I think if USC ends up being unaffordable, I’ll take the semester abroad and hope the 1.5 years I have left at my current school will be bearable enough for me.
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USC’s psychology major is described at Program: Psychology (BA) - University of Southern California - Acalog ACMS™
USC general education is described at 2015 General Education Program Requirements > 2015 General Education Program > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences . Presumably, you have GE-A (arts) and GE-D (life sciences) fulfilled, and will automatically fulfill GE-F (quantitative reasoning) with major requirements (MATH 114x), and can fulfill GE-C (social analysis) with a PSYC major course (PSYC 367g). So that leaves 2 courses of GE-B (humanistic inquiry) and 1 course of each of GE-E (physical science), GE-G (citizenship in a diverse world), and GE-H (traditions and historical foundations) to fulfill (total 5 GE courses not covered by your major).
If you transfer as a junior (semester 5), the rest of your schedule would probably look like this if you have no major requirements fulfilled:
Semester 5: PSYC 100, MATH 114x, 2 GE courses
Semester 6: PSYC 274Lg, 3 other courses
Semester 7: PSYC 314L, 3 other courses
Semester 8: PSYC 316L, 3 other courses
Of the 9 other courses in semester 6, 7, and 8, you need 6 upper division PSYC courses (many of which lists only PSYC 100 as a prerequisite) and 3 more GE courses. So it barely fits into four remaining semesters of standard load (4 courses of 4 units each per semester).
Transfer or AP credit for PSYC 100 or MATH 114x may give you some more elective space in your schedule.
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I went to Haverford for undergrad and Columbia for my PhD. Having gone through the academic system and seen it from the perspective of an undergrad, grad student, and now college professor, you’re generally not going to get a better undergraduate education anywhere than you will at one of the top 10 LACs. Professors at larger universities generally (if it’s an R1 institution) care about their research first, PhD students next, MA, and then BA students (if that). You sound miserable, and so you are right to listen to your feelings and seek out change. But I definitely wouldn’t go to USC over a top 10 LAC. I’m not sure which one you’re at, but there are many very progressive ones that are very welcoming to POC, LGBQTIA+, low income people; Haverford was one of them.
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Why do I get the suspicion that you’ve never been in a family where the parents stay awake at night thinking about how to keep a roof over the family’s head?
So would you suggest dropping out or transferring to some place cheap (and likely less prestigious)?
That would also remove the OP’s problems at the LAC (without the debt, most likely).
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Maybe it is time for OP to adjust his attitude. He is getting an excellent education at an affordable price. That is the primary purpose of college. Not everyone makes BFFs or has a great time socially in college. Keep your eyes on the goal.
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BTW, I’m not saying that the problems at the LAC are not serious. They are and need to be dealt with somehow.
But there are a bunch of options besides potentially taking on a lot of debt at USC (we really would need to know both fin aid and how many credits will transfer).
Study abroad is one (though a lot of Europe is also pretty far north). Taking leave from school another. Transferring somewhere cheaper. Maybe stuff like taking more vitamin D would help. And I don’t believe humans are like Pavlov’s dogs. We have volition and can try on different mindsets.
BTW, to the OP: Have you thought of plans after graduation (with either a psych major or psych/film double major)?
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Which is your opinion given your experiences. The issue is OP is a junior so it’s either transfer now, stay at the current school or take a gap year which is probably financially not feasible. A top LAC is great if it’s the right fit but should education the only consideration, especially if you’re miserable? Students at USC aren’t receiving a subpar education.
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After graduation, I intend on going to graduate school for a film studies degree to become a film scholar. I’ve been talking to my professor about it and it’s becoming a path I am heavily interested in. I would like to write books and study auteurs like Bunuel or Kurosawa. That’s the dream. With my psych degree, I intend to use that to 1) understand the mind of particular filmmakers 2) explore the sciences and if being a film scholar doesn’t work out for my career, go to graduate school to research and be able to practice psychotherapy or clinical psych to help BPD patients.
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One problem I see is that that looks like a pretty insecure low-paying path forward. It’s essentially a starving artist career. OK for a kid from a rich family who daddy can support. You definitely would not want to carry debt.
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Also, USC has an articulation agreement with a large number of Community Colleges that incoming freshmen can use to fulfill certain GEs before they arrive on campus. It would be helpful to see if you can take any community college courses this summer (which will mostly be online I think) to fulfill some GEs. Especially check for GE-G and GE-H, which are usually allowed to be a community college course. You can also use community college to fulfill your language requirement, I think – unless you have already done so at your LAC.
Also note that a lot of GE courses will fulfill a GE-G or GE-H concurrently with a GE-A, B or C – which will free up two slots that you might otherwise not have. A GE-A, -B or -C course that ends in gw will fulfill the A, B or C requirement plus GE-G; a GE-A, -B or -C course that ends in gp will fulfill the A, C or C requirement plus GE-H. Of course, these classes tend to fill up quickly, but as a Junior you will hopefully have high enough registration priority to choose one of these, assuming you register as soon as you are eligible. (Here is a link to the GE requirements, if you haven’t already investigated them: https://classes.usc.edu/term-20213/general-education-requirements/ge-requirements-for-students-beginning-college-in-fall-2015-or-later/) (Note, there are courses that are only GE-A, GE-B, GE-C, GE-G, and GE-H, so definitely choose carefully and double-check that the course you want is in both lists.
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Sure, but isn’t the point of this thread to give our opinions based on our knowledge and experiences? I would not recommend transferring to USC based on OP’s pros and cons for both schools. Sorry if you don’t like my answer.
