University of Southern California Top Questions

I’m most frustrated by the immense quantity of students here who were accepted not due to their amazing academic records or their glittering portfolios, but because of their rich parents and their connections. It’s unbelievable what sort of power the wealthy and well-networked wield in the sphere of college acceptance. I know that this pattern repeats itself in all walks of life and is, to some degree, to be taken in stride, but it still gets me steamed when I learn that my rich-and-influential classmate’s high school GPA was hardly more than half mine.

The amount of coursework

It's expensive.

The school (and Los Angeles in general) is very expensive.

The most frustrating thing about my school is probably the continued "improvement." This comes in the form of annoying new security measures, inconvenient construction and the like.

There is always construction.

The most frustrating thing about my school is that it is always under construction so you never know when there is going to be a street closed or detour to get to class.

It's located in a rough neighborhood.

The division of the student body into greek and non-greek students. Although students of non sorority or fraternity background are often friends with those of these backgrounds, the presence of this division seems to divide the student body. It is frustrating to see my peers feel that they have to put on a certain personality in order to fit this bilateral mold.

There is nothing frustrating about the school. I love USC!

It's frustrating that Greek life at USC is so exclusive. I am in Sigma Nu, a large and popular fraternity of over 150 men. Even with our large membership, we have so few men of color in our chapter. Furthermore, we have a disproportionate member of gay and bisexual brothers. Furthermore, almost everyone in our chapter is wealthy. Other fraternities and sororities on campus also excluse potential members on the basis of race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. This is not only frustrating. It is heartbreaking and destructive to my dream of equality on campus and in the world.

Every now and then, the constant partying and alcohol drinking becomes frustrating. Every week, Thursday through Saturday, the Greek Row hosts various parties and registers. You see half-naked girls in ridiculous outfits parading down the street (some of them already drunk) toward the frat houses, where anything and everything goes. During the rest of the week, you see those same partiers eating well-balanced meals and working out to stay in shape, and you wonder whether anyone is aware of the negative health effects of binge drinking.

Students are sometimes discouraged by the perception that Greek Life dominates the social scene, preventing them from becoming involved on campus. It also leads to an us versus them mentality, until Game Day.

Sorry on this one. I just like it. If anything the campus doesn't look like an astute campus, such as UCLA or Harvard-some what of a subjective account. I wanted to attend Stanford. Didn't apply. However I'm glad I'm here.

USC is located in downtown Los Angeles, and while the city is doing a lot to spruce up the downtown area and fight crime, the school still exists in a bubble. There are a lot of campus activities for students throughout the year, and there is a bus to take students down to LA Live, but if you don't have a car, LA is difficult to really experience, and USC isn't in the middle of the "hot" scene - restaurants, culture, nightlife, etc.

USC itself does not have any flaws. However, the neighborhood it dwells in is considered unsafe.

The cost of tuition.

I get extremely frustrated when the Department of Campus Security confiscates bikes that are not on bike racks even though it is obvious that there are not enough bike racks around campus. The fact that they charge us a fee to get back out bikes adds to my annoyance. The solution to getting bikes out of the way is to simply build more bike racks, but unfortunately they do not seem to understand.

It advertises that it gives a lot of financial aid, but my peers and I know that that really isn't true.

Everybody's from California!