Bored USC Student answering your questions (business & accounting double major)

<p>Hello CC,</p>

<p>I am here to answer any questions you may have about this prestigious university. What separates me you ask from all the others? Well, frankly, I will give you honest, blunt answers that may or may not influence your decision (hopefully it does, to attend USC). Feel free to ask me anything and if you are embarrassed to ask in public, send me a message.</p>

<p>Who am I?</p>

<p>Name: BoredUSCStudent
Major: Double Majoring in Business Administration (concentration: Financial Valuation & Investments) & Accounting
Year: SENIOR (sigh..)</p>

<p>I am in a fraternity (not business but an actual greek fraternity), president of 2 marshall student organizations, a marshall student ambassador, lived in NEW/NORTH Business floor, have interned at Merrill Lynch and a Big 4 Accounting Firm. I currently have a full time job lined up after I graduate. Tried out for USC Football team my 2nd and 3rd year. and I challenge you to ask me a question I cannot answer.</p>

<p>I am also a panelist for USC Explore/Marshall Explore, for example, if you are planning on coming this Friday the 26th, come check me out.</p>

<p>Bottom line, I LOVE USC and do not regret it for one second coming to USC.</p>

<p>Other info:</p>

<p>From the OC. Graduated high school 2006. 4.5 GPA. 33 ACT. 2250 SAT. Captain of Football Team 2 years. Captain of Tennis Team 2 years. Orchestra 4 years. Just call me the renaissance man.</p>

<p>Did not get rejected to any colleges. Applied and got into: Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCR, University of Pacific (2+3 Accelerated Pharm)</p>

<p>Now, ASK AWAY!</p>

<p>What are you favorite and least favorite marshall organizations and why? Can you relate any personal experience about the mentoring/externship programs? Is there anything about being a business major that you wish you knew your first year that you could suggest to incoming business(finance) majors? Thanks :)</p>

<p>what fraternity are you in and why did you join it?</p>

<p>What made you choose SC over schools like Stanford, UCB, UCLA, and UCSD?</p>

<p>i’ll ctrlc-v part of my post.
what is the workload for marshall? timewise, gradewise, etc? do people there often double major? also, how are research opportunities or internships for marshall freshmen, during the school year and over the summer?</p>

<p>also, are you planning on attending B-school? how is USC at sending kids to top schools?</p>

<p>since you’re double majoring and in a fraternity, do you have time to do other things?
are frats large commitments?
what is a business fraternity?
usc is known to have lots of rich spoiled children? I guess this is true, but how are the people really?
lastly, this is your senior year at USC, you’re not really bored are you?</p>

<p>Kulakai:</p>

<p>Listing your favorite and least favorite marshall organization is very subjective. Since business covers a whole spectrum of interests and there are almost every organization fulfilling those interests. I will list some organizations that I feel are run very well: Trojan Investing Society, Entrepreneur Club, Hospitality Industry, Trojan Consulting Group, Los Angeles Community Impact, and a couple I can’t think of right now. In the first couple days of every semester, there is always a Marshall Student Org Fair, so thats when every single organization comes out and you can sign up to those that interest you.</p>

<p>Marshall has this great mentorship program called “Career Advantage Program” or CAP. Basically you have to do a short application and when they select you, you can choose a mentor for the year. The mentors cover almost every industry and are all USC Alumni in the LA Area. They are actually very very active with your mentorship and also there are CAP Programs that Marshall puts on once a semester, where its basically a networking event with all the CAP mentors. That was something that I definitely enjoyed. As far as externship programs, Marshall has a LOT of opportunities in many countries in which they place you in an internship for the whole summer. If you want to learn more, I’m sure you can google it.</p>

<p>Advice for incoming business majors: Get a 4 or 5 on AP Calc (a or b) AND Statistics. In college, you want to take as few math classes as possible and at USC calc, stat, and advanced stat are necessary courses for business majors. Don’t skip 30 days of AP Calc your senior year and get a 3 and suffer like I did.</p>

<p>Bk1992:</p>

<p>In order to keep my identity semi-private, I will not be listing my fraternity. Feel free to ask questions about the Greek system though and I will happily answer them. That includes how I feel about a particular frat or sorority and I will try to give you not my opinion, but the general USC opinion of that particular one.</p>

