University of Southern California Top Questions

No

Not being able to go off campus without feeling unsafe.

USC is located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and while the school itself is beautiful and well maintained, the surrounding area is very low-income and like any city, crime ridden. It is not safe to walk alone at night; however during the day students can be seen up to 5 blocks off campus in every direction. Another thing that could be frusterating to some is how large and important the greek system is at USC-most students are greek and those who aren't are not allowed at greek parties unless invited by a friend.

It is now environmentally concious and will often avoid solving a problem in order to prevent bad publicity. There is a lot of underhanded politics that go on to keep the school in a good light.

The most frustrating aspect of USC is that the professors are fresh from their field and have so much to offer, but have little experience in the delivery of the message. Their information is valuable, but neither organized nor comprehensive, so the only way to absorb knowledge is to interact one-on-one, which can be difficult because, as leading researchers, their time is limited. We have sharp-minded professors, they just need to take a course on how to communicate the lesson with students.

Its tuition.

Lack of public transportation and local bars. (More of a city problem though) And the incredibly terrible university shopping center.

The most frustrating thing is the lack of good food available. We pay so much, and yet it's nearly impossible to find a decent tasting, healthy meal.

lack of green space to play sports

The amount of schoolwork can easily become overwhelming. I sometimes worry that professors don't realize we have homework for three of four other classes besides theirs. USC Is definitely very academically focused and competitive.