Hello, everyone.
I’m a current high school senior who will be attending Chapman in the fall and who is enrolled in their honors program. I think I’d better explain my current situation since it’ll inevitably be asked. I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching (I know it sounds cheesy, but I think it’s the most accurate term) and I’ve determined that I want to strive for something better than Chapman because Chapman is almost a safety school for me (ACT: 30, GPA Unweighted: 3.78, plenty of activities and extra-curriculars, and, I assume, very good letters of recommendation). I just thought when applying for colleges this year that I wasn’t good enough for some of the more prestigious schools (or, at least schools better than Chapman) and, really, my biggest regret is not trying. Part of it was that I didn’t have enough time to submit my arts supplements because I was going to apply to USC and possibly some UC schools, but the deadline was before I had time to finish everything (my major is in music composition).
Anyway, the main purpose of this thread is to determine whether anyone from the honors program has transferred out of Chapman with the credits they earned in the program being accepted at any other colleges. I realize it varies from college to college, but I just want to know if it’s possible. I have contacted their office of admissions and they have just redirected me to WebAdvisor which doesn’t help me. I have also checked USC’s website and they don’t have any course transfer information for Chapman. I haven’t probed any further with the Office of Admissions, but I want to know personal experience, regardless, if possible. My goal isn’t only USC, but it’s just one of my possibilties.
And, I know this is out of the scope of this thread, but if anybody has any advice or experience in general relating to transferring from this university, especially if they were a music composition major, then I would appreciate it as well. I think I’ll post separate threads in the future for those other types of topics.
Thank you for your time.
If it makes you feel any better, there is absolutely no guarantee it would have turned out any differently. Look at the results threads for those schools you’re wishing you had applied to. It is entirely possible to only get into your safeties – happened to me.
Good luck whether you decide to transfer or not!
There are definitely students with even higher stats than yours selecting Chapman over larger name brand universities because of its programs, size of school and access to faculty. It’s reputation is climbing quickly and we know several amazing students denied admission this year. You may be pleasantly surprised in the fall. If this is truly not the right place for you, you could take a gap year and apply where you would like to next fall or attend a JC and transfer that way. I have heard spectacular things about Chapman.
I agree with above post that it may not have turned out differently. USC is extremely competitive, plenty of 4.0/4.5 and ACTs in the 32-35 range were denied at USC. And their music and dramatic arts accepts insanely low numbers (4%). You may end up loving Chapman once you get started there. There are also many performance based people at Chapman, so it could gel more than you expect it to. You didn’t mention if you received a presidential scholarship which go to students with the highest stats coming in. If you didn’t that will tell you there are many that have higher numbers entering Chapman. There are certainly students that transfer from Chapman to USC and other schools, it is really competitive to do that as well. Some students denied at other schools are offered a transfer plan which gives them an edge getting in via transfer. Not trying to be discouraging, just encouraging you to give Chapman a try, but you are being smart to see what is best to take to set you up for a successful transfer. Typically it is the core requirements like writing and math, things you would take at any school. If you look at what they want to see from cc transfers, you should be able to infer what a potential transfer school is looking for. The neighborhood Chapman is set in is adorable and close to great socal attractions, that should make it fun. Good luck, I hope it all works out as you wish!
Yeah, I realize it might not have turned out differently. But that’s the thing: I’m tired of not trying and wondering what could’ve happened. If anything, me working harder to potentially transfer will improve my academic standing and give me a greater edge for graduate school, for example (if I decide to do that). I got the Chancellor’s (?) scholarship (the $20,000 a year one) and that’s another thing I was thinking about. Even if I had gotten into USC, would my family be able to afford it? Because, with all the scholarships and financial aid I received, I got the tuition to about $10,000 a year, which is pretty good considering it’s about 20% of the original tuition. I don’t think that would’ve happened at USC.
I very much appreciate all of your comments, but I still would like to know if anybody has transferred out of Chapman with having the honors credits transfer. Thank you.
Also, @CADREAMIN where did you get the data on the arts acceptance rates for USC?