<p>As our students come home winter break, and discussion turns towards the summer, does anyone have any thoughts (ex. costs, quality of education, location) to going to USC for summer school vs. a community college/UCLA?</p>
<p>Mine would be working either at a paying job or non-paying job. But no school for her.</p>
<p>Taking a course or two at USC during summer will be more costly than taking it/them at a CC.</p>
<p>I thought if you take a class at CC, it won't transfer to USC, I mean after you attend USC already as a freshman. Is this correct information?</p>
<p>Im not sure, but I heard that taking a language for instance would be ok. I'd like to know too.</p>
<p>I looked at some of the articulation agreements on the USC web site. It was made clear that these articulation agreements were based upon last year and the students have to get approval for transfer credits this year. As I understand it, the category classes are NOT transferrable to USC after you start USC. For the engineering students, Physics and Math classes (and you have to match the course, credits to be equivalent) are transferrable with USC approval. I am confused if it is better to take Physics/Math at USC or at a community college in the summer. </p>
<p>Also, I don't know what the campus atmosphere is like at USC in the summer. Are there activities planned for the students on the week-ends, for example?</p>
<p>Clearly, there are some students paying a lot of tuition money to go to USC summer school. I would like to know why it is worth paying the extra money in the summer to attend USC vs. a community college.</p>
<p>The only clear advantage that I see at USC at this point is that USC offers 2 summer sessions which mean more courses could be taken over the summer. On the other hand, I don't know how intense these sessions are. The other advantage is that USC offers the core required classes which must be taken at USC after starting USC as a freshman.</p>
<p>Ideally, I would love to have my son work half day and take classes half day. Therefore, I wonder how easy it is to get part time work at USC in the summer.</p>
<p>mdcissp, you mention that there are two summer sessions. By two sessions, do you mean that a kid can take a course that doesn't require him/her to attend all summer long? Do you happen to know when the second session starts?</p>
<p>Here's the play-by-play, at least for what I know:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Once you enter USC only <em>summer</em> courses are transferable. GE's, writing are not transferable. Diversity may or may not be transferable (I need to check). </p></li>
<li><p>Some lower-division math/physics requirements for engineers may be transferable.</p></li>
<li><p>Foreign language is transferable, with some restrictions (for example - in person classes only - no online classes allowed)</p></li>
<li><p>Unless financial aid or scholarships cover part of the tuition, it's usually far cheaper to take elsewhere (and many people do for that precise reason).</p></li>
<li><p>Summer classes do not follow lock-step start & stop dates with each other like fall & spring do. You have to match the "session code" with the "class number" for a particular course, and look up the session code to find the start and stop dates. For last summer, see:</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Schedule</a> of Classes: Summer 2008: Session Codes</p>
<p>Some sessions are half of the summer (may/june or july/august) and some sessions are the full summer (may-august). </p>
<p>For example, in summer 2008, PHYS 135a (the first semester in a two semester sequence of physics for life sciences) was session code 050, or May 21-July 1. The next course in the sequence, PHYS 135b, was July 2 - Aug 12. An enterprising student could do both in one summer, back-to-back for 8 units of credit.</p>
<p>Alternatively, an engineering class, EE 457, was session code 058 meaning May 21-Aug 5, meaning it took the whole summer for 3 units.</p>
<ol>
<li>Summer atmosphere is fairly quiet, though there are still lots of people around.</li>
</ol>
<p>jbusc, thanks for the info. I was under the impression that all summer classes started in May and ran all summer ( more or less like a regular semester), but the different start times and lengths of courses allow some flexibility when students have additional summer plans. I'm assuming then that the classes are more intense, that is # of classes/week are more frequent if the completion time is quicker.. When approximately are detailed outline of courses, dates, # of classes /week etc made available?</p>
<p>For a class like PHYS 135a/b my guess would be it simply runs twice as fast, i.e. meets 4 days a week instead of 2.</p>