<p>missionewokzzz:</p>

<p>The reason I chose USC over those schools was simple. I knew I was going to be a business major. That knocks out UCLA and UCSD. Only reason I applied to so many UC’s is the same reason as you guys, all it takes to apply to a UC school is literally a click. Berkeley: Yes, I understand that Haas is “ranked” higher, but, correct me if I’m wrong, you have to apply after your second year. Like i said before, I knew I wanted to be a business major. What if I went through two years of school and didn’t get in. So no Haas. Also, at USC you take business classes your first semester. Stanford: This was a hard decision, but looking back it really isn’t. Yes, I understand Stanford is more prestigious than USC. BUT, I mention again I knew I wanted to be a business major AND stay in Southern California for the rest of my life. The thing about USC is, the TROJAN FAMILY is real. I didn’t believe it coming in, but I am brainwashed beyond belief. Honestly, if you have a USC degree in southern california, that degree is comparable to a harvard business degree. ONLY in southern california though. Like I said, this is all my opinion so no stupid comments. And, I don’t like the north, have any of you guys spent a whole weekend in the Stanford dorms? I went up there my first year, as part of our traditional football weekender and stayed in the dorms for 3 nights. I thanked god every night that I made the right choice. The atmosphere was like telling 30 people who have never been social in their lives to all of a sudden act social. Sorry to all the stanford people, I am not trying to hurt your feelings in any way and I concede that stanford is a more prestigious school BUT what I am trying to say is, I don’t regret my choice one bit.</p>

<p>chuckcarls:</p>

<p>first off, in college it is easy to get a B. If you go to class every time, do the assignments and get average, you’ll most likely get around a B. Now, if you get an A, you deserved it, simply put. Timewise all classes are different and it honestly depends on the student. Of course there is a correlation between time spent on a course and the grade earned. </p>

<p>look i will use you guys as an example. i know that it has gotten exponentially harder to get into USC than when I applied only 4 years ago. In order to get admitted to USC, you have to be a great student meaning you take many many APs. Because of that most students will come in as a sophomore. Only reason I double-majored was because I graduated in 3 years taking a normal load because of all the units i brought in. Because accounting and business overlapped i decided to pursue my second major as accounting. USC LOVESSSS it when you double major, in fact they want you to. They believe everybody should at least minor in something else.</p>

<p>In my humble opinion, after your freshmen year (as a business major), take the summer off and travel and visit all your friends and just play. it is next to impossible to get an internship because honestly what do you know about business? You will spend all your summers after that working hard at your internship, so take your freshmen year off. I promise you won’t regret it.</p>

<p>Getting a MBA is pointless if you are a business major UNLESS you get into one of the top five schools. The only reason a business major undergrad would go to an MBA is because of a career change or to network. My financial valuation teacher told me that she gives the same lecture and test to MBA and undergrads. Only difference is the MBA average has never beaten the undergrad average on her tests. </p>

<p>I went to a event 2 weeks ago that Marshall put on in which the admission directors for Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and 2 other schools came and spoke in a panel setting. USC doesn’t care if u go to MBA it is up to you. Work Experience and GMAT score is weighted higher than what undergrad u went to, so hope that answers your question.</p>

<p>sorry if i capitalize than uncapitalize paragraphs. i get tired.</p>

<p>boreduscstudent</p>

<p>how is the overall campus and the outside of the campus at nights and weekends? how safe?</p>

<p>thementor5: you have more than enough time to do other things. first thing you learn, is time management and prioritizing your life. frats are only large commitments the semester you pledge. after that its all fun and games. Delta Sigma Pi - look it up. Its a “fraternity” for business students and they put on great business events. but the do not have a house and aren’t as social as a greek fraternity would be.</p>

<p>for all of you that thinks USC stands for University of Spoiled Children, THATS A GOOD THING. Look, if you’re a business major (like I am), you quickly learn that its not WHAT you know, but WHO you know. I am dead serious. I am considering tattooing that on my chest. (jk). But you understand how serious that quote is to me. Personally, yes USC has “rich” children. But that will only help you in the end. For instance, 2 of my roommates come from families who are very prominent in the United States. If i told you their last names, you most likely would recognize it. Their families are easily worth between 500Millon-1Billion dollars. Does that mean they are spoiled? No. Does that mean every student has 2 roommates like that? No. If you hung out with 5 middle students and 5 “rich” students, I will bet you my first million you couldn’t tell the difference. And if you could, they probably don’t have friends because most people don’t like *******s. </p>

<p>hahaha you caught me. I’m not bored, but I do want to be entertained. USC has given me so much, the least I could do is answer questions for potential students and best case scenario maybe convince a couple of you that coming to USC is one thing you will never ever regret. I guarantee it.</p>

<p>Yaaah usc!</p>

<p>funnypunjabi:</p>

<p>first off, great name. USC is very safe. On campus, nothing will ever happen to you. Now, you may hear stories of robberies off campus and such and I will dispel those rumors. IF YOU ARE WALKING AND HOLDING YOUR IPHONE OR LISTENING TO YOUR IPOD AT 3AM, YOU WILL GET JACKED NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE. also, USC has gotten exponentially “safer” this past year. Because of some of the stuff that happened last year, now at every corner North of campus, there is a security guard. I mean almost every single damn block, 24 hours a day, there is someone standing there just looking for something to happen. pretty safe if you ask me, if you say. look, i have been here for 4 years and nobody I have know has gotten robbed. of course, i am not speaking for everybody at usc because yea there are robberies occasionally. but be smart and nothing will, hopefully, ever happen to you. and if you decide not to come to usc because of safety. worse decision of your life. i guarantee that. please do not let that become the reason you dont come. come up with another reason.</p>

