Ambassador Madeline's USC Transfer Story

After ending my high school career during the height of the Covid pandemic in 2020 and jumping straight into online community college, I knew right away that I wanted to transfer to a four-year institution that would not only inspire me but also take my career to the next level. If there was anything that online classes taught me, it was that being ambitious and focusing on where my feet could land once the two-year pandemic was over would make all my hard work worth it. 

In June 2022, I was driving to my community college graduation and noticed that I received an email regarding “an update to my transfer portal at USC.” At this point in my life, I had already committed to UC Santa Barbara so I was TERRIFIED to open that email. I was so excited but also very confused with how to navigate such a hard decision – USC or UCSB? The following day I visited USC and I knew right away that I needed to make USC my new home! With my dreams of living in LA and working in the music industry, going to USC seemed like the perfect option for me. 

Once I decommitted from UCSB, I applied to the USC housing application and heard back in about a month; It was a super simple process. I was so fortunate to find an apartment in the USC Village. I attended the transfer student orientation and met a student in my group who was also transferring to the public relations (PR) program. Not knowing much about PR in general, it felt reassuring knowing that I wasn’t alone on this journey and that there were others just like me experiencing the same feelings. It wasn’t until two weeks before school started that I was able to enroll in my necessary classes. (This is pretty standard to most transfers so don’t worry!) Once I moved in, I met one of my roommates who also was in Annenberg and transferred last year. She was so helpful and made sure to show me around and introduce me to her friends, who quickly became my friends. It was so nice to have someone in my corner who had already experienced what I was going through. And honestly, at USC in general, there are quite a few transfer students so I felt like I didn’t stand out too much.

At the beginning of your USC experience, it is so crucial to put yourself out there and connect with people. Some ways I did this was by reaching out to people on the USC Transfers Instagram page and meeting people at the USC welcome events and around my building. Everyone is in the same boat at the beginning, and wants to make the most of their final two years of college, so I made sure to be open minded and say yes to everything. After having two years of online school, I made it a point to try everything that I’ve ever wanted to do. Because, hey! What do I have to lose?  So, I made sure to go to club rush and the Annenberg Involvement Fair and joined as many clubs that interested me. Finding people with similar interests acclimated me to a community much quicker than I imagined. 

All in all, what made my transfer to USC a success, was that I challenged myself and made a consistent effort to find/make opportunities to be inspired and excited for my future. I took advantage of these two years at my dream school to create my dream life. This mentality manifested into my friendships, internship opportunities, and my new school career.

I also found it rewarding to become close with my professors at Annenberg due to the small class sizes in the PR department, as each of my classes at USC Annenberg had between 10-25 students. This ultimately contributes to having a successful network as well – in total USC fashion. In my first PR class, I sat next to a girl who happened to have the same schedule as me for our entry level PR classes. Fast forward to my final semester in my senior year at USC, she is one of my best friends and we continue to take PR classes together. I know it may feel daunting not knowing how your experience will be, but it is important to know that you are at USC for the right reasons and everything will work out.

Ambassador Madeline with her youngest sister Emma Bryant (11), who also dreams of becoming a Trojan one day!