How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.97 | 116 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 87 |
| Negatively | 16 |
| No change | 16 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.31 | 118 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.90 | 87 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.35 | 86 |
No responses
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 2 |
| 15 minutes | 7 |
| 20 minutes | 80 |
| 25 minutes | 15 |
| 30 minutes | 9 |
| 35 minutes | 2 |
| 40 minutes | 1 |
| 45 minutes | 2 |
| 50 minutes | 0 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 114 |
| At a regional location | 1 |
| At another location | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 96 |
| In a group | 20 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 46 |
| Closed file | 65 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.97 | 116 |
"Name one of your role models."
"Talk about some leadership positions you've had in the past and what activities you were involved in."
"Tell me what you know about MTM"
"Why did you decided to pursue pharmacy?"
"Tell me about UH (University Hospital)."
"If there were 10 students and only 1 seat left, why should we choose you?"
"Why are you interested in pharmacy?"
"Why pharmacy and what school did you go to?"
"They asked me about the pharmacy experience (clinical vs. retail) that I mentioned in my personal statement"
"What is a problem in pharmacy today?"
"What is a problem for pharmacy today?"
"Why do you choose USC?"
"What have you contributed in the field of pharmacy?"
"Tell me about yourself (and after three seconds about telling them where went for undergrad and my major the guy cuts me off and asks me question 2)."
"Why Pharmacy? Why USC?"
"Why USC"
"tell me about yourself."
"Is a science-based question unfair? "
"What is the differece between a boss and a leader? Does a pharmacist need to be a boss or a leader? (not sure the point to that question)"
"Though there were many more than 3 questions...Why pharmacy?"
"Why not medicine? (you should definitely have a response for this question)"
"why pharm, why usc, tell me about yourself. (This was literally one question which I answered 2/3 of it part and he just cut me off and asked another question)."
"why pharmacy?"
"Tell us about yourself?"
"What have you done to show leadership ability (EC's, leadership roles, etc)?"
"why pharmacy"
"Tell us about yourself"
"Tell me a challenge regarding the future of pharmacy."
"Tell me about yourself"
"prepare to answer anything you put in the essay you sent through email."
"Tell me about your research experience?"
"What has your volunteer experience taught you about the pros/cons of the profession?"
"Where are you from?"
"why pharmacy? what differentiates you from the the rest?"
"why pharmacy? pharmacy experiences?"
"What are some challenges or problems you see in pharmacy?"
"Why not doctor?"
"Why do you want to become a pharmacist?"
"Talk about your research."
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why pharmacy? What are you going to do if you don't get in this year? What leadership positions have you held?"
"Tell us about yourself."
"So, why pharmacy?"
"Tell me about yourself and why you want to become a pharmacist."
"what extra curriculars were you involved with?"
"Why do you want to be a pharmacist?"
"Why pharmacy? Any leadership positions? What extracurricular activities did you participate in?"
"Tell us about yourself.. where are you from?"
"...tell us about yourself and why did you choose pharmacy?"
"What made you consider getting into Pharmacy? Any leadership skills?"
"Why pharmacy? Why USC? Why should we pick you?"
"why pharmacy, why this school"
"What leadership skills do you have?"
"This is a closed-file interview so tell us who you are."
"Why did you want to go into pharmacy instead of other health care profession? What aspects of pharmacy that you like and that you dont like or what would you like changed in the pharmacy field within a couple years from now? Tell me about your work experience? (especially if you work in a pharmacy, they totally wanna know about that). What do you think of pharmacists in your local store? How about academically? What school you go to and major? What are your club involvement? Have you done research? "
"Why USC as opposed to the other schools in California?"
"How would a USC education prepare you for becoming a phramacist?"
"What problems do you see in pharmacy?"
"Why pharmacy/ tell me a little bit about yourself."
"What are the negative sides of pharmacy?"
"Why pharmacy (of course) and what is the best thing and worst thing about it?"
"What do you think is the most negative aspect about pharmacy?"
"what do you do outside of school/academics?"
"Questions pertained to my work experience and family, so maybe not relevant to others."
"Why USC?"
"Is this your first time at USC campus?"
"What challenges did you face?"
"Why pharmacy? Why USC? "
"why do you want to be a pharmacist"
"Why pharmacy over other health professions?"
"tell me about a leadership experience you had"
"What if you met some physicians who don't give a crap about your opinion?"
"You said you wanted to be a leader in your personal statement; how can you be a leader in pharmacy?"
"Why pharmacy, why USC, talk about your pharmacy experience."
"What problems do you see in the pharmacy today, how can you solve them?"
"What school activities were you involved in."
"What can you bring to this profession?"
"Have you worked in a pharmacy?"
"Tell me a case of an imperfect coworker?"
"Do you have any leadership experiences?"
"What field are you most interested in?"
"Why not another health care field?"
"What did you to prepare yourself for this program?"
"Follow-up question to my answer to weakness I see in pharmacy"
"What field of pharmacy do you see yourself going into?"
"Why did you choose pharmacy as a career?"
"Describe your outpatient experience. What is/was your manager's name?"
"What got you interested in pharmacy?"
"Positive and Negative of Pharmacy"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses."
"What got you interested in pharmacy? What field of pharmacy are you interested in?"
"Explain more about your research"
"So anyway. Tell me about (biotech I worked at). Then after looking uninterested, he changes the subject and proceeded to ask me question 3."
"What is your research about?"
"Why Pharmacy"
"What community service have you done? What leadership positions have you held?"
"What extraccurricular activities have you been involved in that will help you in Pharmacy?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Do you have any leadership positions?"
"What area of pharmacy are you interested in?"
"what field of pharmacy are you interested in?"
"What type of family support system do you have? "
"Tell me about yourself, Positive and negative things about pharmacy, What do you do for fun? What problems do you foresee in pharmacy (i think they asked me this question twice during the interivew, not very organized) "
"Tell me about your research..."
"Why USC?"
"tell me about your TAship, tell me about your pharm experience, pros/cons to pharmacy, any other leadership experience, what was your masters in?"
"what will you do if you don't get accepted this year? What if you don't get in next year either?"
"What are some of your leadership experiences?"
"What areas of pharmacy are you interested in? Why?"
"why not med school"
"tell us about u"
"Why pharmacy?"
"What are some positive and negative aspects that you experience while working in the pharmacy?"
"Asked about my club activites"
"What are some leadership roles/experience?"
"How do you want to practice pharmacy?"
"challenge of pharmacy"
"what have you done to gain insight into pharmacy?"
"Why do you want to be a pharmacist."
"Why USC? "
"science-based questions (above)"
"describe your research."
"tell us about your volunteer experiences"
"Tell us about yourself. "
"Postive and Negative aspects of Pharmacy? "
"What did the pharmacist that you worked with focus on most?"
"What are some positive and negative aspects of pharmacy?"
"Talk about your research experience. How does it help you in your pursuit of pharmacy?"
"What is the name of the Pharmacist that you worked for? "
"What is a positive and negative about pharmacy?"
"What is one negative thing about pharmacy?"
"How do you manage time?"
"What other activities are you involved in?"
"What is an aldol reaction?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experience."
"Having worked in a pharmacy for a while, what are some of the positive and negative aspects of the career that you have noted?"
"What kinds of school activities were you involved with?"
"What are some negative aspects of pharmacy?"
"what kind of pharmacy exposure?"
"What has changed in the last year that has made you a better candidate? (I didnt get in last year)"
"Challenges in Pharmacy? What do you like most about pharmacy?"
"Any pharmacy experience?"
"Why do you want to go to USC?"
"...what are the negative/problematic sides to pharmacy?"
"How do you handle time management?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"how to help a shy friend in a group speak up"
"Do you have any experience in a pharmacy setting? "
"What is your experience in pharmacy?"
"and of course the last question is always 'Do you have any question for us'??? (yeah, you better answer this!!!) They're soooo into the USC pride (it's the 100th anniversary for school of pharmacy). USC's been there for awhile so they know that they're good and you gotta let them know that you belong there. Good luck to everyone..."
"What initially attracted you to pharmacy?"
"What do you think is a negative aspect of pharmacy?"
"How have you demonstrated leadership?"
"What do you see yourself doing with a PharmD?"
"experiences in the profession"
"What are some of your hobbies/extracurriculars?"
"What makes you stand out among other applicants?"
"How did your interest in pharmacy begin?"
"What do you intend to do with your degree after you graduate (e.g. work in retail, independent, research, etc.)"
"what leadership position have i held, describe them"
"what did you do in undergraduate research? "
"Tell me about your experience"
"Why do you want to be a pharmacist?"
"Why did you pick pharmacy"
"Where do you see the future of pharmacy headed? "
"Describe any experiences you have had working in a pharmacy setting."
"what steps have you taken to acquaint with what a pharmacist does? where did i volunteer?"
"Name an important experience in your life."
"how has a team member in the past let you down ?"
"What if you met someone that is really negative in pharmacy?"
"What would you bring to the school as a student?"
"What problem do you see in the future?"
"Talk about your pharmacy experience"
"How do you handle stress?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"What type of leadership roles have you done?"
"What is one negative aspect of pharmacy today?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Is there anything else you want us to know about?"
"What are some attributes of a pharmacist?"
"What kind of extracurricular activities did you do?"
"What is one thing to look forward to in pharmacy?"
"Describe a leadership role you have had and how you went about it."
"What are the negative aspects about pharmacy?"
"What is a positive and negative aspect of pharmacy?"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"What is one negative to pharmacy?"
"What were the names of the pharmacist you worked under."
"Tell us why we should select you over other applicants"
"What are the negative or positive aspects about pharmacy?"
"What are the positive and negative aspects of pharmacy."
"What are the negative aspects in pharmacy? What would you do if you didn't get in?"
"Tell me about your extracurriculars"
"Why didn't you continue to do research at your university?"
"Challenges for pharmacists in the future?"
"explain to them about one of my student organization "
"What are the positive aspects of Pharmacy? What are the negative aspects of Pharmacy?"
"Do you have any volunteer experiences that exemplified leadership skills and if so, explain."
"Out of all the applicants, why should we pick you?"
"do you think you will be able to manage your time well?"
"What challenges do you think pharmacists have/will have?"
