I hear you don’t hear about acceptance to USC until July after you are done with your first year through TTP. How hard is it to get housing then? What if for some reason you don’t get in and you are attending a program overseas - you would have to go to a CC after since you can’t commit to another university b/c you are waiting to hear from USC?
@CADREAMIN - I didn’t get TTP on my rejection, but am baffled. Got accepted at 2 Ivies but USC is still my top choice. Just having found out about TTP, I’d prefer to go to school in Rome or London and then transfer to USC since I wanted to take part in an abroad program anyway. Would I be able to transfer even if I DID NOT have a TTP offer? I have a strong resume now, so I am not sure going elsewhere for a year would be any more beneficial for transfer purposes. Any thoughts?
Hi, anybody accepted under TTP receive financial aid from USC?
@calbeach95 You can’t volunteer for the TTP, unfortunately, so you would be like any other transfer and not be coming in with any TTP kind of advantage. If you are in two Ivies, that sounds pretty darn fantastic. You could ask your admission advisor if there is any benefit to going to a USC affliliated school abroad without TTP then trying to transfer and see what they say. Frankly, that seems like a logistical nightmare, you would have to apply to that other school since you aren’t coming in as TTP. It seems like you have such good choices on the table, I suppose you are just exploring all options before May 1st. Why don’t you take one of those great options in hand - give it all you have, and if you aren’t feeling it come late fall, submit a transfer app by Feb 1st. Transfer acceptance is much higher than regular. But don’t let the idea of transferring ruin your bonding at whatever school you start with.
Posting this because I wished this was here when I was in your position:
Currently, I’m a 2nd semester TTP student at the London school. I wanted to give some candid feedback about how it’s going so far and how I made this decision. After getting the TTP in my rejection, I was optimistically confused as I’m sure many of you are. USC is undeniably my dream school and I knew I definitely wanted to pursue this. I had no idea what I was going to do, (stay in the US or go abroad). After further thought, I picked the London school. London is a great city to be in and doing the Europe option gives you many opportunities to travel easily which has been a highlight of my time here.
Not going to sweeten it, it’s been an challenge, the British system is notoriously harsh and the GPA conversion to USC doesn’t work in your favor. There’s currently about 20 of us here and the consensus is pretty unanimous; it’s far from what thought our freshman year would look like when applying to SC. The school is quite disorganized and all the teachers will happily tell you that “A B+ is a stellar grade”. FYI, that equates to 3.30, the bare minimum to meet the contract you’ll sign over the summer. Most of the students here are more than qualified (AP/ IB diploma, SAT’s >1350) and it’s still tough to get north of a 3.50. The visa process for the UK is a nightmare and cost many people north of $750 in expedited application fees if you don’t happen to already be an EU resident. The residential accommodation is the antithesis of USC’s village. Small cramped rooms, moldy showers, dirty bathroom facilities etc.
Regardless, the friends I made here are great and there’s a common bond over how much we’re all looking forward to USC. The USC group is a great community as there’s very few of us and everyone’s in the same shoes. The rumor here is that Paris is more organized and has more success, but I’ve heard it both ways. As of April, there’s no decisions back for next fall but we’re all hoping for the best! Good luck to all of you and congratulations on getting this program, it DOES %100 make a difference when applying.
@Salocin03 Wish I could give you 10 Likes. 
THANK YOU - for taking the time to present a first hand account of your experience with TTP abroad. It is so great to hear it from someone living it! We had a similar report a few years back from a mom, I believe it was the first year London was an option, so many attributed the issues to that, but the story sounds very similar four or so years later. In that case, housing was also some distance from campus making it inconvenient to get there and also a bit sketchy (the apartments and the area). I can only imagine how you have grown and bonded as a group over there and it is super impressive that you were all willing to take this on as freshman. Good for you! Most of us parents have a hard time sending our kids a few hours away, yet to another continent. You should all (parents too!) feel very proud of your accomplishment and grinding this out! I am sure it is an experience that will be with you the rest of your lives, and I would guess there’s some pretty funny stories out of this year as well.
You should be getting your results very soon, if anyone deserves to know first, it is you guys! I do understand they are lenient with gpa’s for the international students as they should be. It is quite a bit more to take on. I am sure the other TTP and transfer applicants are cheering for you, and I bet it will be great to get home in May (June?)!
@candylover132 Do you have another great 4 year option? Can you afford 3 years of USC if you do TTP whether through paying or with aid? If you want to PM me, that’s fine too.
There are a couple types of students that should go through with TTP. Those that have only ever ever ever wanted to graduate from USC and giving up the freshman experience in socal is worth it to them. This group includes students that like the opportunity to save money at a CC their freshman year, students that are bold enough to study abroad for their first year, or those that go to a four year planning on transferring all along, but don’t give up that freshman experience.
Th second group that does TTP includes those that use it solely as a backup - they commit to another great school, play the game with TTP process and go through the motions by coming to the meeting with the USC advisor. Attend their “other” 4 year school and give that school a true chance. But in so doing, if that school just doesn’t feel right, then go ahead with the transfer. But you have to give the other school a chance and not spend freshman year yearning for USC. That could make for a sad freshman experience.
There are many TTP kids that pursue it, go to the meeting in the summer, but get to their other school and love it, and never look back. There are those that feel like if USC wanted them, they would have taken them in the first place. In terms of classes for you major, if at a four year, you should really take what that four year wants you to take to stay on track (mainly for STEM majors). The classes for TTP are less important than for regular transfers.
