Thursday, October 28, 2010

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

Monday, October 18, 2010

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 27th

Workshop #1 10AM-12PM – SCI TECH 126

Workshop#2 12PM-2PM – SCI TECH 126

November 10th

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

November 17th

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

Workshop #2 12PM-2PM – SCI TECH 126

November 24th

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

@East Los Angeles College

November 3rd

Workshop #1 10AM-12PM – Bungalow A-10

Workshop#2 12PM-2PM – Bungalow A-10

November 4th

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

November 18th

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

November 22nd

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

November 24th

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

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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.