USC Class of 2012: Trojan Family Thread

www.westernu.edu/pharmacy/
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koercive said:
It is possible to get in without a degree at all..

I am not a science major, and in my opinion, it works out better. Why compete with all the bio/chem/science majors in unneeded (for pre-reqs anyways) classes and lower your gpa? I've had a balanced undergrad (studying , having fun/partying, ECs, almost a full-time job), and I still have higher grades than most of the people I know in Bio. I am gonna get a BA in Social Sciences, so I had a lot of free time on the side (even after taking pre-reqs which I took at a reasonable pace). Just my 2cents
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Although it is not stated, I think having a strong background in advanced sciences (especially courses pertaining to human biology) would outweigh a strong background in social sciences. It is also stated in the USC FAQ that even though they do not have preferences in majors "most of our applicants are science majors. The most common majors are biology, chemistry, biochemistry, psychobiology, etc."
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whitedc5 said:
Although it is not stated, I think having a strong background in advanced sciences (especially courses pertaining to human biology) would outweigh a strong background in social sciences. It is also stated in the USC FAQ that even though they do not have preferences in majors "most of our applicants are science majors. The most common majors are biology, chemistry, biochemistry, psychobiology, etc."
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in the end, GPA is what matters IMO



I drive a dc5 too :thumbup:
 
can anyone explain to me the grading system for usc pharm school?
 
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Just a quick question. How long does it take for USC to send you a LACK letter after you've submitted your applications?

I recieved confirmation for my supp about three weeks ago, but what haven't heard anything about them receiving my pharmcas. All other schools I've applied to received my pharmcas awhile ago.

Thanks!
 
pinkster741 said:
Just a quick question. How long does it take for USC to send you a LACK letter after you've submitted your applications?

I recieved confirmation for my supp about three weeks ago, but what haven't heard anything about them receiving my pharmcas. All other schools I've applied to received my pharmcas awhile ago.

Thanks!
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me too T-T
 
Did they really send for interviews of 150 students? Seriously, I'm about to cry! How many out of the 150 students will be accepted? and how many more interviews will there be?:eek:

Do USC prefer students with past experience in pharmacy or research?
What is the average acceptance GPA of these applicants?
 
pinkster741 said:
Just a quick question. How long does it take for USC to send you a LACK letter after you've submitted your applications?

I recieved confirmation for my supp about three weeks ago, but what haven't heard anything about them receiving my pharmcas. All other schools I've applied to received my pharmcas awhile ago.

Thanks!
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What's a LACK letter? I've recieved confimation e-mails that they've recieved the completed application, but not the LACK letter yet. Is that bad news?
 
Just a quick question. How long does it take for USC to send you a LACK letter after you've submitted your applications?

It was about a week for me.
 
I've been reading this post and will reiterate what some people posted and add my own experience in.

USC matriculates 185 students. No, that does not mean 185 "chances" to get in. USC's Trojan Admission Prepharmacy Program (TAPP) supposedly saves (this number is sketchy, at best) ~100 spots for that purpose. So there are 85 openings; assuming "100" is the maximum number of reserved spots. They interview 400-500 students per year on a rolling admissions cycle so it is best to apply early...

First off, I was a fool to submit my application to USC so late (late October). The other day I checked my status (since I heard nothing from USC other than generic e-mails / confirmations) and I saw they had received NONE of my offline recommendations. Mind you, this was at 3 AM in the morning while working on my UCSD essay. I immediately emailed USC and called them at 9 AM, later that day. It turns out the representative on the phone was very courteous, took less than a minute to find out who I was and informed me all 3 letters were in their possession.

Don't wait for a LACK letter to check your admission status / progress. Be proactive and make sure everything on your part is going smoothly.

USC's average GPA is 3.4. All this information is available on their website,
http://www.usc.edu/schools/pharmacy/pharmd/admission/faqs.html

Good luck.
 
Hey!
I wil be one of the 150 attending the first batch of interviews for usc on nov. 10th. Any pointers would really be great.
 
many of you guys should read or re-read this entire thread from the start. most of your questions have already been answered.

also, so i'm assuming that there is no 300 word essay that we need to complete before the interview? there has been no mention of that so far this year.
 
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Would the interview be closed file or open file?
I know it has been closed file so far..? Would they let us know that in advance?
 
Does anyone know how long we have to read the article and how long we have to write about it during the interview???
 
They must have the entire faculty of professors and ~40 pharm students doing the interviews. 15 minutes per person and assuming they give 1 hour for the whole process. A lot of people to go through.
 
