<p>This is my first post here, just registered, still getting the lay of the land here. Briefly, my 12th grade daughter has applied at USC (Univ. of Southern Calif.), to major in broadcast journalism. She is quite set and passionate about that major. We've heard good things about USC and that particular major there. And then, I heard a tidbit about a past reputation as a party school, weak lower division classes, so I googled 'usc party school' and came across a plethora of negative comments from various sites. An amazing concoction of negative remarks actually. Rather surprising and sobering. The Annenberg School of Communication held up pretty well though, as did the broadcast journalism major. Any personal experiences with USC and that department? She is already accepted into a public univ. with that major, but really wants the degree from USC. I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks much.</p>
<p>USC's broadcast journalism program is pretty good, another major besides TV/Film that I'd give dispensation for. This from someone who is generally very anti-USC. And fwiw, I think President Sample has been doing and trying to do a lot of good things as far as academics go though in some ways I think he's like King Canute. It's a very good school to be "social" at.</p>
<p>Big schools with big football are more likely to be "party schools" than small colleges with no major sports. I'm not very familiar with USC specifically, but I would warn you against necessarily trusting things you would find googling the terms you did. The department your daughter is interested in doesn't sound bad, and if she wants to avoid the partying, at a school that large, I'm sure she can do it. Investigate the department's website and look at the pages about the professors, if you want. Your daughter can email or call someone from the department to talk about the program and any concerns she has, and I think it would be perfectly acceptable for her to ask for the name and email address of someone in the program. She can ask that person about the classes and campus atmosphere. Congrats on her other acceptance!</p>
<p>All I can say is visit!!! If your daughter is very tall, thin, blonde and tan, gets faint at the site of a quarterback and not particularly academic, she may like it!!</p>
<p>Ok, I'll take the bait. Why are you generally very anti-USC? I have recently read a plethora of negative remarks about USC, though Annenberg and this particular major seems to hold up well. She's been accepted already into a public univ. with this major, but strongly prefers USC because of what we thought was a fairly solid, positive reputation. She cares more about getting an excellent education, strong internships, and such, rather than being social. She's already doing an internship at a local cable tv station and is getting great experience there and loves, loves, loves it.</p>
<p>I don't know much about the communications school, but I applied to USC's school of engineering 2 years ago. My dad and I visited for a scholarship interview, and both he and I were very impressed by the school. They seemed to have many opportunities for top students (guaranteed research positions etc.). A police officer spoke to my parents, and my dad afterwards felt that as long as I had some common sense, USC would be a safe enough school to attend. My dad seemed to wish that he had attended USC as it is today- apparently the SoCal weather is much more appealing than the snow he had to put up with as a student.</p>
<p>I didn't post correctly. My "Ok, I'll take the bait." was meant for TheDad. Still trying to get used to the site.</p>
<p>My info about USC is limited to folks whose kids attend my kids' HS & those whose kids were in Boy Scouts with my S. They have nothing but very positive things to say about USC (all the kids are very academic & the HS they graduated from is very academic). In fact, many of the NMFs from my S's HS (& other HSs) attend USC because they give NMFs 1/2 tuition merit awards, so they're not going to USC just to party.
Personally, I'm glad there is a social component, as engineering (my S's major) is tough enough without everyone being totally stressed out all the time. My S's idea of "partying" is some Ultimate Frisbee, some video & computer gaming & some food. He really isn't a drinker, nor are his friends (to the best of my knowledge).
None of the families whose kids attend(ed) USC currently or recently said anything about an excessive partying aspect. I know, like at most campuses, if you want to find partying, it's there. On the other hand, since USC is a large school, you can find lots of other niches if you're interested in them & my S & the families I've spoken with all say that their kids have been very comfortable socially & academically at USC.
Hope this info is helpful. The Greek scene (frats & sororities) provide more of the party scene (I believe) than the dorms. Don't know too much about this, since my S isn't interested in any of this, but I will try to get more info when he's home over Winter Break.
