USC School of Dentistry Class of 2028 Interview/Acceptance Thread

Do you guys think there will me more invites for January? It doesn't look like they sent out a lot of invites a few days ago
So the first wave of acceptances were on December 15. These were given out to people at the top of the interviewee ranking, and they are given 30 days to reserve their spot. There will be interviews till April or May I believe. So just hold tight because there definitely will be more interviews going out - especially after January 15.
 
I completed my Kira 9/27 but have not received PBL invite. Does anyone know if it is still possible to receive one?
 
I completed my Kira 9/27 but have not received PBL invite. Does anyone know if it is still possible to receive one?
usc will be interviewing at least through march
sometimes april and may
 
I completed my Kira 9/27 but have not received PBL invite. Does anyone know if it is still possible to receive one?
I completed mine on 9/20 and haven’t heard back. Not really sure what will happen at this point. But stay hopeful🙏🏻
 
Even though it is an expensive school, I wonder how likely it is to get off the waitlist, considering they are conducting interviews through May…
 
Can someone share their interview experience this year please?
There's a short, general presentation at the start. There's around 20-30 people that are split into groups of 6-8 which are then escorted into different rooms in the building to conduct the PBL interview. You're given a fictional case and you work as a team to 1. Identify the facts, 2. Come up with ideas/hypotheses based on the facts, and 3. Coming up with learning needs (basically what you want to learn based on the facts and ideas of the case). It went pretty smoothly for me, I did notice there were some people that had practiced for it (this was not the case for me, I wanted to go in w/o any formal prep so that I can see if it was the right learning style and choice for me) and I'm not going to be a negative nancy and say it hurt their application, but if you are going to prep for it just make sure you don't sound too automated or it isn't obvious that you've been rehearsing it - sure prep conveys your interest in the program, but you also want to make sure you're witty and able to be personable with the interviewer and other candidates. I personally was very relaxed during this stage because I didn't really prep for it so there was no anxiety, I was just like I'll be myself - and the confidence and relaxation definitely radiated out because I decreased the tension within my group and that may be why the interviewer liked me. At the end of the day, the PBL interview is just for you to see if you like the learning style and for them to decide if you'd be a good team player. After the PBL interview, there's a presentation on financial aid, which is then followed by a general presentation of the program and school by the assistant dean (also USC is like one of the only schools that doesn't teach on amalgams). And then it's followed by a lunch with current DDS students so that you can gain more information and insight into the program from their perspective, and then the students give us a tour of the building. At the end, the admissions counsellor answers any last questions anyone may have. Overall, it was a very chill interview experience and I enjoyed it - but I think the composition of your group really determines your success or experience of the interview. If you want some tips, I'd say: 1. definitely contribute to the discussion (don't be too quiet or get in your head) 2. don't contribute too much (you don't want to seem as if you're taking over the convo) 3. smile and support your group members ideas (looks rlly good from a collaboration standpoint) 4. try to stand out, but also don't try too hard (there's a part where the interviewer asks what an interesting fact about yourself is; I personally also stood out by being the only candidate to wear a suit color other than navy blue or black, but my interviewer personally liked the choice - i wouldn't go as far to claim that it influenced his decision, but just thought I'd give as an example).
 
The groupme # keeps going up have more people got in past 12/15 or has it only been those from that day?
 
There's a short, general presentation at the start. There's around 20-30 people that are split into groups of 6-8 which are then escorted into different rooms in the building to conduct the PBL interview. You're given a fictional case and you work as a team to 1. Identify the facts, 2. Come up with ideas/hypotheses based on the facts, and 3. Coming up with learning needs (basically what you want to learn based on the facts and ideas of the case). It went pretty smoothly for me, I did notice there were some people that had practiced for it (this was not the case for me, I wanted to go in w/o any formal prep so that I can see if it was the right learning style and choice for me) and I'm not going to be a negative nancy and say it hurt their application, but if you are going to prep for it just make sure you don't sound too automated or it isn't obvious that you've been rehearsing it - sure prep conveys your interest in the program, but you also want to make sure you're witty and able to be personable with the interviewer and other candidates. I personally was very relaxed during this stage because I didn't really prep for it so there was no anxiety, I was just like I'll be myself - and the confidence and relaxation definitely radiated out because I decreased the tension within my group and that may be why the interviewer liked me. At the end of the day, the PBL interview is just for you to see if you like the learning style and for them to decide if you'd be a good team player. After the PBL interview, there's a presentation on financial aid, which is then followed by a general presentation of the program and school by the assistant dean (also USC is like one of the only schools that doesn't teach on amalgams). And then it's followed by a lunch with current DDS students so that you can gain more information and insight into the program from their perspective, and then the students give us a tour of the building. At the end, the admissions counsellor answers any last questions anyone may have. Overall, it was a very chill interview experience and I enjoyed it - but I think the composition of your group really determines your success or experience of the interview. If you want some tips, I'd say: 1. definitely contribute to the discussion (don't be too quiet or get in your head) 2. don't contribute too much (you don't want to seem as if you're taking over the convo) 3. smile and support your group members ideas (looks rlly good from a collaboration standpoint) 4. try to stand out, but also don't try too hard (there's a part where the interviewer asks what an interesting fact about yourself is; I personally also stood out by being the only candidate to wear a suit color other than navy blue or black, but my interviewer personally liked the choice - i wouldn't go as far to claim that it influenced his decision, but just thought I'd give as an example).

Can I ask you what kind of attire most people where wearing?
 
did anyone get off the waitlist who already had their interviews?
 
starting to lose hope lol...got my kira interview sept 18th and it's been crickets these past couple months
 
For people who have already received interviews, is it true that they are usually sent out on a Wednesday?
 
For people who have already received interviews, is it true that they are usually sent out on a Wednesday?
For both the Kira and the in-person interview, I received invites on Tuesdays. If I remember correctly, the in-person interviews are conducted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
 
seen a few people who submitted kira on Sept 26-28 got in person interview invites!! Would you mind sharing your stats if you got a pbl interview and submitted kira on sept 26-28? Is anyone from those days still waiting? I've lost my hope 🙁
 
seen a few people who submitted kira on Sept 26-28 got in person interview invites!! Would you mind sharing your stats if you got a pbl interview and submitted kira on sept 26-28? Is anyone from those days still waiting? I've lost my hope 🙁
Don’t lose hope. They are not yet done interviewing.
 
Does anyone know if there is a written assessment during the in-person interview? From what I’ve read, I know that’s something they’ve done in the past.
 
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does anyone know if the class is full? Are they only doing PBL interviews for the waitlist?
 
Has anyone that did Kira in January heard back for a PBL invite? Also does everyone get a Kira or is it selective? I'm losing hope ):
 
Has anyone that did Kira in January heard back for a PBL invite? Also does everyone get a Kira or is it selective? I'm losing hope ):
not everyone gets kira and not everyone that gets kira gets a PBL invite...
 
not everyone gets kira and not everyone that gets kira gets a PBL invite...
Ok thank you! I just did my Kira a week ago I'm hoping that I will get a PBL but I know it's so late in the cycle. Oh well!
 
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