2019-2020 University of Southern California (Keck)

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I got the same call yesterday as well! It was unreal. I was just about to go and start working more on prewriting secondaries when I heard back. I had pretty much given up hope at that point, but it's great to know that it was all worth it now.
congrats!!! I'll see you next year then! :giggle:

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Guys, I was literally crying today when Dean Arias called me. Like many of us still here on this forum, I was waitlisted post-interview. I submitted my waitlist LOI on 4/30 and didn't hear anything from them until today so I was ready to reapply this cycle. This afternoon Dean Arias called me to tell me that she had been putting off calling me because she was waiting to offer me a spot in their entering class for this year but this application cycle has been quite strange in that there has been little to no movement on the waitlist and it's already the end of June. She told me that everyone thought I was wonderful and that they'd love to have me, if not this year then next year for sure. Basically, she told me that if she can't make room for me with this year's entering class (and the chances are slim at this point), then I have guaranteed admission into next year's class without having to reapply at all. I think the official term for this amazing opportunity I've been given is a deferred offer of admission into Keck School of Medicine of USC for the class of 2025. I'm not sure how often they do this kind of thing but I couldn't be more grateful.

To those of you who have lost hope, don't give up! Everyone will have their time and when you get that call, it's more than worth it. I promise! :giggle:
I got the same call yesterday as well! It was unreal. I was just about to go and start working more on prewriting secondaries when I heard back. I had pretty much given up hope at that point, but it's great to know that it was all worth it now.
congrats! +1 same call 2 days ago :)
 
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congrats! +1 same call 2 days ago :)
omg congrats to you too! That's so awesome. Thanks for sharing! Ugh I love Keck. This was the only school that made me feel like a person throughout this whole awful process and not just another number to an admissions committee. I just finished the formal process of deferring my acceptance to next year and it feels so good to just be done! It's so surreal. We get to be regular people this year and FINALLY relax knowing we have a home at Keck SOM next year.

Congrats to Keck MD c/o 2024, and congrats to us, Keck MD c/o 2025!

Side note: I wonder how many other people got this offer because if there is significant overflow from the 2019-2020 app cycle to next year's class, then the people applying this cycle will have a harder time since there will be less seats available :thinking:
 
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That is actually dope af that keck did that for you guys. Now you can actually do whatever the f you want this additional gap year. Sweet deal
 
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omg congrats to you too! That's so awesome. Thanks for sharing! Ugh I love Keck. This was the only school that made me feel like a person throughout this whole awful process and not just another number to an admissions committee. I just finished the formal process of deferring my acceptance to next year and it feels so good to just be done! It's so surreal. We get to be regular people this year and FINALLY relax knowing we have a home at Keck SOM next year.

Congrats to Keck MD c/o 2024, and congrats to us, Keck MD c/o 2025!

Side note: I wonder how many other people got this offer because if there is significant overflow from the 2019-2020 app cycle to next year's class, then the people applying this cycle will have a harder time since there will be less seats available :thinking:

Got this call too! Curious, what was the official process like? I haven’t sent her an email yet. Should we make a lil 2025 group
 
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Got this call too! Curious, what was the official process like? I haven’t sent her an email yet. Should we make a lil 2025 group
I sent the email and basically, it's treated as a deferral. So I'm waiting on filling out the official paperwork since i already submitted an application for this year so there's some stuff they need to correct in the system.
 
Got this call too! Curious, what was the official process like? I haven’t sent her an email yet. Should we make a lil 2025 group
Congrats! Yeah, it's treated like a deferral. Once you send Dr. Arias an email, she will forward it to the office and they'll get the paperwork started. Once your offer letter is emailed to you, here are the next steps (which they will also outline in their emails to you):
  • Accept their offer on the Keck SOM secondary application portal. A new tab, "Offer Letter" will pop up and you need to sign that you meet the technical standards.
  • On your AMCAS 2020 application, the "Choose your medical school" button will show up and you need to "commit to enroll" at Keck SOM
  • Note: Dr. Arias will send a separate email with instructions for this next step, so I would wait for her email before proceeding to this last step. Then you'll have to submit an application on AMCAS for 2021, but only for Keck and as a "Delayed/Deferred matriculation" applicant. You don't have to pay for this or anything and your 2021 application can be exactly the same as last year's since you're already admitted.
  • Once AMCAS has verified your 2021 app, Keck will send you an invitation for a secondary that you don't have to fill out, just submit it. They will use this to usher our file to acceptance in the next cycle.
  • Then you have to do a background check this year and again next year in January.
We will start receiving emails about matriculation after 10/15/2020, when we are formally accepted to the Class of 2025!

They're really quick with all of this. I took care of it all within a day.
 
