What are Trojan Transfer Information Sessions?
Similar to the intense, high-stakes drama of a reality competition show, the first-year admission process is a nerve-wrecking journey. The pressure is immense, with every “contestant”–such as an on-screen fan-favorite—facing the challenge of standing out amidst a pool of equally-deserving contenders. As the process nears its end, we all know that not everyone will be selected. Given the competitive nature of our process, there will be thousands of applicants that will not be offered admission to the first-year admission class.
Before I continue on, what I will say is this is not a reflection of who a student is or their achievements. Students should be proud of all the hard work they put in and, although the decision may not have been what they expected, they should always remember that rejection will always lead to redirection.
With that said, we know the first course of action applicants take is searching high and low for an answer on how to get into USC. Some may end up doing an endless Google search, in the dark depths of Reddit sub-threads, listening through the grapevine of those who have applied in previous years, or opening their email to find out that there are resources available to transfer to USC.
So, what is TTIS? TTIS, formally known as Trojan Transfer Information Sessions, are geared towards providing students with the tools and knowledge to be competitive in the transfer admission process as a sophomore-level transfer (after at least one year of strong academic work elsewhere). This is not a “program” and does not offer a guaranteed pathway towards admission to USC. In years past, we used to offer one-on-one counseling sessions, which have now been discontinued in the interest of equity.
Through TTIS, we invite all first-year applicants who were not offered admission to participate in any of the sessions offered throughout the summer. They consist of the same information available in a traditional transfer admission information session. However, the key difference is that they dive more in depth when applying to certain academic departments/majors and assist in helping students understand how to plan their course of study. Please note that these are not one-on-one sessions but rather group sessions. Although we will not be able to tell students the exact courses to take for a semester or the year, we will still help them plan their academic coursework to prepare a competitive application to USC.
Another component to clarify with TTIS is that participation in these sessions does not “increase” a student’s chances of admission to USC. They are simply meant to strengthen a student’s academic preparation to apply to USC. Although our transfer process is highly competitive and there are no guarantees of admission, students are able to transfer to USC as soon as their sophomore year. If this sounds like a potential path you wish to explore, make sure to sign up for a session during the summer!
Written by: Leslie Escobedo, Assistant Director of USC Undergraduate Admission