My daughter was accepted for spring semester 2017. She was planning on starting college in fall. Anyone have any info if you send intent what your chances are to be admitted for fall?
Hi I was also accepted for the spring semester 2017. Initially, I was very disappointed but now I am grateful I was accepted at all. I’ve been doing a lot of research and apparently very few people get bumped to the fall semester and the number varies by year.
Very few get bumped, and they insist you do not ask/beg to move, they will let you know if spots open up. That was posted in a blog somewhere from admissions. Obviously everyone that is spring admit wants to be bumped to fall.
Some want to go to USC so bad they don’t mind the wait, and use that time to play, work, or knock out some cc classes. Others wouldn’t trade that freshman fall experience for anything. It is a really personal choice whether to wait for USC or attend elsewhere. Not sure what the housing situation is when you come in the spring - maybe some spring admits will comment on it.
My son was a Spring admit. He did the USC - American U in Paris program in the fall and knocked out three GEs and writing. Given terrorism in the EU it’s a scary idea for this year.
He was squeezed into USC housing but with a roommate whose prior roommate left because he had a medical problem. It wasn’t good for my son either but he persevered. (My sons roommate was an insomniac with a gross hacking cough problem.)
My son gladly accepted USC since he wanted to be part of the CS-Games program which is tops in the nation. He has no regrets and is finishing up the second semester of his sophomore year.
My son was also accepted as Undecided and transferred into Viterbi. All he had to do was take the three intro courses and get a B or higher in each and he could transfer. (Btw he got a B- in linear algebra, one of the three courses (it could be calc for other students) and they still let him transfer.)
@gamergal27 - do some spring admits not get into USC dorms/housing? That is what I heard but not sure if correct. I know that transfers are pretty much outa luck and scrambling in the summer to find something, not sure how it is for spring admits and what percent get housing.
I remember your son was first class/group to go to Paris and it was quite an ordeal for you both - glad all that worked out for you. I know it had its share of struggles!
@CADREAMIN You are correct that Spring admits are not guaranteed USC housing. Still, my sense is that most got it although it may not have been on-campus.
There were some other issues with being a Spring admit that we discovered: you couldn’t apply for the alumni scholarships because you needed to have finished one semester at USC, spring admits are allowed to take courses the summer prior as well while fall admits cannot (he took two classes as the local cc before AUP), etc. (Will post other issues when/if I remember them). It also had some positives: he didn’t have to take an engineering course where you are exposed to all the engineering majors (would have been a waste since he is CS Games), I saved about $15k in tuition since he went to AUP his fall semester, his writing course at AUP was probably easier than taking it at USC, etc.
Still there was no question he was going to accept spring admission. And after a few weeks of being there it was like he was there from the beginning.
My daughter (graduating this year!) was a spring admit who was bumped to fall. It can happen. I would not worry overly much about housing. Some upperclassmen go abroad in spring semester, so spots open up. If budget is not a big issue, there are always beds available in The Lorenzo. (Daughter lived there 2 years and loved it, it is quite a bit more expensive than USC housing, however.) With USC village coming on line soon (not sure when, too late for us), campus housing will be more available overall.
My son was a spring admit. He took several GE courses during the fall, met many other spring admits who became friends, went to the football games, and breathed easily after surviving the rigors of high school and the stress of college applications. After day 1 of spring, he was not a “spring admit”, he was just a Trojan like everyone else. He was placed in some off campus housing, wound up in Gateway. He got some of the GE’s out of the way, we saved a lot of tuition, and he will graduate at the same time as the fall admits. He loves USC and would not have changed a thing. If you really want to go to USC, don’t let the spring admit process detract from your desire. You’re still in the upper echelons of college admittance. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
@GamerGal27 Glad to hear about your son having a good experience at AUP - there are now 3 other options abroad to go in the Fall as a Spring admit but would you suggest AUP over those because it has been around the longest?
@SC5ive Actually AUP was the only program at the time for Spring admits and TTP students. AUP was great but Paris was not for my non-French speaking son. Also there were 140 USC students there and the housing was overwhelmed. My son was placed in awful housing 40 minutes away. Now that there are more country options this should be less of an issue. If you can get housing closer to AUP that could work.
