Hello, I’m new to posting on this forum (even though I’ve used it since I was an undergrad…this site actually can make a person go crazy I think, especially the part about “what are my chances”). And I really need to ask about USC.
As an alumni of UCLA (class of 2009), I only know of USC as our rivals/enemies. We never wore red, gave blood during “Beat SC” week, and our favorite teams were UCLA and whoever was playing USC. Wow so much of our rivalry is actually predicated on sports!
But now, as an educational consultant, I NEED to know more about USC, and something in me is simply biased and refuses to acknowledge all the good in our enemies, (especially since they surpassed us this year in the US NEWS rankings!).
Other than their business school, what else are the great advantages of attending USC? What makes them so elite? Other than “legacy” and the hook ups that come with it, the business programs, and football…what’s the allure of SC’?
As a parent of a junior there, my impression of USC has only grown over the last two-plus years. They are excellent at all of the things that are important to parents… from communication to financial aid to all of their various online portals related to registration, assistance, tracking, housing, etc. They are just quite simply a well-funded and well-oiled machine. USC has mastered the college experience, in my opinion, including everything related to the exchange of information.
From the perspective of someone looking to attend USC, I recall my daughter being most impressed with the following: the fact that it is private, its location, the strength of its alumni network globally, its #1 ranked film school, its top-five acting programs, all of the connections that can be made while there and as an alum, its vastly improving school of communication, the weather, its campus and its overall student body diversity and social life.
Others may also cite its business school, its engineering school, the historical strength of its various athletic programs, The Row, its new school dedicated to the music industry, its programs in dance, etc. No other American university offers more majors or minors. And no other American university offers more student organizations. So even those who are still searching for their chosen path should be able to explore and identify what excites or challenges themselves while there. More international students attend USC than any other American university as well, so that offers an unique opportunity itself toward learning through that level of exposure to greater diversity.
USC is clearly not for everyone. So it is a good thing there are 3K+ options in the U.S. in terms of colleges and universities. Three years ago, it was my daughter’s third or fourth choice when she started the application process as someone who had not even visited yet. Now it is my second daughter’s top choice as she applies to colleges this year. Everyone who supports USC will have their own list of reasons. These are just some of my family’s reasons for supporting and choosing USC…
Wow… it’s amazing how some UCLA people have a very narrow view of USC. As a Bruin, you have to keep in mind that while UCLA historically has had over 90% of its kids come from in-state, USC only has around 40-45% of its students come from California. They don’t know much about the rivalry and, beyond reflexive trash talking, they don’t care. USC and UCLA are simply fundamentally different types of institutions and, sports aside, they’re really no more rivals than they are with Caltech and the Claremont Colleges.
That said, the strengths of USC…
USC unquestionably has the absolute best communications programs of any university in the world. The film school consistently ranks #1 in the world, while the theater school, comm school, arts school, music school, etc. all are top 5. TrojanVision, the campus TV station, has been ranked #1 in the country on numerous occasions. Combine that with a top 10-20 business school, a top 20 law school, a top 10-15 engineering school, etc. and this is how you get none less than Bill Gates saying that “USC is where the communications revolution is actually happening.” Nowadays, USC is to Hollywood what Stanford is to Silicon Valley.
USC is a very dynamic and forward-thinking institution in a way that local/native Californians don’t appreciate. The school has a large international student population and that cauldron of ideas makes for a fantastic education above and beyond books and lectures. The school is in the right place (Pacific Rim) at the right time (Asian Century) and has a TON of upward momentum, with $5.5 billion of a $6 billion endowment campaign in place. In another generation, there won’t be any question that USC is the better overall school.
USC gives a LOT of merit aid which helps make the school more affordable and more desirable for non-wealthy families. The school offers a good number of full tuition and half tuition scholarships which help offset the cost of undergrad, along with some post-grad scholarships. The school also has one of the very largest pools of financial aid of any university in the country which is how USC apparently now has more socioeconomic diversity than any other top private school in the country.
USC does a fantastic job of making a big school feel small. I never ever felt like a number on the campus as I was constantly running into friends and the class sizes are generally small-ish. The university’s main problem has been a dearth of housing (part of its growth/shift from a regional commuter school to a truly world-class university) which they are working on diligently with the USC Village project and which private companies are also helping to address.
USC has a great culture of community service. Despite the stereotype of arrogant rich kids, I went to school with a lot of fantastic, caring people who spent all sorts of time volunteering in the university’s many outreach programs with the struggling neighborhoods surrounding the campus. In the last year or two, USC’s Neighborhood Academic Initiative (brings in kids from surrounding L.A. Unified schools for academic enrichment programs starting in junior high) got its first kid into Harvard and that kid’s twin brother got an appointment to West Point. USC was named College of the Year in 2000 by Time Magazine, in large part for its extensive outreach and community service programs.