How long do we have to read the article and give the writing sample??
 
LUCY130 said:
How long do we have to read the article and give the writing sample??
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I forget what the split was. If I remember right, and I'm pretty sure I do, we had a set time to read and 10 lines that we could take notes on. We weren't allowed to use complete sentences and no more than 5 words per line. After that we could use just our notes to write our response to the essay prompt. They'll probably explain it better when you sit down to write. My article was on conflict of interest in Hospital review boards where companies people on the review board may receive research funds from a company whose product is being reviewed and the lack of government oversight of these proceedings. Our instructions were to summarize the article, but not offer any opinions, just summary. They were explicit that any deviation from the prompt would be graded negatively. I can't say the process will be the same, though
 
Hi everyone,

I am one of the interviewees for the Nov 10 interview.

It seems like Farmercyst has been really actively answering our questions. So Farmercyst, or anyone--- How close is closed file? Thanks for all your help!
 
HI.
I heard that the interview have been open file for the past couple of years.

Does anyone know how many are accepted from the nov. 10 interview? If you're not accepted right after your interview do they wait to tell you until april 1? or will you possbily hear of acceptance before then?
 
How long does the whole interview last? The paper says 2 hours...so that's interview, writing sample and everything?
 
i just got that lack letter thing... for anyone still wondering it's just a list of the pre-reqs and it marks what u're still missing.
 
budacup said:
How long does the whole interview last? The paper says 2 hours...so that's interview, writing sample and everything?
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I remember feeding the meter for 4 hours because I came early and wasn't sure how long it'd be. (Fortunately parking meters are only $0.25/hr) I believe I got there at 9am for a 9:30 interview and was out by 11:30 or so. I did stay after to ask questions and talk to some of the students. I'd say yeah, plan on 2 hours.
 
SuperG said:
HI.
I heard that the interview have been open file for the past couple of years.

Does anyone know how many are accepted from the nov. 10 interview? If you're not accepted right after your interview do they wait to tell you until april 1? or will you possbily hear of acceptance before then?
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I don't remember open/closed file. I think opened, but I could be wrong. I don't think they have a quote for each interview date. I'll look at the other thread, I believe they gave stats when the waitlist letters were sent.

Edit: Last year apparently 41 were accepted after the first interview, I didn't see any stats for the 2nd, by the time decisions were made on the third interview 117 had been accepted. I'm not sure how many slots were left open for TAPP students. That info was never given. 3 people from the first interview were pulled from active consideration after the 2nd interview (that's all I could find from 2nd interview results) All this was found in the old thread.http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=260401
 
All the interview feedbacks here say the interview was "closed file.";) I don't know if USC will change the system this year. Does anybody who got interview invitation know?
 
Quick USC question:

Will I be required to re-take the pre-req classes that I took pass/no pass? I already have my BS and I passed these classes, so I don't see why I would need to take them again. Just wondered if anyone has run into the same situation....
 
Hello Farmercyst , thank you for ur quick responses to all our questions, they are greatly appreciated. HOw long did it take you to receive a response from usc after your interview? Also, will you be one of the batch of students who will be interviewing us on NOV 10? Thank you.
 
Farmercyst said:
I remember feeding the meter for 4 hours because I came early and wasn't sure how long it'd be. (Fortunately parking meters are only $0.25/hr) I believe I got there at 9am for a 9:30 interview and was out by 11:30 or so. I did stay after to ask questions and talk to some of the students. I'd say yeah, plan on 2 hours.
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Thanks. I'm flying in and out the same day, so I wanted to make sure there was enough time.
 
SPharmN said:
All the interview feedbacks here say the interview was "closed file.";) I don't know if USC will change the system this year. Does anybody who got interview invitation know?
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The letter doesn't say anything...
 
LUCY130 said:
Hello Farmercyst , thank you for ur quick responses to all our questions, they are greatly appreciated. HOw long did it take you to receive a response from usc after your interview? Also, will you be one of the batch of students who will be interviewing us on NOV 10? Thank you.
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I'll be there, but not interviewing. It took 5 weeks for the initial response (active consideration) I was accepted mid-May, just before the offiial waitlist numbers were released.
 
Did those who submitted their application in October get interview letters yet?
I got an e-mail saying they got all my documents couple weeks ago, and that was last time I heard from them.. WHAT'S GOING ON???:eek:
 
PharmaPharma said:
Did those who submitted their application in October get interview letters yet?
I got an e-mail saying they got all my documents couple weeks ago, and that was last time I heard from them.. WHAT'S GOING ON???:eek:
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Chances are if you submitted your application in October they couldn't review your application before the interview invites for November went out. You might get invited for the January interviews, but that would be the earliest. I submitted my application late October last year and didn't get an invite until February for the March interviews.
 