"What do think will be the future of pharmacy? What are some of the positive and negative aspects of pharmacy? "
"If you weren't doing pharmacy, what would you be doing? (i answered i'd work at disneyland) and he asked me, ''why not work at disneyland? why do pharmacy then?''"
"What is your weakness? What will you do if you don't get in? What specific field in pharmacy would you like to pursue? Why should we choose you? How can you convince me that you will go to USC instead of UCSF? "
"What specialty in pharmacy interest me?"
"if you get rejected what would you do, one thing about you to help us remember you by, pretty standard usc questions"
"Would you describe yourself as a leader?"
"What are some common problems you foresee in pharmacy?"
"What are some issues that you see in pharmacy?"
"What do you expect to get from a pharmacy career?"
"what do you do if you get rejected"
"Future challenges in pharmacy?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experience. "
"Give us a 20 sec advertisement of yourself."
"What unique qualities will you bring to the program?"
"leadership position "
"Tell me about yourself"
"Do you have any questions for us?"
"Since you work at both settings, what are the differences you see between community and hospital setting."
"What type of pharmacy are you interested in practicing?"
"who were your o-chem professors? (he knew one of them)"
"How does your spouse feel about moving to LA?"
"tell me about yourself. what do you do for fun?"
"what are some of the positive and negative aspects of the career that you have noticed?"
"What do you think is negative about the field of pharmacy?"
"What did you learn from volunteering in a Hospital Pharmacy? "
"What were the differences in the pharmacies where you volunteered?"
"What extracurriculars did you participate in, other than volunteering?"
"What else can you tell us about urself?"
"What leadership positions have you held?"
"What are some challenges you see in pharmacy?"
"Where do you see pharmacy going in the long run?"
"Name a problem in pharmacy?"
"How do you find more information about your computers ip address? (the weird random question I got)"
"Why pharmacy?"
"What did you do besides school activities (i.e., please tell us that you at least have the verisimilitude of a life and don't just study all day long)?"
"what challenges do you forsee for the profession?"
"If you had to pick one football team to cheer for next year, UCLA or USC, who would it be? (I lied and said USC to make her happy)"
"What makes you stand out from all other applicants?"
"Why not UCSF?"
"What do you have to offer that is different from all the other applicants?"
"have you had experience; what did you do? tell us what we should know about you. the more you talk, yeah they MAY ask you less questions, but i found out they asked me more, which is fine, because i didn't BS anything. don't get yerself in a position you can't get out of. that's worse than being stuck between a rock and a fat dood."
"What are the challenges in pharmacy?"
"What are some negative aspects of pharmacy?"
"Why do you want to attend USC?"
"What are some leadership experiences you have undertaken?"
"What do you do on your spare time?"
"What do you think will be the biggest problem in the future of pharmacy?"
"What do you do on your free time?"
"In your leadership experiences, how did you build enthusiasm and recruit people?"
"what do you think is the biggest health care issue?"
"extracurricular activities"
"How has your research experience impacted you?"
"Tell us about your research and extracurricular activities."
"What research have you done?"
"why usc?"
"would you want to do retail or hospital pharmacy once you graduate?"
"What qualities make you stand out?"
"what do you do in your spare time, 3 words, describe yourself"
"What are your extracurriculars (volunteering/clubs/etc)?"
"Tell me about your research experiences."
"List 3 things that makes you a great candidate for USC."
"How would you contribute to the class? What additional info should we tell the committee?"
"future of pharmacy"
"Name an important experience in your life."
"what kind of changes can you bring to pharmacy?"
"Based on what I said in my essay, why do you want to specialize in cancer research or oncology and what experiences had you had related to this?"
"What do you plan to do in pharmacy?"
"If you didn't get to work in your field of choice, what would you do?"
"Why did you decide to study abroad"
"Why not work in a restaurant? (I talked about my restaurant experience)"
"How was the drive in the rain?"
"Tell me a case of an imperfect coworker?"
"Tell me about your trip to Latin America."
"What were the names of the pharmacists you worked with?"
"Have you ever talked to a pharmacist? (I had no pharmacy background)."
"How would you choose between USC and UCSF?"
"Will I work to live or live to work?"
"They asked what I thought about automation in retail pharmacy how it can affect the future of pharmacy"
"What is a problem in pharmacy today?"
"Are you rooting for Manny Pacquiao? (Referring to tonight's fight b/w Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito)"
"Describe a typical day as a pharmacy technician"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 yrs?"
"Have you heard of homeopathy?"
"What are the negative or positive aspects about pharmacy?"
"What do you think will be challenges in the future of pharmacy."
"What's the most exciting thing you saw a pharmacist do?"
"What is the negative aspect about retail pharmacy"
"What field of pharmacy do you want to go into?"
"none..extracirricular activities?"
"hmm...nothing really, but the answers they gave to my questions are pretty interesting. "
"What pharmacy experiences have you had?"
"What can you bring to the field of Pharmacy?"
"Of all the volunteering experiences you've had, where have you contributed the most and how."
"Do you live around here? (i think it was just to start off the interview and as an ice breaker)"
"None"
"The questions were the usual ones that you would expect such as: Why Pharmacy? Why USC? Tell us about yourself...BUT a lot depends on your answer to these questions so be very careful what you say. The first one is usually ''Tell us about yourself'' and I suggest you choose your answer carefully on this one since it pretty much sets how the rest of your interview goes. They build on your answer to this question and ask more questions based on the information you gave them. If they give you a hard question, don't look at it as if they are trying to give you a hard time. They just want to know YOU and how much you know about the field of pharmacy as well as USC. Remember that you are competing against the best of the best and so you must up your game at this school. You have to show them that you are passionate about your chosen field and that you know for sure what you're getting yourself into. Good luck and remember to breathe....:) "
"What is the difference btwn a boss and a leader?"
"Why should we choose you?"
"What's your favorite chemical reaction? (cause I tutor for organic chemistry) "
"None were really interesting"
"How are you going to pay for pharmacy school?"
"What area other than retail would you like to pursue?"
"What is some thing negative about pharmacy?"
"What are the positive aspects of pharmacy? Followup same w/negative?"
"totally tripped me when they told me what was the name of the pharmacists that I volunteered with, 1 year ago. "
"why not med school"
"nothing really, it was the usual stuff on sdn"
"nothing too interesting, just normal questions"
"Nothing really interesting. "
"Nothing really, just the basic questions."
"All questions were expected."
"nothing special.. it was just simple, basic questions.. "
"What is the most recent and controversial drug that came out in the market this year?"
"What is the one thing about you that you want us to tell our admission committee."
"What skills have you learned through your research?"
"As a teaching assistant, what do you do when a student asks you a question you don't know? I do not do any research, yet he asked me these questions: What are some methods you can use to determine protein structure? How do changes in DNA affect the cell? "
"Nothing interseting. I got someone who asked very basic questions: why did you chose pharm school? Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your e.c.'s. Challenges in the present and future? etc. How do you plan to deal with these challenges. Do you speak spanish (I said I was working in a spanish speaking enviormen in my esssay) They make you submit a 300 word essay for the interview and thats all the info the interviewer has on you. I told them I knew a lot about SC after working for an alumnus so they asked me what I knew about the school. ANd they asked me what other schools I have applied to. And "tell us what you want us to remember you by." Beaucse I made many specific referances to my work exp. (i.e. diabetic care) they asked if I knew what area of pahramcy I wanted to go into? "
"So...you decided to pursue pharmacy based on conversations with one person??"
"what kind of food do cambodian-chinese people prepare? the interviewer didn't know cambodian-chinese people, like myself, existed. it's cool tho bc it was a good ice breaker."
"what does pharmacy give back to you?"
"What I thought about non-profit seeking drug production."
"What kind of activities do you participate in to alleviate stress?"
"Has there ever been a time when you have had to multitask?"
"What makes you stand out from all the other applicants?"
"What is one thing you want to tell us about yourself for us to remember you?"
"What do you think the future of pharmacy is?"
"All the questions were pretty basic."
"Where do you sit in class?"
"Why does pharmacy have many opportunities for growth?"
"All the questions were very general."
"The professor that interviewed me asked me a question regarding something pertaining to computers. I think it was to see how well I would react to something i wasn't expecting."
"Nothing. My interviewers did not have a sense of humor."
"Nothing interesting. Just basic questions read off a list. Why pharmacy? What have you contributed to your institution?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary"
"Hmm most were pretty basic."
"what are you looking for in a pharmD program?"
"How does it fell to lose to USC 4 years in a row? (I went to UCLA)"
"What is the negative aspect of pharmacy?"
"Why do you want to change careers? (I've been a scientist for past 4 years)"
"None of the questions were all that "interesting" - pretty much the questions listed on this site are what were asked."
""you said you like microbio; tell me what you'd like to do with microbio and pharmacy"...what the feezy? oh hell no! but it's aight...i aint no chump!!! i answered it, some what..."
"If I gave you YOUR DEGREE right now, the minute you walk out of this interview, what would you do with it?"
"What are some challenges you foresee in the pharmacy profession and what solutions can you provide?"
"your friend accidentally got the answers from the upcomming test and tells you to come over to see them. What would you do?"
"What are some negative aspects of Pharmacy? How are pharmacists becoming the physicans of the future?"
"basic questions but one nice thing to me is that they didnt start with "tell me about yourself" and just let you babble on n on..."
"The questions asked were very general. Because it's a closed file interview, the interviewers ask basic questions to get to know you."
"What is one of your failures?"
"Compare your pharmacy experience, what was negative about it?"
"What is your GPA?"
"Where did you go to high school?"
"What's a positive and negative thing about pharmacy profession?"
"What is one negative side to pharmacy?"
"Nothing really spectacular. Very conversational. One falculty and one student. Very relaxed. They always want to know why pharmacy. Other questions include research experience, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, pharm experiences, etc. "
"All the questions were general and I did all the talking"
"How do you release stress (I just talked about my music and comm. svc.?"
"Nothing really interesting. They just wanted me to tell them about myself because they didn't know anything about me because they didn't look at my file."
"where do you see the profession headed in the long term?"
"Have you ever rode on a horse? "
"What one quality observed in a pharmacist you knew motivated you to want to be a pharmacist?"
"Nothing interesting, just run of the mill...why pharmacy, tell me about your experience, etc."
"Nothing interesting or unexpected."
"What do you view as the role of pharmacists between doctors and insurance companies?"
"Where do you think the future of pharmacy is headed?"
