@mr.transfer (not sure why tagging you doesn’t seem to work properly for your name)
Anyway, going by what I’ve seen from last year and the previous year’s threads, I’d say you have an amazing chance at getting in. Is one of the requirements for your major calc/business calc? If it is, and as long as you have it completed or in-progress, I’m really liking your chances. My concern is that if you do have it in progress, they might go the SGR route. I remember a number of business majors that had their calc course pending and a lot of them were hit with SGRs. This guy that was really cool was sweating when he didn’t get the best grade in calc, but he still got in I believe he had a few other “hooks” like being a non-trad student, so maybe that helped; his GPA was very good though (not a 3.9 like you, but still good). Although there never is a sure thing, I’d say you have one foot in at USC if that’s where you want to go
@zettasyntax thanks for the reply, maybe because I have a period in my name but oh well. yes the 2 major requirements that I am taking are english and business calc. Out of 6 classes I will get 5 A’s for sure and I will for sure get a B in Calc but I am aiming for an A just in case. The rest of the classes are all GE so that kind of helps if they do request SGR from me and see the list of classes that I am currently taking. I also send in 3 letter of recommendations (1 from USC alumni). My counselor is also pretty awesome, replies emails quickly. USC is my dream school to attend.
Hi guys, I just had to sign up to disperse some of this anxiety i have bottled up with people who can commiserate with the exquisite torture that is waiting for an admissions decision.
I’m an old fart, and I am applying with numerous gaps in my educational and work history. To be honest, I’ve been dealing with mental disorder of some form or other for the last decade. Much of my energy and time has been spent in hospitals/intensive treatment programs or in relapse. I’m on SSI as well and have almost no work history.
I know this doesn’t look good for colleges. I applied to several schools last year, and only got into 3 of them (and couldn’t afford any of them). I used to be bitter about it, but I’m coming to an understanding. I am not expecting to get into USC, but I applied because going to school in California is a dream of mine.
I did very poorly in the semester before I dropped out of my first school (10 years ago). I now have an AA degree and 4.0 GPA from a community college. This brings my c. gpa to about 3.5-6 I believe, which is not so ideal…
I’m hoping my tenacity and persistence to further my education could help see things through, but I also understand the reluctance to admit someone like me. I am not a star student with extensive involvement in the community, nor have I won accolades/recognition. I can’t say I’m fully recovered either, but after a decade of constant struggle I now think going back to school is part of the healing process and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
This morning I got an email asking me to explain the gaps in my education. I’m trying not to see this as a kiss of death, but I was rejected from all the schools that requested that of me last year. Maybe because I was honest. I was honest this time around too, but labeled it “medical issues.” Was this a good idea/bad idea?
I would be so grateful if USC gave me a chance. I am rooting for all of you, especially those who are in a similar situation. If anyone is reading this and can relate, DON’T GIVE UP!!! You deserve a second chance!
and Please pray to God/Hashem/Allah/Ganesh/Zeus or whoever for me. heh.
Would anyone mind giving me some insight on my chances for this school? I applied to Viterbi for Chemical Engineering, and after reading other people’s comments on all the UC’s threads, I’m beginning to become anxious and depressed.
Anyways, here are my stats. If anyone could tell me what they think, you could help my anxiety greatly (even by saying I have no chance haha):
GPA: 3.82
Major: Chemical Engineering (nanotechnology option)
Pre-reqs: finished all math; including linear and diff equations, done entire organic Chem series, finishing up all physics series this semester, have some programming in progress, a lot of GE’s done. Basically, I’ve taken EVERYTHING I could in the last 3 years for Chem engineering.
EC’s: Eagle Scout, tutor math/Chem/physics, grade papers for physical science department at my California community college. And a few others.
I’m just worried, because the B’s I got were in organic Chem and linear algebra
@Probtransfer Thank you very much for that information! I was considering going to a cc out in cali but I would have to pay out of state tuition for a cc right and pay for an apartment? I currently live in texas and honestly i would find it quite depressing to pick and and leave everything for a cc. Im just afraid that i will be lonely because I have heard that at cc’s everyone just goes to do their work and then just leaves. Its not very social at cc’s and yah i want somewhere where if i needed to I could go for all 4 years but to be honest i dont see my self at either suds or ou for all 4 years. Thanks again
@worldchanger tbh you will have high chance. You’ve completed almost all your pre-reqs with physics being your last one to finish so that will put you at a advantage among other applicants who may only finished about half or maybe less. I wouldn’t stress too much on the two B’s for Organic chemistry and linear algebra. Organic chemistry itself is naturally a hard class so admission people will understand your situation. Like I said again, don’t worry you have a solid chance because of your gpa and coursework. Admission people wouldn’t care much about your extra-curricular at this point, they will mainly focus at your coursework in college to see if you’re capable and ready for their chem-engineering program. wish you best of luck!
What are the housing options for transfer students? Could you list the best housing choices in order, in your personal opinion?
How open/accepting are sororities to transfer students rushing? Would I be less likely to get into a house because I’m older than the incoming freshman? (I just turned 20)
When are transfer students to get their admissions letter from USC? Will it be before June 1st, which is the UC system’s deadline for SIR’s?
