USC offers exceptional students a world-class education, with top-ranked programs in virtually every discipline—from cinema to the sciences. Here, students begin a journey of intellectual challenges, personal and professional achievement and lifelong friendships with alumni who excel in every field Aug 22, · In addition to the Common App personal statement, USC requires two supplementary essays (four for prospective engineers), and multiple short answer questions. While these essays may initially seem daunting, CollegeVine is here to help you approach these prompts and Aug 02, · This prompt is asking for a short “Why us?” essay, with a not-so-subtle reminder to address what you’ve selected as your first and second major on the USC application. We recommend checking out this complete guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay and paying close attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples, which are our blogger.comted Reading Time: 8 mins
How to Write the University of Southern California Supplemental Essay
The University of Southern California has a few supplemental essays that students must complete. There are two required essays and one optional essay. The required essays cover your academic interests at USC and lets you choose from usc application essay prompts covering diversity, interdisciplinary education, or personal background, usc application essay. The optional essay gives you the opportunity to explain any gaps in your high school education.
Want to know your chances at USC? Calculate your chances for free right now. Prompt 1: Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections words. You do not need to address a summer break words. Short Answer Prompts: Respond to all the prompts below characters unless otherwise specified.
Dornsife Applicants Prompt: Please select one of the essay prompts below. Please provide an essay of no more than words on your selected prompt topic. The first thing you should do is figure out the content of your essay.
While your essay should explore resources that will aid in your academic pursuits, you should also keep it as specific to USC as possible—this essay should not be able to be copied and pasted for any other university! Bad: USC is a great school, located in the beautiful city of Los Angeles, with unparalleled academics and renowned instructors.
Why usc application essay this bad? This sentence could just as easily apply to UCLA, usc application essay. Without the bit about Los Angeles, the reasoning could even apply to any decent school in existence. Good: At USC, Usc application essay plan to participate in the Joint Educational Project JEP to find a community of students who, like me, are passionate about the intersections of teaching and social justice.
Through JEP, I will be able to actively use the teaching principles I learn in my classes about the Dynamics of Early Childhood. Why is this good? The Final Step: Write a cohesive essay that usc application essay admissions officers why you are pursuing your field and usc application essay USC is the right place for you to pursue it.
Some examples could include:. If you are worried about the word count, one way to maximize the little space you have is to find a way to relate your first- and second-choice majors. A student with a first-choice major in Physics and a second-choice major in English might want to write about their ultimate goal of writing Science Fiction novels.
A student with a first-choice major in History and a second-choice major in East Asian Languages and Culture might write about their goal of curating Asian American history museums. In the first prompt, USC is asking you to demonstrate that you will appreciate, add to, and benefit from the diverse community they have fostered. It is important to recognize that this prompt builds in a lot of flexibility. There are many different avenues that your essay is free usc application essay go down.
First, it does not specify the kind of experience you have to discuss. You could talk about joining a new club, making a new acquaintance, reading a book that challenged your views, usc application essay, internal questioning where you were the one presenting the new ideasor any other experience that connects to the prompt, usc application essay. One topic we recommend staying away from, however, is sharing how you used to be closed-minded about certain groups of people like certain cultures or sexualitiesbut now are open-minded.
Second, it does not specify whether the challenge must be positive or negative—both positive and negative experiences have effects on us! For example, if a student were to write about an experience at a protest, it might not be the most joyful essay, but it could be compelling.
On the other hand, a student could write about a situation where they made a friend who was very different from them and learned about themself—like a Christian young girl learning the principles of Hinduism through a new friend or a student of South African descent learning about the history of Algeria from their Algerian American teacher.
Third, it does not specify if the challenge or exposure had to lead to you changing your belief, usc application essay. Sometimes we are challenged and the challenge simply reaffirms something we formerly believed, usc application essay. Use the space to tell a story that shows your personal growth or character arc.
The key here is to show that you are open-minded and that you understand the value of learning from the people around you. This prompt is great for students who have a hobby, interest, or even just a burning curiosity, outside of their first and second-choice majors. You can also use this space to demonstrate your passion for your major and show how that passion compels you to make connections between your field of study and other fields of study.
This approach—which simultaneously shows that you understand the interconnectedness of academics and care about your field—will be very appealing to admissions officers. Examples could include:. If the subject you are writing about does not relate to your major studies, usc application essay, you might want to consider including an anecdote to introduce your new subject. This essay might take on a more narrative form.
On the other hand, if your interest relates to your major, you might want to write a reflective essay about your goals and the importance of interdisciplinary studies in achieving your goals, usc application essay. This could include discussing your values, beliefs, history, identity, or personality.
