<p>Yeah. . .I USC sent me this mail that talks about its program that sends high school seniors to USC (basically get started with college early). However, then I'll become officially a USC alumni, and I won't have a high school diploma? I want to ultimately go to Stanford, but I would have to transfer to Stanford if I do USC's program. . .Will I have a higher chance of getting to Stanford through USC or just graduating from hs?</p>
<p>Transfer admission rates are almost half of freshmen admission rates. Also, the transfer pool is much stronger. I think you have better chances at high school level</p>
<p>What paulhomework said is true, but the question is what percent of transfer applicants come from colleges that are as prestigious as USC. Transferring from USC is going as an 18-year-old is going to look more impressive (all things being equal) than applying as an 18-year-old freshman. But you might be facing better competition or some other factor.</p>
<p>Should I email Stanford's admission's officer or something? If so, who should I e-mail? And should I phrase my words in some special way in the e-mail?</p>
<p>definately e-mail or even call the admission's office</p>
<p>fewfdsagdsag, I think it's a little ethically questionable that you'd be taking advantage of one of USC's most unique programs merely to boost your Stanford admission chances. And to clarify, simply because you received a promotional letter does not mean you have a likely chance of being accepted; it was based solely on PSAT scores if I'm correct. The actual application is as, if not more, in-depth and considers as many factors as the general freshamn application.</p>
<p>Here, the University of Southern California would be extending an offer to come join them early and participate in special, small interdisciplinary classes with the brightest high school students from around the country with USC's best faculty and you all the while you'd be pondering how you could best use this to your advantage. What a shame.</p>
<p>I'm sure the Stanford adcom would think the same if you emailed them asking which route to Stanford was better.</p>
<p>themegastud - </p>
<p>I realized that my actions and thoughts might be considered unethical, which is proven when I brought up the question of phrasing my word choice within a possible e-mail to Stanford's adcoms.
However, I do not believe that my thoughts should constitute as a "shame" to anybody, and if it has, which apparantly is true, I offer my apologies. Moreover, I am not in any way whatsoever trying to desecrate USC's prestige.
When I first brought up my first post, I perceived the RHP as a year-long program that allows for high school seniors to enter college one year early, as implied by USC's brochure. Therefore, asserting that I was trying to take advantage of USC is tantamount to any student on this board attending RSI at MIT to try and boost his or her chances at Stanford. This is simply specious and unfair, in my opinion.
I realize that the RHP is an one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, I view it as a means to an end, rather than simply just an end. Unless, an overwhelming amount of people on this board say otherwise, I believe that my actions are entirely justified.</p>
<p>fewfdsagdsag,</p>
<p>I apologize; I worded my post a little strongly. I was just taken aback by how it seems you would only consider RHP if it would bolster your chances with Stanford. It seemed to me a little unfair to take the spot (assuming you would be admitted) of someone who genuinely wanted to be there. </p>
<p>I take issue with your RSI comparison though, as the difference between RSI and RHP is that RSI cuts off at six weeks. RHP on the other hand, places you into USC's Thematic Option honors program, where you continue on as a USC student.</p>
<p>Does USC's program lead to the students continuing on at USC and ultimately getting their bachelor's from the school? Because if so, that's not at all like attending RSI (which is a <em>summer program</em> and does <em>not</em> lead to a bachelor's degree from MIT). In that case, the USC program would be designed to increase the number of high-achieving high school students that go on to graduate from USC, and I would consider it unethical to take advantage of the program in order to make yourself look impressive to the Stanford adcoms. You wouldn't be enrolling in USC in good faith... so I'm sure it's not <em>illegal</em>, but the idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth.</p>
