Applying to a Talent-Based Major: How It Works
I used to work for the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. I was often asked the question, “are you applying to one school or two?” It’s an understandable question because every college does things differently. In some cases, you’re admitted to the college or university before being admitted to the art program. In other cases, you’re admitted to the program before being admitted to the college or university.
At USC, you’re just applying to one place. You will submit the Common Application, upon which you will designate your intended program of study or talent-based major. You will need to submit creative materials, which could include a visual portfolio, video auditions, writing samples, additional letters of recommendation, etc. on SlideRoom.
The Office of Admission will review your Common Application. Admission counselors will consider your overall candidacy for admission. More specifically, they will be thinking about how you will contribute to the general USC community. They’re also paying specific attention to your academic profile to make sure that you are academically prepared for the rigors of USC. This is because, if you are admitted and choose to enroll at USC, you will not just be taking classes in your art school; you will also be taking General Education and, in some cases, elective courses.
While this is happening, the faculty in the talent department will be looking at your creative materials. In some cases, you will have to complete a second round, such as an in-person audition. Or you might be asked to interview with faculty. Once all reviews are complete, the faculty will then offer their recommendation for each student.
Then, the talent department will send its list of recommended students to the Office of Admission, which is the final authority on admission. In general, we want to admit students with whom our faculty want to work. For those students, based upon the review of your Common Application described above, we will determine whether or not you are approved for admission. Students who are not offered admission will never know if they were recommended by the department—since these discussions happen “behind the scenes”. Students who were not recommended by the department will still be considered for and can be admitted to their second-choice major or “Undeclared”. Of course, in the best-case scenario, a student is admitted to their original talent-based major.
I hope this helps you to understand the process for applying to a talent-based major a little more. Just remember to turn in all your materials on time and we’ll take things from there.
Written by: Anne Aubert-Santelli, Associate Director, USC Office of Admission