<p>Yeah I’m not sure if it was a good sign or not, hopefully good though! I know I was the ONLY one that had an experience like that, I have no idea why…I applied as major in one of the natural sciences. Some IR kids got tricky questions but that makes more sense. Anyways good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>@itiswritten: you’re not the only one. I too applied as a natural sciences major and got tricky questions about non-sciencey current events… what did they ask you about? I got asked about the UN and how USC can alleviate urban problems… go figure.</p>
<p>May I ask who interviewed you? We might’ve had the same ones, who asked people those kinds of questions.</p>
<p>@2gurlzmum. That sounds perfect, shows she’s professional but still a teenager. I was just warning against short hemlines and jeans!</p>
<p>When I went to Explore, the Marshall students I talked to and myself received just one question about current events but it wasn’t a big deal because the rest of the interviews for all of us went well. If you don’t know how to answer it, just be honest and say that you can’t make give an informed answer at the moment and they will appreciate your honesty.</p>
<p>@itiswritten Really the point of the interview was to get to know the applicant better–“the interview is the sole determinant of your scholarship” isn’t necessarily true, as they’ve read your application. Instead, they are taking what they learned in your application and adding to it with 1) how you act in person 2) your quick responses to questions and 3) your professionalism. In the words of my host student, “they’re trying to see if you’re a cool dude.” Whatever you wrote in your application must have compelled them to ask you about current events. I was there as a Cinematic Arts major, so I don’t know all too much about what’s important for natural science majors–perhaps they were looking for you to show that you were thinking about not only science but what you could do with science to improve the world? I can imagine aspiring scientists with visions appeal to USC the most.</p>
<p>I interviewed for Production, and my questions tended to be either about my beliefs about film or to more clearly define the ideas I put forth in my application. It was a rather casual interview, that was more akin to a philosophical conversation in nature.</p>
<p>Sky,
The comments have centered quite a bit on the interview. Could you tell us your impressions of the campus, interest of the faculty, friendliness of the students, cinema facilities and the campus tour?</p>
<p>Many of these students who will visit are from across the country and have never seen the campus before the Explore experience. Thanks.</p>
<p>@icesk8girl: They asked me about healthcare systems in Europe, what the problems in the US’s healthcare system are, my opinion on how things should be run, etc. I did say that health policy was an interest of mine for the distant future, but that’s it. An interest. It was also difficult because I had to be careful not to say anything that any of them might completely disagree with and possibly offend them! I think I knew enough to answer the questions, though. Hm that’s an odd question! Haha. Well I got asked the harder questions by a professor in Marine Biology… The other two interviewers mostly stuck to the basic kinds of questions. What about you?</p>
<p>@February94: I did mention that, that I cannot be sure that what I think is right, and that also that why I plan on studying the subject at USC to find out. Marshall is the school of Business, right?</p>
<p>@ZucchiniSky: Thanks, that actually makes me feel better! Did you go to Explore this year?</p>
<p>@itiswritten Sorry I did not mean to direct my post to you! I was just sharing my experience and advice to future interviewees. And yes, business!</p>
<p>Such a cool weekend, the whole campus really makes you feel like you belong. The interview really was not that bad,they repeatedly stress that it’s more of a conversation than anything, and I’m glad to say this is true.</p>
<p>Ditto about the whole interview-conversation thing. </p>
<p>Overall the experience was pretty amazing. The school itself was great, and the people are all very fun and interesting. Someone said that they treat you like royalty, and that’s true. At two of the sessions I went to, they tried to bribe you by passing around candy in a basket, but it worked! The facilities are gorgeous. </p>
<p>I’ll just comment on some of the things I didn’t like, but know that the good far outweighed the bad (so assume everything else was good/ask me in private): </p>
<p>The housing. We visited two or three dorms, and Birkrant and Parkside were fair enough, but the one I stayed at (Cardinal Gardens) was not that great. It blended in with the surrounding neighborhood - which isn’t a good thing. It was also a long walk back to campus, and I could imagine myself tiring of the walk pretty quickly. The dorms on campus should be better though - but what about the years after freshman year =/? The area around campus is also not that nice. USC suddenly becomes this paradise. I love LA, but it seems that USC is kind of fake, as its built in the middle of this ‘ghetto’ area. They are trying to renovate the area, so hopefully that should make it better. </p>
<p>In terms of the food, Town and Gown was good, but I didn’t enjoy Parkside dinner or breakfast at all. I might have eaten the wrong things, but the choice wasn’t great either. The two times I went to UCLA DeNeve, UCLA had MUCH better food. </p>
<p>Besides those things though, I was impressed with USC. I’m sure with its large-ish student body I’ll find a niche, and in the meantime I could enjoy the wonderful professors.</p>
<p>As side notes, I’ll probably apply to Thematic Options, it looks interesting. If I decide to come to USC, I’l also probably buy tons of milkshakes from Ground Zero =P.</p>
<p>@february94: Oh don’t worry I wasn’t offended in any way! I actually thought it was helpful. No need to apologize :)</p>
<p>We can heartily second what Isurus said. We had perfect weather to boot! D raved about the milkshakes, so they must be good. We ate lunch off campus the first day and there are good options just off campus, which helps the food situation. She really found the Thematic Option speaker to be very engaging and likes what they have to offer - except how it could fit in with an Engineering Curriculum. But that would be her problem.</p>
<p>The other things that was interesting was there were two other girls paired with D’s host. And it sounded like the two other girls were ready to party and kept bemoaning the drinking age being 21. And one of them, when queried by their hostess, replied that she was going into engineering to “make a bunch of money”. D hopes that one does not receive a scholarship…certainly not over D.</p>
<p>@Oliviapoppens, now I understand what you mean. After the interviewees started trickling out, I saw a girl in what looked like a sundress. In what industry is that considered business attire?</p>
<p>Today I received a handwritten postcard from one of my interviewers (Matthew). I’m pretty sure that other people probably got one too, but it was definitely a nice touch and it’s making me like USC a lot more :).</p>
<p>Any idea when we will find out which scholarship we received? I interviewed for a presidential.</p>
<p>SillySand: Two more weeks.</p>
<p>Son received a very nice handwritten postcard from the Professor who interviewed him during the Presidential scholarship ExploreUSC weekend. We were impressed with this!</p>
<p>I did not get a handwritten postcard, but instead I received a magnet picture frame from Marshall :)</p>
<p>I received the same magnet letter from Marshall also (:</p>
<p>Son applied to Dornsife, social sciences. Maybe they don’t have the budget as Marshall… that’s why he only received a postcard. Ha ha</p>
<p>I applied to Dornsife too, the business school of course would have more money >.></p>