Begging for transfer help!! :'( I'll love you forever

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>Currently I am in a college obsession phase... I'm sure most of you have/had it before, so please, any help would mean the world right now.</p>

<p>I have a horrible gpa of 3.3-3.4 (Canadian, so don't have accurate translation yet), but I have a unique story that I feel admissions look for, so there is some lingering hope.</p>

<p>My essay, desired career(biochem), and ECs all focus on one thing; cancer. Multiple relatives of mine have had it, including my 12 year old sister. She's been fighting for four years now... And the hardest of those years were, coincidentally, g10 and g11, the most important years for my college prep.. It lowered my GPA. And this can be proven because, as shes on the mend now, my grades are back to 4.0s. But USC wont see these marks as they are g12 marks, and canadian midterms are after the application date... I also did a practice SAT and got 2200. Only a practice tho. </p>

<p>So, getting on track.. I want to do everything possible for sophomore transfer. Not as a junior. I really can't stand my home town. (In my essay I would also add that I want to be educated in the US because US technology saved my sisters life and gave her a better diagnoses as opposed to canadian technology which was not helping her AT ALL) </p>

<p>USC says needing 60 units to be competitive.. Well first off, how many classes does that mean? And typically, how many classes can be taken per semester? All these american terms are adding to my confusion.. If i sent in a transfer application with half of these units, they would look at highschool GPA correct? (I would be ok with it at this point, because my upward g12 trend would be available for them to see)</p>

<p>Also, would it help if I went to a CCC for freshmen year? </p>

<p>To be honest the cancer thing is something I rarely talk about to anyone, so posting it here on a forum was quite personal for me. I really hope I get some replies here so I dont feel like some random chick posting sad stories on the internet haha..
<3 xxooxox</p>

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<p>Just as I’d feared… No replies, hundreds of views… <em>sniff sniff, teardrop</em></p>

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<p>What year are you now? Have you graduated from preparatory school (High school in the U.S.)? Is there a guidance counselor or someone familiar with U.S. universities who could help you?</p>

<p>Sixty units would be about a two year college program. Some courses are two units and others may be three or four units. Students enrolled at SC usually take 16 units per semester. </p>

<p>It is possible to apply to SC after one year in college. College grades should be in the 3.7 range or above for the best chance. Is there a possibility to participate in a research project in your field of biochemistry or some other activity or accomplishment that would help make your application stand out from others?</p>

<p>The cost of U.S. universities is far higher than in Canada. Are you certain a U.S. education fits into the family budget?</p>

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<p>@ blue flowers,</p>

<p>I’m a sophomore transfer. I had a 3.74 when I applied and it budged to a 3.75 by the end of my freshmen year at previous uni. You don’t really need up to 60 units to get in. I had a 3.3-3.4 gpa with a lower SAT score than you in high school. I did take hard classes, though. Anyway, I applied only after my first semester in college, got in early summer and left for SC. Best decision I ever made. Hope that relieves some tension for you.</p>

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<p>@GeorgiaGirl</p>

<p>I’m in 12th grade, and in Canada, we have a strange mentality about university… It’s just completely assumed that we’ll all go to our province’s university. I’ve talked to my counselor but he admitted to being clueless on American schools… Thanks a lot for clarifying the units term, too bad I didn’t read this a bit sooner, I just emailed USC transfer admissions referring to “60 units” as a full year multiple times… ugh… I will also consider the research idea you suggested, sounds quite bright. And yes we can afford it.</p>

<p>@DJpsu2015 Reading that was a breath of fresh air. Made my day. I hope, like you, I can one day come on this forum to give advice and relief to aspiring Trojans! Besides your improvement in grades, did you have anything else outstanding on your application like athletic awards/awesome volunteering?</p>