<p>For something like EE 457, having taken that course, there's simply no possible way to speed it up by smooshing the timeline together. It's an intense enough workload in a 15 week span, and to have it in 11 weeks is tight enough already.</p>
<p>My guess is that summer schedule of classes will probably come around sometime in february. You can get a rough idea of what's offered by looking at summer 2008.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, if you're interested in transferring courses this summer, you should attempt to get online transfer pre-approval online. This will tell you what kind of credit the university is willing to give you by default (i.e. you don't have to ask special). Then you can go request additional transfer credit if necessary.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any thoughts about combining a couple of classes at USC summer school and some classes at Los Angeles City College?</p>
<p>Why not take all at a community college because it's cheaper unless you want to stay at the USC dorm.</p>
<p>My son is thinking of taking some classes this summer which must be taken at USC (i.e. not transferable from another college). He wants to do both an engineering major, minor and a foreign language which requires more than 18 units a semester to complete all of the course work. Of course, this is very expensive and I am concerned about the cost. Therefore, I thought perhaps taking some classes at USC and some at a community college might be the way to go.</p>
<p>Do you know which is the final word about transferring credits? On a brochure in the FA department, the minor my son wants to pursue says no classes are allowed to be transferred. However, on the articulation agreement between USC and some community colleges, it says that some of the classes my son wants to take are transferable at the rate of 16 credits. It was general, and did not state which FA classes (by title, units) are transferable.</p>
<p>To Sequoia: If you click on the USC.edu website, click summer 2008, on the right is a column where you can see the calendar, click and you will see two sessions. Dates are not yet known for 2009.</p>
<p>The closest CCs I can think of would be Santa Monica, El Camino, and Harbor Colleges which would require a car. The latter would be 20 mins away in smooth traffic, and is located right off the 110 freeway. Also, isn't a summer course around $2000 at USC, plus the housing coats and meals? That would all be quite expensive, but if your son needs the courses to complete the minor on top of engineering, I guess there's no alternative.</p>
<p>Thanks mdcissp, I already had a look at the course list/dates (for 2008). Unfortunately the languages (at least French) start in May)</p>
<p>Sequoia: It looks like tuition last year was $1275 per credit hour, i.e. $5,100. for a 4 unit course. Also, I am not sure why a May start date is unfavorable.</p>
<p>Thanks for mentioning the other community colleges but I think Los Angeles City College is the closest to USC. Santa Monica is far (must have a car), El Camino is in Torrance (really far) and I don't even know where Wilmington, CA. is (Harbor College) but sounds like it is in Orange County near Anaheim. You can get the bus to LA City College from USC. According to the rapid transit web site, said it takes 35 minutes with 2 buses. I live on the East coast where bus transportation is widely used. Students in my neighborhood ride the bus. However, my husband reminds me that LA is a car city.</p>
<p>Harbor College isn't in anaheim/orange county - it's, appropriately enough, near the port of LA.</p>
<p>It might be a bit further distance wise, but since it is just off the 110 freeway, it is only about 25 minutes average from USC (as sequoia said)</p>
<p>Does anyone have or know about any information about transferring credits from a CC while still attending high school? I am currently a senior in high school and would like to take a Math and an Accounting course during the Spring 2009 term at my local CC to fulfill the Business Admin. courses. </p>
<p>On the USC's Articulation Agreement it states: </p>
<p>"Students may apply towards their USC degree no more than 16 units for college courses taken before high school graduation. In addition, college courses taken before high school graduation may ONLY fulfill General Education categories I, II, III, and V (see part I) and NOT any other requirements, including Diversity, Writing, or Foreign Language, nor will they be granted course equivalence. Instead, they will earn elective units if they are listed on Part III."</p>
<p>USC told me I would have to wait until I am admitted to know whether or not if the courses are transferable .... But I am assuming that since these two course (Listed on Part III) fall under as electives and are equivalent to the USC's courses, then I should be fine?</p>