If there are any Annenberg applicants with questions, feel free to hit me up. I’m about to walk, but I’ll have some time this week to answer anything. This would be my second year of helping folks successfully navigate the labyrinthine bureaucracy at USC.
@RandomNewGuy even though I am not an Annenberg applicant,could USC still admit someone with a low gpa into a non competitive major?
@RandomNewGuy A couple questions:
What’s the deal with the whole “30 units and focus on college coursework” cutoff because when I submitted my application back in February (Sophomore applicant) I had under 30 units completed, but by the end of spring I will have 30 units/over 30 units completed. So will they still factor in my high school grades greatly, or will they focus moreso on my college coursework?
And how do they view first-year college applicants vs. second-year, third-year, etc. because I feel as if they favor applicants with more college experience, even if we all have completed 30 units or more.
Sorry if you can’t comprehend my questions and thanks in advance!
@RandomNewGuy I’m an Annenberg hopeful and I am wondering how much do they weigh acceptance for transfers with no experience specific to their major? I am a Comm major at my CC but want to transfer to Public Relations at USC but I have no experience whatsoever in PR
@collegebeans I can’t give you exact answers, but from my talks with counselors when I visited USC, it sounds like sophomore transfers have their high school grades looked at while junior transfers do not have their high school grades/classes factored into the decision (it can only help you, say if you took 3 years of foreign language or something in HS). One counselor told me this is because they have to assess what kind of student sophomore transfers are as college students are with less information than a junior applicant. He went on about how SAT/ACT scores are there for the sole reason of predicting what kind of college student you will be, and with junior applicants, they can already see what kind of student you are given two years of classes and your overall GPA.
They’re going to send you a spring grade request.
@RAHforHEE I got an SGR a week ago but I’m still worried about my HS records and sophomore standing
@Msmclagirl … It happens, but it’s not common. But I know the university looks at trends more than anything, and if you can package upward trends with some extraordinary experience–along with a terrific application–crazier things have happened. The school is pretty competitive these days as a whole.
@collegebeans … They do favor transfer students (at least in Annenberg) who have more college credits. That’s simply because required courses specific to your major are often taken in blocks that are hard to negotiate around if you have a lot of GEs left to fulfill. As a result, transfer students must often take more than 4 total years to earn their bachelors (which is not optimal for the university). If you can knock out the english, mathematics and language requirements, you’ll be in okay shape. The more GEs you can knock out, the better.
I don’t think they even look at your high school transcript if you have over 30 units, but I’m sure they’ll look at it if you have under that amount when the application crosses the desk. Like I said to the aforementioned poster, the university tends to look at trends. If you were mediocre in high school, but a superstar in college, that is noticed. I wouldn’t worry about it too much unless both transcripts show consistent patterns for an undesirable candidate.
@anamazing … I think they look at experience, but I also know Annenberg is pretty committed to admitting a diverse group of students at all levels. If you’re a fantastic student with a great set of communication skills, who has demonstrated a commitment to excellence, I’m sure that will shine through more than anything. So much of PR is dependent on good communication skills; I don’t think you’re at a disadvantage. Some of my favorite people in the journalism program, for instance, have no journalism background whatsoever–but stuff like philosophy, creative writing, religion, etc.
@RandomNewGuy do you know if it’s true that USC likes students who show an upward trend in grades?
@RandomNewGuy Yeah I figured but I do have 3 out of 4 possible GE Categories completed along with my Diversity requirements by end of spring semester so hopefully they recognize that! Thanks for your input
@anamazing … They do. If it makes you feel better: I never graduated high school. I don’t have a GED or diploma. I’m walking to collect my bachelors in five days. Grades are what they are. Momentum matters more.
@RandomNewGuy Wow I’ve never heard of that, pretty interesting! From your experience, what are the most important traits Annenberg looks for in applicants?
@CaLadyyyyyyy … Passion, energy, curiosity, humility, empathy, etc. All the good stuff. Sugar and spice.
I applied to Marshall and still haven’t received anything yet. Is it safe to say I’m basically reject for sure at this point since Marshall applicants seem to be the ones that get acceptances first?
Does anyone know what credentials to use to login to OASIS?
@TheYellowMamba don’t give up hope last year’s thread was also stressing about this time - earlier admits (at least those who posted) seem to have a 3.8-4.0 gpa - then end of May-July more acceptances in all gpa ranges we just have to be positive…
@omegaw22 Try your USC ID then password is your birthday either MM/DD/YYYY or for me it was MM/DD/YY it will ask you to change your password immediately if you get access - NOT EVERYONE GETS IT SO NO WORRIES - good luck!
Does anyone know when will the Viterbi comes out?
Do you guys think Dornsife is done sending out their decisions?
@Msmclagirl Im waiting on Dornsife for psychology. However, I did get an SGR, so I might not hear back until mid-july.
@emwrbrtn did you just get the SGR? because going through last years stats, some people heard back around May 23rdish