ATTENTION ELAC, LACC & LATTC STUDENTS: WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT REVIEWED?

If you have attended any of our SCholars Program at LACC or ELAC please feel free to send your personal statements to scholars@usc.edu for review.

Please note: If you are an LATTC student you do not need to have attended a workshop, you may still send your statements.

When sending your statements please put the following information in the e-mail:

Name, Community College, LACCD Student ID #, Major and which prompt you are answering (UC, USC, other private).

Please allow ONE WEEK to receive feedback. Personal Statements received after November 22nd, WILL NOT BE READ.

More Transfer Tips

Dear Students,

We kicked off our workshops this week and they went well. We are excited about beginning this new application cycle and assisting you during this process.

I am constantly thinking of new tips to give prospective community college transfer students. Here are a few that came to mind this week:

1. Have a professional e-mail address

Admission's committees will be able to see your e-mail address, please have it be an e-mail that you are proud of and doesn't give a bad impression of you. However minute an e-mail address might seem to you it is important to know they do strike chords with people. Avoid overly complicated e-mails. For example: loo0veit@email.com. This is very complicated because it includes the number 0 and the letter o in an area where they seem to be very hard to read. Also please stay away from e-mails that refer to you as "boy" or "girl": girlinmontebello@email.com OR boyinschool@email.com. Don't use city names or some other type of identifiable name that takes attention away from you as a student. Safe bets always include your initials with numbers, your first name, your last name or some variation. If this means that you have to create an entirely new e-mail account then that is not necessarily bad news. It will keep you organized and up to date if you have an e-mail solely dedicated to college applications.

2. Start early

I understand the lure of procrastination, but the best advice I can give you is to start your application early. Most schools like USC and the UCs do not offer rolling admissions so it will not make a difference if you turn it in a month early or the day of. However, the piece of mind that comes with knowing that your application is complete and submitted is worth it. Even if you wait until the day before to submit your application please work on it early. Pay attention to every detail and dedicate yourself fully to it.

3. Visit your Transfer Center

Make sure that the Transfer Center on your campus knows who you are. If you get connected with the staff there they will inform you about opportunities you might have otherwise not known about. Also, hanging out at the Transfer Center will help you get introduced to fellow students you may have shared interests with you. Regularly visiting the Transfer Center will keep you on track and definitely help you with the transfer process.

4. Research the school you want to transfer to

So many students make the mistake of not fully researching the schools they want to attend.
Visit the campus! I know this may not be feasible because a campus might be far or out of state, but when possible visit the campus! If you are going to commute to campus figure out how long it is going to take you to get there. Get a feel for campus life and the student body. Look at the classrooms and attend a lecture. These experiences will give you a one up when you are writing your personal statement or meeting with admission's reps. Show that you know the school beyond their surface. Also, don't underestimate the power of Internet research, it is the next best thing!

These are just a few more tips. More to come in the future.


The SCholars Program Office

Attention LACC, LATTC and LACC Students: SCholars Program Campus Visits

Dear LACC, LATTC and ELAC Students:

I am pleased to announce our Fall Workshop and Peer Advisor (Office Hour) schedule. Please find a brief description of each event below:

Workshop #1: Introduction to Transfer

This is an opportunity to get a quick overview of the transfer process. This not only pertains to USC, but gives a general overview of the transfer process for public, private, and out-of-state colleges/universities. This workshop is best suited for students who want to understand the concept of transferring, differences between certain colleges/universities, requirements, benefits, choosing a university, and the process of applying.

Workshop #2: Personal Statement Writing

This workshop is designed for students who need assistance in writing their personal statement. It is designed for students who are starting from scratch in their personal statement quest. We will cover brainstorming, outlining, drafting and peer review. Most importantly, we will cover the importance of the theme in asserting the overall purpose of the essay and make sure you present your best self! Students applying to any UC, Private or out-of-state colleges are welcome.

Peer Advisor (Office Hour) Appointments- *appointments needed*

These are 20 minute appointments to go over any questions you may have about the transfer process. These sessions can be used to go over your personal statement or application. Participants are asked to come to the appointment as prepared as possible to maximize the appointment time. APPOINTMENTS ARE MADE BY CALLING THE RESPECTIVE TRANSFER CENTER WHERE THEY ARE BEING HELD.