Oh yea, USC has some awesome internship opportunties, I've been told (with the engineering department has their own internship & career placement center). I'd definitely encourage you & your child to visit the school & see what you think--the resources available are pretty amazing.</p>
<p>Well, she is tall, thin, brunette, pretty, but doesn't faint for quarterbacks and is academically inclined. She just wants a strong background and education in this major. Do you have any personal experiences or insights regarding USC? That's what we're looking for. Thanks to all.</p>
<p>The strong major, internships, facilities, core classes, and the fact that USC trains the journalism students across newswriting, broadcast and on-line is what has impressed us. Other colleges with this major have just an emphasis in this area, whereas USC seems to have really designed this major quite well. I can tune out remarks about the party scene, as my daughter will have to make her own choices and set her moral compass wherever she attends. I was more concerned about negative remarks about the GE lower division classes--and I read quite a few. Maybe she'd do better going to the public univ. for 1-2 yrs., and then transferring to USC for the upper division work???</p>
<p>Sorry, it's late....I know several people who went/go to USC, most good students who were roped in by very big merit dollars. One friend, who went to a very academic high school and is a freshman there, calls it "college lite." Almost all colleges party hard but I think UCS redefines partying. I spent a weekend there in October and it was over the top. </p>
<p>One friend left for Occidental and another for Scripps.</p>
<p>Something to think about is that it's much easier to make friends & network as a freshman than a transfer student; once students get comfortable/settled, they may not wish to uproot & end up waiting until grad school before they're read to move on. Merit $$ is also much easier to get for freshmen.</p>
<p>Really, the kids I know who attended USC (& our school sends about 10% of its graduating class to USC every year, mostly NMFs) are pretty satisfied there & I'm not aware of any of them transferring elsewhere. Those I know graduate from USC with their values intact, get jobs (or into grad school) & go on to live good lives. They & their families seem satisfied with the balance they strike between academics & socializing. They have to keep their grades up to keep their merit awards and have internships & grad school as options.</p>
<p>Perhaps it depends on the kid, friends & dorm/living situation? I've not heard anything "lite" about the engineering program, which is the field many of the kids I know enroll in.</p>
<p>Are her interests in an area that would require graduate work? If so, she may want to focus on getting a well-rounded general education in college in order to attend an excellent graduate school of journalism.</p>
<p>Well I'm biased as a current student but I can at least give some insight.</p>
<p>USC hasn't been a party school for well over a decade. President Sample put his foot down and cleaned up things when he came here back in '91. People keep propagating these myths, though, that are antiquated, misinterpreted, or just plain wrong.</p>
<p>As for lower division courses, maybe a few leave some to be desired but by and large they're quite good. One thing at USC you'll get is strong interaction with the professors that you can only get with courses that contain 40, 30, or even only 20 students in a class. At your state U you'll probably start out with 150, 200, or even 300 people in a class for the lower-division stuff - while there may be a few large lecture classes at USC, they're the exception, not the rule. </p>
<p>Also, a lot of the time when people complain about GE's it's because they got bad grades in them, and they get vocal about it. No one hears very much from the people who liked their GE's and/or did well.</p>
<p>My feelings about USC are kind of a mixed bag. On one hand, I don't always have a great deal of respect for the school. On the other hand, I have many good friends there, a sister who will probably go there (film), and it was one of my own final choices.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>To say that USC hasn't been a party school for well over a decade is horribly misleading. It may have been a BIGGER one that long ago...I have no idea...but it is most certainly still a very, VERY social place (I see "party school" as an appropriate label). And I know this information fairly directly: many friends at the school (not all big party people, themselves), a sister who spent summer school there, and I go to a school near LA where students very often go to USC to party. </p></li>
<li><p>If your daughter is NOT comfortable in a very social environment, USC may not be the good place. I had one friend who was perfectly nice, friendly, and social, but not at <em>ALL</em> a party-goer. She loved USC academically, but ended up moving off-campus early on to avoid the entire social scene. It's very football, frat/sorority, and alcohol focused (not entirely, but largely).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>THAT SAID...</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Incredibly social or otherwise, almost all those I know at USC are very intelligent people (a few athletes aside, and I do not mean that in a stereotypical way. I mean that I know people far below USC academic level who were promised spots on the basis of athletics alone, which is unsurprising). I know very, very smart people who are enjoying their classes and being highly challenged.</p></li>
<li><p>It's hard to beat USC's alum network. In most kinds of media, the same also holds for reputation. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I would really recommend that your daughter spend a night or weekend on campus. I know that my sister has zero interest in sororities or football, but she's a social girl and not uncomfortable being on a campus with that climate. If your daughter feels similarly, then she should be great. If it's primarily you that's worried about the social climate, then these worries probably won't have to be any greater than they would be at the state school (depending on which one). I think USC gets the "party school" reputation especially strongly b/c of its private status.</p>
<p>On another note, the campus--while it's not in the most amazing area ever--is BEAUTIFUL and well-equipped. As a student at a very small LAC, I'm always blown away! Good luck to you and your daughter :-)</p>
<p>I have two children away at school, one at USC. It is the lesser "party" school of the two - tons of fun there, but appropriate fun, not constant distraction. The kids seem to be serious students, the faculty is engaged with them, the libraries are terrific resources. We think it's a fantastic school and can't imagine who would find fault with it. There are always a lot of cultural opportunies thanks to the Visions and Voices series - it's just a great institution, only getting better.</p>
<p>m-o-t, I recommend you drop by your local big bookstore and browse through their college guidebooks for information on USC. I like the format of Fiske's guide, but each has something different to add to the mix. There are at least a dozen books, but you can review your entire short list of schools in the time it takes for a latte and a muffin in the coffee area. I suppose it is even possible to buy a book.</p>
<p>Probably everyone does this, but the way I evaluate a guidebook is start with their reports on schools I am already very familiar with. If the evaluation seems right then my confidence level that I would agree with their views on unknown schools goes up.</p>
<p>Sampling internet chatter, which is what you seem to have done, is not a good way to evaluate a school. What balanced, happy student has time or would bother to say something favorable about their school?</p>
<p>Great information. Thank you. USC is certainly large enough so that if she wants to avoid the party scene, she'll find other like-minded students to hang with. She's pretty social, but not at all the cheerleader type; and I doubt she'll go with a sorority. We're in the So. Calif. area and there are limited choices here for this major, with USC being the one that certainly looks the best overall. All these responses have been helpful. Thank you to everyone for the input.</p>
<p>"Sampling internet chatter, which is what you seem to have done, is not a good way to evaluate a school. What balanced, happy student has time or would bother to say something favorable about their school?"</p>
<p>That's why I came here! I knew to tune a lot of the static out. Numerous comments though about weak GE classes were of more concern. She's interviewed with USC, toured the campus, scoured the website and the core classes for this major--and the program just looks really strong. Thank you for the input and for posting.</p>
<p>Good to know. Thank you.</p>