Los Angeles, CA
Dental Schools | Private Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2013-14
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
8 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
8 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
We each were asked to pick a paper out of a basket, read the question aloud and answer it in 90 seconds or less. My first question was "what was the last book you read or play you saw and would you recommend it?"
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
50 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
No change 😐
How many people interviewed you?
2
What was the stress level of the interview?
1 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What was the style of the interview?
In a group
What type of interview was it?
Closed file
Where did the interview take place?
At the school
How did you prepare for the interview?
PBL is very difficult to prepare for as you are not given the case ahead of time. It is important to contribute to the group and also try to help facilitate discussion. It is best to make sure to read the information provided about PBL and the steps that you must go through during a PBL session.
What impressed you positively?
The faculty seemed very enthusiastic but no more than any other schools. The PBL is very interesting and there were some positive aspects of the format. However I could not obtain any more information that the vague answers about the program provided by staff and students. It is very important to make sure you feel like all of your questions were answered before leaving.
What impressed you negatively?
PBL is very unique and has its merits. It allows one to work closely with others and promotes a collaborative environment. I think this would be best suited for those who enjoy research. I was very concerned with the reluctance to provide board exam pass rates. I was able to ask a few students during lunch who explained that USC provides a lot of clinical experience which will be beneficial for part 2 of the board exams, but they are lacking in terms of content preparation.
Also I could not obtain a straight answer on if there are supplementary lectures for the PBL sessions or not. Some student said no, some said yes and some didn't understand what I was asking.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
I did not get to interact much with the admissions office other than when i called in to schedule in the interview. They didn't seem very friendly however they handle thousands of applications. I would suggest that they send confirmation emails to the invited applications to confirm their interview date. The woman who scheduled me abruptly ended the call and I did not feel confident that my interview had been scheduled.
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
4-6 hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$501+
What airport did you fly into?
LAX
Where did you stay?
Hotel
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
O hotel--- i would not reccommend
How would you rate the hotel?
1 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
no
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