So I put down Narrative Studies (Dornsife) as my major on my application; however, I realized that I would much rather be a Critical Studies major (SCA). Obviously, I have not been accepted yet (so anxious), but I was wondering how I could go about changing this if I was accepted. Should I just contact SCA admissions or what? I know that people change their major all the time, but for me I would much rather stay the same major all throughout college (part of the reason being I have anxiety issues). Is there anything I should do if I was accepted? Please help!
Just thought I’d add, I do understand that there is a supplemental, but is there anything I can do still?
Current freshman here. I changed from Dornsife to Viterbi before my first semester started. It incredibly easy. I can’t speak for transferring into SCA though.
Some majors / Schools at USC are easy to transfer or change into, others are not. Unfortunately, SCA (and some of the other talent/portfolio/audition based majors) is not. It is possible to transfer internally, but the process is identical to an initial freshman application since you will need to submit a creative portfolio and all the other essays/materials required. Check the SCA admissions website for details. So transferring to SCA before school starts is not possible. They require you take SCA 190, I believe, before you can apply for internal admission. And, of course, your application will be evaluated in context with all the other applications they receive the next year, and if you get admitted, you start the following (your soph) year in the major. The added difficulty, I’m afraid, is the Screenwriting is a sequential major–meaning you start with your freshman cohort and take 8 semesters of req classes in order. It may be possible to transfer into the major, but it would be like starting over on a 4-year sequence so you won’t graduate in 4 years. Others may have more detailed/better explanations. But that is what I’ve understood so check it out now by calling USC SCA and asking your questions. You don’t have to identify yourself by name–so don’t worry about that. OTOH, Narrative Studies is a great major and allows you to take Screenwriting classes. Good luck.
I’ve recently been accepted to Critical Studies and I just got back from Explore USC last week.
What they told us was that up to this point, they’ve only accepted about 29 people total into the entire incoming SCA class. However, there is also a limit on how many people are accepted to each major (I don’t really get Critical Studies, the website & students I’ve talked to say 75, the Director of Admissions said 25, and the Chair told me around 30-40 people are accepted). So it might be worth asking them…the supplement is not that bad, an analysis and a personal statement.
However, you might also want to consider double majoring in it. Lots of people do that, I even got to know someone who is a Narrative Studies/Critical Studies double major!
By the way, if you have any questions about Critical Studies, just ask! I learned A LOT during Explore, and if I can’t personally answer, there are many people I can ask.
We have a kid whose been in SCA for several year. When we were at a parent session a few years ago the number of Crit Studies students accepted was around 75 with no waiting list. But the number that enrolled is about half which is why you might have heard different numbers. The 25 quoted likely applies to most recent completed enrollment or to the Production stats. Some students don’t enroll because of the expense of USC or because they were accepted to other colleges. I do know of some students who are on the Trojan Transfer plan.
Still, I sympathize with the OP. He/she should know that the odds are slim and there are people who try to skirt the 4% admissions rate or the December 1st deadline by trying to go to USC and transfer later. It happens, but that route is just as competitive and they’ll still have to compete with a large pool of internal and external transfers applying to the program.
Students can take SCA classes open to the general USC population, network, and try to transfer for sophomore or junior year (as long as it’s not the BFA - which has a four year set of sequential classes as @MadBean pointed out).
OTOH, Narrative Studies is a great major and allows you to take Screenwriting classes. Good luck.