If you are interested in attending the University of Southern California’s medical school, welcome to the school’s acceptance rate, ranking, and admission requirements page.
The crucial details in this article will direct you on the proper actions to take when applying to the school and give you knowledge of your chances of getting accepted to study there.
This manual concentrated on the school’s acceptance rate, standing, fees, and other crucial information. Make an effort to carefully read it so that you can benefit from it.
Medical Programs at USC Medical School
USC Keck offers several medical school programs:
- Traditional MD Program
- Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health
- Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration
- MD/PhD Program (Physician Scientist Training Program)
The traditional Doctor of Medicine program is offered by almost all medical schools in the United States. What distinguishes USC Medical School from other schools is its “Physician – Citizen – Scientist” philosophy. Outstanding physicians, revered citizens, and lifelong scholars are qualities that students should possess. The mission of USC is to address the most pressing health issues facing humanity. ”.
The MD curriculum is as follows:
- Introduction to Medical Sciences I & II
- Introduction to Clinical Medicine
- Longitudinal Learning Communities: Individualized Professional Development
- Health Justice and Systems of Care
- Cardio / Pulmonary / Renal
- GI / Liver / Reproduction
- Brain / Behavior / Movement
- Endocrine
- Integrated Cases
- Step 1 Exam
- Core Clinical Rotations
- Clinical Practices of the Highest Level
- Scholarly Project
You’ll take the following clerkships:
- Anesthesiology
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Neurology
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
You’ll take the following post-clerkship courses:
- Biomedical Research
- Global Health
- Health Policy & Advocacy
- Medical Education
- Medical Humanities
- Primary Care and Community Engagement
- Health Technology & Innovation
- Clinical Medicine: Practice & Administration
For interested students, there is also a Health Justice certificate. This certification is optional. It is optional to obtain your MD from USC Medical School. In the event that you decide to pursue this certificate, you will take part in classes for the first 30 months of your MD education. You’ll learn the following:
- Implicit bias training
- Theories of justice and human rights
- Health justice ethics
- Cultural humanity
- Health care disparities
- Social determinants of health
- Structural competency
- Structural racism
- Access to care
- Healthcare for homeless populations
- Trauma-informed care
- Adverse childhood events
- Community assessment and mobilization
- Advocacy
You’ll receive your Health Justice certificate once you’ve successfully completed these learning sessions.
Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health
This dual-degree program is intended for students who are interested in both public health and medicine. Students will complete both the Master of Public Health program and the MD program outlined above.
You’ll choose from the following concentrations:
- Community Health Promotion
- Global Health
- Biostatistics-Epidemiology
- Health Services & Policy
You’ll take these core courses:
- Foundations of Public Health
- Practice of Public Health
- Principles of Biostatistics
- Principles of Epidemiology
- Practicum in Public Health
- Capstone in Public Health
For the Community Health Concentration, you’ll take:
- Foundations of Health Education
- Program Design & Evaluation
- Organizing
You’ll choose 8 units of electives from this list.
For the Global Health Concentration, you’ll take:
- Introduction to Global Health
- Research on world health
You’ll choose 8 units of electives from this list.
For the Biostatistics-Epidemiology Concentration, you’ll take:
- Data Analysis: SAS
- Choose two of the following for data analysis using STATA: -Program Evaluation -Infectious Disease Epidemiology -Environmental Health
You’ll choose 8 units of electives from this list.
For the Health Services & Policy Concentration, you’ll take:
- Health Service Delivery in the U.S.
- Choose two of the following topics: Public Health Services Research Methods, Quality in Healthcare, or Public Health Policy in Economics for Public Policy.
Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration
Students interested in both medicine and business will benefit greatly from this combined program. The program is designed to take five years to complete. You’ll complete the MD curriculum and the following MBA coursework:
- Management Communications for Leaders
- Accounting Concepts and Financial Reporting
- Microeconomics for Management
- Managerial Statistics
- Organizational Behavior and Leadership
- Management Accounting
- Contemporary Issues in Competitive Strategy
- Operations Management A
- Marketing Management A
- Corporate Finance A
- The Global Context of Business
- You must select two of the following: Corporate Finance B; Operations Management B; and Marketing Management B.
You’ll also complete 24 units of graduate business electives.
MD/PhD Program (Medical Scientist Training Program)
There are a few different routes you can take to earn your MD/PhD degree. The first way is through the Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS). You can learn more about this option on USC Medical School’s website.
