<p>@shellz Sorry USC grads busy in reality. Somewhere SeattleTW refuses to visit. Nonetheless I have been meaning to respond to this after my initial brief and inconsequential comment. Two other respectable alumni USCAlum05 and simba9 have made good points and are sane to stay away.</p>
<p>I only skimmed the article from OP, as I assume SeattleTW did, because Nikias address two points SeattleTW harps on: “graduation rates will take a hit” and “the institution’s brand will take a blow”. Increasing numbers of transfer students, including from CCs, didn’t start this year. It’s been happening over the past several years and the only statistically significant changes in these two figures have been positive. Therefore these points are just hot air. The data shows there’s no merit to this argument. Additionally, no where does Nikias say ‘Go to a CC to have easy studies.’ </p>
<p>“Institutionalizing tiers of students and fostering resentment among them, especially between the matriculating, high achieving fall admits and bargain-hunting, low achieving transfers is what Nikias has promoted.”
This is idiotic. There is no resentment from students unless they’re ■■■■■■■■. There’s no hierarchy of which you speak. Only idiots who think Greek life is the only way to party think in those terms. If you mean purely in an academic sense, then it’s really ignorant. Plenty of student athletes do well in the classroom and no one looks down on them.
Ex: <a href=“http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/072114aaa.html”>http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/072114aaa.html</a></p>
<p>If USC is considering @RandomNewGuy for a Fellowship I’m confident he would’ve done just as well in GEs at USC, especially with the Honors program he did sounding more challenging. That line about GEs is weak. GEs are the easiest classes. Classes were even easier when you went to USC. Saying you took the most challenging ones is laughable. Did they make you read Goodnight Moon?
The … hypocrisy or irony or double standard or whatever you want to call it, is astounding.</p>
<p>“I received departmental honors after drafting a thesis and being approved by my honors professor.”
Again, there’s just as much validity in you saying that CC classes are not as challenging as USC classes as me saying you had it easy because USC was academically weak when you attended.</p>
<p>When the college ratings people pay attention to today started coming out, such as U.S. News & World Report starting in 1983, USC didn’t crack the top 40 until 2001.
<a href=“U.S. News Rankings Through the Years”>http://web.archive.org/web/20070905010206/chronicle.com/stats/usnews/index.php?category=Universities&orgs=&sort=1983</a>
USC is not an academic powerhouse and now internationally respected because of students like you at that time. Students like you who graduated and became successful were instrumental in providing the network and resources to allow for our rise in the rankings and for us to have a smarter student body.</p>
<p>Two more links:
<a href=“US News top schools: 1983 versus 2006 - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/216507-us-news-top-schools-1983-versus-2006.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/09/09/infographic-30-editions-of-the-us-news-best-colleges-rankings”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/09/09/infographic-30-editions-of-the-us-news-best-colleges-rankings</a></p>
<p>Your arguments are so ridiculous that people who start in the middle or even on your side move away from your stance. It’s toxic.
You’re probably also the kind of person ok with all decent housing around USC being $1000/month for a double because if students can’t afford that then they don’t deserve to be at USC anyway.</p>
<p>@SeattleTW Times are changing. Grow up.</p>