<p>I'm from TX, and I've been invited to interview for the Presidential Scholarship award at the Explore USC event...If I decide to go by myself (my parents won't be free), how will I get from the LAX to USC? Anyone have experience with this? Is there any type of specific transportation that Explore USC provides from the airport to school?</p>
<p>My S and I visited USC in the fall. It is a very easy cab ride from the airport. $50-75 one-way.</p>
<p>You can use Primetime shuttle from LAX to USC for about $15 each way. D uses this every time she flies. There is also an even cheaper public transit way many USC kids use-- hopefully someone will chime in on that way. </p>
<p>My son uses Primetime shuttle when he goes back from breaks. It can take a while to get to campus, depending on the number of stops it makes, but it only costs $15. On-line reservations are recommended. They are also easy to spot outside baggage claim…red vans.</p>
<p>There is another option - if you are good with mass transit you can google it. Take the free shuttle from LAX to the bus depot then take a bus or train to union station. The expo line will take you right from there to Jefferson Blvd (campus). All for $1.50! You can also take super shuttle (blue van) for about the same $15. You could take a flat rate taxi to union station, too (@40) and then the expo. I think that USC provides free shuttle back to LAX at conclusion if your filght is late enough. Good Luck!</p>
<p><a href=“Metro Trip Planner”>http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php</a></p>
<p>So do most students fly in to LAX the morning of Day 1 of Explore USC? Also, does anybody know how long the Primetime shuttle from LAX to USC is? Thanks!</p>
<p>^ It will depend on traffic (almost always bad, but sometimes worse) and how many people the shuttle is picking up at the time. It has usually taken about 25 (best time) to 60 minutes (more the usual) to get to USC from LAX with Primetime. </p>
<p>I just made flight/hotel/Primetime reservation for my daughter’s Explore 2014 trip. We’re only few hours away from USC but we can’t accompany her so she’s flying to LA by herself, but me and wifey will drive to LA on her second day (Friday) to join her. We’ll stay at the Radisson for one night.</p>
<p>It’s funny when my daughter mentioned to her “sheltered” friends that she’ll will fly to USC by herself. They were so concerned about her safety. They know that USC’s surrounding area is not the best neighborhood.</p>
<p>My question is, how bad is USC’s surrounding area? We visited the school last year and one side of the school looks depressed. Although I grew up in a worst area than that so it doesn’t look that bad to me. But for kids that grew up in a fairly affluent suburban neighborhood, that’s “bad” for them. But as we drove around USC, the other side looks OK and safe.</p>
<p>So how bad is it? Also, is Radisson inside the campus? Or adjacent to the campus? How far is it from the Admission office?</p>
<p>The Radisson is right across the street from USC (closer than some campus housing to the main quad area)-- right by the New/North dorms and very convenient. This is a very well lit, busy street that seems part of the USC campus-- not sketchy at all. </p>
<p>USC is in a downtown LA location and off campus there are working class and inner city neighborhoods. There has been a considerable amount of gentrification in the last two decades around USC and it continues to change the area. When you visit, be sure to drive around the areas and decide if you feel comfortable-- everyone has a different level of comfort. Eat in area restaurants and visit stores (hit the Target etc.) to get an idea of what things will be like off campus. It will depend on what you are used to. We live in another large metro area with affluent neighborhoods next to working class neighborhoods-- attending school together. So the area around USC wasn’t that big of a deal to us at all (after touring and seeing the changes). If we had only lived in a small town or rural setting, it may have been very different. </p>
<p>Your D will be on campus the whole time, and thus, relatively very safe (depending on her behavior). USC made several campus changes in 2012 in response to safety concerns, including a closed campus at night and fencing. </p>
<p>My son has been at USC for 4 years. Safety is a concern, but as long as your daughter is smart about it, she will be fine. Do not go on/plan to live on the west side of campus (off campus living after freshman year). Other areas are DPS patrolled and should be fine. But for this particular event, she will be with other kids and her host, and will definitely learn where she can and cannot go very quickly. I would not worry about her wondering off to the wrong section. And as camomof3 mentioned, the Radisson is right across the street. USC has ramped up security lately and it seems like it is working. There are homeless people on the streets at times, even by the Radisson,(not on campus though) but you just walk quickly and avoid them.</p>
<p>I walk to-and-from the Galen Center side of campus all the time (where the Radisson is), it’s one of the safest stretches outside of the main campus.</p>