"Nothing was asked that was really interesting. The questions were all standard stuff."
"do you have any leadership experiences"
"Based on your leadership experience, what is one thing that you did wrong, that you wish could go back and do it differently? (I got stuck on this one)"
"How would you deal with a cultural difference in patients (following up on what I said earlier) ?"
"The first question, they jumped straight to extracurricular activities and leadership roles. Nothing caught me off guard."
"What would you tell Obama today about health care?"
"Is there anything else you would like us to know?"
"What can you bring to this profession?"
"The Essay Question! (An ethical question)"
"If there were 10 students and only 1 seat left, why should we choose you?"
"What was the motivation for you to go to Latin America."
"What is your least favorite class?"
"What are some challenges the pharmacy field is facing?"
"What is a negative aspect of pharmacy?"
"Who has the answer to our economic crises?"
"same as the one for the most interesting question"
"Didn't think there was a really hard question. Pretty straight-forward."
"Tell us about a time when you had to make a difficult decision."
"What would you give back to USC as a USC PharmD?"
"During your pharmacy shadowing experience, did they discuss the future of pharmacy with you?"
"Nothing."
"All the questions can be found on this interview feedback"
"What are the negative or positive aspects about pharmacy?"
"What do you think will be challenges in the future of pharmacy."
"What's the most exciting thing you saw a pharmacist do?"
"the essay! you have to read an article and then summarize it..but the article content was actually difficult to understand---something about medical devices and the failure of FDA to enforce certain protocols--i really don't know how I managed to get through it..lol..im assuming the articles are different for each interview group so u cant really prepare for it."
"You obviously don't have any clinical experience. What makes you think you'll be a good candidate for clinical pharmacy (he asked me in a really condescending tone)."
"extracirricular activities? (they caught me off guard and I blanked)"
"all are pretty straightforward"
"What problems do you see facing the future of pharmacy? (This wasn't difficult, but I wanted to include the 6 questions that I was asked.)"
"What makes you different out of all the 500 applicants we have interviewed today?"
"Of all the volunteering experiences you've had, where have you contributed the most and how."
"Can you name a few fast movers? (cause i volunteered at a pharmacy before but i completely blanked out. >_<)"
"They asked me if a science-based question will be an unfair question to ask a candidate. "
"What do you want us to know about you? (i answered w/ my traits of humor and comradery). They followed up with, How do these traits relate to you being a pharmacist? (I think he was just doing this to give me a hard time, he did a lot of that)"
"How are you going to convince me that you will choose USC over UCSF? (Interviewer asked where else I applied to and got an interview at)"
"So why not medicine?"
"positive/negative aspect of pharm"
"What is the definition of a drug?"
"What are some of the common problems you foresee in pharmacy?"
"Do you have any questions for us?"
"Why pharmacy? (because I don't feel my reasons are compelling to anyone else.)"
"they were all pretty simple because i read the ones on the sdn"
"none was difficult, it was simple stuff"
"pros and cons of pharmacy (because all others were easy!)"
"Nothing really difficult. Just be prepared to talk about yourself. They really didn't ask any technical or situational question. All the questions were about me."
"All the questions were simple- mainly based on my activities"
"none"
"What unique qualities will you bring to USC? "
"science question"
"none.."
"How many schools did you apply to."
"They asked me specifically about a medication (name, dosage) which was strange, and threw me off a bit"
"Why did you only apply to 3 schools? Are you that confident you will get in? What if you don't get accepted this year? If you get into ucsf, will you still go to usc? "
"Are you aware of any current issues in pharmacy? I forgot to prepapre an answer for this one. oops!"
"None really. All were the usual."
"what are the postive and negative qualities you see in your pharmacy (VA outpatient pharmacy)."
"what have you contributed to your undergraduate institution?"
"What I would do if I didnt like being a pharmacist."
"All questions were straight forward, nothing was too much to handle"
"postitive/negative aspectes of pharmacy"
"What did you learn from the pharmacist that you shadowed while volunteering?"
"N/A"
"What did you contribute to the pharmacy you worked at?"
"None were particularly difficult."
"What are some challenges you see in pharmacy?"
"Have you faced any problems in the pharmacy that you worked at?"
"What does pharmacy give back to you."
"I was asked some organic chemistry questions. I told them that I was a chemistry department tutor and the professor taught o-chem, so he quizzed me on that."
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years?"
"Nothing particularly difficult."
"What makes you unique?"
"why should we choose you above other people?"
"What is the future of pharmacy?"
"What is the challenge in pharmacy"
"Why no UCSF?"
"From a clinical perspective, what is the worst thing about pharmacy?"
"...uhm..."
"What is my motivator?"
"Why pharmacy? Why didn't you want to be a doctor? Why didn't you just go for a masters in pharmacology instead?"
"talk about a time when you show your compassion"
"What will you bring to USC?"
"See Above."
"mmm...the questions that were asked were pretty much questions that you think would be asked...but like i heard someone who was asked to convert liter to ml and then to mg or something of that sort, but during my interview, nothing funky. "
"What are the negative aspects of pharmacy?"
"What is one of your failures?"
"None, they were all pretty general."
"same"
"none really"
"What problems do you see in pharmacy?"
"They're all pretty standards"
"What defines a leader and what are essential aspects to your career choice? "
"NOthing really..."
"All the questions were very general... no difficult questions."
"What are 3 things about yourself that we should know about?"
"name one problem about the field of pharmacy"
"A tie between "What don't you like about pharmacy?" and "Why don't you want to go into medicine instead?". sheesh that was a toughie!"
"none, the interview was very stress-free. Laughed a lot."
"What are the biggest problems in pharmacy?"
"why do u believe is the biggest problem in pharmacy?"
"What is one positive and one negative thing you have observed about pharmacy?"
"What was a positive and negative experience at the pharmacy you volunteered at?"
"There are lots of other pharmacy programs in CA. Why not go to one of them?"
"it's not difficult. just the usual question like why pharmacy?, describe yourself? future for pharmacy?"
"sdn, practiced with people at work and my family & friends"
"SDN, recorded myself practicing, for about 3 days"
"Past interviews, SDN, talking to pharmacists"
"Student doctor!"
"Really researched USC and all their programs"
"made a short outline/notes on some of the common questions asked, practiced with a mentor, sdn"
"Going over questions that previous interviewees have had."
"SDN, Practice,"
"Going through the interview feedback section. A lot of questions prepared me well for various questions asked."
"SDN, mock interviews with friends, talked to pharmacy students/pharmacist"
"Mock interivew"
"Prepared answers for questions. Looked through their website (although they never asked me, why USC). Practiced summarizing articles."
"Thought up a list of potential questions they could ask and wrote answers for them. Researched pharmacy and healthcare reform. Tried NOT to memorize everything but to have a general idea of what to say."
"Go over potential questions though it didn't really help and get some sleep"
"I did two mock interviews with friends and a health professional. Researched info on healthcare policy (i.e. the current Health Reform) and in relation to pharmacy"
"SDN. Had interview at another school before and it helped me relax for this one."
"SDN, mock interview, I have friends in the program so I asked them questions about the school"
"Re-read applications, essays, CV, and studentdoctor.net interview sessions, mock interview with 2 pharmacists, read pharmacy publications, read articles on nationalized healthcare plan, etc."
"with a friend"
"SDN, Sarah's and others' past interview experiences, practiced with friends and profs. "
"SDN, wrote down answers to certain questions and tried to memorize them"
"studentdoctor.net, interviews before this, researched the school"
"Read about USC on their website, read SDN."
"sdn, mock interviews"
"read the interview feedback page here"
"Experience with interviews; SDN Interview Feedback"
"Mock interviews with the career center, my advisor. Talked to previous students in the field. Relaxed and got good sleep. Made sure I had plenty of time to get ready."
"Sdn, prepared own questions"
"sdn, usc website, read my supplemental essay and personal statement over"
"SDN Interview Feedback, talked to pharmacists at work, read up on current events in the field"
"sdn, usc website"
"Read SDN. I also copied the questions and answered them myself. It's good to be prepared and to have an idea of what you're going to say. Don't memorize though. You don't wanna sound rehearsed. You want to come across as honest, sincere, and confident about your responses. "
"SDN, go over old interview questions"
"Mock interview, SDN questions"
"SDN feedbacks, mock interviews (highly recommend), practice questions to myself"
"sdn, did a previous interview"
"mock interview at college, sdn"
"SDN, mock interviews, previous interview experiences"
"SDN, read books,magazines, and school website."
"I got dressed and showed up. I've interviewed 2x before at different schools. "
"read the questions on sdn"
"sdn, friends, web sites..."
"sdn for questions, typed out answers and had my younger siblings interview me"
"I read SDN and went over my essays. Remember not to memorize exactly what you want to say. Just know what you what to say and let it flow out naturally during the interview."
"Read up on SDN, re-read my essays"
"Sdn, mock interviews, magazines."
"Practice interview, SDN, USC website, Pfizer Career Guide, interview preparation workshops at my university."
"SDN and job interview book"
"sdn, mock interview, articles, practicing "
"sdn, school website, google, school career center."
"studentdoctor.net, practice interviewinig with a friend several times, re-read my essays/resume"
"SDN, mock interview, friends, current USC students, a little bit os searching their web site. The have an almuni mag thats posted online too! "
"Didn't really. Decided not to stress, so just came prepared to be myself."
"sdn"
"read up on sdn, re-read my app, researched the school, read current events in health/pharmacy, practiced questions, made a list of experiences/extracurriculars/qualities that i wanted to incorporate/highlight"
"Student doctors and typed out answers to most commonly asked questions"
"USC website, talked with family member who is a current student, SDN, mock interviews."
"SDN, read some info about pharmacy online"
"SDN forums, mock interviews with friends/family"
"Read this site, talked to pharmacists, rehearse questions in head."
"Student Doctor and USC website"
"SDN forums and interview feedback."
"SDN, School's website"
"Reading websites, magazines, and review my resume. "
"SDN, reading up on current topics in pharmacy and the health field, friends that went through the interview process last year"
"Studying at my school's carrer center library."
"SDN, read book of basic job interview questions. Wrote out answers for important ones."
"Just practiced the basic questions"
"Sdn, read some articles"
"studentdoctor"
"I interviewed at 4 school the previous year, but decided to apply again because I didnt get in to my #1 choice."
