My current university is huge. Lots of red tape, impossible to contact professors, everything is done through TAs, and some classes couldn’t even accommodate the # of students in the class!! And it is excessively quantity over quality when it comes to opportunities.
USC is my top choice for transferring and it’s considered large for a private college… I’m wondering if it will be a huge difference from what I’m experiencing?
the other schools I’m applying to as a transfer have <5k undergrads but they’re my “safety” schools. I love the location so I wouldn’t mind going to those schools but I would rather USC. However, I’m starting to wonder if some of the problems I’m running from would be present at USC.
For example with red tape. If you want permission or an exception here forget about it because you’re just a number.
I took 4 lab sciences at a community college and they would only take them as credit not as equivalency and I’m getting a B.S so my science courses are needed for my major… I submitted appeals for each course individually and they just sent an automated NO
If I went to a school like USC is it more personal or will it be the same mess as a big public school?
The students I spoke with at USC, as well as the literature and admitted student speakers, all speak of an incredible close-knit, responsive relationship between the faculty and students. Many students felt they had found community and a wonderful place to be educated and to stretch their wings.
That being said, one student who called my home, representing one of the affinity groups there, acknowledged that reaching offices and getting feedback could be slow going. The student made it clear that it might require a little patience, and one might find onesself switched between offices, but that the administration did its work on behalf of students and parents, and timeliness in approach was key.
It is a large university, and you are not likely to change the structure or protocol of how USC assesses and incorporates outside work. Knowing what the processes in place are as you work to meet your educational goals, and being able to bend with the wind, can take you a long way.
The school is definitely big, but depending on the department/major, you definitely won’t feel like you’re just a number. For instance, my major had around 70 students in it. For this reason, a lot of the class sizes were quite small. I remember taking a class that only had around 7 student enrolled. The enrollment limit was 20 students, so either way, the class size was going to be quite small. You can really get to know your professors if you make an effort
It feels about as small as a school that large can feel. The average class size is competitive with a lot of small and prestigious liberal arts colleges. Many of the dorms are also smaller than the mega-dorms being built on some campuses which can house over a thousand students each.
Feel the campus facilities and resources cannot catch up the needs of the growing student population, especially at HSC. Compared to where I went to under, USC needs to build more, to expand its campus, space and facilities.
Our kids both are USC alums. Both found their niche there cinema and electrical engineering), but had some battles with paperwork and bureaucracy there.
I’d work with the transfer folks at USC to see what courses you’ve taken already will transfer and what more you will need IF you get in and attend, so you don’t have expensive surprises.
