<p>I am from Georgia and have been admitted to USC. I was wondering if it was true what they say about these kids in LA (apparently the university is referred to as "University for Spoiled Children") and if I would fit in there? It's a pretty small out of state percentage there. Any personal experiences/opinions are much appreciated! </p>
<p>There is definitely a clique of spoiled, rich children, but the campus population is pretty diverse. You’ll find a huge number of international and out-of-state students, as well as people who come from pretty low-income environments. The campus is so diverse that your time at USC is often what you make of it; spoiled, rich kids don’t have a monopoly on school functions.</p>
<p>Also, Los Angeles has some pretty crazy income inequality and is one of the broadest metropolitan areas you could ever imagine, so anyone driving a Maserati and spending their weekends in Malibu is not necessarily indicative of the city culture.</p>
<p>The ‘spoiled children’ label was applied by the university’s rivals and detractors. (I attended one of the rival schools, and my son will enroll at USC this fall.) Did you visit the campus? It seems like the students view the Trojan Family concept as including all students. I’m not sure who is considered an outsider at USC because fewer than half of the students are from California. When I interviewed for employment in the South, I’m certain that I was seen as a Yankee my my potential partners and their spouses. It’s just not that way in California, where it seems that everyone is from somewhere else.</p>
<p>You have been admitted to USC, so you are asking about students exactly like yourself. Are you a spoiled child?
More than half (53%) of all USC undergraduates are from outside of California. That is not a “small percentage.”
<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/docs/USCFreshmanProfile2013.pdf”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/docs/USCFreshmanProfile2013.pdf</a></p>
<p>***Disclaimer - a rant follows not aimed at kaitlin17, who is new here - WELCOME kaitlin17! and all that… but I am really, really tired of this ridiculous question being asked about a university with over 51,000 applications. an 18% admit rate and 60% of undergraduates receiving need-based aid - how are those who ask this question supposing USC chooses the “spoiled children” from that field? Was there a “spoiled child” checkbox on the Common App?</p>
<p>Congratulations on your admittance, @kaitlin17! My daughter is a freshman from out of state and has made friends from all over the country and the world. She loves having friends who are local also, because some have a car so they can visit home, and a friend with a car is nice to have. New students want to meet new friends even if they know some who attend, but remember, this is a competitive school to get into, so it is not like the local kids have their whole high school class there. Do not worry about that at all! USC is a very very happy and welcoming university. Good luck, and fight on!</p>
<p>Kaitlyn,
Did you attend the October USC reception in Atlanta? Applicants filled the reception room along with parents and siblings. The crowd was quite diverse, It is just what you will see at SC. The majority of students are on financial aid. The majority! Some receive merit scholarships.<br>
If you attend any elite private university you will learn there are students who come from wealthy families. In a freshmen class of over 2800 at SC you will find classmates who come from all over the world with varied backgrounds.
On your computer you can check out the USC Atlanta Alumni Club website. The club has posted photos of past SCendoffs for incoming SC freshmen and transfers. I have attended these for years and found students were excited about the opportunities and challenges that awaited them on campus. The students were busy exchanging news, dorm assignments and looking forward to college. Many of them had siblings who attended SC.
You were interested in SC or you would not have applied. Do not let misinformation keep you from following your dream. . </p>
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<p>Cliques begin to form freshman year and to a lesser extent during sophomore year. After that, people are usually settled into their groups.</p>
<p>From my personal experience there (I’m a current freshman), I will say that groups form extremely quickly during the first few weeks of school (although these groups tend not to last long). I spent pretty much all of fall semester with the marching band, so while I have plenty of friends there, I don’t have a ton of friends outside of band. It’s definitely possible to make more friends past the first few months of freshman year, but it will take some effort on your part. </p>
<p>There are TONS of out of state and international students here though. Most of my friends are international/out of state. No one’s going to exclude you because you’re from Georgia.</p>
<p>Just finishing up my first year here at SC. Born and raised in Georgia. </p>
<p>I haven’t been here long, but so far I can say this with certainty: Southern California and Georgia can’t be farther apart from one another culturally. The South is still for the most part conservative, while the overall vibe from the West is much more chill. Is what it is. </p>
<p>Are there spoiled children? People are going to whine and complain and fight this but honestly yeah. Only it’s probably just more apparent because, let’s be honest, you’ll run into kids with cash much more often than in a smaller state such as Georgia. </p>
<p>Regardless, I got along fine. Still some pet-peeves and moments where I have to stop and go “oh that’s right this is LA isn’t it?”, but that’s to be expected. </p>
<p>Anyway, my two cents.</p>