You had a lot of time invested so it will certainly sting for awhile, but you have an amazing attitude that will take you far! I know everyone here wishes you well on your journey - wherever it may lead. Best to you!
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When I was rejected the first time I applied, my admissions counselor specifically told me over the phone that all he wanted to see was my grade in math. When I wound up getting a B and later getting denied after my SGR, I really couldnāt help but think that I was denied for getting just one B. There are really so many factors though and despite my urging over the years that somebody from here does their work study at the admissions office as a student worker and comes back to spill some secrets, all we can do is speculate. Iāve personally always felt that your admissions counselor plays at least some role. I definitely donāt think they have all the power, but maybe getting a B in an āeasyā math course (I took stats) is an automatic no from them and if thereās like a panel of other counselors/readers evaluating you, a no off the bat isnāt great. My stats were slightly worse the second time I applied (a W along the way too) and thatās when I got in. I had a new admissions counselor the second time around, so I canāt help but wonder if things would have been different if I had him the first time? Rejection is always tough. They used to do things differently in my day, so I saw my rejection PDF in my portal just after midnight. Like @wvxsvx, it really stung and I went to bed in tears. I had a rough application cycle. Every school that I applied to rejected me. I wrote appeals for basically all of them USC, UCLA, CSULB, etc. None of my appeals worked. I had nowhere to go because I didnāt apply broadly enough, so I was stuck at CC for another year. I applied to a bunch of other CSUs the second time around because I didnāt want to risk having nowhere to go. I even recall applying to CSULB again for the spring (and getting rejected again and getting another appeal denied again). By the time I got my decisions, CSULB finally accepted me (third time was the charm?), but with schools like UCB, UCLA, and USC saying yes this time, I didnāt like them as much, haha. Well, I guess all of them had rejected me before. Iām sure I would have eventually been happy at a school that wasnāt USC (I really did like the sound of the linguistics program at CSULB) and I would have tried for a graduate/PhD program at USC. Iām happy things worked out the second time around, but thereās no such thing as a sure thing with USC admissions. Itās such a long grueling process. I feel terrible seeing all the latest rejectionsāIāve been through many myself, so I share their pain. As others have said, things do seem to happen for a reason, but it still hurts for a while.
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When I applied for housing (what seems like eons ago back in 2015), I was assigned what they called ātemporaryā housing. Basically the email made it sound like they had no real spot for me, so they were going to stick me anywhere until a day where I might get a permanent spot. The housing I was assigned was definitely not my cup of tea. I believe it was actually freshmen housing and I was going to have like 5 other guys as roommates. That was too much for me and I would have felt a little like a grandpa being 22 and hanging around with 18/19 year olds. As CADREAMIN has said and Iām pretty sure Iād agree after my experience, on-campus housing for spring admits basically boils down to random spots that open when other students leave. Like think spring/study abroad programs. Itās certainly possible to get something, but itās likely not going to be something of your choosing. I mean the freshman place they offered was definitely not one of my choices. Iād definitely recommend trying to look for off-campus options unless youād be okay with potentially winding up in a random place.
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Great info @zettasyntax!
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Okay, sounds good thank you for the great advice!
hey guys. so I just got accepted but for spring 2022, does that mean I will graduate later? I originally planned on graduating on summer 2023, so what does this whole skipping a fall semester do to my plans?
Take heavier loads each semester. Go to summer school. Put together a course plan for time there and see what you can do. You can look at past schedules to see whatās offered when. You may be able to stay on schedule more than you think.
honestly, I guess it would depend how much work you are willing to do each semester and if you are willing and able to take summer classes. Also, would also depend if you can play around with your schedule to graduate on time. I know for my degree at least from what I can tell, I cannot graduate any sooner than summer 2024 because there is a class I HAVE to take in order for the āchain of pre-reqsā to begin and these are very much required classes for my degree (because they are core classes). However this crucial class is only offered in the fall and since I am also a spring admit, I will not be able to take it until fall 2022. If i was able to start this fallā¦ i could have started it this year and the timeline for me would have got me to end of 2023 will no breaks.
