USC

‘We are always last’: Transfer students seek greater support amid resource gaps

Despite making up under 6% of undergraduates, transfer students struggle with limited housing, class access and campus integration.

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Statue of Tommy Trojan at center of USC's campus. (Photo by Ling Luo)

USC boasts a transfer student population of more than a thousand as of the Fall 2024 semester. But despite making up 6.3% of the undergraduate student population, many transfer students said they feel there aren’t enough resources readily available for them.

Shukan Shah, a senior studying health promotion and dentistry, transferred from UC Riverside when she was a junior. During her first year, she joined organizations like the Transfer Student Assembly (TSA) to make friends and acclimate to student life.

“I would love to see if the university changed how they view transfers,” Shah said. “We get the last of everything. We get the last picking classes, we are the last ones to get chosen in clubs, we are the last ones to get housing. We are always last.”

Shah is now a TSA co-director, along with Julia Martinez, a senior studying business administration. Shah and Martinez joined TSA to provide more opportunities to transfer students who feel lost.

TSA oversees events such as Alumni Transfer Student Week, the Transfer Carnival and Transfer Grad Night. They also manage the First Year Transfer Experience (FYTE) program, which includes bi-weekly bonding activities and professional development.

“It felt lonely, isolating at times,” Martinez said. “We hold a lot of panels, and we like to talk about our own experience as [TSA’s executive] board.

“Knowing the struggle and that it is valid that you do have a different journey, and that’s not a bad thing,” Martinez continued. “So being able to … have a home on campus is the biggest reason we do it.”

There are other student organizations geared towards transfer students, such as Trojan Business Transfer. However, students like Annette Woo, a sophomore studying business administration, do not think enough is being done by clubs or university administration to raise awareness about the resources available for transfer students. Although Woo had an easier time than most transfer students in joining clubs, she still said she wishes there was clearer communication.

“I feel like you get a bunch of information at the beginning,” Woo said. “Things just get lost or it’s just hard to keep track of everything … I think one [webpage] that you can go to for all transfers to kind of get the information that they need to be really helpful.”

Transfer students are also not guaranteed on-campus housing, with freshmen and sophomores getting priority for a limited number of spaces, leaving some transfer students feeling isolated. When transfer students do land USC Village housing, some say they still feel isolated because there is not much interaction on the floor. With access to their own kitchen, bathroom and living room – it’s easy to keep to themselves.

“I wish [USC] would guarantee some housing. I have best friends that transferred to UCs and CSU, and they guarantee housing for them,” said Kiana Castillo, a sophomore majoring in PR and advertising. “I feel like it’s a lot easier for them to make friends. I also feel like it’s a lot more welcoming at other schools, and I feel like it’s not really welcoming here.”

Freshmen spring admits are given an opportunity to sign up for a mentor in a similar major or school, but that a similar program is not available for only transfer students.

“I think it would have been nice to be able to kind of talk to someone who’s maybe gone through the journey before,” Woo said. “An advisor is extremely helpful, but sometimes it can be kind of hard to ask more personal questions.”

Woo said the required meetings with her academic advisor were her most helpful resource. Other transfer students, like John Breitfelder, a junior in business administration, took advantage of transfer events that happened at the beginning of their time at SC.

“There were some welcome events on campus, which was a great way to meet people. The pool party, there’s a scavenger hunt, some sort of concert in the village,” Breitfelder said. “That was a good opportunity that almost felt like the freshman dorm experience on a much smaller scale, because it’s just like a day, or one night.”

Breitfelder recently ran, unsuccessfully, for USG President, with Gwen O’Beacain as his running mate. A portion of their campaign emphasized the need for student government to address transfer opportunities.

“We do think that [USG] can do more for transfers and spring admits,” Breitfelder said. “One thing is doing more work with TSA … I think a lot of it is making their programs a little bit more easily accessible for students. Just kind of amplifying their voices as much as we can.”

Annenberg Media reached out to the USC Office of Admissions multiple times and received no response.