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Congrats! Yeah, it's treated like a deferral. Once you send Dr. Arias an email, she will forward it to the office and they'll get the paperwork started. Once your offer letter is emailed to you, here are the next steps (which they will also outline in their emails to you):
  • Accept their offer on the Keck SOM secondary application portal. A new tab, "Offer Letter" will pop up and you need to sign that you meet the technical standards.
  • On your AMCAS 2020 application, the "Choose your medical school" button will show up and you need to "commit to enroll" at Keck SOM
  • Note: Dr. Arias will send a separate email with instructions for this next step, so I would wait for her email before proceeding to this last step. Then you'll have to submit an application on AMCAS for 2021, but only for Keck and as a "Delayed/Deferred matriculation" applicant. You don't have to pay for this or anything and your 2021 application can be exactly the same as last year's since you're already admitted.
  • Once AMCAS has verified your 2021 app, Keck will send you an invitation for a secondary that you don't have to fill out, just submit it. They will use this to usher our file to acceptance in the next cycle.
  • Then you have to do a background check this year and again next year in January.
We will start receiving emails about matriculation after 10/15/2020, when we are formally accepted to the Class of 2025!

They're really quick with all of this. I took care of it all within a day.

Honestly so cool that they're doing this. Congrats! Enjoy your sweet, sweet, adventured-filled, not needing to impress anyone, gap year!!
 
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I want to speculate on something. We all know with Step 1 going P/F, medical school prestige will play a larger role in matching. This was supported by a PD survey that was released today where over 50% of PDs said prestige would play a larger role, with 25% neutral and 17% disagreeing. How do you all think Keck is affected by this?
 
I want to speculate on something. We all know with Step 1 going P/F, medical school prestige will play a larger role in matching. This was supported by a PD survey that was released today where over 50% of PDs said prestige would play a larger role, with 25% neutral and 17% disagreeing. How do you all think Keck is affected by this?
I personally feel like Keck is one of those where it’s reputation doesn’t really hurt or help an app-I feel like most programs won’t weigh the schools controversies on the students themselves, but ranking wise I feel like it’s a fairly midranked school -correct me if I’m wrong though
 
I personally feel like Keck is one of those where it’s reputation doesn’t really hurt or help an app-I feel like most programs won’t weigh the schools controversies on the students themselves, but ranking wise I feel like it’s a fairly midranked school -correct me if I’m wrong though

I'm not sure. To be honest, I have heard that Keck is midranked as it is designated by WedgeDawg, I don't know what "midranked" means. I think both you and I are kinda thinking along the same lines.
 
I'm not sure. To be honest, I have heard that Keck is midranked as it is designated by WedgeDawg, I don't know what "midranked" means. I think both you and I are kinda thinking along the same lines.
Keck is not midranked lol. It’s a T30. People know about LAC and the clinical training you get there.
 
I want to speculate on something. We all know with Step 1 going P/F, medical school prestige will play a larger role in matching. This was supported by a PD survey that was released today where over 50% of PDs said prestige would play a larger role, with 25% neutral and 17% disagreeing. How do you all think Keck is affected by this?
My guess is that it won’t affect a majority of the match. Keck will still have a regional advantage in matching to CA/West coast residencies, so a majority of students will probably match in the region just like before. I also think that if a "bigger name" residency program takes Keck students almost yearly (places like NYU, Mt. Sinai, UCLA, etc.), that’s probably not gonna change much as well.

What I'm not sure about is how much it’ll affect the handful of tippy top program matches we get each year, and I'm a bit more pessimistic about those situations tbh. I'd say there'll be a better chance to match in places like UCSF or Stanford, just because I've seen more Keck students match there vs. prestigious east coast programs, but still I think it'll be a steeper climb than before and will definitely require a lot more research and networking.
 
My guess is that it won’t affect a majority of the match. Keck will still have a regional advantage in matching to CA/West coast residencies, so a majority of students will probably match in the region just like before. I also think that if a "bigger name" residency program takes Keck students almost yearly (places like NYU, Mt. Sinai, UCLA, etc.), that’s probably not gonna change much as well.

What I'm not sure about is how much it’ll affect the handful of tippy top program matches we get each year, and I'm a bit more pessimistic about those situations tbh. I'd say there'll be a better chance to match in places like UCSF or Stanford, just because I've seen more Keck students match there vs. prestigious east coast programs, but still I think it'll be a steeper climb than before and will definitely require a lot more research and networking.

Thanks so much for your constant presence on this forum Gibbward. I'd like to ask you about the matching tendencies of Keck; I'd like to do residency outside of California and wanted to know what steps your fellow classmates take to network or build connections outside of California. Thanks!
 
Thanks so much for your constant presence on this forum Gibbward. I'd like to ask you about the matching tendencies of Keck; I'd like to do residency outside of California and wanted to know what steps your fellow classmates take to network or build connections outside of California. Thanks!
No problem! The main thing that I hear from other students and faculty advisors is away rotations. You don't necessarily need to go do one in the exact program you want to, but definitely the region or state or something like that. Going conferences and networking that way, and maybe getting research collaborations through that or can also be helpful coz then you can give yourself a tie to the region that you can use in your apps or interviews. I do think the biggest factor is your personal ties to the city or region you're applying to, or at least convincing programs that you're definitely willing to leave California since so many are trying to match here.
 
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Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I'm starting an informal Facebook group for all deferred applicants into KECK SOM's Class of 2025. If you'd like to be added to the group, DM me with your facebook name and I'd be happy to add you.

Already have a few people in it, looking forward to meeting everyone!
 
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I don't recall anyone indicating they received full-tuition scholarship for the class of 2024, but definitely half-tuitions were awarded.
 
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