Once admitted to USC, SCholars Program participants are exposed to various activities that ensure their success and growth at USC. SCholars create a network of friends and are placed in contact with helpful resources throughout the USC campus.
SCholar Immersion Experience
This week-long crash course connects SCholars to the academic mission of the university. Participants meet their cohort, make new friends and participate in an intensive daily writing workshop intended to prepare them for Writing 340. SCholars tour the Leavey Library and the Writing Center and are assisted with selecting their courses and accessing financial aid. The “college knowledge” section highlights resources that SCholars should be aware of in order to be successful at USC.
New SCholar Welcome Brunch
The newly selected SCholars and their families are introduced to the program, the staff and key university personnel associated with the program and receive an overview of available services.
SCholars Success Seminars
Monthly educational seminars focus on topics based on participants’ common interests and needs. Seminars provide information on Center for Academic Support programs, Career Planning and Placement Center resources, securing a summer internship, surviving finals and study abroad opportunities.
Exceptional Funding Opportunities
To help SCholars as they advance in their fields, exceptional funding covers the costs of professional and honor society memberships, academic journal subscriptions, attendance at academic conferences, standardized test preparation and registration fees, graduate school application fees, and lunch meetings with faculty. To retain eligibility, SCholars must maintain a 2.5 GPA and attend all required events.
Book Grants
Book grants help students with financial difficulties buy their textbooks each semester. To retain eligibility, SCholars must maintain a 2.5 GPA and attend all required events.
Faculty/SCholar Luncheons
Designed to increase interaction between students and faculty, Faculty/SCholar Luncheons held during the fall and spring semesters provide a comfortable non-classroom environment for students to interact with professors.
McNair, Mellon Mays and More
The McNair Scholars Program, a federally funded initiative, helps USC undergraduates prepare for graduate studies at the doctoral level. The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program supports and mentors qualified underrepresented undergraduate students and encourages them to pursue doctorates in fields where diversity has not been historically present. Traditionally, some SCholars Program participants have also participated in these programs. Likewise, a percentage of our students have gone on to study law.