@Los Angeles City College

October 27^th

Workshop #1 10AM-12PM – SCI TECH 126

Workshop#2 12PM-2PM – SCI TECH 126

November 10^th

*Peer Advisor (Office Hour) appointments 9AM-11AM – LACC Transfer Center

November 17^th

*Peer Advisor (Office Hour) appointments 9AM-11AM – LACC Transfer Center

Workshop #2 12PM-2PM – SCI TECH 126

November 24^th

*Peer Advisor (Office Hour) appointments 9AM-11AM – LACC Transfer Center

@East Los Angeles College

November 3^rd

Workshop #1 10AM-12PM – Bungalow A-10

Workshop#2 12PM-2PM – Bungalow A-10

November 4^th

*Peer Advisor (Office Hour) appointments 2:40PM-5PM – ELAC Transfer Center

November 18^th

*Peer Advisor (Office Hour) appointments 1:40PM-4PM – ELAC Transfer Center

November 22^nd

*Peer Advisor (Office Hour) appointments 1:40PM-4PM – ELAC Transfer Center

November 24^th

Workshop #2 12PM-2PM – Bungalow A-10

@Los Angeles Trade Technical College

We are currently in the process of finalizing the schedule for LATTC. If you are concurrently enrolled at any of the above schools please feel free to make an appointment for the Peer Advisor (Office Hours). If you would like to join us for any of the workshops please make note of their locations. I will keep you posted.

Please feel free to e-mail the SCholars Program Office with any questions (scholars@usc.edu).

Carmen Soto

SCholars Program Coordinator

Considering USC?

Dear Students,

There are several opportunities provided by the USC Office of Admissions for prospective transfer students. Please look over them below:

Transfer Information Sessions:

Details: An Admission's presentation that covers the USC transfer application process, transfer credit policy, and financial aid.

Date/Duration: Roughly every Tuesday (with some exceptions) for 1 hour.

Transfer Days:

Details: Transfer Day is a half-day comprehensive program designed to educate you on the transfer process and academic life at USC. Specifically, the program includes presentations on the admission process, transfer credit policy, academics, financial aid. You will also have the option to attend an academic interest fair and take a campus tour. Reservations required. Optional half-hour presentations precede each tour and provide information about admission & financial aid.

Duration: 3-4 hours

The dates for this year are as follows: September 17th, 2010; October 22, 2010; November 12, 2010; January 21, 2011

Campus Tour:

Details: Campus walking tours give guests a look into the life of USC students, including academics, campus resources, residential life, athletics and much more. Tours are led by current undergraduate students who share their stories while presenting an overview of the university.

Dates: Vary. Please check USConnect.

Duration: 2 hours

Optional half-hour admission presentations precede each tour.

In addition to the above events there are also several webtools to help you via this link: http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/apply/transfer.html

I strongly suggest that you do your research about USC. Choosing a school should always be about personal fit. You may have always wanted to go to USC but have never stepped foot on the campus, or you may have never even considered applying but after a visit you want to apply. Either way these are great options to get to know USC personally.

If the above dates/times/activities do not work with your schedule you can always just stop by and hang out for a while. I would suggest doing this Monday thru Thursday, because as on all college campuses Fridays are not very active. If you would like to stop by the SCholars Program office while you are on campus please e-mail (scholars@usc.edu) and we can set up an appointment for your to stop by.

Want to know more about another private school? Leave a comment and I will write about it in a future post.

Sincerely,

Carmen

Attention ELAC Students:

Please note:

The "Applying to USC: Paying for USC- Topping Scholarship" is NOT on 11/10/10. The CORRECT DATE is 11/02/10. Also, the "Introduction to Transfer" and "Personal Statement Writing" workshops will cover private schools in general with some emphasis on USC. If you are not interested in USC, but are interested in other private schools please feel free to join us.

Please make note of these changes.