Hey Pharm, I went to the March interview(I guess you where the other only guy that was there) last year and was wait listed until September it was rough.
So how is the program going:confused:?
Is it true that people who can't maintain a 3.0 get dropped?
If so what tend to be the troubling portions of the prog.?

Sorry for the 20 questions.
 
oh well.... i guss im just gonna have to see tomorrow.
 
RaginCajun said:
Hey Pharm, I went to the March interview(I guess you where the other only guy that was there) last year and was wait listed until September it was rough.
So how is the program going:confused:?
Is it true that people who can't maintain a 3.0 get dropped?
If so what tend to be the troubling portions of the prog.?

Sorry for the 20 questions.
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I know a guy from CSUSB that interviewed after me, but I know what you mean. They have a graded probation in regards to maintaining a 3.0. I forget the exact numbers, but essentially after the first year you have to be 2.5+, at the end of the 2nd year 2.75+, and by end of the 3rd year you have to be at 3.0. They have protocols in place for tutoring, etc. if you fall short, but the phrase C=PharmD does not apply at USC.

Troubling points of the program, I can't say that I can specify any, though the averages have been at the low to mid-B range for many tests. However there is a curve in some classes and extra credit in others.
 
Several pieces of info I just learned today.

1) Interviewers are supplied the essay from the supplemental application regarding why pharmacy, etc. (I don't have the exact prompt). This essay is the replacement for the 300 word essay we wrote last year after our acceptance, which is why you didn't have to write another essay after you got your interview invite.

2.) On Saturday 25 pairs of interviewers 1 will be faculty, alumni, resident, or preceptor and 1 student (P2-P4's). Questions are pretty much same as last year in terms of printed questions, but the interviewers are not required to stick to the questions. Mine did last year, but not all of them do, so check interview feedback.

3.) Last year it was 4 interviews 150/interview. This year Nov 150 interviews. Jan, Feb, and March 100 interviews. (Bad news for those that haven't heard yet, good news for those that will be interviewing due to less competition.)

I don't have the essay prompt, and it wouldn't be fair to disclose it if I did.

If you're coming Saturday, good luck. If you're waiting for an invite, 2x good luck.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
 
Farmercyst said:
Several pieces of info I just learned today.

1) Interviewers are supplied the essay from the supplemental application regarding why pharmacy, etc. (I don't have the exact prompt). This essay is the replacement for the 300 word essay we wrote last year after our acceptance, which is why you didn't have to write another essay after you got your interview invite.

2.) On Saturday 25 pairs of interviewers 1 will be faculty, alumni, resident, or preceptor and 1 student (P2-P4's). Questions are pretty much same as last year in terms of printed questions, but the interviewers are not required to stick to the questions. Mine did last year, but not all of them do, so check interview feedback.

3.) Last year it was 4 interviews 150/interview. This year Nov 150 interviews. Jan, Feb, and March 100 interviews. (Bad news for those that haven't heard yet, good news for those that will be interviewing due to less competition.)

I don't have the essay prompt, and it wouldn't be fair to disclose it if I did.

If you're coming Saturday, good luck. If you're waiting for an invite, 2x good luck.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
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I will be there on saturday and I was there last November too! Thanks for all the tips!
 
What about the essay we are supposed to write after the interview? Have you heard if the format is the same as previous years? Has anything changed?

Thanks for all the other tips!
 
Farmacyst,

when you say you got an interview for feb/march, did you find out about your interview date a little before then or was it sometime before (such as nov-dec).

I haven't received any notification (turned in my app mid oct).
 
Everyone ready for tomorrow?!
 
koercive said:
Farmacyst,

when you say you got an interview for feb/march, did you find out about your interview date a little before then or was it sometime before (such as nov-dec).

I haven't received any notification (turned in my app mid oct).
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My interview invite was received late Feb for March 17th last year. So if you haven't gotten an invite yet, don't worry too much, at least 300 (allowing for some cancellations) more will be sent out.
 
what time are your guys' interviews tomorrow?
 
terse said:
what time are your guys' interviews tomorrow?
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I thought the interview session was held only at one time tomorrow. My invitation says 9:30, what time is yours?
 
googleit said:
I thought the interview session was held only at one time tomorrow. My invitation says 9:30, what time is yours?
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mine is at 9:30 also. there are different times though. i know some people have it at 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, and 10:20... but i don't know when the last time slot is.
 
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