<p>I wrote the following last year. Hopefully tou might find it helpful.</p>
<p>By Tsdad (Tsdad) on Sunday, April 11, 2004 - 12:08 pm: Edit</p>
<p>The following is based on our experiences with USC. HTH.</p>
<p>Go to the spring/summer orientation meetings held around the country or on campus.. They are fun. We went to Dallas last year (2003). It was held at a hotel at DFW. Some meals and breaks were included. You get to meet other parents. Your kid get to meet others kids. I also have break-out sessions for the students by their school/major so last year my son got to meet lots of other film kids at the session for artsy type students. Unfortunately the adult who chaired the session was from the music school so we werent able to get specific information about the film program.</p>
<p>They also had several sessions for parents sans kids with a very high level administrator. She talked with the parents about the difficulties they were going to be facing in the Fall letting go of their child and how to deal with it. As the parent of an only child, I found these sessions interesting and fun.</p>
<p>Youll learn a lot about USC and get a chance to have your questions answered about housing, food plans, Stafford and Plus loans, medical services, and billing. The USC credit union will be there and you can sign up for accounts. We did and the credit union takes money from my bank account and transfers in his account. He has a debit card from the credit union that he can use at ATMs, including the ones on campus, and for ordering things on-line. You can have your child sign FERPA waivers so you can find out their grades and other information about your 18 plus year old. For those of you not familiar with FERPA see: <a href="http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html</a>. Also you will get a discount for stuff at the USC bookstore so you can load up on USC logo tees and sweats and car stickers on move-in day.</p>
<p>Your s/d can take their placement exams (and get the results, I think), and sign-up for their first semester courses. Be prepared several months later to be told, as we were last year, that the courses he had signed up for were already filled. We managed to work it out, but our son was away and it was cumbersome trying to make a schedule and have him review it while he was 200 miles from home.</p>
<p>Housing. Im only familiar with New (which isnt). North is also part of the same complex. Theyre nice, but not air-conditioned. Plenty of storage space, desks, beds that can be raised, a microwave, basic cable, two phones and Ethernet connections, a small frig, My suggestion is to get your housing requests in early. Choosing a themed floor might help you get into a specific dorm.</p>
<p>Your s/d will get a form from the housing office that h/s can fill out about what theyre like and what theyre looking for in a roommate, e.g., loud, quiet, studious etc. Make sure that if you child has some strong dislikes theyre recorded. We received the name, address, and telephone number of his roommate in early August. The only problem I had with my sons roommate is that he lives only 350 miles from us in NoVA. I thought my son should have requested a roommate from California.</p>
<p>New/North are located right off Gate 3 on S. Figueroa. There is a parking garage right across from the dorms, which is great for move-in day. On move-in day get there early. Because New/North is so close to the garage we were able to unload on the sidewalk and then park. Very little needed to be carried. It may not be the same for other dorms.</p>
<p>If you are from out-of-state dont over pack. There is a Target about 15 minutes from campus where odds and ends can be bought. We did order the bedding from USC since the beds are extra-long singles, and in any case we didnt want to haul all of that stuff from the east coast. You will get a mailing during the summer about the bedding. It will be available on one of the quads on move-in day for you to pick up.</p>
<p>We shipped his computer and other related electronic devices. Be careful of your timing on shipping things. USC is adamant that it will not accept things prior to move-in day.</p>
<p>Last year we combined the trip to LA with a weeks vacation in Southern California. We went to Palm Desert. I cannot even begin to tell you how hot it was. 108 degrees several days, and it was humid with killer thunderstorms in some of the higher desert areas. So, heres a hint: dont go to the California desert in August.</p>
<p>Where to stay? We always stay at the Marriott on S. Figueroa primarily to collect Marriott points (which will be used for Paris and London in June.). Nice hotel with decent restaurants. Going back to the hotel from campus is an easy straight shot down S. Figueroa from USC. Going to USC from the hotel is a little trickier because S. Figueroa is one-way, going the wrong way, in from of the hotel. Wherever you stay, if its near USC get your reservations in early.</p>
<p>Flying in. We usually fly into Long Beach on Jet Blue because of the price. We rent a car and drive to LA. Its not far and an easy drive. The Supper Shuttle can be used to get to USC, but you have to make reservations in advance if youre coming in from Long Beach. If youre coming into LAX, reservations arent necessary for airport pick-up. My son uses the Super Shuttle to get back and forth from these airports. (NB--my son now uses LAX because it's closer and the prices are the same or cheaper than Jet Blue--Tsdad.)</p>
<p>Parents Weekend. I urge you to go. It is great fun. We met many parents who have returned for all four years. By October your child will be more than ready to see you. Plus, USC really puts on a great show for the parents. The weekend is filled with picnics on the immaculately kept grounds, lectures, tours, movies, plays, concerts, and lots of food. The USC marching band will be out to serenade the parents during lunch and at the picnic right before Saturday nights football game. And what a show the game is. You walk over from the campus with 1000s of other people through rose gardens and past a museum to the Coliseum. 70,000 people in the stadium on an almost warm night, and you can expect USC to win the game. It makes you feel whole lot better about spending all this money on USC, which I suspect is the point of the whole weekend.</p>
<p>Less I forget, while walking over to the Coliseum youll find vendors, not associated with USC, selling <em>UCLA t-shirts (replace the </em> with the letter after E. Think about it.)</p>
<p>We are going to combine Parents Weekend with another trip to Palm Desert. Im hoping that in October the weather will be much, much better than in August.</p>
<p>Food Plans. We chose the cheapest possible; 10 meals a week plus $510, which can be used at other places on campus. Unless you s/d is really big eater you will probably be wasting money if you get a more expensive plan. If the 10 meal program isnt enough you can change for the second semester.</p>
<p>Some other thoughts:</p>
<p>If your s/d likes to ride a bike, bring it. USCs campus is not large but a bicycle wouldnt be a bad idea.</p>
<p>Laptop or desktop? It may depend on your child treats their possessions. If theyre forgetful dont get a laptop. It, as well as an unlocked bike, may disappear. According to the campus police, personal property thefts are the biggest problem on the USC campus, as they are on most campuses. Also, Im not sure how wireless the campus is at this point.</p>
<p>Which leads us to the safety issue. It is a canard against the University and the residents in the nearby neighborhood that USC is in a dangerous section of LA. It is not. It is located in working class community right on major surface commuter roads, near downtown LA and several freeways. The University and students are involved in the community although there are natural tensions as USC expands, which it is doing, beyond its traditional boundaries. Students need to use common sense, be aware of their surroundings, and realize they are not invulnerable. Granted these are hard things for young people to do, but if they can, they will do very nicely. They will get a lecture on campus safety from the university police on move-in day or soon after. Take a look at the USC Department of Public Safetys STREET SMART: A PRIMER. The Text for Urban Living 100, which requires Adobe Acrobat, at: <a href="http://dpsw.usc.edu/2003StreetSmart.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://dpsw.usc.edu/2003StreetSmart.pdf</a>.</p>
<p>You can keep up with USC daily happenings by reading the on-line version of the campus newspaper at: <a href="http://www.dailytrojan.com/index.jsp%5B/url%5D">http://www.dailytrojan.com/index.jsp</a>. My son finds the paper too conservative for his tastes. A liberal alternative is the Trojan Horse at: <a href="http://www.troho.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.troho.com/</a>.</p>
<p>One final thought: a [former] colleague of mine in our Dallas office has a child at USC. He urged us to save every piece of paper we get from USC. Good idea.</p>