"This website and friends"
"mock interviews during my ride down to LA"
"Student Doctor Network, talking to pharmacists, I gather all the interview questions I could find, and thought of an answer for each one. "
"Studied questions on SDN, read the school website"
"with your mom."
"the USC website and SDN"
"practiced with current pharmD student, read up on school"
"read sdn, school website, talked to the pharmacists"
"I talked to students and read possible interview questions."
"SDN, Read USC website"
"read up on pharmacy news, research about the school and what's unique about usc "
"SDN, USC website, mock interviews"
"I read the SDN website, the USC website. I also reviewed my application."
"read USC website, talked to USC students."
"read SDN, other stuff related to the field of pharmacy I want to go into"
"Read application and sdn feedback."
"sdn, school website, online"
"Went through my personal statement, USC pamphlets, and SDS feedback questions"
"studentdoctor forums, read the school website and just made up mock interview questions...prepared for the most general and basice questions...like the ones i mentioned above"
"Mock interview, SDN feedback, researched pharmacy on the internet, and practiced with a friend."
"Went through this site and talked to student/faculty contacts at the school"
"Looked at USC website and SDN"
"mock interviews. research on the school and the different programs they offer. "
"just thought about the ins and outs of the pharmacy i volunteered at, thought of some common questions they might ask, read up some industry mags to get a feel for controverail and important issues relating to pharm, and read up on my undergrad research."
"Read up on USC's pharmacy program."
"USC website."
"mock interview"
"I didn't."
"Read about the school through their website"
"read a manual guided to pharmacy interviews"
"I re-read my PharmCAS personal statement and the USC supplementary application. I brushed up a bit on current issues in pharmacy by reading websites online and the SDN PharmD forum."
"internet, advices from SDN's friends, and school's interview questions"
"It was very organized and I was able to speak to faculty, alumni, and current students."
"the integrated style of their school-large degree of collaboration with students of other medical disciplines, also how happy everybody seemed who was already admitted at the school"
"pretty much everything."
"Everyone was very friendly, and my interviewer and P2 student who interviewed me was also very friendly."
"The friendliness of the students and how informative they were about the program, the admissions director was fun"
"Friendliness of staff and students! P1's talked to you in groups before your session starts and it's very relaxing! They tell you about their journeys in pharmacy and were really helpful with all our questions. Most of them thought they weren't going to get in but they were probably just saying that so we can relax..but it worked :)"
"The new lecture halls"
"Friendly, calm yet professional atmosphere"
"How casual, kind and polite the interviewers were."
"Friendly atmosphere from everyone."
"The friendliness and open attitude of all the faculty and current students."
"Everyone was welcoming and friendly at the interview."
"The staff was very welcoming and nice."
"That everyone was really nice."
"The professor was very nice and chatty, as were the students. The students sold the program well and made me really want to go to USC."
"How friendly the greeters and Jim, the director, was and how they all tried to calm you down."
"The intro presentation and the Q&A with pharmacy students were very helpful and nice"
"Friendliness of the students and of the staff made it a very positive and low stress experience! Jim G is so nice!"
"Everyone had school pride and were proud of their program."
"Current student's attitude towards the school"
"The students, my interviewer, and Jim G. is so nice!!!! It was a very positive interview experience."
"Strong network in California and across the US."
"friendliness"
"The school looked very nice and the students were very friendly"
"They are very warm and nice!"
"The interview was very relaxed and comfortable. The professor and the student interviewers were both nice."
"The faculty member was really nice and sweet. He let me finish my answers before asking another question"
"you get to talk to current pharmacy students in the waiting area before the interview process began"
"Nothing."
"usc's reputation"
"they have pharm students talk to you and calm you down before the interview"
"Enthusiastic, positive and impressive student body"
"When you arrive there is a bunch of current Pharmacy strudents waiting to talk to you. TALK TO THEM! Dont just sit there to help you. They are really friendly and are there. Also before you do your interview you get a chance to talk to the dean who is really cool and helps make you laugh. He really calmed me down."
"The interviewers were not intimidating. They were amicable. It seemed as if they really just wanted to get to know you and see how much of your passion for the profession can be conveyed in the interview."
"it was very organized, Jim calmed us down with his introductory speech, and students seemed very nice"
"First-year students were in the lobby to chat with you before the interview and answer any questions you had. They were very friendly and went up to you (as opposed to you having to find them). Also, the interviewers were very friendly and did not interrogate me at all. They were there to also tell you about the program and what they had to offer."
"Most of the first year students were attractive."
"The tremendous support of their alumni. USC students and grads are very loyal and have such great school pride. "
"cute P1 student for wrap up"
"My interviewer was interesting to talk to. "
"Overall, the campus is nice on the outside. The students and staffs are very supportive and welcoming."
"The level of professionalism of students, the eagerness of pharm students in networking with me, the helpfulness of the students, the enthusiasm of the students"
"intro to schools program"
"Its USC!"
"The students, they were so excited for us to be there. They wanted to give us a positive impression of the school, program etc.."
"Trojan enthusiasm. Jim Granderson really made me feel at ease with this interview."
"quickly found parking"
"it was organized well"
"everyone was very friendly, very prompt regarding time limits (20 min interview, 20 min essay, 20 min for questions with students)"
"The current students there are very nice and have lots of pride in their school."
"I really like the fact that the school gives you so much exposure as a first-year. All the people there are very nice and supportive."
"How friendly the faculty and students were. The env't was very relax"
"How friendly the faculty, pharmacy students, and fellow interviewees were. Interview was not too long or too short, although it did move along quickly."
"USC's history and network impressed me.. i want to be a part of family of USC~~~~"
"How friendly the interviewers were."
"the current pharmacy students there were extremely nice and helpful. i could see myself hanging out with them in the future."
"Everything is neat and on time. Students are nice and friendly."
"The student panel gave interesting and honest answers"
"the students seemed very nice, it was a very non-stressful environment "
"It'sa nice place. They all love the school and I want to go there even more after visiting. "
"The weather. I forgot how much I miss sunny days in November."
"not sure...."
"dean's talk before the essay and interview... very personable"
"VERY. Everyone was extremely nice and the entire experience made me want to go there ten times more. "
"Everyone's seems friendly and connected"
"nothing"
"The school spirit! Everyone I spoke to loved the school. The main campus is very pretty as well."
"Current sutdents were very warm, helpful, and friendly. The atmosphere during orientation by the program director was relaxing and lighthearted."
"The enthusiasm and pride of students."
"The school gives you many opportunities to speak to current students and learn about the program. Also the presentation before the interview was very helpful,"
"All the pharmacy students are so friendly and enthusiastic."
"I was very stressed but once you go there they take care of that. By the time of your interview, you are stress free and my faculty interviewer was really nice."
"The students were very friendly."
"I was impressed with how involved the students were. They were all very friendly and outgoing. They helped make the experience a positive one."
"The two freshman Trojans who waited with us before the interview were quite chatty."
"Students seem to be very supportive of each other."
"Lots of school spirit. They emphasize how much more they were getting out of their education than, say, people going to the UCs. But I guess you get what you pay for, right?"
"how the current pharmacy students and the faculty were actively involved in this process "
"how they talked alot about alumni and networking "
"The amount of rivalry jokes they had. I of course had to put my 2 cents in to make them laugh."
"The school is cool"
"how organized the entire process was.. i liked the Q&A session held by current students at the end"
"The students involvment. Right when you get there, there were a lot of students there talking to you and trying to calm you down. It made me feel very welcomed and not as stressed out. Everyone is very friendly and are trying to get to know you. "
"Both interviewers were very friendly. The students that went to the school seemed to enjoy being there. The teachers all seemed personable and caring about the students there."
"EVERYTHING. damn, who knew people could be so nice. the interviewers were so nice like-a you wouldn't believe. wow. i just had a ball talking to the faculty member and the student interviewer; it was a great experience and i wish all schools were as cool as USC. that's why i want to be a TROJAN MAN. ya damn right."
"The people were VERY friendly. They really try to make you relaxed before going into the interview."
"student volunteers were very friendly and happy to be there; coordinators gave a group pep-talk beforehand to relax us and give last-minute interview tips; also had us all introduce ourselves to break the ice"
"very relaxed, friendly, and welcoming faculty and students. "
"The togetherness of the school and how long the school of pharmacy has been open."
"Students and faculty were genuine. They have a lot of school spirit, they heavily encourage USC because of the networking."
"both the faculty member and the 2nd year student who interviewed me were very very nice. They really just wanted to get to know you and find out who you really are. Just be yourself and be confident and dont let them know that you're nervous on the inside. Both of them take on a great pride as a USC member, and its very infectious."
"The students were very friendly, seemed to be genuinely content, and not competitive at all. The students, along with the staff, try to make you feel as welcomed as possible. There is a lot of pride behind USC."
"The students there seemed pretty happy."
"They have students there that talk to you and calm you down."
"So relaxed, they really want to take care of you."
"the bubbly nature of the faculty"
"How they (the students) had many thoughtout reasons why they were a better school than UCSF, UCSD, etc."
"USC really prepared their students for a pharmacy career. The fact that they've been doing it for 100 years showed that they know what they're doing. "
"Everyone was extremely nice and helpful in making you feel welcome and less anxious about the interview. Lots of emphasis on the importance of network."
"Very relaxed and the interview was very conversational"
"Everything went very smoothly and I enjoyed my entire experience."
"The entire process was very organized. Pharm students were there an hour before our scheduled time to mingle with us. The Director of Admissions even spent ~20 minutes with us to give us an overview/pep talk. There were so many students involved in the process and they were all volunteers who chose to take time out of their schedule to be with us. "
"how organized it was"
"the faculty and students were nice. very cheerful crowd."
"the 2nd year pharm students there. they were less nerdy than i thought they'd be. pretty fun people. and the campus wasnt bad once you're inside."
"The faculty were very informal. USC really takes care of it's students and the students love their school. Lots of Trogan pride. Also, there's a commitment to community service. I happened to be on campus a day early and the School of Pharmacy was holding a Kid's Day event. Also, the Chairman of Admissions gave us a pep talk so we would be less stressed out prior to the interview."
"The atmosphere of the school conveys a sense of respect, yet it is laid back and there are opportuntiies for students to do things other than study."
