ACCEPTED via Portal 5/31/19 at 5:30pm (PST)- Marshall/Business Administration for Spring 2020- NO SGR but I still uploaded my spring grades at the end of April
STATS:
College Transferring From/Type: Pepperdine University
Entering As: Junior
GPA: 3.71 (when applied), 3.77 (after 2019 Spring). USC sees my 3.77 before making a decision. Upward trend (3.62, 3.47, 3.94, 3.92).
Grades: 9 “A”, 4 “A-”, 2 “B+”, 2 “B”, 2 “WP”.
Units Completed/Degree: 62 including AP units. Completed 59 units for my first two years at Pepperdine.
Units in Progress: 0
GE Completed/How did USC evaluate your college coursework:
Finished most GEs. Did not take the science class (with the lab) for sure.
In total, I think I missed two or three GEs. My advice is to finish as many as GEs as possible but you have to take two GEs at USC anyways.
For Marshall’s prerequisites, I did not complete the first writing class. I contacted admission office and my admission counselor earlier and they told me that it is fine to not have the first english requirement completed for admission consideration. However, I did finish the Business Calculus class with an “A”. The Business Calculus class is the only requirement for Marshall.
Experiences (Extracurricular, job/work, volunteer, awards, etc.):
I did one internship in my freshman year summer and one in my spring semester (while taking classes) of my sophomore year. I only joined one club (Rotaract Club). I have one on-campus job and I got the “Dean’s list” award at Pepperdine for Fall 2019.
One tip: I have spoken to the admission office before and they told me that experiences are not very important for transfer admission. It is very important for freshman admission though. Make sure you focus on your grades and essays because they are the two major components for transfer admission!
Common App Essays Description (subject/prompt & response):
For “Why Transfer”, I talked about the how USC’s unique academic curriculum and community will better suit me. I also specified two major classes that I want to take. My advice is to be as specific as possible and do not mention anything negative about your current school.
For a selective prompt, I talked about diversity and how I appreciated different cultures and beliefs.
Supplemental Essays Description (subject/prompt & response):
I just went very personal and tried to express my personality to the admission office.
Why USC?:
I talked about the academic curriculum and the community. I emphasized that Marshall better aligned with my career interests. Also, Marshall’s classes are more quantitative than Pepperdine’s business classes. I want to pursue a financial analyst/data analyst/analyst track so my “Why USC” should be strong.
Short Answers (describe yourself, favorite food, etc.):
I will give you my top 3 words to describe myself- Curious, Adaptive, Ambitious. Just make sure your words describe you because admission officers want to understand you other than your grades. Essays and short answers are very crucial for admission.
Letters of Recommendation:
2 quality letters. One from my public speaking class professor and one from my Business Statistics Class. I got “A” for both. When taking their classes, I attended their office hours every week and stayed after class to ask questions and get to know them almost every class. Therefore, I recommend you to know your professor well.
Unique-OPTIONAL (race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, military, disability, legacy/related to USC alumni, employee, etc., extraordinary situation, experience, talent, etc.): Chinese American.
Legacy - My father was a USC visiting scholar, but I am sure that it helped very little or didn’t help at all. Legacy is strong only when he/she graduated from USC.
Finances-OPTIONAL (low income or high income? can you pay? etc.): Can pay but a decent amount of merit scholarship would be nice.
Location-OPTIONAL (where do you hail from/reside? State, country, etc.): New York City
Schools Applied To:
Admitted- USC (Marshall), UCSD
Rejected- UCLA (Business Economics), UCB (HAAS), Emory University, UCI (Business Administration)
QUESTIONS:
- Were you surprised by the results?
A little for sure! I waited for so long. I felt extremely stressed when at least 4 to 5 acceptances waves happened between May 1st and May 30th. Today I was so stressed that I might get rejected. I have a lot of confidence on myself because my essays, recommendation letters, and grades are all strong.
My suggestion is that you should never lose hope, but it seems like that the earlier you hear back the more likely you will get in for Fall admission.
- What do you think was your biggest strength/what got you in?
Upward trend for sure. I had a 3.55 after my freshman year, but I got a 3.94 for sophomore year Fall and 3.92 for sophomore year Spring so they bumped me up to a 3.77. If you had a 3.7 or higher, you will have a good chance. I think essay matters a lot.
- Did you have any help with the application?
My sister helped me with my essay. No other assistance.
- Are you going to attend? Why or why not?
Yes, I am. USC’s undergraduate business curriculum ranks top 10 in the nation and its alumni network is phenomenal.
- Is USC your first choice?
No, it isn’t. My first choice is UCLA and second choice is USC, but I still feel very excited that I got in!
- Did you submit/did the materials (transcripts, etc.) arrive on, before, or the deadline?
I submitted the application on time but not the official transcripts. You don’t have to send official transcripts by the deadline. It can be delayed a week or two so don’t stress about it! I think it will be safe for USC to get your official transcript by the end of February.
Comments:
I am so happy that I made it! I am a little bit disappointed that I got accepted to Spring 2020 but it’s fine. I am planning to take some classes at community college or do an internship during Fall 2019.
For future applicants, the waiting can be insanely long. This year, the first acceptance wave happened on May 1st and every week felt like a year. Hang in there!
Also, an SGR (Spring Grade Request) could significantly delay your final decision. For those of you who get an SGR, expect to hear back in June or even July. There are still some SGR applicants who heard back in May though so you never know.
For those of us who were not asked for an SGR, I suggest you guys to upload your spring grades (unofficial one is fine) to USC’s portal as soon as they are released. I did not get an SGR, but I still uploaded my spring grades at the end of April. USC saw it and took that into admission consideration, so it definitely helped if you have good spring grades! I had a 3.92 for Spring 2019 so uploading it helped me for sure.
Another advice would be to maintain a great relationship with your USC counselor. I reached to my USC counselor 8 months before I applied and it definitely helped! Unfortunately, my USC admission counselor was related to the college scandal so I could no longer contact him beginning in February. Email the general admission office email if that’s your case.
Anyways, the waiting is finally over and I hope everyone who is reading this the best of luck. PM me if you have any further questions.
Fight on!
