnt remember what year that started or if it was all four. thanx for the info.

you mean summer(no s)?

 

[SoCalOrBust]

quick question for you socalorbust, what are the summers like??? calm, hectic or somewhere in between? I remember my tour guide saying you start building contacts and gaining weight for your residency apps in the summer but i couldnt remember what year that started or if it was all four. thanx for the info.

1st year summer is a free two months- spend it wisely... second summer is pretty much for boards depending on how early to take the step 1... 3rd year started JUly 5th last year... I have my "flex block" coming up next that is about 5 weeks of open time... really its just an early start on 4th year... im taking next week off and then i have a series of 3 really important 4wk rotations for surgery: surg ICU, thoracic foregut (to get the surg chair rec letter that I need) and then hopefully an away rotation that Im still trying to get scheduled. I dont think ill have alot of time to gain weight this summer. Once fall kicks in and apps are underway, things will relax a bit.

If you time the step 1 early or take a flex block for July (your first 3rd yr "rotation") you can make a summer break foryourself in between 2nd and third year. also, 4th year is relatively chill and gives you alot of freedom to shcedule whatever you want. Im gonna have a massive vacation from december to the end of January to relax and study for step 2 (something that actually wont be on my residency app).

COntact building starts when you want it to start- my summer was based on research that didnt really help my application in the end. I did basic science immunology research but my publications and rec letters came from working with our surgery department from 1st year to the present.

 

[dasacohen]

aw penny you're still not letting that go? I thought we'd let bygones be bygones, or whatever wyclef says

 

[pennybridge]

aw penny you're still not letting that go? I thought we'd let bygones be bygones, or whatever wyclef says

sorry didn't mean to offend, I was just making a joke that involved the Keck admissions office getting a sex tape in the mail.

But seriously, if she's on the waitlist, if you just pester admissions enough they might bump her up, they seem to like keeping their students happy.

 

[dasacohen]

lol I didn't catch that but no offense taken.

Ya I'm probably going to pester DQ for a little while. hope it all goes well.

 

[pennybridge]

lol I didn't catch that but no offense taken.

Ya I'm probably going to pester DQ for a little while. hope it all goes well.

get everyone on the facebook group to write her emails. haha, we will be the most annoying class in history.

 

[ghsieh]

Hey everyone,

I am most likely going to USC next year so I'm looking for housing. Does anyone know of what kind of housing there is in the area? Or like... what neighborhoods, and info about them (ie how close to the school, price ranges, safety, other relevant things)?

 

[dasacohen]

hey gh--

are you not getting the emails from iris and the rest of the lovely USC staff? they have a housing ad which goes out everyone month so that kids can group together, and that real estate agents can post places to rent, etc.

When you get admitted to USC they add you to the lovely announcement lists so you can read about how cool it will be to be at SC.

hope that helps!

 

[SoCalOrBust]

Im actually a 4th year looking for roomates at the moment. Im currently in an apartment with two other rooms and in a safe neighborhood. Its not quite as close as monterey hills (20min in morning to get to school) but closer to grocery stores and that sort of thing.

Hey everyone,

I am most likely going to USC next year so I'm looking for housing. Does anyone know of what kind of housing there is in the area? Or like... what neighborhoods, and info about them (ie how close to the school, price ranges, safety, other relevant things)?

 

[icecoldalpha06]

Hey does anyone have a clue when the first day of class is? Or even when orientation week is?

 

[WayChanger]

Hey does anyone have a clue when the first day of class is? Or even when orientation week is?

Keck's not terribly great about planning schedules way in advance (we just finished 1st year, and I don't think our 2nd year schedule is even totally set yet). However, if they follow approximately what they had for us, I would guess that 1st year will begin on August 13th (we started on the 14th this year). That week is technically Orientation Week, but there are some lectures thrown in. First serious lectures will probably start on Friday of that week.

 

[frangeo27]

Hey gang,

Anyone personally recommend anyone of the lenders off the USC financial aid website. I'm having a hard time picking. Does it really make a difference? I guess you want to pick the lender with the lowest fees, but other than that? anyone?

 

[sona1128]

USC credit union offers 4.5 % instead of 6.8 on stafford loans

 

[trichomoniasis]

USC credit union offers 4.5 % instead of 6.8 on stafford loans

ehh you may want to look into that further, elsewhere on their page they say 6.8% just like everyone else.

In fact, for Stafford loans the only rate I've ever seen was 6.8%, except Medloans offers a 0.3% IRR on first disbursement, so the interest is lower for the four years you're in school.

Do check on USC credit union though, 4.5% is ridiculously low.


on another note, Packet #1 holla! Finally we get some concrete dates for this shizbang!

 

[trichomoniasis]

two months! woooooo

 

[Tropicana100]

Hi guys! Congrats on getting in. I'm thinking about applying to Keck this year. I was wondering what kind of opportunities or factors made you choose Keck SOM. Are any of you planning on doing research? Thanks in advance.