It was cool that his art history class visited the Louvre every two weeks to see actual works of art. And the AUP trips to other countries for long weekends was an experience he would not have had if he’d gone to a cc. Still I think an English speaking European college (London) may have been a much better choice for him.
@GamerGal27 Thank you for your help, I was actually leaning towards the London abroad program because they speak English 
My daughter is currently on a semester at USC Paris. She does speak French, not fluently but took a lot of French at USC and before. She is not loving Paris at all - dirty, cold, overall an oppressive mood to the city every day. She’s been there two months and wants to leave. This weekend she went up to London and said it was like reaching civilization and sunlight again.
@snowdog - your post made me laugh - my almost fluent in french daughter spent a few weeks in Europe this summer and was also underwhelmed by Paris - she did love Amsterdam and Germany though. Good to see you still around - I remember your great posts when I first came on board cc
Hi @CADREAMIN - hard to believe my D is 8 weeks from a USC degree! Nothing left but the bills…
I was talking with someone today about my daughter’s willingness to admit out loud she dislikes Paris. Was told of a parent abroad with a teen who said similar, and the parent says, ‘shut up, you’re in Paris!’ First world problems.
I hope this post helps answer some questions. I have twin sons who are freshman at USC and spring 2016 admits. USC had been their dream school for 2 years so they took the option and were grateful for their acceptances. USC gives spring admits many options as they know it’s an uncommon beginning to college for most students. To answer a couple of comments, spring admits do not have USC housing in the fall however there are many options close to campus. They can receive USC on campus housing in spring however sign up the first day it’s open and choose a dorm other than New North as openings are rare for srping. One of my sons got a dorm room in New North however it was an effort and a dorm switch but he got the room and a great roommate ( he was persistent and lucky). My other son is in off-campus housing.
Fall-one son chose to attend Santa Monica College and live in off-camous housing. He was grouped with other spring admits and lucked out on a great set of roommates. The drive to SMC was torturous (his words) however he took his 12 hours and gained a true appreciation for his classes and classmates at USC. He is a full-time student now and loves it!
My other son took the London option. It was fantastic-everything about it. Students live on campus in Richomd (suburb of London in dorms). The faculty is caring and very invested in the students and academics. There were about 30-ish USC students who attended in the fall. They were a bright, well-educated group of kids from all over. Both the students and their parents were engaging, friendly and I felt like we (my son and I) made life-ling friends. We all gathered at USC for spring convication at USC as friends. It truly made the transition for my son to USC easy as the majority of students spent fall in London and began USC in January.
Overall, these were two unique, challenging, fun, eye-opening, self discovery experiences. Each boy has told my husband and I they don’t regret either of their chocies or choosing USC spring admittance. They are now full time students and love their classes and friends. They alao appreciate the bright, smart students they are in class with. If USC is your dream school, embrace being a spring admit and find a course that works for your child…the school has many options. Needless to say, we are grateful to be part of the Trojan Family.
@beverlyg what steps did you son undergo in order to get housing in new north?
@allisonmh97 He moved in to his assigned dorm then had to go to housing on the designated day and request a housing change. There was one student moving out and he got that spot.
Like @Snowdog my daughter was a Spring admit in 2012-2013 and also got bumped to Fall. She was undecided in Dornsife and I I suspect there are more spots in Dornsife than other schools but I’m sure the numbers vary from year to year. She actually graduated in December after 3 1/2 years due to AP credits and good planning (no summer school) so theoretically she could have skipped that first semester completely.
We paid her deposits and flew out to “admitted students day” in April. I can’t say this helped her get bumped but felt it was worth a shot. The bumps to fall will come out the first week in May after everyone has sent in their deposits and they see what spots are left.
She was in the Trojan Marching Band and one of her band mates was a Spring admit 2012-2013 but played in the band Fall 2012 and will be graduating this May. If you can’t see yourself at any other school then keep your fingers crossed for a bump to fall but plan on making the most of fall semester if you don’t.
On a side note, my daughter spent a semester in Berlin last spring and loved it.
Thanks for your very informative posts. D is a spring admit. Will she have the option to choose London for her Fall 2016 studies? Or, is there a selection process and you may not always get what you want? She would prefer London.
@BillPayingDad I’m interested in London too it’s a full pay for each student so no USC financial aid or grants etc… if that doesn’t matter to your family then it’s just putting in the application and if there is room available we get in