Appointments for the "USC Peer Advisor" office hours will be available 1-2 weeks before date. Please call the Transfer Center for the most up to date information and to sign up for appointments.

Attention Community College Students:

Think it is too early to think about transferring?

Think again!

It is never too early to think about your future!

The Lucky Seven

Start considering the following items before the semester gets too hectic:

1. Make an appointment with a counselor to either begin or update your Educational Plan (Ed Plan). If it is not possible to make an appointment yet find out when you can and how you should go about doing it (some colleges do not accept phone appointments, whereas others might only accept appointments on certain days, do the research!)
2. Make your own Ed Plan. Part of being successful at your community college is being proactive. Don't let not being able to make an appointment with a counselor be your reason for not transferring. Think about the colleges you want to transfer to and look at their admission's websites for academic requirements. These academic requirements are referred to as "Articulation Agreements." Articulation agreements between your current college and the college you wish to transfer to are available on assist.org for UC and CSU campuses. For private and out-of-state colleges please refer to their admission's websites respectively.
3. Enroll in your Math and English classes. Unfortunately students often become daunted with the prospect of Math and English classes. However, if you wait until the last minute you might end up delaying your transfer by several semesters. Take these classes early, but think about yourself- if English or Math is not your strong point it might not be a good idea to take during Summer or Winter intersessions. Plan ahead!
4. Make a decision about your major. I understand that this may be difficult to do when you are considering several majors. Perhaps you can consider two majors and double major at the college you transfer to. Also, if you want to become a doctor you do not have to be a biology or math major. Although being a biology or math major will help you in terms of fulfilling some of the math or science requirements for medical school, it is not mandatory for you to be one of those majors to pursue medicine. Likewise, just because you major in English it does not mean that you have to become a English teacher. On the other hand, if you know you want to become an electrical engineer do not take classes in cooking or pottery. Be selective! If you are sure about it pursue it! Think about the bigger picture, make a major choice that you can handle and make a decision.
5. Consider your transfer college options. Do you want to stay local? Do you want to transfer out-of-state? What is important to you college fit or college notoriety? Do you want to go to a public or private school? These are all questions you should ask yourself. Don't limit yourself to to Cal State LA or UCLA. Think LMU, Oxy, Whittier, UC San Diego, Columbia, Arizona State, Penn State, etc. Make an Excel spreadsheet with your college choices, where to locate their application, the major they offer that you are interested in (some colleges have different names for different majors, likewise some colleges may not offer business, but might offer economics), whether it requires a letter of recommendation, tuition, location, deadlines, admission's representative contact information, etc. This spreadsheet will provide you with a quick reference when thinking about your choices and will also provide you with an area to keep all of the things you find out about the colleges you are considering. One last note, make sure the colleges you are considering are accredited (typically as long as you see the term WASC it is accredited)- you do not want to transfer to an institution and then find out that your degree from there is not going to be recognized.
6. Make a connection. Once you've narrowed down you college choices check with your Transfer Center to see if any of those colleges are visiting your campus. They may visit during a college fair or for on-campus appointments. Making the connection will get you in touch with the person who is going to read your application. This is especially important if you are applying to a selective university. Make your presence known!
7. Begin writing. Does the college you are applying to require a personal statement? Start writing! This can be a very daunting task. Familiarize yourself with the prompt(s) for your specific school. These prompts can also be included in your Excel spreadsheet for easy reference. In order to demystify the personal statement please check with your Transfer Center to see if workshops about writing the personal statement are offered. Look online for pointers and ask your professors to review your personal statements if possible. Start early, write a lot. It is always easier to edit and add. Brainstorm, Outline, and Draft. If you follow these steps and start early you will save yourself a lot of time during peak application season.

Consider the above seven points and you will sure be lucky in the transfer process. Getting into the college of your choice is both equal parts preparation (GPA, classes, etc.) and application. You can blame luck, but it always begins and ends with you!

Have any questions? Leave a comment and I will address/answer your question in a future post.

Welcome to our new SCholars Program blog! The purpose of this blog is to keep you up to date with the latest information related to your transfer success! Posts will be updated biweekly as new information comes in.

Thank you for visiting and check back with us often!