“I came because it would put the least burden on my parents.”
As did our DS, who was also accepted at top colleges like Chicago, Dartmouth, Brown, Pomona, etc, etc.
And in fact he DID transfer to Chicago- for one qtr- and then realized his error and came back to USC.
He thrived after that- ignored the greeks[ which was easy to do as they comprise only 20% of UG’s] ,developed great friendships with other really smart students, got out of LA to hike nearly weekend with a group of outdoorsy students, avoided the whole rah- rah mentality, and sought out research opportunities. In sum he made the most of the opportunity. Most serious students will do the same.
I dont think that applicants have over romanticized images of USC, and I will point out that other private colleges have lots of rich kids, beautiful girls, great weather, great academics. etc. All of that can be said of Stanford.
There will ALWAYS be lots of rich, spoiled students at expensive private colleges. And a LOT of top colleges have problems with snobby, exclusive frats and clubs .
Part of the maturing process, which you are going through, is the ability to gain wisdom and adjust your perspective. I hope that will happen to you over time.
Having the words Trustee Scholar USC on your CV will open many doors to you.
@CharlesDavis I think you have been brave and sincere in coming to this forum and sharing your personal perspective. No university is perfect for everyone, nor can it be perfect for everyone at every moment. I like hearing diverse opinions and not all Pollyanna reports. You have raised several quality of (your) life issues and they are valid for you. Not everyone may feel the same, but I’m glad you posted about them.
The winter break is a time when many freshmen all across the country may be questioning their college choice decision. If you don’t instantly bond with a great friend group (and it’s hard to do that) or if you have friends at other colleges that seem to have adjusted quicker (greener grass…), it can weigh on a smart student’s mind. What I’ve observed is quite often, these not-quite-content kids rush off a flurry of transfer apps but then, somehow, by this second semester they find their groove a bit more, adjust and avoid the stuff they didn’t like, and often find one good friend or more with whom to venture off campus and engage in Los Angeles culture and fun. Sometimes, these students find they have a transfer acceptance in May/June just as they are feeling their present University is a great school. I have a friend (so older than you all) who was pretty unhappy first semester. She was younger than most freshmen and her roommate was terribly unhappy–missing a boyfriend back home. The two of them sort of built up a negative-cycle and that was too bad. So I tend to be very sympathetic to any freshman who is feeling “off” about their first semester, but I am actually optimistic that USC will feel like a much better, much more comfortable place once they get into their groove by second semester–finding better profs, good study groups, like-minded friends, etc. I wish you good luck @CharlesDavis. There are counselors available to all students who are feeling distanced from school “locked” on campus who are very used to the transition issues of very smart and analytical freshmen.
I rather like nauidiver’s take on exploring and integrating into the neighboring community in a service-oriented manner, and remembering that there is growth and teaching which happens on both sides of that relationship.
I would hesitate to dispense wholly with an opinion formed by someone who has a boots-on-the-ground, service-end relationship with members of a group (USC students) because of that very relationship. Let’s not forget that people choose when to display their manners and hometraining. Uber drivers and cab drivers are often the overlooked other party in the cab, and people will and do say and behave in ways unbecoming when they think no one is watching. Similarly to the ease with which one can overlook the housekeeper’s presence, one can do so with a driver and then reveal far more about one’s self than one is aware of, or intends to.
"Let’s see, an uber driver thought the kids at an exclusive private school where political leaders and zillionaires send their kids thought they seemed more entitled than those that go to a state school that is half the price. I think the people shopping at Nordstrom feel more entitled than those shopping at Target. "
Again more of the stereotypes from 20-30 years ago.
USC these days has far more poor people than rich people. 20-25% of USC undergrads are from “low income” families. 58% are from families with low enough income/assets to qualify for and receive financial aid.
Kids of political leaders and zillionaires go to UCLA and UCB as much as USC, these days, probably more. The average family income at UCLA is higher than USC these days. A bunch of things, including Prop 209, have changed UCLAs and UCBs demographics over the past 15 years, as has USC’s successful goal of attracting a more diverse student body. Whites are in the minority at usc and have been for a while now.
