<p>I have asked this of a couple of other threads and would be curious as to the answers regarding USC:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is the marching band no cut</p></li>
<li><p>Is the campus diverese and inclusive...and do black students seem to be welcoming and accepting to one another?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the feel of the school in general welcoming or elitist?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks!
T</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I have no idea, sorry.</p></li>
<li><p>The campus is kind of white, but there are minority groups and such, plus black fraternities/sororities. I haven’t noticed any racism, but I did hear of one racist/inclusive fraternity (you have to be white, from SC to get in). But in general the campus is inclusive.</p></li>
<li><p>I would say that it’s very welcoming. People come from many different backgrounds and places all over the US.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>According to the Institutional Assessment & Compliance data compiled by USC, the following was the racial ethnic composition of the undergraduate student body in Fall 2010:
• White = 77.8%
• African-American = 10.8%
• Hispanic = 3.3%
• Mixed = 2.9%
• Asian = 2.5%
• Other/Unreported = 2.7%</p>
<p>According to a recent USC press release, “African-American freshman enrollment is expected to be up by 8 percent.” (Note: That’s PERCENT, not PERCENTAGE POINTS.)</p>
<p>Per jmarietol’s comment, my sense is that the composition of the Honors Residence skews White compared with the overall undergraduate student body, but I have not seen any data on this.</p>
<p>Thank you for the feedback. It is helpful to hear from those living in the situation!
T</p>
<p>I’m not a student, but my son is in the marching band. This year it was no cut for wind instruments, but starting next year there will be auditions, or at least that is what they said in the music dept newsletter.</p>
<p>They are trying very hard to increase the size of the marching band, so even if they have auditions next year, I don’t think that they will cut many people.</p>
<p>By the way, he is loving it although he is not a football fan. The director is great and there is nothing negative about the marching band program at all.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is the marching band no cut
If you’re a wind player, this is the case. There’s a new director, so things might change, but I doubt it’d become super competitive. If I remember correctly, you had to audition before this year, so this is just a weird year I guess.</p></li>
<li><p>Is the campus diverese and inclusive…and do black students seem to be welcoming and accepting to one another?
It’s diverse if you want it to be. I’m a theatre major, and there are a lot of black student in the Theatre program for some reason and I’d say we all get along well. In my French class, there isn’t a single black student though. So I’d say it probably depends on the program you’re in for how diverse USC will seem. As far as diversity goes in residence halls, you’ve got things like the Carolina Global Community which has students from all over the world, so if you want diversity, you’ve at least got that.</p></li>
<li><p>Is the feel of the school in general welcoming or elitist?
I think it’s very welcoming. Honestly, I only chose USC for the money, but I’ve absolutely fell in love with it while being here.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Can’t speak to the point about marching band, but with regards to diversity/inclusion: I’ve found the campus to be extremely welcoming, and I really enjoy the diversity of it. It’s diverse in more ways than just skin color, but how diverse it seems to you will really depend on where you’re coming from. And I think there’s a very strong African-American community on campus that’s very inclusive. Beyond the fraternities and sororities, there is also AAAS (Association of African American Students, I believe) and a number of other organizations that I know I’ve heard of, but couldn’t tell you about specifically. Check the listing on the University’s website/ There is a sorority that is specifically the multicultural sorority, as well as a variety of cultural organizations on campus for students of every background and religious group. So no matter who you are, or who you want to be, I think you can find a place here.</p>