Hi everyone! This past weekend I was admitted to USC and I was so excited and surprised. USC is one of my top choices right now but I wanted to ask on CC about the academic climate at Dornsife (the College of Arts and Sciences). At my HS, USC has a very preprofessional reputation for its student body and I would most likely be a political science, IR, Economics, or English major (or some combination of those). For parents/students of USC, what is the academic environment like in the liberal arts (especially the social sciences)? Are the professors and students as involved and engaging as in other areas at USC, and are there intellectual conversations happening in class and on campus?
I’m not quite sure what sort of an answer you’re looking for, but I’ll share some wisdom.
I would say that the largest factor in your academic environment is how much effort you invest into it. Particularly as a freshman and sophomore, in large classes, whoever teaching the class is not going to notice or personally care about you unless you make yourself notable. How? Go to office hours. Regularly. Especially in the classes that you are most interested in, because passion shows. Don’t monopolize the professor’s time but if it’s slow, ask them about their background, their research, their experiences. Of course ask for help with work. Discuss things that you have thoughts about. The more you give, the more you will receive. Conversely, if you don’t interact, nobody is going to hand you interesting or unique experiences on a silver platter.
I hope this is helpful to you, and if you have more specific questions I’ll be happy to follow up. I hope you do end up selecting USC - it’s an amazing place and I truly enjoyed my time there. Fight On!