@swg3hnna You have to be very careful, but nowadays there is unlimited edits allowed to the common app essays. When my oldest applied it was limited to 5 edits - and you could have 2 or 3 versions, it was really stressful trying to customize, but that is not true anymore. So you can literally write an essay for one school and submit it for that school. Then go back into your common app essays and edit the essay - which may be changing a few words or pasting in an entirely new essay for that school.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to download the pdf of the entire common app and truly review it each and EVERY time before submitting if you are going to do this. Don’t get lazy and don’t sumbit late at night!!! Triple check the right essay is going to the right school!
It is not necessary and not the intent of the common app, but more students have several different essays versions of their main essay depending on the school they are submitting to.
Generally speaking, you should be interested in transferring to another school because it offers broader opportunities and you feel you would be able to contribute more because of those opportunities/environment. You can talk about the positives at the school you are pursuing, not the negatives about the school you are at. Also what you have learned about yourself in this first year or two and why xyz school is now the place for you. You should come off as you really know about the school you are applying to as mentioned above. Look at websties and course catalogues/requriements for the major. Do the research you should be doing.
Good luck!
Hey everybody! I hope you all have a great cycle! Go Trojans!
I am currently on TTP (is anyone else on here on it too?), does anyone know how common it is for TTP applicants to receive spring admission? Are they more likely to receive fall admission?
I have never heard of a TTP being accepted but then offered spring, they have already made you wait a year, it should always be fall. Of course, I am not in charge of admissions, 
but that is how it has been for the last many many years.
I am also part of TTP and I was wondering, do TTP students generally hear back from admissions earlier than regular transfer applicants?
The transfer notification cycle is pretty long (over several weeks).TTP usually hear in the earlier part of the cycle, so early to mid/late April is probably the norm, but could be a bit earlier or later for a few. Some transfers don’t hear until June, so anytime in April is considered fantastic for a transfer applicant.
I bumped this thread so you can see converation about TTP from the past spring. Also a link to class of 2020 TTP’ers within the one below. Lots of info.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1975778-the-trojan-transfer-plan-p1.html
Hey guys, I am currently a freshman at my local JC in Santa Clarita, California and I was denied admission for freshman year but was offered the “Guaranteed Pathway” plan for sophomore year (Fall 2018). Only a few dozen freshman applicants were offered this plan and I’m assuming most accepted. The plan is for us to attend another college of our choice (preferably a Cali JC school so credits transfer through the articulation agreement), maintain 3.3 gpa with a minimum of 30 semester units, and fulfill USC’s lower division writing requirement. I’m looking to find any other current college freshman who have also got and accepted this plan. I am also looking to find other current freshman who are wanting to transfer to USC next year as a Sophomore since we are all on the same boat once we get there. I want to find out about the housing situation for sophomore transfers and other basic situations that will arise.
As far as what majors, I am going for Annenberg for Comms plus minor in Political science in Dornsife. I will most likely be ahead of most sophomores by the time I get there since I am taking more units so it gives me more time for a double major or minor.
Hopefully there’s more of you out there with the same situation!
Hey @clairen I also got rejected for my freshman year at SC but I got a special plan to go to USC as a sophomore without having to reapply. I still have to follow the articulation agreement with USC and my JC so I am basically on the same boat as other sophomore transfers. Check my original post on this thread for more details. Hope to see you next year.
For posterity:
Current college: Unranked 4-year institution
Applying as: Rising Sophomore
Major: Biology (Dornsife CAS)
High School GPA: ~3.5 (UW)
ACT Scores: 33
College GPA: 4.0 GPA (30 credits)
Hooks: First Generation, Minority, Consecutive Dean’s List, not much else.
US/Intl: US
ECs: -Currently own and run a federally recognized nonprofit.
-Work with local underserved population with citizenship paperwork; lead and advised newly arrived youth.
-Have a simulated portfolio where I do amateur investment (surprisingly) making profit.
-Do free chemistry tutoring.
Good luck everyone! Go Trojans!
Anyone here following the GE requirements prior fall 2015? I just found out that I should be following the old GE track and not the updated one…now I still have 4 courses left to complete instead of two (I’m almost complete with the updated GE track). I honestly don’t know what I should do anymore, I cannot squeeze in 4 more courses on my sched with only one sem left (I still have to complete my other lower division reqs). Do you guys think that it will be alright if I don’t complete the required GE courses? my counselor said that it is not necessary to complete, but I feel like I’ll be a more competitive applicant if I complete them. Any suggestions/recommendations?
@mcspns511 It’s alright if you don’t complete all the GE’s. Though we don’t know whether it gives you an edge or not, it’s definitely fine. Good luck!
@AwakenMyLove yeah that’s what I’m also thinking…I don’t want to risk not taking those courses tho. Thank you!
Does USC have transfer days in other cities?
@journalisticjay Last I checked, they don’t
do any of you know how impacted the Public Policy major is??
It’s not. USC doesn’t have impacted majors. They have majors that are more competitive than others (engineering for example), but the idea of majors being impacted like they are at public schools does not apply.
@CADREAMIN do you know how competitive public policy is then?
I really don’t know about # of applicants to individual majors - that is not published like it is at public schools. Maybe if you dig around some or ask…but I did find these #s:
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy currently enrolls 1,806 students: 602 undergraduates, 834 core master’s students, 304 executive program students, 18 students in joint and certificate programs, and 48 Ph.D. students.
Getting into USC is competitive regardless of major, but if you show passion for what you want to do and can bring to USC, your chances increase. Good luck!
I’m wondering if I’m fluent in writing and speaking in Vietnamese, I took the test in middle school and passed it. So my high school gave me 3 years of free language credit. If I get into USC, do they have Vietnamese placement exam to exempt me from language course?? And my college is Pasadena City College, we end the Spring semester in mid-June so how do I send all the info and hear back from them because after Spring semester I will go travel for around 2 months??
Hey guys, I’m currently a freshman in computer science at Boston University and I’m looking to try and transfer to USC (many reasons, including just a really strong desire to be in california and get into a slightly more competitive CS program). This semester I’m getting around a 3.7 GPA, and I’m expecting to keep that up. I feel like I have a pretty good chance given BU is also regarded as a good and not easy school to get into, but i’m a little worried about the fact that I’m not really able to fulfill a ton of their CS major pre reqs because BU has significantly different Gen Eds. I’m taking Calc 2 next semester and I have taken 4 CS classes already, but I will be behind on the writing requirement and I have not taken any lab science yet. Do you think that will make a difference or do I still have a good chance?