University of Southern California Top Questions

20 years ago USC was known as the "university of spoiled children" and "university of second choice", now it is the fastest rising school in the country based on rankings and has also been featured on princeton review's list of "top 10 dream schools", and this forward momentum doesn't seem to be slowing down. so props to president sample and the administration for turning this school around! Campus: It's relatively small for so many students and during breaks between classes the campus can seem very crowded. I wish the campus was bigger and had more open green space- a rarity in LA. EVK food sucks, parkside food is better. I would change the location of the school, although living in central LA is pretty convenient "broader experience" And make USC cheaper, 50k+ a year is a lot of money

One thing I'd change: Nothing. Size: Perfect. Big enough that you meet tons of people who are interested in all different things but small enough you actually get to know people. Class size is a mix between lectures with 100 or so students to more intimate classes with maximums of 20. Most large lectures have an accompanying discussion section with only 20 or so students. When I tell people I go to USC, they usually hate on it a little bit. It's a good school academically but also athletically and people tend to be resentful because we win a lot! I spend most time on campus either in the dorms (this isn't true for everyone...it really depends if you get in a good dorm, if people there are social, etc), the Row, the quad, etc. No college town really. The area surrounding the campus is pretty sketch, but, that being said, the campus itself feels safe. While there is no traditional college town, we're in the middle of downtown LA and people go out and explore on weekends. We'll hit up Manhattan beach on the weekends or go to the Grove for lunch. SO MUCH SCHOOL PRIDE. Everyone loves it here. Everyone. From freshmen on their first day to seniors on graduation day to alumni fifty years later.

USC is incredible. The best part about USC is that you are in LA which allows you SO many opportunities you wouldn't get at another school, while still giving you a (gorgeous) campus feel. For me, the school is a little small, however I seem to be in the minority. Everyone loves the size and honestly- for anyone who is worried that it is too big- the campus is so close that you will never walk to class without seeing someone you know! The one thing I would change is the lack of an immediate college town, however you still get the Row which always has something going on if you want to go out, as well as the 90. And the surrounding community is NOT as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The school pride is incredible, and the Trojan Family really is so strong and will definitely prove helpful when you are looking for a job.

USC is not one unified school, but is, rather, a collection of the smaller pre-professional schools that comprise it. While I can only speak as a former student of the School of Theatre, the SOT had serious administrative problems and has been losing a large number of theatre majors (who usually switch to minors in favor of more popular majors such as Business or Comm) because of the lack of direction offered by advisors and by the poor quality of the lower-division classes. USC's reputation has outgrown its academic prowess, which desperately needs to catch up.

There is an immense amount of pride at USC. People love going to school here. We love the fact that the University is well above average in every aspect of the collegiate experience. The best thing about USC is that we party all the time (especially on the row) and still manage to have great academic programs with a very diverse student body and wonderful professors. The school is without a doubt well rounded. I couldn't imagine a school more well rounded than USC. I will say that being in South Central LA is a bit unnerving. The area around us is not the best, and I get asked for money about 5 times a day. I've had people ask me for money when I am ordering at drive-thrus. It gets annoying and you have to be careful, but thats life in a big city.