The old usc stereotypes are long gone. It is now a school that is academically selective, but otherwise highly inclusive, not exclusive. (The opposite of what it was 25 years ago)
Unless the Uber driver was referencing his/her experiences with kids a generation ago, the comment must stand.
The comment is that of one individual, and from one vantage point (and why not want to know the genesis of it, btw?) to be sure, but they are from an Uber driver - quite a contemporary creature.
Generally speaking, there is still a great difference socio-economically in the kids that go to state schools versus private schools. But people can think there isn’t if it makes them feel better. Caucasians are not the minority, they still represent the largest group of any race (33.7%) unless you are doing an “everyone else” versus them comparison. Wow, people see what they want to see.
^ Although when accounting for international students, the large majority of which are Chinese or Indian, Asians are the largest group; and it’s pretty noticeable as you walk through campus.
@CharlesDavis You mentioned that the intro CS course was slow to ramp up. Have you talked to upperclassman about the quality of upper division courses? What’s the quality of those?
@blueskies2day According to the USC 2015 statistics 18% are Asian and another 24% are International with the vast majority coming from China and other Asian countries. Within Viterbi, where my son is, it is probably twice that. I do agree with Charles Davis’ comment that despite the diverse study body students bubble together according to ethnicity (in general). I totally understand that. Despite this my son’s two closest friends at USC are both Asian Americans. For him it’s more because they were all Spring admits to the CS Games program.
My figures came from a press article from USC admissions where they broke down the numbers for 2014. Agree that races totally segregate at USC which is discouraging and makes it less friendly and welcoming than a lot of other schools, but people really stick with their own as they say there. I think this is a result of USC’s biggest problem which is its size, it is getting so out of hand and kids are not having the private school and personal experience they should. Many are just floating and lost in a mass of humanity there. Well not floating, cause it is so packed on campus now there is not room to float. It’s like being at Costco on a Saturday everyday there. That family/Trojan feel is dissipating.
Any school with large numbers of students of different ethnicities will have some kind of self-segregation going on. It’s not an issue only at USC, and it’s something that happens outside of colleges, too. It’s normal for people with common backgrounds and interests to want to hang-out together. It doesn’t mean they hate other ethnicities.
Back to USC’s CS offerings. I’ve worked as a programmer since the 80s, and I’ve never seen any relationship between where someone went to school and their programming skills. Basic undergraduate CS is pretty much the same across schools, and people with CS degrees coming out of Stanford, USC, Berkeley and Sacramento State are virtually indistinguishable. If you go to the CS and Engineering forums, you’ll constantly hear working professionals stress that where you went to school doesn’t matter - it’s what you know that matters.
I can appreciate that USC may not be for Charles Davis, but it’s a school that works very well for many students.
Echoing simba9’s comment, segregation is an issue at any university, and in life. What I have personally seen and heard from many others is that USC is inclusive - where people from diverse backgrounds commonly interact (see one students take from another thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19237051/#Comment_19237051). But students have to step out of their own comfort zones and participate in activities that bring a diverse set of people together - USC provides opportunities to do this (here are some examples: https://campusactivities.usc.edu/volunteer/service/projects/ ).
I agree that the segregation is rooted in a larger societal problem. We just naturally gravitate towards people similar to ourselves, and it takes conscious effort to become aware of that and break that habit.
This kind of bias permeates decisions we make on every level. It is called “unconscious bias” (also called “implicit bias” or “implicit association”). For example, managers often make decisions based on their biases–they may promote people who are more like themselves and overlook equally qualified people of a different race or ethnicity.
I think this sort of unconscious bias is at the root of the escalating racial tensions in this country. Because it’s unconscious, people erroneously believe racism is a thing of the past. Furthermore, people tend to feel shamed if they have to admit to themselves that they might make decisions and judgments based on racist biases. We need to take shame out of the equation and talk openly about it in order to effect lasting change.
I believe a good start would be to have a mandatory component of curriculum to educate all students about bias and how they can do real, tangible things in their everyday lives to overcome it. Awareness is the key to addressing the problem. Once you are aware of your own biases, you can take steps to consciously address them. You can also point out biased decision making when you see it happening in the workplace. In this way, we can start to address the very real problem that nobody wants to admit exists.