The Department of Population and Public Health Sciences is another option.
Finally, you can apply to the MD/PhD program. More information is available here.
Residency / Fellowship Programs
For pre-med students who want to become surgeons, the following residency and fellowship programs are available:
- Abdominal Organ Transplantation Program
- Aesthetic Fellowship
- Advanced GI MIS Fellowship Program
- Breast Fellowship Program
- Burn Fellowship Program
- Independent Cardiothoracic Residency Program
- Integrated Cardiothoracic Residency Program
- Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Program
- Congenital Cardiac Fellowship Program
- Craniofacial Fellowship Program
- General Surgery Residency Program
- Microsurgery Fellowship Program
- Pediatric Fellowship Program
- Plastics Independent Residency Program
- Plastics Integrated Residency Program
- Surgical Critical Care and AAST Fellowship
- Trauma Surgery Fellowship
- Vascular Surgery Residency Program (both Integrated and Independent)
USC Medical School has wonderful programs for pre-med students. Ample information is provided on the USC Medical School website if you have further questions.
After looking at what Keck Medicine has to offer, let’s examine the requirements for admission. Let’s take a look at your GPA, your grades, and the acceptance rate for the USC Medical School.
Courses, GPA and Grade Requirements
USC Medical School does not have specific requirements for courses. If you’re looking for direction, they recommend visiting the official AMCAS website.
There is no minimum GPA required to be considered for admission to USC Medical School. But the average applicant has a GPA of 3. 8/4. 0. The median MCAT is 517. To put things into perspective, the highest MCAT score possible is a 523. Therefore, although these figures are not the highest possible, they are still competitive.
USC Medical School Acceptance Rate
It’s very difficult to get into USC Medical School. Only 186 students were accepted last year out of the 8,181 applications received. That’s an average acceptance rate of 2. 3%, which is on par with most Ivy League schools.
Primary and Secondary Applications
Are you prepared to submit an application for Keck Medicine? You’ll start by completing your primary application. This is done through the American Medical College Application Service. After you’ve completed your AMCAS, you’ll submit your secondary application. If you’re new to medical school jargon, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. In-depth explanations of the distinctions between primary and secondary applications are provided in this article.
Consider participating in a pre-med internship with us if you want to give your application extra oomph and gain a competitive edge that will help you stand out. For pre-med students who are interested in gaining practical medical experience, our internship programs provide life-altering opportunities.
Now, let’s look at the secondary essays.
Secondary Essays (with Samples!)
You’ll write your personal statement for your AMCAS. But thankfully, you don’t have to use all of those 5,300 characters to explain your points. Students at USC Medical School are required to write essays in response to Keck Medicine-specific questions. We’ll go over each essay question in this section, explain how to respond to it, and provide examples. With your USC secondary application, IMA can assist you if you need assistance along the way.
The USC Medical School has four short answer questions. You are expected to respond to them in three to five sentences. Due to the restriction on the amount of information you can provide, this can be difficult. You can use dependent clauses in your sentences, but you don’t want to use run-on sentences. Additionally, you don’t want your sentences to be too long, making them difficult to read.
Short answer question #1: “What is the most fun you’ve had lately?”.
We recommend sharing something unrelated to medicine. Share an experience where you genuinely had fun. It might be a birthday celebration or the baby shower of your best friend. Maybe you had a girl’s night or went sightseeing.
Here’s an example:
When my mother arrived in town, we spent the day together. We ate lunch, went shopping and got mani-pedis. We’ve always been close, but my mom lives three hours away, so I don’t get to see her nearly as often as I used to. Spending that time with her was a lot of fun. We made new memories while reminiscing on old ones.
Short answer question #2: “If you had to give yourself a nickname, what would it be?”.
I would nickname myself Hannie. My first name is Hannah. Although I’ve always liked my name, I’ve only ever gone by the nickname Han. I feel like it’s too simple and not feminine enough. Hannie gives my name a fun twist while not being too innocent or silly.
Short answer question #3: “If you had enormous wealth, how would you allocate your charitable donations?”.
My charitable contributions would go toward the causes that are most important to me and my family. I would donate to the following causes after carefully examining organizations to see how donated funds are used: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, autism, spina bifida, and breast cancer.
Short answer question #4: “Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved. ”.