"my interviewees were very nice. While you were waiting, there were pharmacy students mingling, telling u to relax. A very encouraging inspirational pep talk before the process begins by a faculty member."
"The great vibes and energy from the students. My interviewers answered all of my questions in detail."
"The number of pharmacy students available to talk to the interviewees and the pride that these students had in their school. Also, they tried to make the interviewees as comfortable as possible."
"UCLA is the primary feeder school to USC pharmacy"
"The students seemed to have a strong sense of community and seemed happy and welcoming."
"the students and the director are very friendly and helpful. the school is very big on the whole networking. overall, the school and the students were great."
"the cost"
"Not many out of states, extremely rare"
"probably just the location"
"They built up the interview to be a conversation and very relaxed but the interviewer was very hard to read and it was more professional than just a normal conversation. I definitely could not tell how the interviewer liked my answers and honestly I don't know how I did. I'm hoping for the best!"
"location of the school"
"Everything felt a bit rushed, and the organization of the interview was rather off."
"The area around USC wasn't that great, the parking cost, no tour, the feeling of being rushed during the interview, the cocky attitude of some of the students"
"Just the area around it. But that was expected."
"The area is not to great."
"The fact that we didn't get to tour the campus or the building and that the interview was too short to fully present myself."
"Lack of a tour"
"Rather impersonal, some of the interviewees were obviously nervous and shy."
"surrounding area"
"The surrounding area."
"The neighborhood is really ghetto"
"The pharmacy school is only one building. You're stuck in the same lecture halls for all your classes."
"n/a"
"The surrounding ghetto area."
"The interview was supposed to be 20 min long, but my interviewers were extremely unprofessional and very rude. Unfortunately, I am one of the few who had a bad interview experience. It's really about luck- who you get as your interviewer. Before my interview, the faculty member and graduate student had their own side conversation and did not acknowledge me even though I tried to join the conversation. Then before I knew it, my interview was rushed and it was only 15 minutes long. They did not let me ask questions in the end, due to time. When the graduate student walked me to my essay after the interview, she caught me offguard by asking me why I would even consider USC over UCSF and UCSD. When I answered, she seemed not to care about what I had to say. The interview gave me a really bad impression of the students/faculty that make up this university."
"they didnt' really give a tour on the day of the interview. but i got one an info session previously. also didnt try to give us any info regarding the school...but i guess everything is online..."
"nothing negative of the interview really, just the area around the campus is pretty bad...."
"There wasn't a lot of effort from the school in trying to impress you."
"It has nothing to do with the school but I was just so surprised at how many students had already finished their undergrads. I was wondering if anyone just went to pharmacy school right out of college anymore. "
"None. "
"interview itself was only 20 minutes, and my interviewers had a timer so they only asked me questions for 15 minutes and gave me 5 minutes to ask them questions. I felt it was too short for them to get to know me."
"Most of the interviewees were not."
"Downtown Los Angeles. Need I say more? "
"Current students greeted us, but I felt it was forced. Professor I interviewed with was really tearing apart any answers i gave. Also, whenever I would look him in the eye, he would look away ( a twitch maybe?)"
"The location."
"The neighborhood. But I'm fine with it."
"no tour, downtown LA, as expected, is pretty ghetto"
"interview"
"Very rushed, only 2.5 hours long, no Tour, very impersonal. I suggest you take out a few moments of your own time after the interview session and tour the facilities yourself."
"I know every one says the location, but really it's in a bad place. There is nothing in the area not even fast food. "
"It's not in the prettiest part of LA."
"greek life. This school is so fake. So much hype."
"they need to fix up the school, it is like a relic"
"the school is about to fall apart, it is ridiculous"
"old campus, bad area, not very helpful when asked questions about the program, financial aid, etc."
"There was no formal tour of the school."
"The location of the school."
"Some pharmacy students present at the question and answer session seemed like they had better things to do. It made me wonder if they wanted to be there or if they were forced to be there. "
"the student interviewer and faculty interviewer seemed very rude. The student pulled out his cellphone from his pants pocket at the end of the interview and looked at the time to say it's over. The faculty member kept looking at me like I was a liar and seemed offended when I asked him a question. It felt more like an interrogation."
"none"
"nothing"
"How fast the interview was. My interviewers seem not interested in my talk and don't want to be there. They worried about 20 min time frame so much that they were cleaning up the desk while I was talking. "
"There were 150 other students intereviewed at the same time, didn't feel very personal, students seemed bored like they were forced to be there"
"the faculty- my interviewer seemed a bit rude. "
"Location's not that great, but hwo really cares anyway. "
"The other applicants. So many stereotypical A-type overstressed "pre-meds" (even though it was for pharmacy). It made me not want to go to USC if these would be my future classmates. Where are the "well-rounded" applicants that actually have people skills?"
"i could have answered some questions better"
"quickness of the interview because of time scheduling"
"nothing."
"Length of interview because it was too short"
"the USC students who were there to answer questions seemed all about "Trojan pride""
"Building didn't seem as high tech as some of the other schools, but supposedly they're expanding."
"The building did not seem as high tech as other schools. "
"Nothing!"
"My student interviewer was not as nice and cheerful as the faculty interviewer."
"The interview was a rush and there wasn't any time for a tour."
"The fact that there wasn't a tour of the campus. I would have liked to be able to konw what buildings were what. Also, the interview was incredibly short. It seemed like it was only 5 minutes long."
"They might as well have me dealth with an automatic response machine."
"School seems a bit like one big fraternity."
"The tuition is tough to swallow. I didn't get to meet Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush, which really disappointmed me. I thought they'd be there to welcome me. Damn."
"the location...and personally, I thought the whole emphasis on networking was too much for me...it seemed like they turned the pharmacy profession into business! (well, partly it is but I was looking for something more sincere...well, I mean this is LA so I guess that's how it is- no offense to LA people-I live in LA as well)"
"the surrounding area of the school"
"It felt really rushed. They didnt give the candidates a tour of the school. "
"i did not like the way a professor and a student, which sit next to me, interview me. I feel very arkward talking to one person and forgot that the student is sitting next to me."
"no tours"
"the location, and the fact that we didn't a tour."
"The campus seems small and its location isn't that great."
"the frikken rain."
"Nothing really."
"the actual interview was unprofessional, uncomfortable, and extremely stressful (see comments). the essay section, although easy, is not an adequate assessment of writing skills or critical thinking abilities"
"didn't see anything negative"
"The location is not great. Traffic in the area is not fun to battle either. A larger class size."
"the writing test screwed me over. Like I summarized it but like not completely in my own words so they'll probably like dock me off a whole lotta points for not following instructions. follow directions people!!!"
"The interview was very brief. You have to sell yourself in a very short amount of time. There was also no time for a tour. The whole day seemed rushed."
"The interview time was too short and there was no tour."
"The interview was too short."
"Too much Trojan pride."
"the campus doesn't look too gorgeous. then again, i got to see only a small portion of it. i wish they had given us a tour."
"My student interviewer was kind of stuck-up. It didn't seem like he wanted to be there. The professor was nice tho."
"The interview is really short, so you have to work to cram in everything into those 20 minutes given to you."
"No tour! And the students just emphasized on networking. The latter is not exactly a negative thing but that's all the they really talked about."
"Nothing negative."
"I did not like the essay portion - I don't know it was just weird to me! They give you a paragraph and give you 5 minutes to take notes on it - BUT the sheet you take notes on has ten lines on it and you can only write 5 words on each line (weird?). Then they take away the paragraph and you have 15 minutes to state the main point(s) and summarize the paragraph (you could not add new ideas). I wasn't sure how much I was supposed to write from a 6-7 sentence paragraph. :-("
"how unhappy the current pharm. d students seemed. All they do is study and don't ever seem to socialize. If you just want to be studying all the time, then this school if for you. Plus the essay structure was very different in that you didn't write an essay answering a question. You had to read a paragraph from an article and then summarize it in a matter of 20 minutes. I did not like this at all because the article did not even make much sense to me and I had no real time to work on it."
"the area is ghetto"
"the area around the health sciences campus is really ghetto. by ghetto i mean not one half-decent neighborhood to live in anywhere nearby. anywhere. and a far cry from UCSF and UCSD's hip and happenin locations. especially UCSF's with all those cool restaurants and neighborhoods nearby and the GREAT view of the GG bridge. why couldn't they have at least built this at the main campus?"
"The campus is beautiful but the neighborhood is a little questionable."
"Nothing. Wish the interviews were longer though."
"It was very quick."
"Nothing..."
"USC is in the ghetto so bring your gun"
"My interviewer was somewhat cold and made some comments that bordered on rude. The whole "Trojan Pride" thing was very strong and almost intimidating. The campus is small and surrounded by a marginal neighborhood."
"the interview was too short. i feel like i was being rush to just tell them about my whole life and accomplishment in just 15 minutes."
"The "classic" style interview was limited to 10 minutes. I ran out of time answering the last question."
"probably should have brought mints"
"nothing surprising"
"the topic of the essay lol."
"The essay kind of threw me off, compared to the other schools' essay topics."
"The writing sample is long and on a tiny desk"
"The professor cuts you off if you start answering a question too long. They want you to be very brief but thorough and concise in your supporting examples/answers."
"How casual the entire interview would be."
"That 20 minutes goes by extremely quickly!"
"The essay was so tough!!! But not sure how you could have prepared for that."
"I wish I wouldve known I would be interviewed in an office setting where the interview's face would be 1 foot away from my face."
"The location of the campus was hard to find if you don't know the area well. There were no signs on where the pharmacy building is, so I walked around the medical campus for a good 10 minutes before I found out where everyone was."
"No bathroom break."
"To eat a bigger meal beforehand and bring mints. My stomach was growling during the interview and my interviewer ended up giving me food."
"Don't be nervous, it's actually quite a relaxed interview!"
"To bring a pencil for the writing section because the pencil they gave me broke half way through."
"not much. I learned the key was to be good at improvising answers and not rehearse my interview too much."
"That there were a couple of interview groups on one day."
"How hard the writing portion was."
"The number of quarters needed for meter parking"
"I knew there would be other people interviewing that day, I didn't know how many people would be there--a lot!!"
"No bathroom breaks from the orientation until the end. No refreshments either-bring water."
"You come around 30 minutes before your interview. You don't have to come at 8am."
"20 minutes is going to feel like 5 minutes."
