Every student’s journey to Troy is different. Some Trojans have always desired to be here. There are those who come from a long line of Trojans spanning generations. Ones who felt they belonged elsewhere until they finally realized USC was where they wanted to be. Don’t forget the Trojans who had to overcome hurdles and not accept no for an answer landing them here. One way or another, they eventually found where they belong.
Fingers are crossed as the deadline for 2023 Fall transfer applications has come to a close, leaving applicants’ future in the hands of USC. Applying to a large university can be daunting when the numbers are so tight. According to the 2022-2023 Transfer Student Profile, there was about a 24% admittance rate for transfer applicants this academic year.
However, that didn’t stop first generation applicant, Narlin Chimbo Once, from taking her chances for this upcoming fall.
“I would hope to grow my own roots in the community of L.A. but also USC’s community as well,” Chimbo Once said. “I know they have the First Generation Plus Success Center and I would probably frequent there often.”
Chimbo Once mentioned that currently being at her local community college, there are very limited resources for success despite their best efforts. The fuel behind her applying was the research that she did herself of the university and felt the abundance of resources and opportunities were too good to pass on.
For some, USC is their love at first sight. Their years of high school are spent pursuing USC as their end goal; they know that everything leading up to it determines their fate. Unfortunately, not everyone got the fairytale ending they had hoped for on admission decision day, not on the first try at least. For Kiley GilBride, a sophomore majoring in theater, it was a rollercoaster ride to become a Trojan.
“April 1 rolls around, I get the email and open it, it says, ‘I’m sorry to inform you have been rejected.’ I broke, I really did, because I knew I was supposed to be here,” GilBride said. Further trying her chances, GilBride appealed her initial rejection hoping for an acceptance. She would later receive another rejection, which sent her on her way to the University of Arizona.
“I didn’t have that gut feeling, deep down, that this [University of Arizona] is where I am supposed to be,” GilBride said.
She took one last leap of faith applying to USC as a transfer student, to which she was successful.
GilBride is currently a student ambassador at USC and shared some of her script that she reads to prospective students in regards to the Fight On motto. “I literally fought on to be here, and I don’t know if you want to call it poetic, but it is definitely a testament to the type of people that are here at USC,” she read. “They really do ‘fight on’ for everything that they do, including just being here.”
Ensuring that students are perfect for the institution is important, but making sure that the institution is perfect for the student is equally as important. USC can be considered a “tool box,” and it is up to the students to take action and use those tools to maximize success.
For potential transfer Chimbo Once, it would be using the Keck School of Medicine to further gain experience as both a community advocate and a professional in the healthcare field. Similarly, GilBride was enticed by the Institute for Theater Social Change program to do more with her passion than the glitz and glamor of being on stage.
Former Loyola Marymount University student Glen Wong found his way to USC as a transfer student later into his college career; Wong sought to pursue his dreams of being a part of cinematic arts in Hollywood.
“It [USC] has a strong [cinematic arts] program, great opportunities, [an] extensive network and it is so beneficial just being on campus,” Wong said. USC has a large population of international students who provide global perspectives, Wong being one of those perspectives adding to the university at large.
“I am from Hong Kong and I grew up in a very different culture, but also very exposed to American culture as well,” Wong said. “I have approached so many people and have seen so many things, so I feel that I can bring something very fresh and very different [to USC].”
Transfer journeys come in all forms, with paths of triumphs and setbacks, but, to the prospective students, the destination is worth it. Here at USC, Trojans fight on to the end, to the future they want and to the places they plan to reach.
For transfer students, there are several resources provided by the First Generation Plus Success Center. One is the USC Transfer Student Handbook, which gives tips on how to transition smoothly to USC. It includes answers to frequently asked questions, a guide to understanding the transfer credit report and a financial fitness guide to manage finances. The FG+SC also connects transfer students with the Transfer Student Soul Search, a website that connects new students to resources and a network to socialize with other transfers. There is also the Transfer Student Assembly — a student organization that provides a community for transfer students to help ease the adjustment process.
There are no guarantees in any student’s future endeavors, but USC could be the place to take you a few steps closer. If you take anything away from these transfer Trojans, let it be to trust your gut and you will find your way.
Correction: There was an error in Narlin Chimbo Once’s name. We revised this story on 4/21/23 to remove the hyphenation on ‘Chimbo Once.’