<p>Here's the question: why do you "ultimately" want to go to Stanford? If you actually want to attend the school, wouldn't you want to be there from the start, so that you could have the full Stanford experience? Or do you only care about the prestige of the school that eventually awards you a diploma? Either way, transferring from USC would be a fairly strange course of action. If it's the former, you obviously wouldn't want to spend a quarter of your college experience someplace other than Stanford (and miss out on all of the regular freshman experiences -- it's always hard to transfer to a new school and have to build new friendships, relationships with professors, figure out which classes are worth taking and where it's fun to hang out... especially because the rest of the sophomores will already have their friends and will already know their way around school). If it's the latter, it's not like USC is a no-name school, especially if you want to live in SoCal, and doing a special program there would only increase the prestige factor. (Not to mention that prestige isn't the goal of a college experience -- a high-quality education is).</p>
<p>Lol. . .no prob. . .btw, can you give me some more information regarding USC's Thematic Option honors program, since it looks like you're going to USC? Cause all I know is it "breaks down boundaries which separate disciplines and teach students to appreciate the relationships" between subjects. It sounds interesting, but how do do professor break down the boundaries?</p>
<p>entropicgirl - </p>
<p>I did not realize what the Thematic Option honors program was, so I did not know that it was a program that leads students to continue their college experience. I was under the impression that this program was intended to be year-long, since that fact that it replaces a student's senior year was emphasized.</p>
<p>hi fewfdsagdsag,</p>
<p>Here's more information about TO, as taken from its website: <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/general_studies/TO/%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/general_studies/TO/</a></p>
<p>"Thematic Option is the University's general education honors program. Each year just under 200 freshmen participate in this interdisciplinary core curriculum. "T.O."-- as it's commonly called around campus -- offers small classes with some of the University's best undergraduate teachers and a hand-picked group of writing instructors. The T.O. program is challenging, yet still manageable for students invited to participate.</p>
<p>To qualify for an invitation to the program, students admitted to the University should have a GPA of at least A- and an SAT score of 1420 or higher with greater weight accorded to the verbal score, or an ACT score of 32. The classes are stimulating and the faculty are brought together with students for a variety of evening events including films, dinners, and speakers. The intellectual community fostered by common coursework and evening events helps bright students find their peers and a sense of their own place during those crucial first few freshman weeks.</p>
<p>The Thematic Option curriculum is organized according to themes rather than by discipline. Students take four Core classes, two writing tutorials, and two additional Theme courses selected from departments all over the campus. The four Core classes are Core 101, Symbols and Conceptual Systems; Core 102, Culture and Values; Core 103, The Process of Change in Science; and Core 104, Change and the Future. The T.O. writing program includes both small writing classes and individual writing tutorials, in which students have an opportunity to refine their writing styles while discussing issues raised in the core curriculum. The program is structured so that the number of units required for students who choose T.O. is never more than the number of units required for students who complete regular general education requirements.</p>
<p>T.O. has been cited by several colleges guides as one of the best undergraduate honors programs in the country, and student evaluations generally echo that assessment. Invited students are encouraged to give the program a try. Students who have not been invited but seem genuinely ready for serious intellectual challenge may apply as exceptions; 10 to 15 such students are admitted each year. Such students on campus should be referred to the T.O. Office for brochures and advisement."</p>
<p>thanks !!</p>
<p>I received the same offer to apply at the end of my sophomore year, and I considered it. My parents rationale was "well junior and senior year you're practically taking all AP classes anyways..." So we went along with it for a while. When they actually mailed the application (which is much, MUCH thicker than a normal college app) I said "screw it" because I wasn't that serious about it in the first place.</p>
<p>But now, looking back, I realize how big of a mistake I would have been making. I am so elated that I am here for my senior year that I can't even begin to address all the reasons you should stay. </p>
<p>You described RHP as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." I disagree. What advantage are you giving yourself by getting a degree at the age of 21 rather than the age of 22? And what exactly will that Honors Degree from USC give you? Business connections in LA? Perhaps, but it will not open up more doors for you than the top 10 schools in America. I strongly suggest you reconsider before throwing away the enriching experience of your senior year.</p>