USC to Columbia dilemma

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hey everybody!</p>

<p>I would just like some advice as to what to do and how to do it. I am currently a sophomore in my first semester at USC; I transferred from Babson College, which is a private business school in Wellesley, MA. In my second semester at Babson, I realized that I no longer wanted to study business and really wanted a broad, more liberal-arts focused education in a large university. So I applied to schools like UPenn, Columbia, Georgetown, NYU and USC. I ended up only getting into NYU & USC, and waitlisted from Columbia (my 3.7 GPA most likely the cause… Babson’s grade-deflation policies really hurt me even though I was top 10 in my class). Although I had never seriously considered Columbia before (I had really wanted to go to Barnard before… waitlisted when I applied from college), I became rather obsessed with their curriculum over the summer, since I began fantasizing about getting off the waitlist and I started a writing internship with the University’s Inside New York publication. I realized how much I loved the philosophy of their curriculum, and how much I identified with and appreciated their student body. </p>

<p>SO, my problem is this. I am just getting started at USC. Although I am taking hard classes… POSC 449 and fifth semester Spanish, maxing out my 18 credits, working two jobs and involved in several select extracurriculars, I am positive that I would like to try my chances with Columbia again. I cannot stop thinking about how much I miss my home city, how much I would like the chance to immerse myself in the Core. My potential major/minors are also much better at Columbia than at USC (Econ/Poli Sci and Linguistics). I am currently an International Relations major here but since I know that I want to work in Foreign Service, I do not believe that I necessarily need to study International Relations before I work in the field. It is more of an experiential career, rather than one that requires a specific training. </p>

<p>My doubts lie in my abilities to be accepted as a junior transfer student. I will not have much of the Core completed, since I spent my first year as a student in business school. I am also uncertain about my study abroad opportunities. However, while I was originally keen to graduate college in 4 years (since I skipped a grade, the idea of graduating college before 21 just tickled me), I want to make the most of these years and transferring to Columbia rather than staying at USC would seem to do that for me. I am truly a New Yorker, a reader, a debater, and a wishful do-gooder. I need advice as to how I can get accepted this time, instead of waitlisted, and how I should approach tricky time/schedule issues such as credit transfer, study abroad, and even graduation timeline. </p>

<p>Finally, are there any students from USC who have successfully transferred to Columbia? Are there are any junior transfers who felt that they were too ‘late’ to make the most out of the transfer opportunity? Even New Yorkers adjusting to Los Angeles. I would appreciate anything. </p>

<p>Thanks, guys.</p>

2

<p>Hehe, I’m a sophomore at USC right now too and thinking about sending in an application to Columbia too.</p>

3

<p>Hey akalboy, what’s your major? Dya think you fulfilled some Core classes?</p>

4

<p>Honestly, I don’t think Columbia will look positively upon the fact that you are trying to transfer AGAIN. I don’t even know how you would even immerse yourself in the Core curriculum, as a Junior transfer, who transferred, not once, but twice. The Core, from what i’ve heard, is a very rigid system with little room for flexibility, in terms of credit transfers. The fact that you are willing to graduate later will not help, as admissions will take credit transfers into account when evaluating your application. If they feel that your current academic standing will not be compatible with their graduating requirements, then they will not accept you. In terms of staying in city, why didn’t you just go to NYU in the first place?</p>

<p>As a final statement, I think you are underestimating the immense pressures and burden of relocating to another school for the second time. Your grades will obviously matter, but I don’t know how you would receive excellent school reports and recommendations from a school you just transferred into. I just don’t see USC being happy with recommending a student who just transferred into their school to another university. AND this is not taking Columbia’s extremely low acceptance rates to begin with.</p>

5

<p>Shakala, you’re right in some respects. I am underestimating the immense burden of re-locating for a second time. However, this may be because I’m actually from New York, instead of Wellesley and Los Angeles in which I had to try to make a home for myself. It will certainly be extremely difficult to integrate myself in yet another institution, though, and I know it. </p>

<p>But I know now that I will simply have to try. I really admire Columbia’s Core and student body. While my business classes may not transfer (and 2 already did not transfer to USC), I know that it will not take me 8 additional semesters to graduate from Columbia. I will have taken Astronomy, Art History, Univ. Writing, foreign language (5 sem of Spanish and 1 of Arabic) and be able to pass the swim requirement. I suppose that I am most worried about handling my major (econ/poli sci) and minor (linguistics) on top of the Core that is left (lit hum and contemp civil MUST be taken at Columbia and I believe that both are year-long) as well as study abroad. Obviously I am transferring to Columbia because I want to study there, but study abroad is a unique chance to live in another country for 4 or so months. I lived abroad before for 2 summers, and it is truly the daily life in another country that can change a perspective or direction in life. </p>

<p>Sorry, getting distracted. Perhaps USC is not happy with a transfer who wants to transfer out again. But I am just trying to follow along with what makes me happy. It had a better ranking and core curric than NYU, but I seriously didn’t have other options. I would have gone to Columbia in a heartbeat if accepted off the waitlist this summer. I can’t help it, especially after that internship, that I just identify more with Columbia’s student body and philosophy of education. USC actually feels too… big, divided, practical (? just trying to say here that I see many students powering through their education and not really appreciating their classes for their inherent… meaning) and definitely promotes a herd mentality that I can’t quite get into (sororities, football, etc). Maybe it all takes time. But I know that one year of business school shouldn’t damn all of my educational career. I know that I’ll regret it if I just don’t take a chance and apply. I also know that my professors here like me so far, and that I can’t expect a good advisor report because I’ve been trying out different majors and thus advisors (Philosophy to International Relations to Economics) but I am hoping that the advisor report is much less important. I have heard that it is simply a ‘Good Standing’ recommendation.</p>

6

<p>I’m working on a dual-degree in Business Administration and Sociology, though if I transfer, I’ll likely have to drop one of them.</p>

7

<p>Columbia doesn’t have an undergrad business school, so those courses won’t transfer. I know, because I spent my first year at business school. Would you still consider applying?</p>

8

<p>Yes I am aware that Columbia doesn’t have an undergrad b-school. And yes I am still considering applying.</p>

9

<p>Hi, noticed your thread. I’m a philosophy major (sophomore) at USC (transferred from California CC) and hoping to transfer out of here by next fall as well. I’ve only taken a few classes thus far so I’m not so much in a credit bind. In any case, the transfer percentages are probably very low at Columbia College, maybe not so much MIT or Curtis Institute of Music low but somewhere in the single digits for sure. That said, the common core at Columbia will force you to sacrifice most of your credits. Given the pre-professional business units you’ve earned at other institutions, I’m positive that should you get accepted to Columbia, you will not be a junior anymore. Mathematics, Science Courses, and courses already taken that mimic the core curriculum will have the best chance of transferring over. I’m a big fan of the common core sequences found at Columbia, Chicago(where I’m hoping to end up), and St. John’s, so I can relate somewhat with your sentiments. </p>

<p>In my opinion, it is not necessarily going to be your grades (since one can see from your story that a 3.7 still did not get you in) that determine your future, but a genuine interest in the curriculum as reflected through your coursework and essay. Even with that, it will still be admittedly very tough but I think you might fare better than before. Timeliness is also another big issue that will reflect character and fit. You don’t want to be so stripped of credit that you end up practically a freshman nor do you want to be so close to graduation that grad school exams are just around the corner. It seems like a tricky deal. And as far as recommendations are concerned, the fact that you’ve transferred twice doesn’t or rather shouldn’t make a difference (at least on the USC end of it). A professor rec is merely a tool by which an admissions committee can better value the intangible aspects of a student that are otherwise imperfectly reflected through numerical data. Meaning, a)they should come from teachers who know you best and b) you are not limited to just one institution. Professors know this and will generally be very helpful to guide students in the right direction should they not find their current colleges a good fit. I’ve never heard of a case where a professor would refuse to or display disdain towards writing a student rec out of some wild notion of institutional loyalty. This is just not the case and actually reflects more poorly on the teacher if you think about it. If this were the case, then I would be absolutely screwed because Chicago not only requires 2 recs but secondary school reports and Deans letters as well.</p>

<p>In any case, I think it is on the “Columbia” side of things where you will face the biggest challenge.</p>

<p>Hope this helps and I do wish you the best of luck!</p>