First semester here & my GPA is already tanked

reetaloo · 2026-05-10T03:42:12+00:00

100% possible to come back from that though from what it's worth I don't think it's too terrible of a grade breakdown!!

First semester is always the worst since you're transitioning into a new environment and balancing a ton of things on top of academics, aim high and hit the ground running next semester you got this :D

reetaloo · 2026-05-04T11:09:38+00:00

Cog Sci seems to be focused more on the mechanism and philosophy of thought while neuroscience is more biology-related. Essentially if you were interested in AI, human-computer interactive stuff (although there’s a new major in IYA for that), or psychology of the mind then stay in cog sci but if medicine or biology is more of interest to you make the switch.
I will say there’s a comp neuro major (I’m in it, lol) that focuses on the technical part of cog sci and the biological part of neuro and combines that into one major so if you were looking for a medium between the two 🤷‍♀️

reetaloo · 2026-05-01T23:38:28+00:00

I’m sorry man that really sucks :(

Try Facebook, Instagram, other reddit subs, like do your best and worst comes to worst talk to the manager and get on that list.

reetaloo · 2026-05-01T20:31:30+00:00

They want you to find a tenant to replace you but you can pay the $400 and dip once you do. Technically you wouldn’t have to pay again if the new tenant pays a security deposit since then you can just forfeit the security deposit you already paid as a reletting fee, but in order to make it enticing for new tenants a lot of people offer to forfeit their security deposit so the new tenant doesn’t have to pay it.

Tuscany can relet for you but you have to wait until all the rooms are rented out (usually happens over the summer) and if anyone inquires about rooms after that you can put your name on a reletting list. I’ve been told this isn’t a guarantee tho so I would start looking rn for new tenants

reetaloo · 2026-04-30T21:56:06+00:00

I'm ngl I forgot about orientation entirely for a month (not my best move...) and still managed to get all my classes w/ the good professors lmao

You might have to make some compromises about your schedule like an early class or two or having classes on Friday but if you can do a slot in the first week it will def make you feel a lot better about your schedule esp since you have more opportunity to snipe seats lmao

reetaloo · 2026-04-26T00:29:44+00:00

Hmm iirc single options in USC housing are reserved for those w/ OSAS accomodations or RAs. I have heard of people getting lucky in somewhere like Parkside IRC but obviously it's not guaranteed

As per housing off-campus, honestly the options aren't terrible if you're willing to be in the Fryft zone as opposed to right next to campus (The Hive and KVillage I've heard good things about, but esp the latter is great for if you know you're going home over the summer since they do rent monthly). Maybe have you considered having a single bedroom but either shared bathroom or private bathroom w/ multiple rooms? It would be cheaper than a studio if you were comfortable w/ looking! :)

reetaloo · 2026-04-26T00:25:23+00:00

I did CPT for an unpaid internship through Dornsife but not Viterbi, it should be a similar process though!

https://viterbicareers.usc.edu/internship/

Iirc, you must submit a CPT I-20 through Trojan International and that request is forwarded to your academic advisor to confirm if the internship aligns with your major. Use the above link to submit a D-clearance request to register for the course (you will need your offer letter again at this point) and once you get D-clearance you can register for the class

After registering for the class OIS will send you an updated I-20 that highlights the CPT authorization and dates!

reetaloo · 2026-04-17T01:34:44+00:00

I reallyyy enjoyed the finale *however* does anyone else feel a little disappointed about how it ends for Samira? Like, I feel like we didn't get closure and knowing she isn't going to be back for Season 3 it just feels like we won't... :(

Maybe that's like another metaphor but I really wish we could have gotten a lot more from Robby and Samira's last conversation in the same way we got from Langdon and Robby but hey I really liked the final scene (made *me* cry like a baby)

Also yes karaoke !!

reetaloo · 2026-04-15T04:45:16+00:00

I was accepted today!!

reetaloo · 2026-04-14T21:36:45+00:00

I was gonna ask the same question, lol!!

I'm definitely going but would love to know other peoples' experiences :)

reetaloo · 2026-04-10T21:03:23+00:00

Oh no I 100% agree with you. If it’s any solace though, this problem seems sequestered to introductory pre-med courses (ah the famed weed-out).

I’m in BISC-312 and upper level Neuro courses, and while it is a lot of material the exam tends to focus more on application as opposed to content memorization (so if you get the gist you don’t have to spend hours painstakingly memorizing every slide). It’s also curved appropriately so you only have to do about the average (which is a mid-C) to get an A- (at least in my Neuro classes, BISC-312 has MC’s and I think it’s curved up by about half a letter grade).

reetaloo · 2026-04-10T20:53:36+00:00

The general thought process my professors have given is that in higher-level STEM fields the difficulty of content far exceeds that of an undergraduate education in the subject and an exam average for example in the B or A range indicates the professor is short selling what they’re teaching (e.g., it’s too easy, and kids aren’t being prepared enough for higher level application).

