<p>How's this university different from others? Campus size, activities (besides #1 football team), academics, etc..</p>
<p>What do you like best about it?</p>
<p>The size of campus is quite small, actually. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the other.</p>
<p>The best thing about USC is that it is not simply a school. It is a lineage that you are part of. Alumni are very strong.</p>
<p>The Trojan family is what sets apart USC from other schools. You'll hear more about it as you do more research on USC.</p>
<p>I love how much everybody loves the school, I have not met any freshman who is unsatisfied so far...and compared to some of my friends at some of the UCs, that is a very big deal. That and the individual attention, as a freshman 3 of my 4 classes are about 20 people or less. Obviously you'd find even more personal attention at smaller schools, but if you want a somewhat larger school and want that attention, USC is definitely the way to go.</p>
<p>"The size of campus is quite small, actually. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the other."</p>
<p>no it doesn't! lol i'm not that slow of a walker, but it takes me 15 minutes from leavey library to gfs/sgm!</p>
<p>It takes me 15 minutes to go from one corner to another, but definitely less to go from leavey to gfs. Either way, we are incredibly lucky. We don't have to leave half an hour early for class, like some friends I know (cough ucla cough). :)</p>
<p>I definitely agree that what sets USC apart is the love that everyone shares for it: students, alumni, you name it. I have not met a single person that was unhappy here. It's truly amazing. And it makes campus a nice place to be. </p>
<p>Along with the pride, I think that USC is special because it offers the complete college experience. Great academics, beautiful campus, fun social life, L.A., and, yes, of course the football team. We're not just a smart school, and we're not just a party school. People find ways to balance everything, which equals into an amazing experience here.</p>
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lol i'm not that slow of a walker, but it takes me 15 minutes from leavey library to gfs/sgm!
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Well, if you're doing it in the middle of the day, then I don't blame you, especially with all the traffic around Tommy Trojan/Commons area. All I can say is I have to do Parkside to Taper Hall on certain mornings (around 8:20, w/ little traffic) and that takes me about 8-9 mins.</p>
<p>I did Parkside to Zemeckis Center in 10 - 15 min. last semester</p>
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no it doesn't! lol i'm not that slow of a walker, but it takes me 15 minutes from leavey library to gfs/sgm!
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<p>15 min from Leavey to GFS?! Did a bike cross your path every other step? Haha.</p>
<p>Leavey to KAP takes me 15-20 minutes...mostly because I usually end up running into someone I know at the time I have my class in KAP and end up talking to someone.</p>
<p>Is this the sort of intense intellectual banter to which one should become accustomed if they wish to sit at the Trojan family table?</p>
<p>Marks Hall to KAP takes me 10-15 minutes. On rollerblades it takes 6 minutes because I have to slow down around Tommy Trojan to walking speed. And going around the bike ban areas actually takes longer for me.</p>
<p>being a Trojan is a lifestyle</p>
<p>thats what i love about it</p>
<p>all right guys i timed myself this morning from leavey to kap: 12 minutes!</p>
<p>i like to walk fast =]</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that it IS in a "bad" neighborhood of LA, so you have to keep that in mind when planning activities. They do have an escort & shuttle service to take you from one location to another. My husband had problems with the barbed concertina wire that surrounds the school when we drove around it. A friend whose son is there says that she feels her child is locked "IN" at USC, to be protected from the surrounding neighborhood. This year, they had about 100 freshmen entering from HI, so large contingent.</p>
<p>They have some generous merit aid, particularly for NMFs. I believe they need more chemistry students--anyone interested?</p>
<p>HImom,</p>
<p>What barbed concertina wire do you speak of? USC is surrounded by beautiful gates/fences, one that looks very similar to those found at Columbia, Harvard, and Brown - not barbed wire.</p>
<p>I sent HImom's contribution off to my son, a third year student at USC and asked for his response, which you'll find below:</p>
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You may not like everything I have to say but please, people need to hear it.</p>
<p>OK so here's my response to that:</p>
<p>Being freaked out about barbed wire sounds a little neurotic. I can tell you that most USC students wouldn't even know what that guy is talking about, I myself am not even sure where he saw barbed wire. Does he really think that that barbed wire is there to stop roving gangs of bloods and crips that might attack the campus at any second? And if that barbed is there, I can't imagine what purpose its serving. If someone wanted to get onto the USC campus, all they have to do is walk onto it. </p>
<p>Second thing, regarding the person who said their kid feels "locked in", I don't really know how to respond to that. What I'll assume is that their kid is a freshman and probably spends most of their time on campus, LIKE ALL FRESHMAN. But once they start finding out what's around campus, like the Ragazzi Room (a neat little cafe up on Hoover), they'll realize that there's more to the USC area than just the campus.</p>
<p>As for USC being in a bad neighborhood, that is complete and utter ********. It's a hysteric knee jerk reaction made by
white suburbanites who have never lived in an economically neglected urban environment populated by people with low incomes and dark skin. Yes, students have gotten mugged, yes, you have to be smart when you walk around at night. But how unusual is that? If I'm not mistaken the same thing applies to Temple and even Yale. So all this talk of USC being in the ghetto is stupid and borders on being classist and racist.</p>
<p>I live on Hoover and West 23rd st. It's a mile and a half away from campus, right on the boundary of what's considered the University area. DPS does not patrol where I live. I live in a house in the middle of a Hispanic neighborhood. Most of my neighbor's are families. In fact that's typical of most of the non-USC population, they are families in the lower income bracket who just happen to be living their lives around the University.</p>
<p>Seriously, I don't mind if people want to bag on our academics or our sports or whatever. That's fair game, but when you start going after the neighborhood, that's unfair, because these people are already fighting an uphill battle and it's wrong to fling even more mud in their faces. Get off your high suburban horse.
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<p>I'm glad your son feels safe at USC (as does much of the student body there). I was just offering the observations we made when we drove around it. I think highly of the academics offered by USC & have friends who are happy they are there (or went there & graduated). My friend who drove us there (with her husband) are not white & live in neighboring Pasadena. I agree that there are many campuses that are in or near neighborhoods which are somewhat unsafe & it's good to keep that in mind if it matters to the student & family. Yes, one friend's son is a freshman & still adjusting to life at USC from life in HI. Yes, it is well-recognized that there is a ton to do in LA.</p>
<p>I'm sorrry your son feels "mud is being flung" in the face of the neighborhood when I make statements about our impressions of USC. My son is affected by the neighborhood of various campuses, including the schools in Rochester because he was not attracted by what he saw of the city of Rochester as well (though the campuses of UR & RIT were also very lovely & sprawling). </p>
<p>By the way, I'm not saying my son & niece aren't going to apply there--they may well apply there & be very happy there if admitted & decide to attend, just saying what our impressions were when we did a drive around campus.</p>
<p>The barbed concertina wire is at the top of the gates & fences, all around the perimeter of the school. It is noticable if you are familiar with such things, despite the loveliness of the school.</p>