@CADREAMIN Speaking of classes, I was wondering if you might know if I could take a pre-req class at the same time as the class its for? Ex. I have Urban Context | Policy and Planning that is only offered in the fall and that class is a pre-req for Real Estate Development Fundamentals. Have you heard of any student being approved to take classes like this in the same semester?
I have an appointment with the advisor on Monday and it is one of my questions. If I can, I could graduate after spring term 2024, maybe even my original timeline at the end of 2023. Which would be great!
Hi guys, has anyone who applied for the USC Norman Topping Scholarship heard back from them yet?
Hey btw guys is there a way of knowing what classes we are supposed to take next year, like a course planning guide, or will that be revealed at orientation?
It really depends. My advisor initially came up with a course plan that said Iād graduate spring 2018. I started spring 2016. I wound up finishing summer 2017 and he even said something like ādue to the rapid completion of your degree requirements Iām happy to say you can participate in the spring 2017 commencementā. I did take a bunch of summer classes though and that equaled $$$. My GPA also suffered quite a bit as the summer semester was way more difficult than I was expecting. Taking a āweederā class in a fast-paced 8 week format was no fun. If money isnāt an issue, you can always take more than 18 units a semester too. I wouldnāt recommend trying that your first semester, but if you really must stick to a certain timeline, itās something you can do. I tried a 20 unit semester once and it was killer for me. I overhead another student who said taking under 20 units a semester was unthinkable and I thought he was crazy, haha. They also have Maymester courses that could help and thereās basically a lot you could do, but summer school would definitely have to be factored in somewhere.
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It would really depend on your advisor. They are the ones who can make substitutions and allow for some unique situations. For example, when I took a CS class, CSCI 201, one of my classmates was enrolled in CSCI 170 at the same time. Most students usually take CSCI 170 before CSCI 201 as the pre-req for CSCI 201 is CSCI 104 which previously had a co-req of CSCI 170. He had a rather compelling reason for not following the typical path, but it was weird how he was taking CSCI 170 yet at the same time he was a course producer (an undergrad TA type) for his 104 classmates. They can be flexible, but they usually need a good reason for doing so and it doesnāt quite sound like your situation, but I just wanted to give an example of how they can allow some wiggle room, but Iām not sure how theyād feel about a pre-req. If I had to guess, youād probably need the instructorās permission to do this as well. It doesnāt hurt to ask, but not all such requests are granted. I had another classmate who wanted to take a graduate class with me (LING 585), but the professor said no because she hadnāt taken LING 385. It wasnāt a pre-req per se, but he didnāt think she would do well in the course having never been exposed to any of the concepts.
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Iām only asking because I know there is a limit of months I can use my VA Benefits but if itās within the timeframe that I can complete everything when I need to than it shouldnt be an issue.
I personally looked at the degree curriculum on the specific school website (ex price, Marshall, dornslife, etc) and cross referenced it with the course catalog to make sure I knew when itās offered and if there are any prerequisites that may not have been initially advertised on the curriculum. I took the time to create an excel product with all the classes to include my intended electives and minor and created a timelineā¦ Iām sure I over prepared myself but itās something I have accepted I have to do to keep myself ahead and organized.
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Right on @KendraVixLi, thatās exactly what everyone should do right after they are accepted, whether a transfer or a freshman. My D had her 4 year plan mapped out within 24 hours of being accepted, cause she was so darn excited. Of course she changed her major a zillion times so most of that planning ended up changing, but doing that made her super familiar with requirements and offerings. No one should count on their advisor to hold their hand. Time to be a grown up and handle your business!
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That could definitely be a valid reason; definitely better than the one the CS kid had (or at least I think so). I just know that not all advisors are as amazing as the one I had, so they canāt always work with you 
@CADREAMIN When I was looking at my degree requirements, I realized that USC hadnāt offered a potential CS elective in like 3 years, so it definitely pays to do some research. I guess it was an oversight on their part too given that my major hadnāt even made the course catalog yet, haha 
Hey everyone! Congrats to all who have gotten in! I was wondering if there have been any successful appeals this cycle and how that process was for you if you were accepted after rejection
I GOT ACCEPTED!!! (yesterday around 5pm) 
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YAY - OMG that is so fantastic!
Welcome to the Trojan Family! 
Very happy for you!