<p>oh, nvm. i see ur from the bay area. </p>
<p>btw, it's either biology or health & humanity for my major. they're competing with each other.</p>
<p>Venice florence* and Rome mostly with some day trips to little towns and such. I'm going with one of my best friends, no parents, so I figured we should try to learn at least a little. where did you go when you went there!! and do you have any recommendations for me?! I am from San Francisco also, in case I haven't said that.... which I hadn't hehe. As to the question "what are you going to do there this summer?" basically just explore! My friend and I decided that we were going to get jobs and save up to go to Europe. when deciding where I suggested Italy and we both instantly HAD to go and see the beautiful sites and all... I cannot wait!</p>
<p>that's AWESOME that you're going with your friend and no parents! </p>
<p>okay, so here are some recommendations:</p>
<p>spanish steps (well, they're extremely crowded but definitely good for at least 2 minutes of entertainment).</p>
<p>coliseum / arch of constantine (and go to the PALATINO to get your tickets so that you dont have to stand in a really long ass line - trust me).</p>
<p>the vatican (DUH) </p>
<p>go to "Ristorante Alla Rampa" (address: Piazza Mignanelli, 18 / p. di Spagna --> it's close to the American Express bank thingy and the Spanish Steps) if you want a really amazing selection of food. if you go, i suggest ordering the buffet as your appetizer and an entree is optional after that because there are SOO many things in the buffet that there really is no point in getting an entree (i.e. secondi piatti?) </p>
<p>the Pantheon (so cool)</p>
<p>Via del Corso has some good shopping I think (but so does almost every major street)</p>
<p>and also go see as many churches as you can until you get tired of them (because the insides are BEAUTIFUL - and i'm definitely not religious) </p>
<p>ummmmmmmmm, it's embarassing how much i wrote, but yeeeeaaahhhhh...</p>
<p>man you are just making me so much MORE excited!!! thanks for all of those great tips! How long were you there for and which cities or towns did you see? I really appreciate all of your suggestions! just out of curiosity what did you request for housing (if youve done that yet) that question is for anyone out there, hehe im wondering who i might be living with for the next year!</p>
<p>you're welcome! i was in rome for 5 nights and venice for 3. </p>
<p>i really like birnkrant and i'm going to see the parkside suites tomorrow after school with two of my best friends (one of them definitely is going to USC and the other one is deciding still). we ultimately decided not to live in the same rooms/dorms, however we might decide to live together with other people in a suite. i am kind of leaning towards the dorm experience, but there is air conditioning in the parkside suites (a major plus). how about you??</p>
<p>yea I put Birnkrant as my first choice too, I haven't seen the inside of any of the dorms except marks hall because that was where I stayed over when at explore USC in February. It might have been non quite social enough for me? I heard a lot of stuff like that about it. I put Birnkrat then north/new then Pardee tower then marks tower. I kind of wanted a dorm with coed floors because my brother mad really good friends, boys and girls, from his floor freshman year (at UW), friendships that have lasted the whole 4 years and are still going strong. I figure if they are too loud for me I will just go to the nearby library to get some quiet study time in! I am so excited for college!!!</p>
<p>energized: your housing list is the EXACT same as mine! haha... hopefully we both get what we want!!!!!!!</p>
<p>p.s. Italy- way cool. i second everything that Aqualung77 said.</p>
<p>My son stayed in Birnkrant during the Explore, and loved it, and is why he put it first. I went up to the room, to help carry his belongings, and peeked in from the hallway. I was impressed. Locked front door going into the building, locked elevator to go up to your floor, and then locked door into room. From a parent's perspective, it works for me. :-)</p>
<p>energized22: My daughter (USC Class of 2010) is doing the same thing this summer... she and a good friend of hers will be going to Europe alone for 4 weeks. She is staying in London (with a friend she met last summer at a USC Summer Seminar) for a week, Paris for a couple of days , Italy for the bulk of the time and Spain will be their last country. Are you staying in youth hostels or do you have hotels planned ahead? Did you get a Eurorail pass?</p>
