My Transfer Experience
The first question I was asked on my transfer application to this university was “Why USC?”
I was asked on my transfer application to this university was “Why USC?”. I spent a few hours looking up the school’s resources, alumni network, sorority life, and so much more. I wanted to let the admissions office know I had done my research. As I started typing what came off as a glorified research paper, I could tell something was off—these weren’t the real reasons I wanted to go to USC.
As a student who had attended 7 different schools since kindergarten, I had become a chameleon of sorts; I knew how to adapt to a new environment quickly. But when I stepped foot onto the USC campus for a prospective student tour, I felt something I hadn’t experienced at any of my previous alma maters. I felt at home.
As cliché as it sounds, I finally felt like I was in my natural habitat and no longer needed to change myself to fit in. I felt like this was a place where I could be surrounded by like-minded, ambitious individuals who were ready to become the world’s next leaders and innovators. I felt this was a place where I didn’t have to choose between being creative and being analytical. I felt this was a place where I could truly thrive. That is the feeling I wrote about in my application.
Fast forward two years into my time here at USC and “thriving” does not even begin to explain how well I am doing. I’ve met some of my favorite people at my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and have realized my dream career in the entertainment industry. I’ve had an internship at NBCUniversal and am currently interning in the Digital Media department at Amazon Studios thanks to a Marshall professor who forwarded my resume to a colleague (the Trojan network is no joke!). These past few years have flown by and I’m still in disbelief at the fact that I’m graduating next semester.
As my time at USC comes to an end, I still find myself unable to get away from the age-old question, “Why USC?”—whether it be from prospective transfer students or curious friends and family members. After my personal experience on this campus, the only appropriate answer seems to be: “Where else would I have gone?”
By Briana Johnson