"IT RAINED THAT DAY!!! I didn't have an umbrella, so I was half soaked when I walked in. "
"No tour. No financial aid seminar. (They need one)"
"Well it didnt really affect me but I think that you should not get there too early. I didnt know there was going to be interview sessions before and after me. So if you are there too early you get to see all those people cycle through and it will make you nervous and feel overwhelmed. I talked to this guy and he said he had seen three cycles before our interview and he was so nervous it was ridiculous."
"That they were going to ask me specific questions about my experience working at a pharmacy. The faculty interviewer grilled me on that one. she kept on saying, ''oh, volunteering there for a summer is not that long....so it was only 2 months.. blah blah.''"
"Take the questions seriously even if they are easy because a lot depends on your answers. Also remember that the competition is tough ''up your game.'' GOOD LUCK! "
"Nothing really."
"Just don't be so nervous. That'll make your interview 100X easier."
"wished I knew it was open file, although it didn't really hurt me since I remembered what I wrote"
"Its really laid back."
"Nothing"
"I think SDN covered what wasn't in the interview invite. "
"go to the school before hand, the hype in the name of the school is just that, the hype."
"sc is not all its cracked up to be. it was my first choice but now that I got accepted, i am not so sure i wanna go there."
"dragongate inn has no pool/spa!! the interview is really laid back and you wont be there for hours and hours sitting and waiting!"
"I was really nervous the night before the interview!! But, remember you will do fine. If I can do it and get accepted, you can too! Please be confident in yourself."
"the unfriendliness of the interviewers."
"to make my answers concise and to the point. the 20 minutes really seem like 10 minutes."
"Nothing."
"The 20min goes by very very fast. Make sure you are clear on who the studnet is and who the faculty member is. They interview you at the same time. "
"I didn't know there was going to be a writing sample...so that was a surprise. It was pretty easy however, so no big deal."
"didn't need to schedule so much time between my flight and arriving to the school and same w/leaving"
"DONT STRESS IT!"
"Overpreparing is just as bad as not being prepared anough"
"That all the PharmD students/faculty members were really nice and laid-back...I was really nervous before going in but the presentation before the interview helped a lot. I was stress-free by the time I met up with my student interviewer...the entire interview process seemed like one big conversation...and 20 minutes were done before I knew it. "
"There are student greeters to talk with the interviewees prior to their interview time."
"It is better to overdress than underdress. "
"To not be stressed!"
"To be less stressed - the people are there to really help you so don't get nervous."
"That bad luck can throw you off."
"Note to self: take sedative before next interview"
"That the LA freeway system can be intimidating. The 10 east doesn't specify itself as east, so if you're heading North on the 5, take the second 10 that you see. Oh, and don't stress too much boys and girls. There will invariably be a tough interview or two out of the whole interview group, but almost all the students I chatted with after were very satisfied by how easy-going the interview was."
"I knew what to expect so no surprises."
"that i would have to regurgitate my whole application in only 15 minutes"
"Traffic in downtown LA sucks! I thought the 405 was bad but downtown is horrible."
"Know what i did in the research lab."
"be prepared for traffic.. i knew it but it really stressed me out even more than i already was"
"That it was going to be a very relaxed environment."
"...i came way too early. burger king was bomb though."
"should have stayed at least a whole day after the interview day to enjoy Vegas...."
"That it would be so relaxed"
"i'm quite impressive with what USC has to offer. Although it is costly, the school will definitely take care of you: pre or post graduate."
"I can't emphasize enough how important sleep is. Make sure you get a good night's sleep before your interview. All of your preparation will be pointless if you can't think straight. Trust me."
"Allow yourself extra time to find parking."
"None"
"more travel time! I got rear-ended on the way there."
"rumor has it that you're not supposed to incorporate anything in your essay that wasn't found in the original passage you read. i didn't know about it but still got in. so i don't know how true this rumor is."
"be prepared to talk more about myself and less about the school and the profession."
"Directions to the campus can be a bit confusing if you're not from the area. Map quest really helped me. Get there early!"
"I was ready for what was coming. "
"how short the interview was and how they had no campus tours."
"to not wear my shirt too tightly, and get some good rest. Good preparation wont help if you cant think clearly!"
"nothing. Don't worry about the essay. It was easy. Read a passage and summarize it in your own words. "
"problems in pharmacy."
"I wish I had practiced."
"The interview was worth 50% not 10% that they tell you at the beginning!!!"
"The interview days is really short and structured and there is nothing to do in the immediate area of the school afterwards. I would have booked an earlier flight home."
"how short the interview was so i didn't really have enough time to impress the interviewers and for them to get to know me a little bit more."
"It was a long but thorough day."
"Very good school, I did not like this school because of the tuition, now I think it's probably worth it"
"be yourself, be confident, and believe in yourself. sound assuring in your answers and like you want to BE THRE"
"My interview was open file, they have read through it and I saw marks and comments. They asked some questions based on my essays but asked their follow up questions based on my responses. My interviewers were so friendly, I had a faculty member and a 2nd year student. We went off topic and it was very conversational. They rushed at the end because of our side conversations and had to ask some last minute questions to fill out on their evaluation sheet. They were just awesome and I wasn't nervous at all. Don't stress out too much and to be yourself."
"Overall, its a simple process and NOT NEARLY as stressful as I thought it would be. =)"
"USC was my first interviewing experience ever, and it was nerve racking. I had a professor who was not a pharmacist, so that threw me off from the beginning. The interview felt really rushed, and I felt that I wasn't able to tell everything about myself and give a full evaluation. The student lounge was great since we got to talk to first year students who knew the program and was able to tell us how it was. There was a welcoming seminar where they tried to get us to relax, but I felt that it made everyone more nervous since for most of us, we were the first group to go for the USC interview. It made me more nervous. Everything felt extremely rushed during the day, and I didn't like the atmosphere that some of the students provided. I felt that there was some cockiness for going to USC, which is good, but I don't like it shoved up my face about it. Other than that, USC is a good school."
"Very efficient process. 2 hours long. Chatted with first years cause I came ~half hour early. Short intro by admissions director. 20 minute interview. 5 minutes to read article, 15 minutes to summarize it. Q&A with the 3rd years. Biggest thing I learned from my interview experience was that the student body involvement is huge and you can make a ton of connections while you're there. Biggest advice: be prepared for all the common questions and know yourself/background well, so you can focus on appearing confident, talkative, and happy to be there."
"none. Just be yourself and relax! Pharmacy school isn't the only thing in life! If you can relax and talk like you are having an intellectual conversation, then you are good!"
"great experience overall, low stress, Stay relaxed and speak freely during the interview and you'll be just fine"
"USC is definitely my number one choice of school now."
"An overall low-stress interview"
"Overall it was a great interview experience. Everyone (the faculty and students) make you feel really welcome, like you belong there. The students do a good job of selling the school, and they are very helpful with all questions!"
"Strong pharmacy program, obviously academically difficult. Was told 5% of student fail classes-overwhelming first two years. Very nice to see that USC places externships near your home or on your driving route to school. Classes begin sharp at 8AM (pop quizzes daily), mandatory attendance, very strong push for all students to participate in pharmacy related groups and community outreach."
"the person that interviewed me was not a pharmacist, he was a molecular biology scientist"
"Everyone in that time slot will have the interview at the same time with different interviewers. Well, I was fortunate to have 2 interviewers who were super nice and I felt I did really well. Afterward, the writing prompt was given. I felt that I did horrible on the writing portion b/c I didn't finish it. However, I think the writing portion is to see if you can write plain English and following direction. Therefore, the interviewers determine if you get in or not b/c I was accepted. =) "
"Really nice and relaxing, but again, everyone seems to do well! ^_^"
"The students and the professors seem cool. The dean is funny. The interview had very low stress. Maybe because I winged it, I did not feel nervous and did alright just by being myself."
"i thought i would for sure get rejected from usc b/c my gpa is not stunning nor am i am a very competitive applicant (almost all the interviewees were from ucla)...i also thought this was my worst interview compared to the other school interviews i attended--I felt my interviewer did more of the talking than I did...so honestly--i really don't know how i got in...i felt like i totally got lucky on this one :P"
"I'm so glad I'm not going to this school."
"my interview was worse than any other interview i had for pharm school, and i had several. i also busted out a horrible joke to break the ice and i really regret it. they laughed but i wished i hadn't been so chummy. the interview was more like a conversation so it flowed pretty well, but it feel like they were playing good cop-bad cop with me. also, the writing portion was tougher than other schools. it's after the interview so it made me even more nervous. i assumed i wouldnt get accepted, but i got in!! i found out a week ago... ;0). Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to the maddness. you just have to keep your fingers crossed."
"I got in"
"Very structured interview process: 20 minute introduction, 20 minute interview, 20 minute writing, 20 minute optional Q/A with students. (I was accepted.)"
"The school is great people say it isn't worth the big name but I definetly disagree. Everyone was very warm and it made the experience enjoyable for me. "
"Overall process was no more than 2.5 hrs. I like how it was brief and got straight to the point. No tour given and i dont think the tours should be mandatory. Try walking around for 30 min in heels!!! no thanks. "
"My interview was at 9 am. parking around that time was easy and cheap. If you park on the streets it's only 25 cents for 1 hour (and the meter takes dimes and nickels) so don't park in the parking structure which is $6 or $8. the building was easy to find and they served us coffee, water, and hot chocolate. Then you get to chill and talk to other fellow interviewees and current students. An orientation is given by Jim who is so funny and charismatic. He really calms you down. Then students come in to take you to your interview room which is upstairs in the faculty offices. After the interview is the essay portion which is just to summarize an article. 4 students then come in for q&a. You can then leave or stick around to ask the students more questions."
"It was a lot more relaxing and stress-free than I expected. You first go into a room where one of the faculty (Jim Granderson) just talks to you about what is going to happen during the day. After some introductions, the first-years show you to your interviewers. I didn't really believe what people wrote when they said that their interview was like a conversation, but I can tell you it really was. During the interview, I was only asked about four questions. The rest of the time, we just built upon what I said or what they said. But this really depends on the interviewers you get, which is out of your control. After that, you go back downstairs to write your essay. Then some students come into the room to answer any questions you have. Overall, it took about 2 hours."
"My faculty interviewer and student interviewer were very nice. The entire interview was a normal conversation. Behave casual and confident and you will be fine."