USC strongly encourages students to study across discipines, and makes it relatively easy. The school has dozens (if not hundreds) of minors and also makes double majoring relatively easy. That way you can graduate with multiple areas of expertise and, as the thinking goes, approach problems in the professional world from multiple perspectives.
USC alums care for each other and watch each others’ backs. The Trojan Family is very real and a nice benefit.
Despite whatever criticisms I may have stated on here, I would absolutely choose to go to USC again. Like a lot of other recent alums, I was very fortunate to have my pick of schools and picked USC over several other more highly ranked schools. I’m jaded about the education system in general these days, but within that world USC is absolutely fantastic and I’ve never had a problem recommending the school to anyone. California has a lot of truly great universities (UCLA is one of them) and this is where too many people don’t appreciate how amazing they all are, albeit in different ways.
Well said USCAlumo5. Agree with the narrow view by some UCLA folks, it still exists, a lot.
When we were in the decision process after being accepted at both schools, if we told a USC alum we were looking at both schools, they would say, “They are both great schools,” then talk about what they liked about USC. A UCLA alum would always have a snarky comment, which I found odd, like they weren’t mature enough or were too insecure to have an adult conversation. My kids noticed it without me saying a thing and it didn’t represent UCLA well to them. Generally speaking, I think people at USC are more broad minded in many respects, or maybe just more secure, idk. Private and public education have a lot of differences, many of the benefits of USC are in the post above.
Being in such an integral part of LA makes USC more exciting and offers great experience to grow. It’s edgier in a good way. Good to know how to navigate a city unless you plan on never leaving the farm.
The Trojan network is not a marketing thing thrown out there, it is taken seriously by any Trojan. I honestly don’t know if UC grads look out for/hire UC grads, maybe they do, but I have never heard anything about that.
Well, to be honest, I know MANY USC alum because of a fraternity called Alpha Kappa Psi, which actually chartered the UCLA chapter. And I would probably agree that USC kids might be more “secure”. Not to “troll” or anything, BUT I think that security may perhaps go hand in hand with the “University of Spoiled Children” moniker because…with money comes privilege, and privilege security.
I do believe in the Trojan network. A colleague of mine says that the Ivy Leagues work in a similar way, like a family bond or something like that.
To be quite honest, I am not too sure if UC grads “look out” for other UC grads because THERE ARE SO MANY. I would like to think so. But if someone is a Bruin, I’m definitely going to take notice and be aware. But social equality is a huge part of UCLA, which means I should be mindful of the potential qualities of all candidates. Berkeley is like a brother/sister. As for the others, we would hang out at Thanksgiving but I’m not exactly sure how the conversation would go, but we’re all in the same family.
Again, not to troll, but I was always pro public because of the SES conditions I was born into, which added to some of the less savory sentiments I had for USC. Perhaps this is an experience for me to grow and learn and understand about people who were born into situations which gave them the opportunity to potentially be more open minded from the start.
@USCAlum05 Your insight was greatly appreciated, especially the first point and the sixth point. As a counselor/consultant in China, the rest of the points were appreciated but not as relevant because financial aid, the way international students think and what they look for is inherently different from how Californians think. Thanks!
Yes… very well put @USCAlum05 And as @blueskies2day suggests, the Trojan Network, Trojan Family, Trojan Mafia, USC Mafia or whatever you want to call it is very real and incredibly strong and supportive. And it starts pre-graduation… with efforts to assist current students via internships and career opportunities.
So basically, my takeaway from this as applied to my students would be the more diverse nature (compared to UCLA), strength in more niche programs such as film, communication, journalism (UCLA didn’t even have a journalism major…), and a tight knit family feel. I think…if there was a way to get my students to be more open minded themselves and branch out into the USC family (if they are accepted), they wouldn’t be as closed off to exclusively their own race and culture.
I think I may slowly grow fond of USC…for now I’m going to funnel more journalism, film (rare though), communications, and media majors towards USC. While the engineering program is good, there are so many others that are so strong (all the Ivy’s, Berkeley, all the tech schools, UIUC, case western, Purdue, etc etc etc) that the difficult of being admitted does not justify the appeal towards engineering. Does that make sense?
I have something to add as a recent alum – I feel as though the above is very comprehensive look from the parents side, here are some thoughts as someone who attended from 2012-2016 and just graduated. I picked USC over 2 other schools, Berkeley and U Chicago, due to receiving a large merit scholarship.
The above posts really covered a lot of the great reasons to attend USC and I agree with all of them, so I will avoid overlapping if I can.