What I’m hearing is they are feeling bullied and/or excluded. That’s obviously horrible, and I don’t think anyone is saying they’re happy to read that. But I wouldn’t myself, or recommend to someone I care about to, give up a superior education that will only take one (or two?) more years for that reason, especially when there’s no guarantee those issues won’t pop up at USC and more importantly, after college. Unless OP attends a conservative Christian school that supports homophobic or other discriminatory policies, I think there should likely be other networks or people who would make for compatible friends or at least peers for OP. I believe OP also mentioned that they joined some like-minded groups that still didn’t feel right, which suggests that transferring schools to somewhere that offers more supportive groups might not even solve the root problem.
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Isn’t that a good sign that you need to stick with your LAC? By that, I mean you want to pursue film studies in grad school and perhaps make a career out of it (b/t/w I love Rashomon!) Your current school will allow that, whereas USC won’t allow you to major in film studies.
Putting aside the money issue (and that is a big issue for most of us), isn’t this what you want to do most (i.e., film studies)? And, hopefully, things will improve on the pandemic scene, and you’ll get that fun spring in Europe (and remember that the UK and Ireland can be quite overcast and cool in the summers!)
I know things are far from perfect, but it’s not that much longer that you have. You will likely go elsewhere for grad school. If you can, make the most of each day. And, if things get tough, please do reach out to the folks at your school that can help like the therapist. You are MOST definitely not alone.
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Also, is there anything stopping you from applying to USC or UCLA for grad school? Pardon the French, but it would really suck to lose credits and have to take longer in undergrad just to graduate. At least for me, that would be the dispositive issue. Like another poster said, there is no guarantee that USC will be smooth sailing socially for you (or for anyone, for that matter). I live in NorCal, and much prefer that to SoCal, but look, the LA beaches are fab. But, how much time are you going to spend at the beach.
All things considered, there are a lot of strong reasons to stay at your current school. But, only you can make that decision.
I wish you the best of luck. And remember the good things you’ve gotten out of your current school. It is not the end, but just the beginning. You will find the way, which is your way.
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OP has been accepted as a junior to USC. There is no indication that some of OP’s credits will not transfer over other than OP’s personal anxiety. Nor is there any indication that USC’s financial aid will be unsatisfactory to OP; it may be or it may not be.
OP check the student to faculty ratio at both your current LAC & at USC. USC’s student to faculty ratio is 8 to 1.
OP is concerned about the lack of POC at his/her current school & strongly prefers USC & Southern California with respect to this concern.
Once again, this is an issue involving OP’s mental health & well-being. Some want to ignore the significance of this issue and reduce it to an issue of money. If this were simply a money issue, then there would be no thread.
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That means OP would have to find a place to live near a CC in So Cal, and that is going to be horribly expensive. And OP will be OOS for a Cal CC, so will likely pay OOS fees. I do not see this as a realistic option at all.
OP, quite a few LACs offer study abroad programs that can be extended to a year. Or, depending on the LAC you’re at, you might be able to take a bunch of classes at nearby colleges (Amherst consortium) or do off campus study programs. At Hamilton, for example, they offer the opportunity for this program: Hamilton in New York City - New York City Program - Hamilton College
Your GPA is stellar and you are in no danger of losing your scholarship. You have already completed two years at a top ten LAC and you have very important pros for staying there. Do not underestimate the importance of good relationships with professors. There are many people who don’t love their college experience. I was one of them, but I stuck it out for the degree. I don’t believe you need to be miserable, but I do think there are other options for you than leaving. I suggest contacting an academic advisor at your school and discussing alternatives for the upcoming year. Or, take another gap semester or year to figure things out.
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I hate to bring this up, but are you so sure you’ll be happier at USC? You have a lot that’s right about your LAC that you’ll be giving up. If things aren’t quite as rosy at USC as you hope, will that send you into a tailspin? Especially giving up film?
Just a thought-- why not do a full year abroad rather than a semester? Is that an option? Fwiw, even kids who love their schools are eager to get away to break the routine and meet new people.
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Note specifically what the OP is saying about gen ed classes required by USC: OP has not taken them. The issue is not merely about the transfer of credits, but apparently a number of degree requirements at USC that weren’t required at the LAC. That will add delay. At the very minimum, it will involve a heavy workload, summer courses at a CC, and/or delay. Based on those who have analyzed USC’s general ed requirements, it also seems like the OP would have to forgo the semester abroad in Europe just to graduate.
Mental health is key, but the OP gave several reasons, including therapy, as to why the LAC does help. As others have pointed out, a junior year transfer to USC, with the distinct possibility of delay, would be stressful for anyone, putting aside money issues.
Most every person posting on this thread is focused on helping the OP think this through in a holistic way, not just focusing on cash.
USC is the OP’s dream school, and there is a HUGE amount to be said for that. BUT, USC for grad school in just two years perhaps is another way to fulfill that dream.
It has been tough, but OP has done spectacularly well in the LAC, AND gained admission to a dream school. OP: kudos to your excellent work!
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Op should also research the details of possible grad schools, admission may be more likely from a LAC with strong professors support than as a new student at USC. Are the grad schools of interest fully funded, or likely to incur very large debts for attendance? Op mentions he helps support his family now due to his scholarship and campus jobs, is that likely to be needed in the future? A backup plan in case grad school doesn’t work out?
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Again, OP has been accepted as a junior by USC.
Much depends upon OP’s mental & emotional health.
Finances are unknown at this time. Lots of speculation.
FWIW A few months ago, I recall a thread dealing with very similar claims at what appears to be the same school.
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Taking a semester or two abroad on the LAC’s dime sure sounds like the obvious solution. Remember the KISS principle.
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