"It's always going to be nerve wrecking when you interview so just accept that but at the same time, prepare yourself so that you will be ready for any question that might come your way. Remember that they just really want to get to know you so you want to present yourself confidently and in the best light possible using your accomplishments. This is not the time to be modest...tell them what you've done and what you plan to do in the future. It might just secure you a seat in this very tight competition. May the force be with you..j/k. Good luck! "
"It was okay, the professor I interviewed with didn't make it easy. He really picked me apart during the interview. And I had trouble maintaining eye contact when he would always look away while i'm talking. "
"This was my first interview and it was nice. I seemed to connect a bit with the interviewer. I had a lot to talk about with my research, and he grilled me on it for quite some time. After he knew that I had an interview at UCSF, that was when things got a bit interesting. He began talking about his experience in San Francisco and how he graduated there with his Pharm.D/Ph.D. It seemed that there was nothing that I could say to convince him that I would choose USC, and it seemed like he was encouraging me to go there after I was done responding with my intent to go to USC. Overall, my interview experience was much better than I could have imagined."
"The only suggestion that I want give to future interviewees is that you shouldn't be so nervous. You're there to advertise yourself to the staff and student so that they can recommend you to the admission committee. So if you're nervous, it's not going to help you. I would also recommend that you should know yourself VERY well. Know how to draw examples from your personal life and relate that to their questions (when it's possible). Lastly, remember to SMILE.:-) Try not to be so tense. "
"stayed at friend's apartment, 30 minute drive to school, parked on biggy street (surprisingly cheap 25 cents per hour), got there at around 8 a.m., P1 student greeters made calmed me down by talking to me, answered most of my questions about curriculum, etc. My interview was at 9 a.m., the admissions officer gave a 20 minute spiel about the school and what we were to do that day. Went to interview which lasted 20 minutes, went to take a timed essay (20 minutes), 20 minute pharm student Q and A, done"
"My interview experience at USC was very laid back, very friendly interviewers. Just be yourself"
"I had a great interview experience. I was prepared because of sdn. I was a bit nervous at first but the talk by Jim G was very helpful and relaxing. "
"Show up, get told exactly what to expect and give during interview. 2 on 1 interview, writing sample, Q&A session with P2&P3"
"Ok candidates, I am a sc graduate, class of 04 and I want to let all of you guys know that sc is a good school but it is starting to change. I hate to see people thinking sc is what it used to be in the 90s. San Diego will be what sc was many years ago. I still love sc but you guys need to know there are other options. I have to give credit to the ones who are aware of the hype, but all schools have pride in themselves. In the real world once you get your license, it does not matter where you graduated from. So just have fun with it."
"ok, the faculty interviewer was in a bad mood from the start and the student just wanted to get it over with. It sux because i thought they would care more about the applicants, but it seemed like they just wanted to get it over with. my friend experienced the same thing."
"it was too simple. I was expecting a bit of grilling but none of that happened."
"overall went really well"
"This was my first interview so I was initially very nervous, but there really is no reason to be nervous. My best advice is to remember to be confident in yourself; there's a reason why they ask you to come interview with them. Overall, the faculty and student interviewers were really nice. They basically asked me questions regarding the 300 word essay I wrote. It's a great school and I'm happy to say I got in!!"
"The env't was relax. The interview was more of a conversation and not an interrogation. Keep that in mind when coming up with your responses b/c in between your responses, the interviewers might make a comment or ask another question. The essay was a simple summary. 5 mins to read and take notes and 15 mins to write. "
"Surprisingly great experience. I was pretty nervous when I first got there, but the faculty and students tried hard to ease all the interviewees' nerves. The interview itself was more like a conversation than an interview. The interviewers seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say and were willing to share about their USC experiences. "
"waste of time."
"it was short interview.. i was less nervous than i expected.. Also, my interviewers was very friendly.. also, essay part also seemed ok.. don't worry about it!!!"
"Great."
"very nice. after talking with other applicants and current pharmacy students before the interview, your nervous level can really drop from 10 to 6. very helpful to go early to experience this."
"I want to go to USC because it's close to home and this is the only interview I got so far. I think all Pharm schools are good though. For the interview, just be yourself and dress professionaly. Try not getting sick like me. For the writing, just summarize the article- DO NOT GO INTO INTEPRET AND TALK ABOUT WHATU THINK OR HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT."
"Overall, I felt the interview had a negative impression on me. I originally had SC in my top 2 choices but my mind has now changed. "
"the interview was way too short. I didn't like how my interviewer asked me science-based questions. Overall I did not get a good impression of the school. "
"If you wanna chat with current students arrive early. People hangging out in the lobby. Mostly p-1 studnets. Be confidant when you get there. It has a lot to do with how you deliver your answers. In the nicest most humble way, BE CONFIDANT. (yeah, a bit oxymoronic but you get the idea). Be nice to evryone, you never know who you will run into in the hall, lobby, or parking lot. It might be the person that inteviews you. It happened to me! And if you know people at the school already then name drop if you can beacuse the interviewers propbably know them. The interview will go by SOOOO fast so make sure you know exactly what points you want to highlight before you go in. "
"About 2 hours total. Brief welcome/intro from an extremely un-PC (can you say sexual harrassment?) man named Jim. 20 minute 2-on-1 interview, 20 minutes writing sample, 20 minutes Q&A with students. I was disappointed there was no tour."
"asked current usc students questions, was calmed down a bit by the dean's welcome talk, was led into a tiny room to be interviewed, took the written test which was to write a summary of an article, finished off by asking more questions to current students. all within 2 hours."
"I had a great time. USC does a great job of presenting the school and all the great oppurtunities it has for pharmacy students. They also have a great group of faculty and students."
"Arrive early because there are students to chat with before the interview. There is also punch and cookies available also. They then seat the first group if students in a room, where they talk to you about how the day is going to play out. Then your interviewer comes in the room and personally escorts you to a faculty office where the interview wil take place. After that, you go to a big room where you take the written part of the interview. Then current USC studets come in and answer any of your questions. I felt like I did terrible, but I got accepted out of the first batch."
"the interview went by too fast, the woman interviewer kept cutting me off and asking different questions, and the student interviewer kept writing notes. Grrr..."
"In a word...it was fun. I expected it to be stressful, but it wasn't...just talk to the interviewers as though you were talking to someone you knew. Everyone seemed very cheerful and helpful there."
"The interview was short and fast-paced. The interviewers appeared friendly."
"It went by quickly. The interviewer seemed uninterested in what I had to say. I was the last of 6 interviews that he had to conduct so he was tired. It seemed unfair for the student present to be leaning her head on her palm. They were both unwelcoming and discouraging. "
"USC was overall the best interview experience I had (and it was my first)! The current students are there to talk to you before you are called in, also the talk from Jim was very informational and calming. My interviewers weren't intimidating at all (they were super friendly), and wanted to know more about me. Essay wasn't difficult, just a summary. "
"I was so nervous, but the pharmacy students really helped me relax. It was a very positive experience."
"The interview was a smooth one. The whole thing was not long and overall everyone was nice."
"Overall I was very impressed with the enthusiasm of the students. The interview was very organized there was a set of questions to be asked. If weird questions are asked, don't get nervous just be yourself and asnwer it as best as you can (they want to see how you can handle pressure). Good luck!"
"I was unfortunate to have interviewers who were either too shy or too indifferent to light up the atmosphere. I constantly worried about the quality of my answers because my interviewers appeared just trying to get this over with. I wished I had someone else to interview me."
"The professor and the student who interviewed me were very nice and were always supportive of my answers to their questions, even offering their own opinions. I felt like they made a sincere effort to understand what I was trying to communicate to them even though I was debilitatingly nervous the whole time and was embarrassingly inarticulate."
"Pretty lax, though my student interviewer didn't seem very friendly. They alternated questions, and at times it seemed the student had a script to follow (she asked questions that I had already answered clearly in another response). The interview is preceded by a talk by the dean of admissions and followed by an informal student panel. The experience lasts about 2-2.5 hours overall."
"Overall it was a very pleasant experience! The interviewers made me feel very comfortable so though I was very very nervous I was able to perform my best. I felt it was a little rushed but otherwise it was great! The whole emphasis on networking and communication though...I dunno, I don't really buy it."
"very good, relaxed because there were students out front to greet all interviewees, however rushed when it came to the actual interview portion although rushed, it was not stressful or a tough interview at all. faculty and student were very nice. "
"I thought the overall experience went well. I arrived just in time, almost missed it because of traffic so that added to my stress. I was actually embaressed because I live in LA and I should know how bad the traffic is. I commented on the traffic issue which lead nicely into my living in the westside and attending UCLA. Pretty cool way to start bragging about yourself. I applied last year, didnt get in to a good school so applied again. The major difference this year was BRAGGING, DESIRE, LEADERSHIP, and USC FOOTBALL. I actually did the same at 6 other school interviews and was accepted to every school. Interesting enough the majority of the time we talked about USC football which was a better topic to relax and talk about. It worked out because in 4 weeks i got my acceptance, but I will always be cheering on UCLA to beat USC!"
"I feel that the students at USC are really optimistic in general. When the students finish with the interview, we went to a room to talk to pharmacy students. I feel the students asked really dumb questions (such as, where to go to eat, party, downtown, clubs and organizations). OKKK, do all of them think that they did get accept to USC. What is the cahnce of getting to the school (20%). I don't really care now since i am thinking of NOT applying to pharmacy schools any more because too MANY people are applying. I am going to do my MS in Biochemistry then maybe switch to Podiatric or Dental. PHARMACY SUCKS "
"overall my interview experience at usc was great, better than at any other schools i interviewed. my interviewers were the most friendly people i've ever met. one was a current student and the other was a professor of pharmacology and toxicology and the assoc. dean of graduate studies. i was glad he was my interviewer cuz i got all my questions about usc's pharmd program answered. my interview went well... went overtime too, and everyone has to wait for me to start the essay, felt kinda bad about that.. but hey, I got in! =)"
"I had a great experience there. I felt I could ask the students anything since these are not the same students that will interview you. The Dean is super nice and seems to really look out for the students. The faculty and student that I interviewed with were very friendly and didn't really grill me. I felt we were just talking and they genuinely were trying to see if we were a match for each other. After the interview, I felt that this was a great school, with a good reputation, and that it would teach me what I need to know to become a great pharmacist. Luckily, I got my acceptance letter 4 weeks later"
"Everything was very organized. Arrive a 10 minutes early in order to get a chance to talk to the students/teachers there. After you check-in, you are led to another room where the Admissions director talks to you about what the interview process entails. He was very good at making jokes and calming people's nerves. After this talk, current pharmacy student interviewers came in and led us away one by one to a different room where your faculty interviewer was waiting. They interviewed me for about 20-25 minutes. They were very organized and had specific questions written down that they wanted to ask. They were also very friendly and approachable. After the interview, I went back downstairs to another room where I took the written test. The written test is very simple - basically read a small paragraph and summarize its content. Overall, the experience was a good one and I went away feeling that I shouldn't have been as nervous as I was going in."
