<p>I remember awhile ago we had a thread going of USC photos... to belatedly add to that, I found this student's (who clearly knows his way around a camera) site.</p>
<p>how is the campus ugly? When I visited, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I spent two months at Stanford last summer, and I thought USC's campus was prettier. I guess its what pharmDstudent said: to each his own...</p>
<p>still doesnt do justice to the campus though, me and a buddy of mine (who incidentally will go to ucla this fall) went to visit both campuses today, and after seeing ucla we came to usc, and our entrance from the south end (exposition blvd) immediately gave us two impressions: that the campus architecture was gorgeous, and above all, it was cozy. someone on here posted correctly by saying that the town and gown area is absolutely amazing, but the row of buildings slightly to the west of that area is even better. the mudd hall of philosophy, accounting, geology, and physics/biology buildings are beyond gorgeous, and even though i've been to visit usc before, it just feels so much better now knowing ill be a student there this fall. you simply have to be there and stare at bovard auditorium to actually see how amazing it is, pictures of it do not show a penny's worth compared to what your eyes can see. beautiful..</p>
<p>I agree, the South entrance by Mudd and Bridge is, architecturally, the most beautiful place on campus. In addition, I think they're even adding another fountain as the construction fence around it looks similar in terms of size and activity to the construction going on at the main entrance near Popovich, where I'm positive a new fountain is being installed. </p>
<p>In terms of sheer beauty though, I'm a Founder's Park man... it totally makes you forget you're in Southern California, let alone Los Angeles. Here's some random trivia - Founder's Park has the state trees of 49 states in it. Which one is it lacking?</p>
<p>it goes without saying that ucla's campus is also just as beautiful. but what really adds to ucla is the fact that it is surrounded by beautiful neighborhoods. westwood, bel air, beverly hills, need i say more? the campus itself is very well maintained, and ive noticed that even the new buildings built on campus are kept in line with the old architecture with a modern touch. kind of like our leavey library, but unlike our von kleinsmid center (which i believe was a huge mistake on usc's part.. architecturally). ucla is humongous, and while usc really does give you a cozy, liberal arts college feeling, ucla can not. ucla also doesnt have the same number of fountains that usc does (as far as i saw) and its landscaping also doesnt compare to usc's. but one thing i really like about ucla are the steps leading down from royce hall to the student activities center. both are beautiful, but i like to say ucla copied usc ;)</p>
<p>themegastud, im gonna try and take a guess, but i think its california's state tree, the redwood, cause i've never heard of redwoods in southern california..?</p>
<p>Good guess prosmat3c, but there is a redwood tree in Founder's Park. Any other guesses?</p>
<p>And yes, UCLA's campus is beautiful... but in a different way. To me, because of the sheer size of UCLA's buildings, I think the campus is overall more majestic and impressive. It definitely has more of an awe factor. You see their main quad and it's like BAM. On the other hand, USC is more finely landscaped, with more intricate details (from the landscaping to the architecture) in a cozy (like you said) way. To me USC is more beautiful. There's nothing at UCLA like Argue Plaza, the space with the fountain and benches next to Widney Alumni House.</p>
<p>And I would contend that in the 60's-80's, both slipped up in their architectural designs. Yes, USC constructed the LAW building and Hoffman - ugliest on campus despite being designed by I.M. Pei (Pyramids at the Louvre) - but UCLA has Bunche Hall (the biggest building on campus - brown skyscraper with weirdo windows) and all of South Campus. </p>
<p>At least now both have realized the error of their ways and have edited their general plans to ensure that any future buildings look similar to the old ones.</p>