Could anyone tell me how big of deal it is that I accidentally applied for Econ with Math instead of Econ with International Relations? I just realized this yesterday. By the end of the year I will have microecon, macroecon, and calc 1 completed. I am just nervous about not having started Calc 2 and 3 yet, and whether that will affect my admission
How do you guys afford the tuition at USC after you are accepted? The only scholarship that i can find on their website that is for transfer students is the 12k yearly one. But that amount doesn’t really help much as the tuition will still be very high. I am an international student so I dont qualify for need based aid. Are there some “hidden” merit scholarships that transfer students can qualify for? I am currently thinking about going to UW Madison for 4 years where i can get a bit of merit aid or go to a CCC and either transfer to USC by my first year or to the UC schools my second year. i can afford the 2 years of UC tuition but 3 years of USC tuition is just too much, my family wont really help me pay tuition either so it is all loans. Are there any other international students in this thread who are transferring to USC, what are you doing in order to be able to pay the tuition?
@pugluver97 i think it may affect you greatly because they will look at the rigor of your coursework to see if you can do well in their econ with math program. with that being said, yes they will try to look for higher level math such as calculus. I insist that you email them about your major change. If you don’t, they’ll decide your admission chance based on econ with math. Econ with international relations requires less intense math courses like calculus and that may improve your chance if you’re going to that route.
@Parkison There is no point in going to a CC in California if you’re an OOS student. I’m a California resident, and the CC system here is very impacted- some of the people I know are spending a minimum of 3 years in CC because of how difficult it is to register for the classes they need. If you go to CC in California, you’ll end up paying even more money (OOS tuition + living costs which are much higher than the majority of the nation).
You might dislike the idea of attending a CC, but it’s better than attending a 4 year that you honestly don’t want to graduate from. After CC you’ll be able to transfer to a school you actually want to go to (which is probably USC lol, and you can apply to USC as a sophomore transfer). Everyone at high school does their work and ‘leaves’, but people still make friends at high school. You won’t be living in a dorm, but you’ll still be able to join clubs and make friends. Think about the end goal here: do you want a social life now and risk transferring to USC, or work hard for a year and be ‘lonely’ but spend the rest of your college life at USC?
I’m a freshman in college right now and time really flew by since the start of the school year, it’s just going by slow for this month because I am counting down the days until USC responds haha.
@jessdilla2015 - Not sure if anyone replied to your question a few pages back…I didn’t know how this worked either till I proofread an app for a friend’s student in Jan. You will log into your original common app that was submitted previously and start the transfer app. Much of the background stuff will autofill (yipee), then when you add USC to the dashboard or whatever they call it, their requirements will come up. Yes, you will have to write another bigger essay, (don’t know if they gave a topic for the big one), a few smaller ones (describe non academic pursuit, why USC essay), the quick takes (favorite stuff) again, and anything special required from the school (like engineering has a couple smaller essays), and list your college classes taken for semesters or quarters. Update your activities. Send your college transcript. It does not require recommendations, it says optional, but most do not need them. In your case they know enough about you from original application, but make sure they aren’t needed, it may be a major thing. The biggest thing is having to redo the essays (ugh), but frankly, you are older and wiser and they will probably be much easier to write this time. I remember you and wish you well! When the time comes feel free to PM me if you have any questions - I don’t come over to the transfer thread too often.
You ever hear that communication is a jock major? Well, in most schools, communication is a jock major. Though Annenberg, not so much. We do have our share of athletes but it’s getting slightly harder to get into Annenberg. Statistically speaking, the incoming students at Marshall had the highest average SAT and Annenberg came in second. As a transfer student to Annenberg or USC in general, they’re always looking at what students can bring to the school. For undergrads, it’s a crapshoot in a way. They’re trying to project the future with 17-18 year olds. That’s hard to do. For transfer students, they somewhat have a better picture. A friend from the admission office told me that Annenberg definitely takes their time to look at applications but it’s under the condition that you first get accepted to USC.
Regarding the segregation, it’s mostly because the public relations and journalism has a lot of writing intensive classes they take in the beginning. For Communication majors, we’re heavy on the theoretical side . Though the dean of Annenberg has a program that he’s trying to start that might utilize people from all three majors. That will be interesting if it launches.
And to answer your other question, it seems like journalism and public relations is slightly harder to get into than communication because they do require writing samples if I remember correctly. Though there’s people that switches majors within school, but only recommended if you are a sophomore or if you’re willing to go to school for one more semester.
@mr.transfer Who is your counselor? I liked the first one I had, he seemed nice. I didn’t care for the second guy I had too much, but hey, I was accepted. Hmm, so if you do have business calc in progress and writing, I think they are more likely than not going to ask for spring grades. I believe having the writing/math requirement or an important major req in progress is almost always a guarantee of getting an SGR. Some people get lucky though and get a straight decision anyway USC is weird sometimes. I still find it so odd that I was initially admitted to a major for which I only had 1 pre-req done as opposed to another where I had 4 transferable major classes
I believe he had a few other “hooks” like being a non-trad student, so maybe that helped; his GPA was very good though (not a 3.9 like you, but still good). Although there never is a sure thing, I’d say you have one foot in at USC if that’s where you want to go 