Among my friends, if we could do college over again and had the choice of ANY college in the country, we would still commit to SC in a heartbeat. It is really rare to find a school so well balanced; we have incredible faculty but we also have a great football team; we have a vibrant Greek system and at the same time there are plenty of organizations to join if you don't want to get involved there. I'll start with why I love USC, and then I will go into its drawbacks. First and foremost, the school spirit here is AMAZING and lasts for the rest of your life. No matter where you go in the world, if you are a Trojan you are part of the family. You will have job opportunities, friendships, and other relationships that would never exist but for your membership in the Trojan family. I have experienced it countless times, from meeting an alum while on a community service trip in Ghana to finding a great internship through the alumni network. Many schools brag about alumni networks, but I have heard MANY times (through both USC and non-USC alums) that the Trojan network is simply unparalleled. To me, the meaning of this is more than just knowing it will be easier to find a job. It's really about feeling like you are part of a camaraderie- wherever I end up in the world, I know there will be people that have something in common with me and will greet me with open arms. Another thing I like about SC is that the size is perfect- it's not so small that you feel like you're living in a gossipy small town, but it's not so large that you feel like nothing but a number. Politically, I also think there is quite a good balance between liberal and conservative supporters. People sometimes think USC is very conservative, but I think they say that because we are just more conservative than the average college campus- overall, however, I would say the student body is more liberal than conservative. As for the bad... the first thing that comes to my mind is that we are not in a college town in any sense of the word. Frankly, we are in the ghetto. There are no cute boulevards with shops and restaurants, no streets with college bars. In fact, we really only have two bars: one on campus and one down the street. EVERYONE goes to those two. Surprisingly, though, my friends and I didn't really mind not living in a college town- the food around here is cheap and places like Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Manhattan Beach are all very close. I guess we just saved money. Another thing I didn't like about USC was that it was pretty dead on the weekends, particularly as a freshman in the dorms. While we have a great many students that don't live in southern California, many do, and they often go home on the weekends. That said, if you make friends with people who don't leave you will be fine.

USC seeks to expose its students to as much as possible; therefore, we have more international students than any school in the U.S., the school offers a relatively enormous amount of majors/minors, and encourages students to study seemingly disparate fields using scholarship incentives. We have a lot of top-rated schools at USC which makes it easy to pursue a diverse set of interests (from Film to Business/Accounting to Engineering to Music to Communications: these are among the very best in the country). Because USC has so many good schools in so many different areas, and because USC gives so much in Financial Aid, you'll find that wherever your interests lie, there is probably a decent following of similar-minded people.

It was my life's dream to go to USC film school but I would say the experience, wholly, was a disappointment. There are many unfair rituals that take place at USC; you WILL get black-listed from certain events, scholarships, directing opportunities, if you raise your voice about ANYTHING; or complain about anything. I once complained about how poorly sound people were treated on a USC-funded class (CTPR 546) and I was NEVER able to get a sound SA-ship afterwards. I was more than qualified but the positions kept being given to people who were not of my caliber and who, in certain instances, turned their application weeks after the deadline. After this incident took place, I shut my mouth, which is afterall what the school wanted me to do. If you're a lesbian you will do really well at the Film school as the heads of many divisions are open lesbians. Several semesters in a row 546 were directed by lesbian women and also contained lesbian-themed films. Nothing wrong with this of course, just another factor about USC that I think is worth noting. Scholarships are completely unfair, I mean COMPLETELY! They are not judged by a panel of unbiased observers, and the applications are NOT anonymous as they should be, but instead the applications are judged by USC professors who undoubtedly give the scholarship to their favorite students. For example, a friend of mine just recently won a scholarship for comedic-writing, for which he did not even apply for. This was an award listed on the General Scholarship application, many students applied, whole-heartedly. Their application was not even read, because the professor simply handed the award to a student he personally liked. But again, no one can complain without fear of being black-listed.

The best thing about USC is the Trojan Family. As cliche as it sounds, it's true. It's not just the fight song chants between drivers with Trojan stickers on the back of the car. It's the personal encounters between Trojans of all ages. In fact, just the other day, a man noticed me wearing my USC sweatshirt and stopped me in the middle of the check-out line for Micheals. He couldn't stop talking about how amazing the school was and what an awesome college experience he had. By the end of the conversation, he congratulated me multiple times and said, "If you ever need anything, please let me know!" Quite a generous offer from a stranger.

USC is an amazing campus in the middle of south central Los Angeles. This makes it feel like a bubble at some times, but also opens the university up to the city's culture. Field trips into downtown and hollywood make up for the bubble effect, and the students who are outgoing benifit from their surroundings.