Hi everyone - My son was offered the TTP this past week. Yay! He applied for the the BArch program at USC School of Architecture. Is there any other TTP parents who have architecture students? I’m reading there are specific classes for BArch majors to take to make the transfer requirements in addition to the list provided. Is there one of the four European schools that is better for these classes than the others?
@catherinemc - Did you see the websites for the abroad schools that are support TTP? With something as specific as architecture, specific courses are going to be key. So if it is not readily available info online, I would contact your advisor for information. I know some engineers had issues getting the right courses abroad at certain schools, so that is a very good question!
@CADREAMIN Thank you…i have been looking at their websites, but it’s rather vague and not sure what EXACTLY is required. You’re right, we’ll just need to make an appt with a counselor to go through this carefully. Thank you!
For those TTP students who were accepted in previous years, were you able to obtain on-campus housing? If so, were you paired with another TTP student? Also, do they offer any new student orientations as an incoming sophomore? Any information regarding your experience with the TTP is greatly appreciated!
Last year S was a TTP and transferred after freshman year from a UC. Though he had an almost perfect GPA, even taking 20 units in the Winter Quarter, he did not hear until May 1st. As for housing, he was on the wait list and shortly got USC housing, but the roommates were random, no pairing of roommate choices. Continuing USC students are currently on a wait list well before the transfers are admitted.
@UCBUSCalum do you mean that he didn’t hear if he was accepted until May 1? Or, got housing?
@BeCheap4me2 I was saying despite the fact that he was on the TTP and got an almost perfect GPA at a UC (2 A- 's out of 10 UC courses taken kept him from a perfect GPA), he did not get his acceptance notice until May 1st. Since housing around the USC campus is very competitive, getting his acceptance on May 1st puts more pressure to secure housing asap. For the transfers who don’t get their acceptances until late May, June and beyond, especially late June to July, housing near the campus may be almost impossible to secure.
Btw, his first semester, last Fall, he had a perfect GPA with 18 units taken. This Spring semester, midway, he has an almost perfect GPA, with one A-. He says he studies a lot harder at USC than UC because he is competing with more smart kids that got into Ivies and chose USC for the free ride.
@UCBUSCalum thank you for the info. Yes, my son wants to be around really smart peers…it sounds like a long wait, why is the notification for TTP so drawn out?
@BeCheap4me2 , I have no idea, but it was very stressful waiting and then after getting the acceptance notice, trying to secure suitable housing near campus within walking distance. My son was able to get on the wait list and got USC housing and random roommates. He was very fortunate to be assigned 2 great random roommates. He tells me that he heard that some of the most undesirable roommates are random (kids who party or smoke weed, etc.). When a student is on the wait list, the assignment is not based on the student’s choice.
In my opinion, generally the safest areas around USC, especially at night, are within the borders east of Vermont St., west of Figueroa Street and south of Adams Blvd. I tell my son not to venture out beyond those areas by foot. The patrolled areas are a little beyond the areas I mentioned. Also, USC provides free Uber in the patrolled areas.
In summary, there were mainly 2 types of stress: 1) the wait to be admitted (not knowing if admittance will happen) even though the high GPA requirements and courses were fulfilled; and 2) housing. @CADREAMIN mentioned it a few times that USC should make TTP a guaranteed admission if the high GPA and courses are met. Cornell has a transfer plan offered to high school students denied admission that is guaranteed if the high GPA and course are met. Recently, a friend of a friend’s son got into Cornell through that process.
@UCBUSCalum thank you!!! the info is very helpful!
So I want to do the TTP and to there thing where you can travel abroad to Pairs. But my parents are very hesitant to let me do it because they think it is very risky because it is not guaranteed that I will get into USC. What would be some of the backup plans or plan B’s if I were to not get in? I
Does anyone know if I can defer an acceptance from a different four-year college to do the travel abroad program?
@creamy5 You would have to figure that out before you go and apply to those “plan B” schools while abroad. Beside the desire to graduate from USC, whether to do TTP can also boil down to stress tolerance I totally see you parents side of this. Some go abroad or wherever assuming they will hit the targets and get in, no problem. They never consider anything going wrong. The optimistic view. Other parents/students think about every “what if” and it becomes overwhelming trying to hedge every bet - what if students gets sick, injured, depressed or stressed, etc., and gpa plummets,…then what do they do if they can’t get into USC?
Frankly the ones best positioned for TTP are students that are happy to go to CC for a year and were perhaps surprised they got this opportunity at all, or alternatively, the kids that go to another great four year that they would love to attend and use TTP as a backup, incase that great four year isn’t as great as they thought. It’s a wonderful backup. Those are the lowest stress situations for TTP, imo.
I get the concern over changing or making plans just for a maybe. I know kids abroad that have a great time and come back year two, others that take the wrong classes over there or struggle that far from home for their first time away - everyone has to decide their own level of stress tolerance and optimism/confidence in dealing with this, and how much they want to deal with being a transfer. And of course how much they really want to go to USC for years 2-4.
Thanks for the feedback! Do you know if I could defer an acceptance from another school and then do the travel abroad option through the TTP?
That’s creative but not sure when you defer if you can do it to attend another school. I don’t think that’s allowed or many would be doing it to backup their commitments. You would have to check into that or other posters may confirm.
@Creamy5 I would imagine that you’d have to let the school you want to defer your decision about attending in the Fall of 202 by May 1, 2020 and I don’t think you’ll know about USC by then. But, I could be wrong. Maybe call and ask USC.
I would love to get some feedback from people who studied abroad in London as TTP. It seems Rome and Paris are much more popular. Is it easier to meet the GPA requirements at those two schools? Why the disparity? Approximately how many students enroll in Richmond as TTP for USC?
@CADREAMIN I want to THANK YOU for all the information you shared and all the advice you are giving on the post. We are so grateful for your generosity and kindness. Wish we had met you while preparing our college applications.
My kid is offered TTP and we are just torn as to which of the 3 avenues to take.
- Europe offers a wonderful experience, builds a great support group but her being overseas carries a lot of risks.
- CC is the least expensive and most worry free, but we didn't work this hard for all these years to end up at a CC, personally this option is just depressing to us (speaking strictly for us, no offense to others).
- One year in UC seems to be the hardest route but it is a safe place to be in case the TTP doesn't work out.
Ultimately we want to transfer to SC after 1 year and are 100% committed to it, so if UC presents the most difficulty either because the course mismatch or rigor, then should we forego the safe option of being already in UC and select one of the first 2 options? But then again, if we turn down all the UC offers and go to Europe or CC, and don’t get admitted by USC through TTP, then we would have wasted our opportunities to be in a “real” university, albeit not as renowned as USC but is a good one too.
Would love to tap into your wisdom and get your insights. Thank you again.
@UCBUSCalum Thank you so much for all your sharing and advising too. I read that your son took the UC route and successfully transferred to USC with stellar grades. How was the course selection process? How do we make sure everything we choose are in sync with what is needed for TTP USC? Would you elaborate on your child’s experience? Your advice are very much appreciated. Thank you.
@hotlot, thank you for the kind words! Looking at your post, I see we think very much alike! I will PM you later (gotta finish up some work) and hopefully others can share thoughts too.