<p>Thanks SoCalGal09!
Haha yea basically I’m speaking on behalf of my friend since he doesn’t have a college confidential account but basically reads it through my account lol.</p>
<p>The idea that he can try again is comforting to
him since he really liked the guys. The reason why he was cut early was because he only talked to maybe 3 or 4 of the guys and simply just introduced himself to the others. He basically just blended in and really didn’t make a lasting impression. But now he’s gonna hang out with the guys more
and try again next semester</p>
<p>The competitive houses have a huge amount of rushees in the spring as well. Normally, if a house is interested in you, they will go out of their way to rush you hard the first semester they meet you. I’m not saying you won’t get a bid the second semester you go out to rush, but situations like what happened to SoCalGal09’s son are not particularly common. I’d recommend exploring a different house this upcoming semester. There are a lot of great houses on the row. Even though the whole rush system does not truly allow you enough time to make a decision, you should ask around and try to narrow your list down to a couple of houses before you attend rush.</p>
<p>ipixel depends on your year in college as well as your intent to remain at USC for the duration of your studies… Are you a freshman or sophomore at USC then go for it. If you are a junior then you will need to need to do a little more investigation as to what fraternity or sorority accepts juniors.</p>
<p>Does it help any if you know this semester’s current pledge members for rush next semester? Can newly inducted members help influence/sway the decision process?</p>
<p>Newly inducted members could help sway votes of influential senior members but they typically are not eligible to vote yet. They can also give you the introductions you need to get those important blue chip invitations. They can also help you figure out how you are doing in the process. Getting to know the more senior members is very important.</p>
<p>well im only applying this year so if all goes well ill be attending starting fall.</p>
<p>so even if im international and (safe to say) wont know anyone when i get there (if i get there) (and ill be a frehsman) ive still got the opportunity?</p>
<p>My advice is be selective
. There are many houses not just the ones you find on the row. Business and engineering both have fraternities. There are many options that I have not mentioned.</p>
<p>though AKPsi (business) is a serious commitment. My friend is pledging that and my sorority in addition to her schoolwork, and I have no clue how she does it.</p>
<p>@tdsmith2
Actually new actives (fall pledges) in spring have a huge say on who gets in. Reason being, they actually know the rushees and so tell the older actives which ones are cool or would be a right fit for the house.</p>
<p>I recently heard that freshman GEC classes are gi-normous. (I consider anything over 100 ginormous. My son prefers less than 50 at the most, less than 25 ideally.) Have you found that to be the case – huge GEC classes? And if so, is there ANY was around this at USC? Honors? Anything? Thanks!</p>
Depends on what classes you take. The physics classes for physics and engineering majors (150 series) are quite good, and the honors physics classes (160 series) are excellent but brutal. The 130 series, for people not in those majors is just average, from what I hear. The math department has a huge variety in the lower-level classes. Some are great, some aren’t, depending on the professor. I wouldn’t know about higher-level math classes. Not sure about the chem department at all.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Not sure what you mean by academic strength. Do you mean the content being taught? The quality of teaching? The effectiveness of teaching? Test scores? As for students, you can’t make any broad generalizations. Students taking tough classes and hard majors will of course be more focused on academics than those taking easy classes and trying to coast by. </p></li>
<li><p>There is no financial aid for undergraduate international students.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>SimpleLife:
If by GEC you mean General Education (GE) classes…
Some GEs are big and some are small. Popular classes will be held in big lecture halls, and can have anywhere from 50-150 students. GE categories 1, 2, and 6 classes tend to be these. GE category 5 classes are all small classes, around 20 students, because the topic and material is better suited for smaller classes. GE category 3 and 4 depend.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t understand your last question. I think you left out a word or two.</p>
<p>SimpleLife…yes there is an Honors program called Thematic option, for which students who are become Presidential and Trustee scholarship recipients are invited. However students can also apply for TO, if their SAT or ACT scores are high and if they are up to the challenge.
TO takes the place of GE.
