Los Angeles, CA
Dental Schools | Private Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
9 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?
9 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What was the most interesting question?
The PBL questions had to do with some person who was feeling sick while on a cruise and each part of the case reveals more information. Then you all throw out ideas of what the possible problem could be...
What was the most difficult question?
The most difficult part of the PBL session was not getting up to leave in the middle, or make fun of it...they are sooooo pointless...
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
50 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
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?
Please do not do anything to prepare for this interview....it is not an interview...it is a joke mock PBL session that has nothing to do with anything...just participate...other than that I don't see how they chose their candidates from something so dumb...
What impressed you positively?
Even though PBL is pointless, you are in class three times a week for 4 hours at a time. The student I ate lunch with said there are AM sessions (8-12) and PM sessions (1-5), so you will be assigned one or the other and then switch at the end of each semester. POSITIVE = only 12 hours of "class" time a week....meaning you have plenty of free time to learn the material....or plenty of personal time if you don't want to learn anything....
What impressed you negatively?
I think PBL is helpful, but should not be used to competely replace lectures, textbook, and class notes. Either way, as long as you are self-motivated and want to learn about science/dentistry I don't think PBL will affect anyone's learning. And of course tuition.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
I did not like PBL or the tuition before the interview...Afterwards, I still do not like PBL or the cost of tuition, but I did realize that if you want to learn/excel in dental school you will (probably just like most other schools just less structured)...PBL will not make a difference...and if I don't get into schools X,Y, and Z, then i would pay the ridiculous tuition to teach myself for a couple of years...
What are your general comments?
You probably already know the two most important things about USC: they use problem based learning instead of traditional leactures and they are really really expensive. USC spends most of there day trying to explain those two factors. A one hour financial aid presentation, a one hour intro to PBL lecture from a professor, and a half an a hour observing a actual PBL session. The interview day did not "sell" PBL to me, it actually made it look worse while observing the PBL case....but in the end its a dental eduaction and you will still receive that DDS...The interview is a group PBL session that two members of the admission's staff observed...we also had a writing assignment...we all had different topics (it was random)..they say 15 minutes but people were handing them in at various parts of the day if they didn't finish...I don't know why they say "15 minutes"....most importantly, if you don't want to do any work or study for exams, then this is the school for you...it seems that slackers can still get by with doing very, very little....and I mean little...I did not get that feeling at any other school
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Admissions staff
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
In state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
2-3 hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$301-$400
Where did you stay?
Hotel
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Vagebond Inn
How would you rate the hotel?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
yes
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