"it was a pleasant atmosphere overall. no one really makes you nervous except the really high-strung interviewees...oh lawd...there were so many of them. just be cool and take it easy cuz that was the best interview i've ever had"
"Well, I had the EARLY interview at 8:30am. At first we were in the lobby, but moved to a room because it was warmer. Then we had someone talk to us about the whole interview process and what we should expect. He was just trying to make everyone relax, which was a good thing. After about 20 minutes of the intro, there were 24 student interviewers, EACH assigned with the 24 students in the first interview group. As my student interviewer got me, we went to the faculty's room and there it began. It was pretty much laid back, seemed as though I had control of the interview because they rarely asked any questions directly, and just wanted me to ask them questions. That lasted about 20 minutes, and then I was placed back into the same room where I started from, and you wait until all the other students interviewed at that same block time to finish. Afterwards, we read a short paragraph and summarize it. Then we had a Q&A period which doesn't count for anything, so at that point, the interview was already over. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I expected, but anything can happen."
"While everyone at USC (including my interviewers) were very friendly, my interview experience was overall a negative one. I was asked to sit in between my 2 interviewers in a very small office so that, when answering their questions, I always had my back to one while facing the other. I was therefore constantly looking back and forth between the two, an uncomfotable set up. Throughout my interview, the professor was coughing profusely leading me to wonder if he/she was actually hearing anything I said. Also, the computer facing the professor had an instant messaging program on and IMs were occassionally popping up and making dinging noises. It was very unprofessional. The questions were fair, but many of the follow-up questions made me feel like they were attacking me (i.e. well, why didn't you do this? or that?). Sometimes I would give an answer only to be shot down with a "Yea, but..." I basically did not get much positive feedback and being naturally nervous did not help either. However, even though I felt like my interview went horribly, I ended up getting accepted soon after (and I have a relatively low GPA). So I'm pretty sure the interviewers just want to see how you react to tough situations and that you can keep your composure. Have confidence in your answers despite what reactions you get from your interviewers."
"very nervous even though I know I shouldn't have been, especially when it was almost my turn for the interview. But I gradually felt better as the interview progressed because the interviewers weren't that scary...hehe...also, i got to talk to some of the faculty and students after the interview...very nice people"
"Overall, the interview was pretty easy going. Everyone was friendly and the structure of the interview was very organized. Make sure you are just summarizing the paragraph for the written part and not commenting on it."
"The process was nice and quick. Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the interview so you can talk to current students 1-on-1. There is a brief history of the school which is relaxing because it is explained that the interview is to see if you fit with USC and if USC fits with you. There were only 4 guys in our group of around 30-40. The student walks you to the room where a faculty member is waiting. The interview is supposed to be 20 minutes but we got to chatting and ended up talking for 40! oops! It was extremely casual, they just wanted to know about me and were enthusiastic about their program. After the interview we went and waited to write our summary paragraph, I was a little nervous at first but found it to be pretty easy. Then some of the student leaders stuck around to ask questions...all in all it took about 2 hours and was a pleasant experience!"
"The interview itself wasnt as nerve wrecking as I had thought it would be. As long as you totally dont make up the answers, then you'll be fine...cos then they might just backfire on you and ask about that specific sentence you just mentioned. Just be yourself, be honest, be confident. The interviewers were just cool about everything. They're there to get to know you, since its closed file and everything. "
"It was a good day at USC. I had gotten there fairly early, so it gave me some time to chat with USC students. This was very helpful in calming me down because they kept repeating how the interview is a very laidback process. 25 of us were then taken into a small auditorium where the head of admissions gave us a pep talk and explained the admissions process. Basically, only about 40 people from our interview pool of 150 will get accepted. Everyone else is either waitlisted until the end of the interview process in March or rejected. This was followed by a brief interview with a faculty member and a current student. Like I said before, they asked basic questions to get to know you. I was extremely surprised by how relaxed the interview process was, although it may depend on the faculty member who interviews you. The interview was followed by a 20-minute essay portion, in which you summarize a paragraph in your own words. After that, students answered your questions about the school. Then you were free to go. It was a very brief process."
"The head of admission gives you a brief pep talk to try and make you relax. Then you interview for about 20 minutes with a student and faculty member. The last part is the writing portion. It asks you to summarize a short reading. Overall, it was an okay experience."
"They first give you an orientation, then they have an interview (20min) and then they let you write the essay. The essay was really easy- you just basically summarize a paragraph. The students and the faculty really try to calm you down."
"All in all it was good. I wish they had optional activities like a tour and financial aid information."
"awesome. the interview's really supposed to be 20 minutes long but it was mainly just a chitchat that we lost track of time and ended up being 35-40 minutes and then the professor gave me a tour. i just got my acceptance letter so I'm going there for fall 2005 unless other schools want me (it's still early in the application process). "
"First, there was an intro session that explained what was expected to happen during the interview process. Then, there was a 20 minute interview with a faculty member and student. The writing portion was next, followed by a question and answer session led by students."
"I learned a great deal about the program. It is a great school. I don't know about their interview process though. They could make some improvement. The interview was too short!! I felt like they were rushing me. I wish I have more time to response to their questions. I wished they asked me more questions. I feel like I didn't have enuff time to sell myself. Be prepare to sell yourself in less than 10 minutes!! don't leave out anything! "
"It was a really great experience, all of the faculty and students were really open about their experiences and helpful in answering all of my questions!"
"Overall a very positive experience. One thing that struck me was that they accept 15 to 20 applicants from each interview pool right off the back based on their interviews. That's awesome. If you're a great interviewer then its good for you. USC also goes by a point system. And if you get a later interview date, it doesn't mean you less qualified. Every pool gets the same opportunity. "
"The people are very nice and friendly. They really try to make the students relaxed and create a warm environment. In the beginning of the process, they tell you everything about the process so that there are no surprises. "
"I get very stressed out so it was stressful for ME, but overall it was not difficult. I was lucky to have very nice interviewers. We basically had a conversation (at one point I was referring her to a place her kids might like to go to in their spare time). Remember, the professor AND the student are grading you so pay attention to the student too! I was told to ask questions beforehand so I made sure to ask them a few. "
"The actual interview with the professor and the 1st year pharmacy student was not too bad. They were nice and I just had to talk about myself. What I was not happy with was how the students seemed very unhappy and very overworked. No one really seemed to know each other and they just seemed distant. The school had a lot of pride that got a bit old after a while as they kept trying to say how better USC was than UCLA when frankly I didn't really care."
"I had a great time. The whole ordeal didn't feel like an interview. Just a casual conversation you would have with a new friend."
"USC would be the ideal school if: 1. it was about 25,000/yr cheaper 2. it was in a better neighborhood with more things to do (witout feeling scared) 3. it was a lot cheaper! Overall though, the interview went okay. not great not bad. at the end of the interview, my friends said they were complimented on having a good interview and i was scared because i wasn't complimented. but in the end, i got in, they didnt. so dont worry. be yourself (or at least be cheerful) and know more than the general and obvious about pharmacy."
"Very good experience. "
"A great school overall. A good place to study and also grow in other ways. Friendly atmosphere."
"It wasn't bad at all. Get in as much as you can, you are just a name to the interviewees. they know nothing about you. Be very outgoing and cheerful."
"There is a 20 minute orientation, quick interview, a 20 minute writing sample which is very straightforward, then 20 minutes to ask questions of current students."
"Overall, this was a great experience! Everyone was really nice and I felt a genuine love for the school. The interview was short but very relaxing."
"It is a blind interview so the interviewer does not know anything about you. Make sure to state the obvious-what school you attended, what's your major, why you want to be a pharmacist, what attracts you to USC. "
"I did not really get much of an impression about the school because the day was so short. I saw nothing that really sold me on it though and given the price I probably would not go there if I got into a UC school. If you want to be in L.A. it is a great place to be and they have good combined degree program offerings."
"very relax but like i mentioned but a bit of a rush... so i don't really know how i did on the interview. the essay was okay because i just summarized one short paragraph about a syndrome. great school and very very friends people... "
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 17 |
| Faculty member | 1 |
| Admissions staff | 3 |
| Other | 7 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 10 |
| Neutral | 5 |
| Discouraging | 1 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.82 | 78 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 73 |
| Out of state | 7 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 50 |
| 2-3 hours | 14 |
| 4-6 hours | 3 |
| 7+ hours | 7 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 11 |
| Automobile | 63 |
| Train or subway | 5 |
| Other | 0 |
SNA
lax
LGB
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 0 |
| Friends or family | 13 |
| Hotel | 10 |
| Home | 4 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 34 |
| $101-$200 | 6 |
| $201-$300 | 2 |
| $301-$400 | 0 |
| $401-$500 | 3 |
| $501+ | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.28 | 87 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.54 | 87 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.00 | 85 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.66 | 38 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.85 | 39 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.14 | 37 |
"Definitely increase the time for the classic interview. There wasn't nearly enough time to answer all the questions thoroughly, let alone time to ask questions. Also, although there are a lot of students interviewing per day, the blocked group schedule definitely puts students who interview later in the day at a disadvantage because you are mentally fatigued from all the Q&A sessions."
"Have a clock/timer displayed when taking the writing portion of the interview."
"Include a campus tour and a bathroom break in between the interview and the essay."
"To extend the deadline for the deposit."
"Longer interview time. School or campus tour would have been nice."
"Have a tour of the school after the interview sessions."
"Include 1) a break between the interview and essay for restroom, and 2) include a tour"
"I really like the way USC welcomed us! Very warmly and friendly!"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?