These classes are smaller, usually no more than 30 students. The two writing courses have around 14 students and also include bi weekly one on ones with the instructor.</p>
<p>^Thanks, Hawkwings and Sequoia. Yes, that’s what I meant – “GE.” Lots of schools call them GEC (General Education Curriculum). My son is trying to avoid monster-sized classes. He’s not applying to our state’s flagship school, which is a very good, well-respected school, for that sole reason. No reason to send him across the country just to end up in huge classes anyway.</p>
<p>He’s read about the Thematic Option. They call it the Traumatic Option, right? It sounds excellent! Is it really all that “traumatic?” He read that it’s available to any major. Can engineering students feasibly pull it off, AND have a satisfying social life, and still pursue their outside passions – orchestral music in his case? Or would it be one of those things that requires nearly every moment of your time just to keep up?</p>
<p>Background: son has perfect scores on standardized tests, NMSF, #1 in huge public, all AP courses, etc. He’s used to a rigorous curriculum. But he still has a bunch of free time for fun. And that’s what he’s looking for in a college – a rigorous curriculum, small classes, orchestral music, and plenty of time each week for fun.</p>
<p>Is that all doable at USC with Thematic Option?</p>
<p>If your son feels he can handle the TO challenging classes he might enjoy the academic rigor. I do not know if he will minor in music, but Thornton students are at the highest level. There will be small classes in Thornton. The ratio for professors to students is 1/6 in the school of music. </p>
<p>It is my understanding engineering students comprise 1/4th of the members of the Trojan Marching Band. That is quite time consuming, but a strong part of the Trojan traditions here. They seem to balance those commitments with the tough engineering curriculum. Some engineering classes are large, but do break up into smaller discussion groups</p>
<p>If your son wants to participate in music events and take TO classes he can always give it a try. What many of these students accomplish along with taking challenging majors is amazing.</p>
<p>^Thanks, Georgia Girl! I forgot about the band/engineering thing. We did hear that at the Discover USC thing (or whatever it was called). Son is pretty sure he can pull off music classes and engineering at the same time. It’s the T.O. program he’s wondering about. He read the course descriptions. They’re right up his alley in terms of interests and style of learning … but they might be too much work (too time consuming) to combine with engineering and music. I guess these are questions he can ask if we ever get our butts out to CA for a visit! Thanks again! :)</p>
<p>TO is not as bad as people make it out to be. They’re not designed to fail students, after all.</p>
<p>Unless you go to Nowhere University, you will not have small class sizes in every one of your classes. It’s just not going to happen. There will be classes such a the entry-level math, chemistry, physics, etc classes that many people in many majors are required to take, and there simply aren’t enough professors and sessions to allow for <50 lecture sizes. Discussions (if the class has a discussion section) will be smaller of course.</p>
<p>Time commitments are fairly straightforward to handle: prioritize your work by urgency and importance, and decide what to do first, what next, etc. If your son isn’t good at this already (which he should be, judging by your description) the he will be soon.</p>
<p>I’m an engineer and in the Trojan Marching Band, and it’s not that difficult to do everything and have time for other things.</p>
<p>If your son is cruising along in high school, getting all perfect everythings and still having plenty of time left over, you should be warned that it probably won’t stay that way in college. There will be people just as smart and smarter. And they’ll also do tons of activities, join groups, go out and have fun, etc.</p>
<p>Definitely get on campus to visit. The Explore USC sessions in the spring are well-run and very informative. Also, if the application is turned in and things look good, your son may be invited to come to campus in the late spring to interview for a merit scholarship. Definitely go interview, it’s another chance to look at the school, and he will be hosted by current students and will be able to see what it’s like being a student here.</p>
<p>Simple Life, I expect your son will be fine in TO and still have a life.
Yes they call it Traumatic Option, it’s challenging, the reading is very heavy as is the writing, but it is well worth it and people manage. The courses are extremely interesting and taught by the best profs. </p>
<p>Just so you know, one is not committed for the entire program. If your son finds it’s not for him, he can switch to GEs.</p>
<p>There are a couple of really good threads with lots of info, from last year, but I don’t know how to find them. Maybe somebody else does.</p>
