Masters of Professional Writing Program

The MPW Experience

Getting Started: New Student Info

What to do right away

  1. Send in MPW Letter of Intent and Graduate Admission Intent to Enroll

    Once you are admitted, you will receive your admission letter from us and a "Letter of Intent" and "New Student Profile Questionnaire." The deadline for mailing these back to us will be in the letter.

    Around the same time, you will also receive a letter from the USC Dean of Admission with information about housing, orientation, and the steps you need to take to prepare for your studies. There will also be Intent to Enroll form included. Please return this form to them as soon as possible. In order to reserve your spot at the Graduate Student Orientation, you must have submitted your Intent to Enroll form.
  2. Contact the MPW Student Services Advisor for your registration appointment

    Please send an e-mail to the MPW Student Services Advisor, Natalie Kaylor, at kaylor@college.usc.edu to make your registration appointment. This appointment will be approximately thirty minutes and can be done over the phone or in-person. At this appointment, you will choose your courses for your first semester and she will explain how you will go about registering for them.

    When you e-mail Natalie to set up your appointment, she will e-mail you the recommended MPW course sequencing by emphasis, the semester course schedule, and the course descriptions. Please make sure to carefully read through these documents before your appointment.
  3. Activate your USC e-mail account

    To activate your USC e-mail account, go to http://email.usc.edu and click on "Activate your email account". Once class begins, this will be the e-mail account that all USC related information, including MPW information, will be sent to you.
  4. Log in and familiarize yourself with OASIS

    OASIS is the USC webpage where you can access a tremendous amount of personal information including your registered course and book list, STARS Report (grades, GPA, program requirements), enrollment course history, restrictions (holds), and financial information. This is also where you go to obtain your registration appointment day and time each semester (permit to register) and to update your address if you move.

    The first time you log in you will enter your 10 digit USC ID number and your six digit birth date (mm/dd/yy). You will immediately be asked to change your password. Please make sure to write this password down and keep it some place where you will not lose it, as you will need to enter it every time you log in.
  5. Health Insurance Waiver

    USC requires that ALL students have supplemental health insurance. This will help to cover the cost of care that cannot be obtained on campus, especially in emergency situations where hospitalization may be required.

    The Student Health Insurance Plan works in conjunction with the University Park Health Center and the Eric Cohen Health Center located on the Health Sciences Campus. For this reason, all students enrolled in the USC Student Health Insurance Plan are also required to pay the health fee.

    You are automatically enrolled in the USC Health Insurance Plan if you are:
    • Taking 6 or more units
    • Enrolled on the Health Sciences campus
    • An international student
    If you already have a health insurance plan (or you are on your parents' plan) you may be eligible to waive enrollment in the USC Health Insurance Plan by providing proof of comparable coverage. All insurance enrollments or waivers must be completed during registration week prior to the deadline date, at the Student Health Insurance Office on the campus where the student is enrolled.

    A detailed description of the plan is available online, or you may request this information by email from the Insurance Coordinator, uscins@usc.edu, or from:

    Student Health Insurance Office
    649 W. 34th Street
    Parking Structure D
    Los Angeles, California 90089-1624
    Telephone: (213) 740-0551
    Fax: (213) 740-9229

  6. Read through the MPW Handbook (PDF)

    After meeting with MPW Student Services Advisor, Natalie Kaylor, and before your begin your courses, please read through the MPW Handbook. There is a lot of important information related to the MPW Program office, academic and program requirements, financial information, and USC student resources. If you have any questions after reading through this, give us a call.
  7. Attend the New Student Orientation

    The date and time of the New Student Orientation will be in your MPW admission letter. We will also send you an e-mail closer to the date with the location and a map.

    At the orientation, you will hear from MPW Program Director, Brighde Mullins, Administrative Assistant, Ebony Cunningham, Student Services Advisor, Natalie Kaylor, MPW faculty members, and the MPW student representatives of the Southern California Review and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate. There will be a Q&A to close.

Moving to LA

Visit. If you're from another area, plan on coming to the campus to check the campus and neighborhoods — it's always easier to get everything set up in person. If you come during the semester, try to visit some classes.

Obtain housing. Whether you plan to live in USC housing or rent privately, make sure you have something set up prior to hitting the streets of LA. You don't want to have to apartment hunt at the same time you're trying to do everything else. Contact theStudent Housing Office.

LA is a big city and a big part of the USC experience. Take advantage of the museums, beaches, bookstores, readings, films, theaters, and restaurants. Pick up anLA Weekly for its free comprehensive weekly listing of events.

The MPW Program will give you plenty of opportunities for book signings — from the faculty and from visiting writers. Get writers to sign the title page as opposed to other pages; it makes the book more valuable to collectors.

If you haven't already,subscribe to the free, monthly "ManUSCript," the e-newsletter of the MPW Program, for news on upcoming events and news.

Also be on the look-out foron-campus events sponsored by the USC arts and humanities initiative "Visions and Voices," as well as events presented by the USC College English Department, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and USC School of Theatre.

Check out the opportunities atUSC's radio station KUSC. Students can intern at the station for a semester and then run their own show the following semester. Or you may be able to read prose and poetry pieces on the air on other shows. USC's student produced TV station, Trojan Vision, offers a variety of opportunities for students.

Use common sense about safety. Caution needs to be exercised here just like anywhere else. If you're using a U-Haul, don't leave it unattended on the street — this includes on your way here, as U-Hauls are a target across the nation right now. Don't use ATMs at four o'clock in the morning in deserted alleys. JUST SAY NO to panhandlers. Don't give people an excuse to get physically close to you. There are plenty of opportunities for you to contribute your time and money to charity organizations in LA.

Bring a supportive attitude and be ready to work. That's what you're here for.

Orientation

Graduate and professional students comprise nearly half the total student population at the University of Southern California and engage in a wide variety of academic disciplines. USC offers a university-wide graduate student orientation to welcome all graduate students to the USC community of scholars and teachers.

The MPW Program encourages all MPW students entering in the fall semester to attend the USC Graduate Student Orientation.  This orientation will provide you with information about campus services, university life, and resources available to you. In addition, graduate students must attend the orientation offered by their school/department. There is no formal university-wide orientation for graduate students entering in the spring or summer (except for international students). For more information about the USC Graduate Student Orientation, click here. 

In addition, the MPW Program conducts its own orientation for incoming students in both fall and spring semesters.

Getting books and supplies

Required and optional books and supplies available at Trojan Bookstores (http://www.uscbookstore.com). Many students go online to find used books (http://www.amazon.com).

Registering for classes

The most important registration deadline dates are found in the Schedule of Classes. They include:

LAST DAY TO REGISTER without late fee
LAST DAY TO DROP without a W and receive 100% tuition refund
LAST DAY TO DROP with a W

Other important dates can be found in The University Academic Calendar.

Registration appointment times and permit to register information are available to review online at www.usc.edu/oasis. Select "Permit to Register" and follow the instructions. On your appointed registration date, you may register for your courses through Web Registration at www.usc.edu/webregistration.