You’ve come this far—you’ve gotten accepted to USC! I’m sure the very first thing on your mind now is ways to challenge you to ultimately the fullest level through your four years as a Trojan. Ok, ok, maybe researching Honors tools at USC just isn’t the thing that is first your to-do list (you’re busy applying for housing and ordering football seats, right?) So, we thought we would bring the given information for you! Here are the details on two honors options at USC: Freshman Science Honors and Thematic choice.

The Freshman Science Honors Program, or FSH, offers a rigorous yet experience that is personalized first 12 months students within the natural sciences. As opposed to taking the most common freshmen year technology courses, FSH pupils just take an advanced version of these classes that have both an inferior lecture and discussion section. This fosters a more hands-on experience in labs, more individualized attention from faculty, and a more collaborative environment amongst FSH Scholars. FSH also extends beyond the classroom, providing possibilities for industry trips, guest lectures, etc.

Austin Carter, a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences, participated in FSH and says he initially applied because he ‘was excited about dealing with a smaller group’ and ‘thrives down collaboration.’ He definitely unearthed that teamwork through FSH: ‘Through collaborating on labs or studying for tests, our work that is hard brought together.’ He also notes that a study trip to Catalina ‘offered an opportunity to really get to understand one another outside of the classroom setting.’ To learn more, including just how to apply, please check out submit an application for FSH . Please note that the 2013 due date is April tenth, and to qualify, you need to be a declared natural technology major.

Thematic choice, or even TO as it is described on campus, is just a program that replaces USC’s General Education curriculum by having an interdisciplinary core curriculum. While maybe not a humanities program per say, inside is very learning and writing intensive, so students signing up to this program should be ready for this sort of rigor. If you do not LOVE reading and writing, this program is probably not for you. Like FSH, TO provides students with a smaller learning environment which enables greater interaction amongst pupils and faculty.

Aaron Brown, Associate Director of Admission, took part in TO when he was a pupil at USC. Aaron says that TO ‘became a good way to shrink this big institution to a more manageable size’ and says it offered him with a great community of like-minded students. Aaron states their favorite TO course had been Core 102 that he took their semester that is first of themed ‘The Hero’s Journey.’ He says one instance that stands out is if the class invested a period that is entire just two paragraphs of Heart of Darkness. Aaron states it was a ‘wow, this is college’ moment for him. Aaron even got a trip to Disneyland from the experience during his Core 101 course when they were studying Mickey Mouse as an icon that is cultural. He notes that as a freshman brand new to Los Angeles, ‘these had been invaluable possibilities to explore this great city.’

For more information on how to apply, please visit Applying to Thematic Option . Please note that only admitted students qualify to use while the deadline is April tenth.

These are just two of the several choices students have for pursuing honors at USC. One may also receive departmental honors by completing a thesis that is honors their senior year. Please check out the following links for informative data on other honors programs at USC: Dornsife Honors Prorgrams, Viterbi Honors, Renaissance Scholars, Global Scholars, Discovery Scholars, McNair Scholars, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.

Do remember that even that you will still be receiving an invigorating and intellectually challenging education at one of the world’s premier research institutions if you do not complete any of the aforementioned programs during your time at USC, rest assured. Fight up on!