 

[trichomoniasis]

Hi guys! Congrats on getting in. I'm thinking about applying to Keck this year. I was wondering what kind of opportunities or factors made you choose Keck SOM. Are any of you planning on doing research? Thanks in advance.

Well Keck is great because it gives you the opportunity to study medicine and earn an MD.







County
cool curriculum w/ extensive board prep
USC alumni throughout southern california
students seem un-annoying


Yes I plan on doing research there, I was involved with molecular bio research in undergrad (UCLA) for a long time, publications, blah blah, it's fun and challenging, helps you make connections, helps the CV for residency, and the research prospects at USC are only going to get better as more and more money is getting dumped around there. Plus USC researchers have always been well respected (at least they are at UCLA).

I guess bottom line is that if you want to ultimately practice in southern california, you can do a lot worse than going to Keck

 

[mammoth22]

Congrats to all you who got into Keck, awesome school. I’m just throwing it out there, my relatives have a couple of houses available for rent that I thought you guys might be interested in. The first one is a 3 bed/2bath, 2 car garage, yard, house that is available to rent. It will be available August 1st, so perfect for the start of school. The house is entirely newly remodeled, newly tiled bathrooms, newly tiled kitchen, new hardwood floors, and new doors throughout the entire house. New stove/hood. Hardwood floors in all bedrooms. Granit counters in kitchen and bathrooms. Ceiling fans in 2 of the 3 bedrooms. The largest bedroom is 21x14. Central air/heat. Covered patio in the back yard. Washer/dryer and refrigerator are already in the house, so you wouldn’t have to go out and get one. Quiet neighborhood with great neighbors. Rent is $2150, not bad for LA with a brand new interior. Gardeners are included in the rent.

The second house is a little bigger. 4 bed/1.5 baths, large family room, 2 car carport, nicely landscaped garden. There are also 2 rooms that are not connected to the house in the back yard. One of them is big enough to make into another bedroom and the other room could be an office/game room. Also in the back yard is a built in fire pit and covered patio. New carpet and paint throughout entire house. 2 of the bedrooms and kitchen have ceiling fans. Sky lights in the family room. Central air/heat. New stove/hood. Washer/dryer hook ups. Refrigerator already in the house. Dishwasher. Tiled bathrooms/kitchen. The house is in the same neighborhood as the above house. Rent is $2300, and again, gardeners are included in the rent. Available July/August.

Both houses are located in Monterey Park, which is 10 mins by freeway, and a for sure 10-15 mins on surface streets in traffic in the morning, so not bad considering the LA area. It’s 7-8 miles from school, in a great safe neighborhood. The previous tenants at one of the houses were also Keck Med students, so it’s definitely an area that med students would live in. PM me if you want more info/pictures and are interested.

 

[lakersfan]

Congrats to all of you coming to Keck next year.

I just wanted to let any of you guys who may be interested know that my roommate is leaving to do a research year at Cornell so I have a vacancy in my apartment in Monterey Hills. You will be getting your own bathroom (You will be sharing a 2 bed, 2 bath condo w/ me, a third year at Keck). The place is available beginning August 1st (you can move in a week earlier if you want to...you just need to give me a heads up though). The rent is 800/month. PM me if you are interested. The drive to school is about 15 minutes in the morning w/ traffic....not too bad.

You can also PM if you have questions about other housing options in L.A...I'll be more than happy to respond. Thanks!

 

[AJSoprano]

Comfort and luxury close to USC Health Campus and LA County Hospital!

2nd year medical student (male) looking to share a beautiful, spacious 1100sq ft. 2BR/2BA apartment in the best and newest complex in Monterey Hills. Located in luxurious "Linden Heights" complex overlooking the valley.
Enjoy a private master bedroom and bathroom
Large kitchen with refrigerator and appliances
Large living room with dining area
Complex offers a huge pool with heated jacuzzi and private gym
Incredibly safe with gated entrance to complex and gated parking

Convenient Driving Distances:
USC Health Campus/LA County Hospital: 5 minutes!
Downtown LA: 5 minutes
Pasadena: 5 minutes

Rent will be $925/month, includes gas and water, one year lease.

About me :
I am a busy MSII who is rarely home. I am clean and polite. There won’t be any drama.

My roommate: No drugs, and not too many parties. No pets, sorry.

If interested, contact me
[email protected]
Cell (412)-512-5061

 

[HreComesTheSun]

if anyone is looking for some furniture, i am selling my stuff for really cheap (queen size bed, couch, computer desk, bookshelf, file cabinet, dresser/drawer, etc) since i am moving to NY. i live close to keck so pick up should be easy--feel free to PM me for pics if you're interested

 

[futureMDderm]

i'm applying this year and interviewed over 3 weeks ago, and I was just wondering when you guys found out you were accepted? Thanks!