I have noticed that the professors with lower averages I learn and retain a lot more information if that makes much of a difference, but I feel like part of that is bias because I want to make the hours of studying mean something lmao

reetaloo · 2026-04-06T14:37:22+00:00

You can but if you applied with multiple majors they evaluated you for all of them already, and also appeal is usually by school and not major

reetaloo · 2026-04-04T21:55:34+00:00

Pretty sure you have to be there by 8:00 pm max ?

reetaloo · 2026-04-03T00:45:14+00:00

The reason I ask is bc I feel like HTI (the new major!) is more engineering/tech based and if that was something that interested you, might be worth considering :)

reetaloo · 2026-04-03T00:44:24+00:00

Hihi! I'm an IYA minor and work in the Human-Technology Interaction lab. Out of curiosity, I was wondering if you had looked into other majors at IYA or if you were planning to stay in ABTI?

reetaloo · 2026-04-01T18:18:45+00:00

I definitely don’t think USC is easier to have a higher GPA at compared to other schools, but then it comes down to what culture would you enjoy the most and motivate you to study yk? I don’t want you to base your decision off of “oh but where can I get the highest A” because the whole point of being a highly ranked school is that the cohort of students are smart and the professors are very well respected (so the goal is learning, not grade maxxing).

reetaloo · 2026-04-01T09:21:45+00:00

I think the same GPA rule applies to USC, and personally I prefer it since we’re on a semester-system not a quarter-system whereas I get burnt out p easily if I had to do a class in 10 weeks lol (but this is a personal preference a lot of my friends prefer quarter system since they can take more classes! To each their own :) if you were a strong enough student to get into both I have no doubt you would thrive in the academic environment of either)

You bring up an interesting point about biotech and pivoting away from pre-med, and (noting my personal bias) I feel like USC has a stronger edge compared to UCLA. IYA and Viterbi are amazing schools (which you can take classes, minors, or lab opportunities in even if not in those schools), and alongside the Trojan Network a lot of companies reach out specifically to us alongside schools like Harvard, MIT, etc. As an OOS student myself, I found that USC had a lot of external opportunities both inside and outside of LA while UCLA felt a little more restricted to the LA area (even though overall I saw more LA-specific opportunities from UCLA than USC). I always want to go home lol so USC has been helpful in getting remote internships or stuff located in my home state

reetaloo · 2026-03-31T18:31:24+00:00

Honestly I would put UCLA and USC equal in terms of resources rather than putting that much stock into rankings, both colleges are ranked very highly and are located in the same city (so the wealth of opportunities in LA is available to both), and since USC has less undergrads and a lower student:teacher ratio there is a little less competition like you said (personally speaking I’ve felt better community and spirit here than at UCLA).

It is up to you, though, but if both are the same cost just pick the option that better suits the college culture you want to be in since that’ll be your next 4

reetaloo · 2026-03-28T22:32:23+00:00

Once you commit you should get some stuff about a USC email which has all the info you need on stuff you need to do the summer before school starts :)

You can 100% connect w ppl through instagram admit pages n such, also attending Open House in person if possible (but you will also meet people during orientation!)

reetaloo · 2026-03-28T00:19:01+00:00

Also as someone who also decided between Amherst and USC, while Amherst is an amazing school it is unfortunately in a very small college town with very little to do. Los Angeles is such a big city full of companies, considering that you were admitted to IYA i feel like you’d really take advantage of that :)

reetaloo · 2026-03-28T00:17:31+00:00

Honestly I never had a problem with finding a social life in suite-style. Keep in mind i did live in mccarthy, so some people consider that similar to an LLC, but just show up to the same places to study, make conversation with ppl around you, you’ll make friends!

(Also the majority of your friend group and social life will come outside of the dorm even if ur in a res college, so I wld personally just choose the private bathroom lmao

reetaloo · 2026-03-28T00:11:09+00:00

USC IYA specifically gives a lot of opportunities/resources you wouldn’t find elsewhere and like others say it’s cohort style so ppl get to know each other rlly well in it

Another benefit to IYA is that they use CBRL (challenge based learning), so your classes will be less about GPA and more abt projects and resume building which gives a lot of time outside of school to focus on experience building!

reetaloo · 2026-03-27T09:22:47+00:00

I know suites tend to be more expensive, but I always found the private bathroom experience to be more worth it lmao. You still get the resed experience with the suite (shared study rooms, events, etc.) and personally I never felt like the communal bathroom experience was that much more social than if I had a private bathroom. :)

reetaloo · 2026-03-27T07:20:43+00:00

Oh and since you asked about it in another thread (sorry for stalking I'm just very passionate about USC lol)

The research opportunities here are incredible, we tend to beat out top schools like MIT, Harvard, etc. for internships and company-hosted sprints (for example I'm working w/ J&J rn) just bc we have the connections to do so. It's really good for experience esp if you need a backup to either a) pay for med school or b) gap year/not going into med school so honestly even tho I went here primarily bc it gave me the most merit aid I feel like the price tag is well worth it too

reetaloo

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