<p>I know that USC is a research university, however are the programs (more specifically engineering) geared towards hands-on or theory/reading?</p>
<p>For mechanical my understanding (several friends in it) is that you somewhat control your emphasis. If you want hands-on then joining the clubs or getting involved with projects (and there’s many) will give you great experience and make your resume stand out. If you want research, then go to profs office hours freshmen year to build relationships and you should be able to start doing research sophomore year. You can also talk to your counselor about your future desires, which if masters/Ph.D. then they can help you plan for that.</p>
<p>Definitely more of a hands-on university compared to the UC’s but more research oriented than Cal Poly. It’s somewhere in the middle (good balance).</p>
<p>Is it easy to get involved into the hands on stuff or exlusive due to capacity? @psydent @CygnusFiend and thanks you :)</p>
<p>Seems to be on the easier side to get involved on the hands on stuff, esp when compared to impacted or less funded schools. Like most things in college it is what you make of it. If you seek these things out, there are many opportunities. </p>
<p>Mechanical seems to have a good deal of projects so a good capacity. However, what might be the most desired projects (race cars, etc) will only accept the highest caliber members.</p>
<p>I was lucky because in my field (CS, software), there are limitless projects. For example, you could pair up with a friend and create an app prototype in a weekend for fun. Of course there are more formal projects and (too) many students that have an idea for a startup.</p>
<p>Aero and astro usually have things going on with flight and rockets, which is cool. EE have things with circuits, signals, lasers, etc. Other engineering fields I’m less familiar with. </p>