Honors were awarded at my community college, where I received my associate’s degree, according to a student’s overall GPA. I graduated with a 3. 77 GPA and received magna cum laude honors. When I attended the private university where I received my bachelor’s degree, I had the same GPA. Sadly, honors were determined by the top 10% of students who received an honor’s GPA. My last name began with an H, which was very disappointing and difficult for me to accept, prevented me from being in the top 10%.
Then, USC Medical School asks: “What do you see as the role of the physician in Public Health?” in no more than 150 words.
Answering this query is crucial if you want to pursue a dual MD/MPH degree. But given that public health is a concern for everyone, the question is also significant for any applicant. We advise concentrating on the extensive responsibilities a doctor has.
Here’s an example:
I think that a doctor’s primary responsibility is to take care of their patients. Everyone is impacted by community events, whether directly or indirectly. I think it’s important for a doctor to understand the public health problems in their area. A doctor should explain to patients how those problems might affect them personally. I think a doctor should teach their patients how to use preventative measures to safeguard themselves from risks to the public’s health as well as how to reduce risk in their neighborhood. Public health can benefit from simple actions like practicing social distance at large events and staying at home when ill. I think that by outlining a patient’s part in public health, patients will be more encouraged to take care of themselves and watch out for others. What people do becomes more meaningful when they are aware of how their actions may affect other people. I think a doctor’s position has a big influence on how patients perceive and react to public health issues.
Finally, USC Medical School asks, in no more than 200 words, “Is there anything else you would like us to know?”
This question is technically optional. However, we urge everyone to respond to all of the inquiries. Make the most of every chance you are given to add details to your application and demonstrate your personality to the admissions committee.
You only have 200 words to respond to this question, so choose a topic that is significant to you and write succinctly about it. Omit any details that aren’t necessary. If you need any help, reach out to us. IMA offers admissions consulting, which includes help writing your essays. We can assist you with idea generation, essay structure, and writing proofreading. Sometimes you just need a second set of eyes.
You can talk about anything you want the admissions committee to know in this section. You could discuss a gap in your education, your experience with COVID-19, or anything else that didn’t fit in the other sections.
Preparing for Your Interview at USC Medical School
It’s important to get an interview at USC Medical School. It indicates that the admissions committee was sufficiently impressed by your application to want to learn more about you. They want to assess your compatibility with the school.
From August to March, interviews are conducted on a rolling basis until the class is full. Approximately 186 students are accepted every year. If you want to have a good chance of being admitted, sending in your application as soon as possible is ideal.
USC Medical School utilizes the closed file interview format. The interviewer won’t have access to your AMCAS or secondary application if it’s a closed-file interview.
This forces the interviewer to get to know you blindly. Before moving on to more complex subjects, they might inquire about the fundamentals of your education. If you had an open file interview, the interviewer would probe deeply into your application. The closed file format equalizes you and the interviewer by reducing/preventing bias.
USC Medical School is a fantastic university to attend. If you have more questions about applying to Keck School of Medicine, we recommend reaching out to their admissions department. They’ll be able to provide answers to any specific questions you might have. If you’re applying to a dual-degree program, be sure to check with the admissions department for both degree programs.
Although Keck is a fantastic medical school to attend, you shouldn’t only apply there. Applying to more schools increases your likelihood of being accepted. For this reason, we recommend applying to several schools. There are excellent options available across the nation, some of which we’ve covered on this blog.
We believe in you and wish you luck with your medical school applications. Please get in touch with us if you need any assistance along the way. Every step of the way, International Medical Aid is here to support you. We’ve got your back whether it’s with our pre-med internships or admissions consulting.
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FAQ
Is it hard to get into USC medical school?
It’s very difficult to get into USC Medical School. Only 186 students were accepted last year out of the 8,181 applications received. That’s an average acceptance rate of 2. 3%, which is on par with most Ivy League schools.
What MCAT score do I need for USC?
Acceptance Rate for USC Medical School USC Medical School Median MCAT: 517 (129 chemical
Is USC a good school for medical?
University of Southern California (Keck) is ranked No. 1 in the world in the 2023 rankings. 28 in Best Medical Schools: Research and No. 52 (tie) in Best Medical Schools: Primary Care.
What is the easiest medical school to get into us?
- University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
- University of Massachusetts Medical School. …
- University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. …
- University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. …
- LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport.