Admissions

1) Apply by December 1st

This will allow you to be applicable for most of the school sponsored scholarships, including the Presidential and Trustee Scholarships. Alumni Association Scholarships must be approached to the branch you live in (i.e. Houston, New York, Los Angeles, etc.)

2) Make an effort to visit the campus

Especially for music and theater students, meet the professors. A little known fact for music students is that you can email the professor (at least 2 weeks in advance) and ask for a mock lesson and most times they do it for free.

3) They want a well rounded student body, not necessarily the well rounded student

SPECIALIZE. Not everyone can be the best at everything. Be exceptional at something that sets you apart and use that as your tool to get into this university.

The most important thing to emphasize in your application is what you are passionate about. Be sure to tell them who you really are by writing about an experience that has shaped who you are today or challenged you in some type of way. Remember the thing that sets you apart from the thousands of test scores and high gpas is you.
If you have already been accepted to USC, I urge you to research the student organizations USC has to offer and find something you are interested in. Being apart of a student organization, you get to me new people who have some of the same interests as you as well as obtain a foundation of people that can help you throughout your entire stay at USC. USC has an organization for every interest so please take advantage of this.

1. Apply by December 1st

You can still apply to USC after December 1st (The second deadline is in January.) However, I would encourage students to apply by December 1st in order to be considered for scholarships. And even if you don't receive one, your application would already by done, and you can enjoy Winter Break without stressing about it.

2. Apply for Financial Aid.

If you do not receive a scholarship from USC, make sure to apply for financial aid. And even if you do, apply for it if you don't get a full scholarship. As stated before, USC is very good at giving financial aid, and will give you more if the first amount is not enough. You will need to send it a lot of papers, especially your parents' if you are still an independent. Nevertheless, it is worth it to receive any sort of financial aid.

3. Ask Questions, Do Research.

During my freshman year, I learned things that would have been very helpful as a high school graduate going into college. Quiet frankly, my high school did not prepare me at all. No one told me that if I wanted to be pre-med/pre-pharm, I don't have to be a science major. As long as I take the required courses (and MCATS if I am pre-med), I can apply for medical or pharmacy school. Having a science degree helps, but it is not required. I know a person who is a business major and planning on going to medical school. This kind of knowledge would have been very helpful in deciding my major as well as my courses for freshmen year.

4. Go to Professor's Office Hours

They are willing to answer any questions you have, as well as get to know you. They are teaching 200+ students, so knowing a few of them personally would be nice. Also, when you need recommendation letters for grad/medical/pharmacy school, you can always ask them, and many are more than willing to write you one, given that they know you personally.

5. Join Clubs/Organizations

While studying is important, it is also important to meet new people and cre...

study, get good grades, but also make sure you're well rounded in your extracurriculars.

One of the most important things I learned from freshman year is always go to the professor’s office hours. They are always willing to answer any questions and offer all the help they can. They want you to succeed in their course and make it an enjoyable experience. It is also extremely valuable to have the prof. Know your name because when it comes time to assign grades they will be more likely to give you a higher grade because you made the extra effort to speak to them and ask for their help. Also, it is easy to get caught up in school work and partying, but a great way to just relax and hang out with other students is by joining a club or organization on campus. Clubs are a fun and easy way to express yourself and do things that you enjoy rather than spending all your time studying in the library. They are also excellent ways to meet friends who share the same interests.

Never say No to an opportunity. Do as much as you can in high school. Take all the AP classes you can, don't skip out on your 4th year in math, science, or foreign language and take an easy senior year, keep challenging yourself. Try to do as many different things as you can, the application process for USC is very long and it really tries to get to know you as an individual, not just all the offices you have held or your GPA. They are interested in what you enjoy doing, and that you enjoy doing multiple things. I went to a seminar when I first got accepted and it basically said that we were chosen because we worked hard and had many possible directions that we could take. If they had the choice of someone who was the year book editor all 4 years of high school and wanted to go into journalism, or a ballerina soccer player who wanted to major in engineering and minor in dance, that is the person they would choose. Be open with everything that you enjoy and try to experience it all. Audition for one of the Drama departments performances or try out for a sport. Show USC that you are more then just a number.

Meet as the right people and as many as you can, every freshman is new to the college life and are all unfamiliar and as interested in everything as you are.
Not only meet freshman, but seek to make friends with your advisers, upper classman, student leaders, and other faculty as they can provide you with the best advice that are not always written or published on websites or pamphlets.
Always try new things out, if you are semi interested in an organization dont hesitate to check it out because you can find out your new passion, if you dont even go to an info session you may never meet your new best friend.
Use an agenda or google calendar to manage your schedule because there are always things going on, meetings to attend, and important due dates for classes that you do not want to miss.
Strive high and make every moment of your college career worth it because you will not want it to end.

1. Do not be intimidated by test scores, grades, or service/involvement hours. If you are amazing, just let it show through your whole application because they do review it all.
2. Also, don't let the price scare you. There is a lot of help through grants and scholarships if you just look.
3. Keep your grades up and try to take higher level/AP classes to get you prepared.
4. Get in touch with the school if you have any questions because they are actually helpful and will work with you.

If they ask for something, respond quickly.
Patience is key, they take a while to evaluate the application and respond, but it's worth it when you get that packet in the mail.

Don't underestimate the workload and make sure you leave time for fun so that you don't have a bad experience. Make as many friends as possible so that you never feel like a small fish in the huge pond that is USC.