<p>sarahjhansen: thats so cool that we picked the exact same thing! i hope we both get a good dorm! i am really open right now, not set on any particular one of the options just becuase i never have really seen any of them. I am sure they are all so much fun, i mean it IS college!</p>
<p>Talkitup: Thats so exciting! my friend and I are only going for 2 weeks and all to Italy. We were planning on doing the hostel hop with some hotels in between when there wasn't a good or convientent hostel near a certain location, but a travel agent told us that we were not allowed to get a hotel in Italy at the age of 18. Because of this we decided to sign up for a sort of semi guided trip, where a bus takes us from city to city and works with the hotels to get us rooms etc. There is a lot of freedom though, it is not like they give us full on schedules but there are optional tour you can take with the group. I am really happy that this was an option becuase i was nervous about figuring out hotels and how to get from place to place so this is a really good way to travel for my first time alone in another country (well not alone but no parents) If i ever do go again, maybe when i am out of college, i will know where i want to see and will have a little more experience in the country without going in blind. </p>
<p>This was the best option for me however my cousin who is 24 went this past summer all by herself and stayed in hostels and hotels and did get a eurorail pass. She really enjoyed it. Hope your daughter has fun and ill probably run into her next year at USC!</p>
<p>USC has options where students can stay in Europe for a term or summer away & still earn credits. A friend's son went with the school of engineering to Paris. They brought along USC professors & had classes M-Th, so they had 3-day weekends to explore Europe & had a great time. Another friend's kids did internships at USC in biomedical engineering in the US -- they got experience & earned some money too.</p>
<p>Yeah you can also go to Asia as well (as well as some other continents) I really want to study abroad my sophomore or junior year particularly to Japan or Korea (i'll be closer to my parents, but I go there during the Summer ANYWAYS so what's the point?) My interest in animation so that's I wanted to goto Japan...</p>
<p>Hey, I'm a jazz vocalist going to USC-Thornton! I LOVE all kinds of music, everything from Itzach Perlman and Ella Fitzgerald to Beck and Smashing Pumpkins. So excited for next year. I also write music, interested in music industry/law, cinema, acting and long walks on the beach... I have a myspace (ha ha) if you want to check it out and chat! <a href="http://www.myspace.com/courtneyfortune%5B/url%5D">www.myspace.com/courtneyfortune</a></p>
<p>Courtney -- You are amazing! So glad I got to meet you. haha.We have very similar interests. " I also write music, interested in music industry/law, cinema, acting and long walks on the beach... " just subtract the music industry bit and that's me.</p>
<p>Hey, I am an Aerospace Engineering from Montana going to Viterbi (even made honors). Never been to LA (closest I've been is Palo Alto) and probably won't until move-in day, so I just hope I can find the campus. And I read earlier that someone wanted to start an aviation club, and I would so help you out with that. Almost soloed before some shoddy fire retardent bomber killed my flight instructor.<br>
Really want to try to get on the Formula SAE team and what ever aerospace teams there may be. Might take some film classes to if I can.</p>
<p>But to be honest, if I am accepted off of Stanford's or Cornell's wait lists, I'm turning tail and going there.</p>
<p>I'm Going into Annenberg, I think. I went up for Presidential Scholar's Meet USC program and stayed in Birnkrant, but apparently the best dorms where EVERYONE wants to be are New/North. I'm excited for USC. I really REALLY wanted to go to Princeton (didn't happen :( ) but I'll prolly have more fun at USC, and they have better football, haha.</p>
<p>^ awwww i wanted to go to princeton too.</p>
<p>oh well. we'll have fun anyway, right?</p>
<p>Everyone can have as much fun as they decide they will--with the price of school us parents hope you all have a great time AND learn a lot + graduate in 4 years with a marketable skill!</p>
<p>HIMom, as a parent, I'm sure you speak for the masses. :)</p>
<p>The great thing about USC is you graduate with MORE than one marketable skill. The education at USC is wide and deep--who knows where that education will take you?</p>