<p>uscboredstudent: thanks for the info, USC is my number one college! hope to get in, I also did a interview with marshall business school, which was good.</p>

<p>another question: does your application status tell us anything about admissions? because our application went from being “reviewing by committee” to “forward” and etc</p>

<p>do you guys also have a lot diversity at usc? i heard a lot students come from india and china</p>

<p>i got this question via private message, but i will answer it here in case it might help anybody else out.</p>

<p>1) What is the typical class load for freshmen? For example, how many classes does a typical accounting major freshman take?</p>

<p>16 units is the normal load for every student. that is 4 classes at 4 units. if you are an accounting major, you take the same business classes for roughly the first 3-4 semesters, than you start taking accounting classes. if you do not know, accounting is the only major on campus that is on the quarter system. you heard me right quarter system. this will lead me to answering the next questions.</p>

<p>2) Is it easy to get straight As in Accounting?</p>

<p>getting an A in accounting is very very hard compared to business classes. Why? because of a couple reasons. 1. accounting is on the quarter system. that means in accounting with already hard material, you have midterms 3 weeks in and finals when all your other classes are doing their first midterm. that means, because accounting is so technical, you have to spend a good amount of time studying. if not, it can overwhelm you quick.</p>

<p>3) How does USC treat AP credits?</p>

<p>USC gives you 4 units if you get a 3 or above on any AP. The limit is 32 units or 8 APs. Like I said before, the average courseload per semester is 16 units. that means you come in as a sophomore. good for you. Now, I am going to give you information that I wish I knew coming into USC. In Business, if you get a 4 or 5 in the following APs, they cancel out a whole class you do not need to take. Macro and Micro Economics. Calc. Stats. thats a whole semester of classes you can avoid if you take those 4 APs as part of your 8. ADVICE TIME: if you are coming to Marshall or Leventhal, and your schools do not offer those 4 APs, SACK UP, BUY A STUDY BOOK, AND PASS THOSE DAMN APs. Your welcome and you can buy me dinner later.</p>

<p>4) If my son is interested in taking courses from other schools at USC, such as filming, is it possible and how does it work?</p>

<p>just sign up for it. if your son got into USC i am assuming he took a lot of APs and come in with extra units. if you read my previous posts, i graduated in 3 years taking a normal course load. my last year could have been spent taking ballroom dancing(which i did take), ping pong (which i am currently taking), film symposium( watch 4 hours of major motion picture movies before they are released, which i wished i would have taken) or be an idiot like me and try to double major in accounting and ruin your senior year.</p>

<p>5) Do most Accounting major students take CPA exam after graduation and do you know the % of students who pass the CPA exam?</p>

<p>if your son takes a job at a big 4 firm, they will pay him a fat bonus if he gets his CPA his first year working there so yes most people try to get it done. % wise that is what google is for sir.</p>

<p>6) What is the % of USC accounting major students going to study for advanced degree?</p>

<p>you are better off checking the usc site, but usc does have a progressive degree option. you said your son is coming straight into leventhal. if he plays his cards right, he can finish leventhal undergrad in 3 years and get his masters his 4th, which is what i would have done if i came in straight as a accounting major. you should look into it.</p>

<p>do you guys also have a lot culture activities going on at USC?</p>

<p>funnypunjabi:</p>

<p>no problem, hope you get in. who’d you interview with? brittany? tiffany? tammie?</p>

<p>i have no clue as to what your application status means. i dont work for usc, im just a student.</p>

<p>USC is the MOST DIVERSE school in the country. Look it up on google, if you think im lying.
there are students from everybody and places you haven’t even heard of. know what the great thing is though? i am doing a asia trip this summer and through my friends that i met at USC, i am going to crash at their homes and they are showing me around. can’t get better than that. and also, most international students that come to usc are ballers!</p>

<p>funnypunjabi:</p>

<p>you got to start asking me these questions all together haha. Today on McCarthy Quad there was an international foods fair with about 20 countries represented. you just grabbed a plate and went to all the different country tents and sampled food from their respective countries. if thats not experiencing culture, i dont know what is.</p>

<p>I had my interview with Ms. Brittney she was a nice lady and very welcoming. usc campus is nice, and everybody was like riding their bikes around campus.</p>

<p>thats cool, diversity is awesome, I heard a lot of indian students go to usc too, but like you said is MOST DIVERSE school.</p>

<p>sorry, for asking so many questions.</p>

<p>@boreduscstudent:</p>

<p>Aw, crap; that international food thing was free?!?! I was at the Explore session today and saw something foreign and delicious-looking going on, but I thought it was only for actual members of the clubs. How sad. :'(</p>

<p>If you see an event on campus with a lot of people, chances are that it’s free and for anyone.</p>

<p>So even though they only have degrees in business administration and economics you can get a concentration in finance and investments?</p>