<p>Hi guys!!!!I am so excited... My hands are literally shaking!!!..
USC is one of my dream schools, so you know!...
I have quite a few questions I would like to ask you guys, who are current students of USC. Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>1) Safety concern:
I have heard about the crimes around USC, and rumors saying things like USC is not safe blah blah... Just wondering how true is that? I know USC is not in the best neighborhood in LA, but is it really that dangerous? I am planing on living on-campus, so would I be safe as long as I stay near the campus area?</p>
<p>2) Housing:
As I mentioned above, i am planing on living on campus. So which dorm is better? Do I get to pick or they just randomly assign me one? And how would you describe the dorm life? Fun(parties?)? Tedious? I am a very socializing kinda guy, so i really wish to make new friends while i live in dorm.
Also, I cooks a lot, do they have kitchens in dorms? </p>
<p>3) Campus Life:
I am half a party guy, so I wonder hows the social life at USC? Ive always heard that USC people party HARD... how true is that? So do people party like everyday or just weekends? On-campus mostly or off-campus? </p>
<p>4) Transportion:
I am not planing on buying a car after I move down to LA, since the traffic in LA is quite infamous. So would i be fine living on-campus without a car?
Also, how common is motorcycle down there? Do a lot of students ride motorcycles to school?</p>
<p>I really appreciate all your answers/opinions guys!! Thank you very much!</p>
<p>CONGRATULATIONS!!!</p>
<p>1) This has been discussed over and over, so you can probably use the search function to find threads with lots of info. Please try to visit USC 
if possible and find out for yourself.</p>
<p>2) Freshmen and sophomores have already received their housing assignments, and not all transfers who request USC housing receive an assignment. You will put your choices on your housing request and cross your fingers. In my experience as an observer, transfers who do receive USC housing assignments most often are assigned to USC off-campus apartments. (I can’t comment on dorm life because I am not a student, I am an old fuddy-duddy - I’ll let students chime in on that.) If you do not receive USC housing, there are a LOT of off-campus options available from cheap to expensive - don’t worry. Check out the transfer Facebook page. No, the dorms do not have kitchens, though they are all equipped with a mini-fridge and microwave combo. An apartment would be better for cooking by far.</p>
<p>3) See old fuddy-duddy status mentioned above. Others can fill you in :)</p>
<p>4) Yes, you will be fine without a car. Most students advise making friends with some people who DO have cars and then contributing generously when those friends give you rides or take you along. I have seen a few motorcycles, but I wouldn’t say that “a lot” of students have them, but certainly “some.” The motorcycle parking permit is cheaper than the regular parking permit ($58.50/semester for motorcycle, minimum of $301.50/semester for a car <a href=“Parking Rates - USC Transportation”>http://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/parking-rates/</a> ) so that is a plus for a motorcycle.</p>
<p>Again, CONGRATS!</p>
<p>MMMM TThank you very much sir!!!
Guys any more opinions to share?</p>
<p>Drop a line, anything guys!! Appreciate it!</p>
<p>Love the enthusiasm! Congrats!
Where are you transferring from?</p>
<p>1) Same as any large university in a city environment. Always stay smart and aware of your surroundings. Most crime is random/of opportunity and the same as you’d find in New York. Staying in the student areas around campus helps, but you also have to explore LA at some point!</p>
<p>2) It might be different because your a transfer. I’d need to know your year and stuff.</p>
<p>3) It has a whole spectrum. The social life is great and you can party when you want or take a break from it. No surprise Thurs, Fri, and Sat are the party nights, but it takes a special kind of person to party all 3.</p>
<p>4) You’ll be fine w/o a car. The metro system is way better than it was just 5 years ago and a number of students use Lyft (or Uber or Sidecar…).</p>
<p>The New York thing isn’t actually true. The crime has gone down significantly there. USC is right by Compton, so just be aware of your surroundings. You’ll be fine there.</p>
<p>Safety - our son is just starting at USC this fall so we have no experience there. That said, safety was a big concern for us because of what we had “heard” about USC. When we looked into it while visiting, we concluded: (1) no different risks than other large urban areas, as stated above, (2) USC has really upped its on campus and perimeter security in the past few years, via manpower and high tech, and the chance of something violent happening on or adjacent to campus has been minimized, (3) students need to be smart about living in a big city.</p>
<p>Compton is 11.7 miles from USC which in city terms is not close at all. Heck, 11 blocks in a city can be a completely different neighborhood. If you are scared of the area around USC stay out of cities altogether, they aren’t for you. I’m not saying there isn’t crime, things happen, but it is not as bleak as people describe. And I have driven through the bad parts of LA, no different than NY, StL, Chicago or other big cities, they all have them. Just be smart like you should be anywhere you go!</p>
<p>AnnieBeats: Do you even have a connection to USC? If you’re saying New York (City) and LA don’t have the same crime, then please explain. Most of what I hear from both cities are muggings, burglaries, and stolen bikes (USC vs NYU). Of course, as in any metropolitan area, there’s more egregious crimes but relatively rarer. The majority of people aren’t directly affected by these unfortunate transpirations (victim or witness or close relative/friend).</p>
<p>As everyone’s saying, be smart and aware of your surroundings and the odds will be in your favor.</p>
<p>Things closer to USC than Compton:
DTLA (getting nicer as it’s being gentrified)
Hollywood (pretty nice place)
Beverly Hills (even nicer place)
UCLA (horrible place)
The beach (surfs up!)
Dr Dre’s check book (originally from Compton)</p>