Lots of info there, let me know if you have other questions or PM me. Good luck, I know it can be stressful and everyone’s circumstances are unique.
@CADREAMIN do you know of any students transferring from Loyola Marymount University and how well credits transferred over (I am pursuing a major in Business Administration). I got TTP.
@polololo I think you’ll be fine. My husband has been checking credits at a couple of other universities for our son. USC has a tool through their website you can use to check transferrable credits yourself. Sorry, I don’t have the link, but when you meet with your USC TTP advisor they can let you know which LMU courses will transfer.
@polololo Luckily, they do have an articulation agreement with LMU just just enter it here:
https://camel2.usc.edu/articagrmt/artic_hist_range.aspx
They will speak with you very broadly at the meeting, they won’t go over another school’s specific classes but rather will describe the GE sequence at USC and overall subjects to take. It is a quick 30 minute meeting where they do most of the talking, frankly it is not that helpful, but ya have to go through it. It is up to you to figure out if the classes fit. But with an articulation agreement it is easy to figure out what to take. They are way less strict on course selection for TTP than a regular transfer. If coming from another four year, you also want to take the classes that your current four year wants in case you stay there (this would be the case in a strictly laid out engineering type major that has a certain progression that has to be followed). For business, certainly knock out your business math.
@CADREAMIN thank you! I am having a little trouble understanding exactly what credits transfer using that tool… do you think I will be completely on track or still a little behind? I see where it says the classes that do transfer but where do I find out what the numbers correspond to (classes).
Sorry this may be very obvious but I am new to this all. Thank you!
The Category A, B etc are how USC classifies GEs. So that is telling you all the classes at LMU that would fulfill the Category A requirement. Try to pick classes that are in the top area but also in the bottom area that transfer for credit. For example Philosophy 254 counts as an Category A GE but also counts for credit.
In lower section, if you want to fulfill Math 118 at USC, you will need to take Math 123 at LMU.
You are going to have to familiarize yourself with the classes/categories at both schools then cross reference. Good luck and enjoy LMU, it’s a beautiful school with lots of super nice people!
@CADREAMIN okay thank you!
Am I looked at differently because I am coming from a four year instead of a cc or study abroad program? I’m feeling down because they make it seem like we are at a disadvantage if we choose to attend a school like LMU and apply to transfer. Is this true?
Compared to other transfer/TTP applicants*
TTP are as close to 100% as they can be if you get a decent gpa. NO disadvantage going to a four year, at all.
Again you are NOT at any disadvantage, quite the conrtary. They admit just as many from 4 years. Here is another post I put in other thread when someone asked about coming in from a UC:
You have the same chances. USC is private, they do not give any edge to a CC like the UC system does. They aren’t looking at any one more sympathetically than another. They accept plenty of four year transfers as well. I am sure more apply from CCs, but when you look at who they admit - 50% come from California CC, the rest come from other universities around the country with 10% being from UC/CSUs. I think that is a big number considering how few likely apply from UCs compared with CCs. Students from 4 years with high gpa’s have shown they can handle the rigor so they can be an easier admit for them. You have to just take the right classes, get a killer gpa. It is true that good grades would be easier to come by at a CC. ECs mean virtually nothing, they only count in freshman admissions. Go to your 4 year and apply by Feb 1st if you still feel you want to. But don’t give up the freshman experience if you have been planning on that, changing over to a CC would be dramatically changing your course if you have been set on going to a 4 year. But if going to a CC fits your life and plans for the next 12 months, that is an option too.
They cannot encourage people to attend a four year then transfer - that would be viewed upon by other school’s administration as not cool. But it doesn’t mean they discourage it. They just can’t publicly encourage it.
TTP has so much of an advantage - You will be golden if you get good grades!!!
@CADREAMIN thanks again haha. But aren’t AUP all of these study abroad universities considered four years as well? I know many students transfer from those through TTP as sophomores so that could account for a large number of the 50% that they admit from universities.
@polololo Did you read through this entire thread? There is a lot of info. Not that many TTP actually study abroad so that does not account for any large number. Only 6% total transfers come from international universities. Go to LMU and be happy. Do well and forget about USC until you need to do your application. If you spend your whole time worrying about USC and wanting to be somewhere else, you will miss a very fun year of your life.
You’re right, yes I went through it. I will relax now, sorry this process has been a lot more stressful than I anticipated. Thanks again for all of your help! @CADREAMIN
I understand. It is very stressful. But go where you want to go this year and know you have an option available to you. I don’t know why they don’t call it a guaranteed transfer path if you get a certain gpa, but it is as close as it can be to one. But make friends where you go and get into it. Maybe you will decide that is the place for you. Ya never know.
If USC doesn’t have an articulation agreement with a particular in state school, what does that mean? ;
Just means they don’t, so you have to do more research to find the courses that fit. You can look at other schools that do and are similiar to yours (if I was at Gonzaga or Wash U, I would look at SCU articulation agreement, that kind of thing, etc) and compare with courses between that one and yours. Keep in mind that college requirements aren’t that different - math, english, GEs - they all have them so you just have to get familiar with both sides. If you are TTP they want you knocking out the general requirements, they are not hard to identify. They are also more lenient with TTP than regular transfers. Also google around the articulation links - there are a couple different ones, some have more 4 years, one has just CA cc’s, another has cc’s in other states. There’s a few out there.
If you are at a 4 year and may stay at that school, you should stay on the track at your current school if it is very defined. Won’t make a difference.