Business education: I think one more thing to add to USC’s strengths is the undergraduate business program. USC’s undergrad program was fantastic for my own needs. I wanted a pre-professional education in finance, law, and strategy and I absolutely got it. Starting in my junior year I was able to take upper division business classes in these topics with professors with real experience as CEOs, CFOs, Vice Presidents of huge American companies as well as international ones. There is something to be said about all the the intangible life experiences I learned from such successful people, aside from the normal coursework. I also had teachers who were big time business lawyers which helped me prepare for the possibility of going pre-law, all within the business program. These professors were a treasure trove of connections, as well. Coming into USC in 2012 I did not know the terms “investment banking” “management consultant” “corporate finance” “business development” – I just knew I wanted to do something in business. Over my 4 years my classes and professors connected me with many business people who showed me the different career paths I could take which gave me a head start.
that leads into my second point, which is recruiting. While I’m sure other universities have good recruiting, I had an excellent experience recruiting for internships and jobs while at USC. So many of the job listings at Fortune 500 companies and big name consulting/banking firms were by Trojan alum and I believe it gave me a big leg up. My junior year, my resume was essentially empty except for some clubs I was in leadership positions on, I had no work experience. I was able to land an internship at a F500 corporate finance role because they recruited on campus at USC and I met them at an info session, getting my foot in the door for an interview. That summer internship gave me the experience I needed to land a well paying job at a F50 finance role that I am in now and I can’t be more thankful for USC for that. USC has the resources to help even a student with a middling resume like me at the time to look good, both on paper and in interviews.
the final and potentially most important point is how USC forces you to grow up and develop the soft skills that are so important in life. USC’s culture is undeniably work hard play hard. The school is bustling and has an outgoing, confident culture that permeates the students. Some call it University of Spoiled Children, I call it confidence, ambition, and high standards for both work and fun. In high school I was a quiet nerdy kid and I knew that going into business that wouldn’t work as I needed to be more outgoing and charismatic. If you asked anyone who knew me before college and after they would tell you how different I am as a result of USC. I’m more outgoing, I am more friendly, I have more friends and deeper friendships, I am more risk-taking, I am more open minded, I’m more worldly, I am more teamwork oriented, and I am happier as a person due to the professors, classes, students, and overall experience that I was exposed to at USC. And I know for a fact that this is unique to USC because I’ve heard so many complaints about culture at other schools. Hell, even in the superficial things – going to USC got me in the gym, got e dressing better, got me a good haircut. Because the competition there is so high in every aspect of life, it raises the bar of what’s expected. When I look at myself now versus myself in 2012, it’s astonishing to me how much I’ve improved.
Those are my 2 cents. I hope that helps you. I have many many criticisms of USC, but it is absolutely a fine establishment and I am glad it’s continuing to rise in rankings and recognition. We are doing recruiting right now at the company I am in (Fortune 50 Finance) for a second entry level position and USC is one of three schools we are targeting for applicants along with Stanford and UPenn, which says a lot to me.
Apologies for the bad grammar, I wrote this as a stream of consciousness on my lunch break and have to run.
I think that @USCaboose really sums it up well. Hopefully the OP can gain some valuable insight from this thread.
When I ask my two daughters (one who is there and one who wants to go there) “Why USC?”, their answers mainly touch on the points above, and it is really almost a 50/50 split in terms of 1) the college years and 2) beyond graduation. They both tell me that USC’s strength comes from both parts… first, how it is overall as a college experience / all the things it offers to the aspiring applicant who becomes the evolving student over time… but also secondly, the equally important part of the equation - everything that USC continues to provide after college.
I think that this is the secret strength of USC. It is far too simplistic to just say that they have an incredible global alumni network. You quite simply become part of a family, the Trojan Family, after graduation. More people look to attend USC year after year & it continues to climb in the rankings exactly because of how they prepare you for the future and then the extra help you can get from then on as an USC alum.
Thank you all so very much for your insight! As a parent who’s son currently has USC as his #1 choice, I very even more comfortable with that after reading the above.
My kids were very happy at USC. S was able to do quite a bit of research and also was on published papers for geology and engineering as an engineering undergrad there. He just did geology because he decided to start a rockclimbing club at USC, but was able to present a poster at a national conference about the geology of the Sierra Nevadas and some core samples they did with a visiting Italian professor. He was also offered several summer and full-time permanent jobs and attended job fairs from his freshman year.
D was thrilled with her cinema school experience. They made movies in class and had skype classes with people in industry about projects they were working on. Some of her classmates got jobs as production assistants from their internships at USC.
The school allowed both kids to stretch themselves while feeling very comfortable and supported. Both were enjoyed their years at USC and have fond memories.