Academic Opportunities for Newly Admitted Freshmen
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
Hello, prospective freshmen! First of all, congrats on being admitted! Whether you’re committed to USC or still weighing your options, consider applying to these outstanding opportunities and programs, some of which have deadlines this April, well before school starts next August.
Thematic Option Honors Program (TO)
Billed as a small liberal arts college experience within one of the world’s finest big research universities, the Thematic Option Honors Program allows students to sub-in small seminar-style classes in lieu of some general education class requirements. Each year, around 200 freshman are admitted to this program, which comes with perks such as free trips to musicals or the Getty Villa. Since space is limited in the program, new freshman admits are encouraged to apply even if you aren’t sure whether you’ll be committing to USC just yet. Pro tip: Recycle or repurpose some of your uni app essays to save time!
Priority Deadline: April 15, 2022 | Apply here
Our Review: What is Thematic Option and Why You Should Sign Up
USC bussed us to the Getty Villa the first week of school my freshman year — definitely left an impression. Photo Credit: Hester Qiang (via Unsplash)
2. Freshman Science Honors Program (FSH)
Calling all Dornsife science majors: do you have an extra passion for science? Do you want to get ahead even more? Consider signing up for Freshman Science Honors, an accelerator-type program filled with small labs, special events, and of course, advanced classes. If you're admitted to the program, you'd be taking one advanced chemistry and biology course each semester, fall and spring of freshman year. Applicants should have a math strong background (such as AP Calculus), done well in science in high school, and a physics course of any level is required for admission. Because this is a year long program, spring freshman admits unfortunately cannot apply.
Deadline: April 11, 2022 5 p.m. PT | Apply here
Our Review: Should I Join Freshman Science Honors and Thematic Option?
3. Research opportunities
USC is a big research school with lots of opportunities for students to get involved. Yes, even freshman, though that may not always be wise as in one of our bloggers’ experience. To get a head start, overambitious — I mean, passionate and industrious — prospective freshmen can email faculty or one of the many labs and centers at USC ahead of time to gauge the waters and get the ball rolling. Alternatively, once school starts, USC also has more formalized programs for funding and research such as Students Opporunities for Academic Research (SOAR), the Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) or the Summer Humanities Undergraduate Research Experience (SHURE) to check out.
4. Marshall Global Leadership Program (GLP)
Sadly, GLP is an invite-only program for "the most academically talented [business major] students in each incoming freshmen class.” But if you get an email about it, don’t ignore it — invitees who enroll in BUAD 101 Freshman Leadership Seminar for fall and spring get to network, participate in socials, and get advising opportunities; plus, all of that is capped off with a trip to Shanghai or Beijing during spring break to visit companies and speak with executives. Dang those lucky Marshall kids!
5. Marshall Learning about International Commerce Program (LInC)
OK, so the Marshall LInC program is actually for the Spring semester, but for all you Marshall (or Leventhal) students out there, it’ll still be good to keep it on your radar as you revisit this page further down the road. During the spring semester, students can enroll in a 2-unit class (BUAD 104) and learn about international companies, cross-cultural collaborations and global business projects. Classes will include guest speakers, cultural activities like site visits, and business simulations, quite different from your usual lecture. Both fall and spring first-year admits are eligible to apply, while transfers students can apply for the Transfer International Experience (TIE).
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