Here are some examples:. Of course, these are just a few examples. This prompt can go anywhere you want as long as it ties back to something fundamental about yourself. Take some time to really think about why you are the way you are. However, if you do have a gap in your educational history, then be sure to use this space to address it.
Give a brief explanation of the reasoning for the gap—be it illness, a move, etc. Ideally, you want to demonstrate how you made the most of this time off and why the time off was necessary. In this section, USC lets you have a little fun.
The questions ask usc application essay short, rapid-fire responses that give you the opportunity to let your individuality shine, usc application essay. The most important thing to keep in mind with usc application essay short answer supplements is that USC usc application essay asking you to provide new information that sheds light on different aspects of your personality.
Most importantly, have fun in this usc application essay You can leave descriptions or notes in your responses, though remember that you have characters max. If your choices are pretty well-known, you can still leave a note about why you chose them as in the sample response to 8.
Tip: This is an opportunity to show your roots or quirky favorites. Make your response more interactive by including descriptive words that appeal to the senses, especially taste and smell, usc application essay.
Tip: A lot of applicants will write Harry Potter. Be genuine in your response, but take this opportunity to stand out rather than providing a generic answer. That said, you usc application essay also go for a more lighthearted answer, like a crossword puzzle writer, to use the space to show personality. Tip: Just as with the best movie prompt, you may want to avoid mainstream selections and instead put forward a title that says something about you. What song would you want the admissions officer to play while reading your application?
Make sure the song you choose is appropriate. Example: Aggretsuko anime about a red panda usc application essay relieves job stress by singing death metal at karaoke bars. Tip: Follow similar guidelines to the theme song prompt—mainstream selections are usc application essay and are potentially relatable to the reader, but that quirkier show you have your eye on might make for a more fun response, usc application essay.
If your selection is lesser-known, usc application essay, consider adding usc application essay brief description. Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate? Example: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight — I read the entire book in my favorite pair of Air Max 97s. Example: SETI: Using the Drake Equation to Find E. This first prompt can be difficult for some due to its seriousness. This is a great option for students who feel more like deep thinkers than creative thinkers.
The first prong of this prompt is your opportunity to talk about your internal self. Think about how your broad conception of education relates to your values and what is important to you. The second part of this prompt is a good opportunity to focus specifically on your field of study. Because they are asking about you personally, feel free to mention your future major and your goals.
Use this essay as an opportunity to think deeply about yourself and what you are interested in. Show off your passion and energy! It is important that your personal definition of educated from the first prong of the essay relates to your criteria for achieving the definition from the second prong of the essaybut that can be difficult.
With attention to detail, deep thought, usc application essay, and smooth organization, this option can be pulled off beautifully! This prompt requires less deep thought than the former. USC is not looking for wild answers where students turn the holes in swiss cheese into a complex metaphor—they really just want to hear what you care about. That being said, what you care about can totally be weird or nuanced, usc application essay long as your interest in the subject tells admissions officers something about you.
While these are just some examples, this usc application essay leaves the door open for you to explore whatever you care about. Because this essay is the simpler option, usc application essay, make sure that your writing is impeccable if you choose this second prompt.
Engage with anecdotes and a unique personal voice to keep your essay engaging. Having peers read your essays will help you to identify areas for improvement and, ultimately, will help you maximize your chances of getting into USC. By creating a free CollegeVine accountyou will have access to CollegeVine resources like our free peer-review service. Describe yourself in three words 25 characters max each. Example: Cinephile. Tip: Be creative! What is your favorite snack?
If your life had a theme song, what would it be? What TV show will you binge watch next? Example: Aggretsuko anime about a red panda who relieves job stress by singing death metal at karaoke bars Tip: Follow similar guidelines to the theme song prompt—mainstream selections are fine and are potentially relatable to the reader, but that quirkier show you have your eye on might make for a more fun response.
READING MY ACCEPTED USC ESSAYS!
, time: 5:10How to Write the USC Supplemental Essays [for Admissions]
Sep 09, · The supplement itself consists of two writing prompts ( words each) and 12 short-answer questions ( characters each). The word limits mean you'll have to cram a lot of information into a small amount of space. Great USC essays are going to USC offers exceptional students a world-class education, with top-ranked programs in virtually every discipline—from cinema to the sciences. Here, students begin a journey of intellectual challenges, personal and professional achievement and lifelong friendships with alumni who excel in every field Aug 09, · There are two required essays and one optional essay. The required essays cover your academic interests at USC and lets you choose from three prompts covering diversity, interdisciplinary education, or personal background. The optional essay gives you the opportunity to explain any gaps in your high school education
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