Hello, everyone! I am a transfer student currently struggling to decide between UCSB and USC.
I have spent the last 3 years finishing my IGETC and obtaining my AA in Communications.
I got into UCSB in early May, and went to visit shortly after. I loved the campus and the students’ enthusiasm, but I am currently a pre-comm major, and will need to take 3 5-unit comm classes with a 3.0 GPA in order to get into the Comm major and start taking any upper division comm classes. I also got the impression that UCSB doesn’t like students staying longer than 2 years, as you must petition to stay after your 2nd year is over. I’m transferring with a 4.0, so while I find this process intimidating, I have some confidence that I can get into my major and get out in 2 years.
However, I just found out this weekend that I got into USC. Their communication school is one of the best in the country, so if I got into that program, it would be a no-brainer. I instead got into my second-choice major, psychology. I genuinely enjoy studying psychology, but I don’t know what I’d do with my degree. I see more of a future for myself as a comm major. USC said in their letter that I have the ability to “contact the department of your first-choice major to explore the possibility of
entry into that program at a later date.” I know how competitive and prestigious Annenberg is, so I am nervous that I won’t get into the program even if I wait it out. But I enjoy that USC has more guidance for students than UCSB and much smaller classes.
Overall, there is no clear answer at the moment, so I was hoping for some opinions and advice!