I have to say, after experiencing the strong gusts of Chicago, LA’s dry heat wave was really something else. My dad and I drove up at 6am to beat the morning rush hour, and I arrived on Keck’s campus with about an hour to spare. That said, I learned the hard way that I am geographically illiterate and spent about half an hour walking around trying to find the admissions office. Keck, I realized, did not have the undergraduate campus’s smooth flat pavements; rather, its buildings are situated on hills.
But hey, I remember to switch into flats this time!
After checking in at 8am, I spoke with a few other interviewees before we were all ushered into for an introduction from the Dean of Admissions, Dr. Arias. Keck splits its interview day into 2 sessions: an 8am and 9am sessions. Both sessions are essentially identical, with the earlier group getting 2 separate interview slots (one at 9am and one at 1pm) wherease the later group gets 2 back-to-back interviews (1pm and 2pm). Both groups share the same tour and lunch break.
Dr. Arias and her welcome are nothing short of refreshing. She told us that just by attending the interview, we are “80% there” and that the purpose of the interview is to validate the “soft qualities” that she thinks she saw when reading her application. Beyond stats, Keck wants individuals with strong communication skills, integrity, and compassion. The strengths of the medical school, she says, are built around these qualities: a research powerhouse, a private institution focused on serving the public (i.e. the poor), extensive clinical experiences that are almost unmatched. The list goes on. There wasn’t a curriculum nor financial aid overview, which I found a bit odd, but I figured that I can always look more into that if I actually get accepted.
I had my faculty interview right after the welcome, and to be honest, I’m not sure how to feel about it. We were told not to talk about our application, because the interviews are closed file and should be used to judge our conversational skills and interpersonal qualities. That said, the only questions my interview asked were ones pertaining to my applicaiton (i.e. What are you involved in? Tell me more about your research/RA life/etc.) Moreover, while she smiled at the beginning and reassured me that she was my advocate, she had a very blank expression when she took notes of what I talked about. And she took very copious notes…We’ll see how that goes haha! I always trip up on the “Tell me about yourself” question, and I hope I don’t sound like I’m rambling or “rehearsed” (though I promise I didn’t prepare enough to rehearse that answer, haha!)
After the first group finished interviews and the second group received their welcome, everyone came in to hear Dr. Arias’s words of wisdom:
- No updates, pre- or post-interview. “I already hold interview applicants in the highest possible regard; what you add now can’t be that important in my perception of your personal qualities.”
- No thank you letters. “We’re thanking you for being here!”
- No letters of intent UNLESS it is 4/30 and you have already been accepted elsewhere but still prefer to go to Keck. Don’t send a LOI if you don’t have an acceptance at the end of the cycle. Don’t make the LOI in 4/30 an update letter (even if you’re published in Cell).
If you can’t tell by now, Dr. Arias is like the grandmother everyone wishes they had. I love her!
Following the “Words of Wisdom” was the campus tour and oh my goodness, it was hot. I groaned every time we stepped outside and my black suit certainly didn’t help matters! We did get to see the cadavers and LAC+USC Medical Center, which is beyond awesome though. Throughout the tour, the guide, and MS2, talked about the curriculum and its strengths. Gross anatomy, for example, lasts over a year (with 90% of it being done first year), as students meet only once or week or so to learn about a specific system and its corresponding lab. This is unlike some schools, they say, where anatomy is only 6-8 weeks long, so students meet 3-4 times a week and just cram everything in. “You don’t remember it that way,” they said. Also, instead of taking multiple mini-tests (like at Pritzker), Keck students take a comprehensive exam twice a year to “re-inforce long term memory.” Moreover, before every block exam, students get a full week off just to study for the exam. Furthermore, Keck students take a course called “Introduction to Clinical Medicine” which allows for longitudinal engagement with patients and allows MS1s to get involved clinically from Day 1 so by MS3, they are ready to go. While MS4s don’t have the skills of an intern, they pride themselves in having clinical skills way above thea average MS4.
Furthermore, if you want interesting cases, LAC+USC patients just cannot be beat. Being among the poorest of the poor and around a Level 1 Trauma center, they allow medical students with incredible opportunities to learn about patient care, history taking, and communication.
Following the tour was lunch, which was a nice sandwich, chips, and the famous Keck cookies. (Yum!) The tour guides stuck around for lunch to answer any questions and engage in conversation with the interviewees, which we all appreciated. The curriculum is indeed P/F, which more tiers during the clinical years (HH/H/HP, etc) with no curve. (They think…) Good to know!
I had my student interviewer right afterwards, and I liked this interview a lot better than the first one. Even though we did end up talking about aspects of my application (activities, interests, etc), I did feel that it was much more conversational and…natural? I felt a genuine connection with the student interviewer (MS2) and definitely did not feel as nervous. We ended up oing 10-15 minutes over, which was fine, and I hope if anything that it’s a good sign he lost track of time. 🙂
Overall, I enjoyed the interview experience! I didn’t leave it bumbling with excitement as I did with Pritzker, but I do hope for an acceptance come October 15th! (Even though Dr. Arias said decisions are essentially made in 2-3 weeks…sigh).
