<p>hey guys, i guess one of my mom's friends went to USC and they said that it was in the ghetto. She seems quite worried about my desire to go there. Is it all that dangerous and is there anything you could tell me about it?</p>
<p>it is sorta in the ghetto, but the campus is very large and very well separated off from the outside streets. because of this, it really doesn't feel ghetto-ish at all. with more than 20,000 students living on a campus that is walled off from the city streets of LA, the campus provides pretty much everything. i don't go to USC, but i live pretty close. good luck.</p>
<p>i've heard a lot about that too - the ghetto around USC.. can any students that go there or people that have visited provide some feedback? ...kinda scared bout it as well.</p>
<p>Here's the deal guys: USC is in a metropolitan area, but it is not in Compton or anything like that. Just like any school that is in a city (like Boston colleges or Chicago colleges or New York colleges) students take certain precautions like not walking alone after dark. But it is not a dangerous or scary place to go to school. The campus itself is seperated off from the city streets and the campus and entire surrounding area is HEAVILY patrolled by the USC Department of Public Safety and the LAPD. There are also other security measures like Campus Cruiser (a free taxi service that runs for USC students from 5 in the evening to 3 in the morning anywhere within 2 miles of campus) and blue light phones (phones that connect you directly to the DPS emergency line when you push a button. No matter where you are on campus, you can see a blue light phone.) to keep us students safe. In the three years that I have been here, I have never been threatened or felt unsafe, or had a crime committed against me. I wouldn't be too worried about the safety of USC.</p>
<p>And as far as I know, the biggest "crime" problem is bike theft. Which is a big problem at most college campuses. So don't worry about your mom's friend too much :-)</p>
<p>haha thanks chloe, i figured that it wouldnt be much of a problem with 16,000 students going there</p>
<p>You definitely don't have to worry, dcl and undecided. It's not the most pretty or upscale area, but it's not the "ghetto". For people calling it this, they have not seen a "ghetto". I've been to some parts of LA that make USC look like paradise (which is it to me, anyways :) ). Basically it's just filled with fast-food restaurants and car dealerships on one side, on another there is the Rose Garden, museums, and the Coliseum (our football stadium), on another just more businesses and such, and on the other side, the University Village shopping center and the Shrine Auditorium (where events such as the Emmys are held). </p>
<p>I have never felt unsafe here. The campus itself is among the safest in the nation, and off campus basically you just need to apply two rules: don't walk alone at like 3 in the morning, and be aware of your surroundings. These aren't hard to follow, and I think they should be heeded no matter where you are.</p>
<p>I recommend coming over and checking USC out. This would give you a better idea of how you feel about the area than any of us could. I was shocked to see the area after hearing so many bad things about it. It wasn't at all the decrepit, awful place that I had imagined.</p>
<p>It is not that bad but I know the Ghetto and YES USC is in the Ghetto. See, I think people are generally afraid to be around minorities. The area around USC is similar to Compton, Watts, and South Central. In other words, there is a lot of minorites who live close by. I was raised not too far from Compton and spent a good chunk of my life in South Central and Watts. Although all of these areas CAN be bad, they tend to be made out worse than they actually are. Most minorities are not bad people. The area around USC is not quite as bad as the places I mentioned but it is not that much better either. If people were to spend some time at those places I'm sure they would say the same thing students say about USC. In other words, they are not that bad.</p>
<p>Are you serious shyboy? I would never say USC is in the ghetto. First of all, the majority of people around the USC area are first and second generation Mexican immigrants. (Not most people's idea of ghetto.) Second of all, it is in the most highly patrolled area in all of Los Angeles. (again, not most people's idea of ghetto.) Third, the actual campus itself is gorgeous, and is surrounded by 20,000+ college students and faculty. (not at all people's idea of ghetto.)</p>
<p>Maybe, as you implied, people just have the wrong idea of a ghetto. But what these perspective students are asking is if their "traditional" idea of ghetto applies to USC. And no, obviously, it doesn't.</p>
<p>description of the area is correct. In fact some of the streets are quite nice. Other streets have some funky housing. Others are not so nice. My son lives a few blocks away in off-campus housing on West Adams Blvd and walks to class. He hasn't reported any problems to us.</p>
<p>Now having said that, bad stuff can happen, and it can happen anywhere. It especially happens to young people who tend to have a sense of invulnerability and to be careless about their personal safety. You need to pay attention, and not do stupid things. </p>
<p>Here in Madison WI, an area regarded as very safe, a coed was attacked while out walking by herself at 3:00am in the morning. At that time of night the university doesn't provide an escort service, but it does provide a cab service. It would have been wise of her to take advantage of that.</p>
<p>The thing about USC is that the campus and students are concentrated in two areas: campus and north university park. Those two areas are not THAT ghetto. BUT if you do decide to venture off east, west, or south of campus then yes it is ghetto, but there really is no reason for students to head in those directions. The only time you'll be heading any direction but north from campus is when we have football games, but the Coliseum is directly across the street so you don't even see the ghetto.</p>
<p>ghetto? you call that area ghetto? maybe for some. i was raised in NY, and pakistan. queens is ghetto, not downtown LA. its like paradise compared to queens. ever see a dopehead tweaking in front of your apartment building door? i have, in queens.</p>
<p>"ever see a dopehead tweaking in front of your apartment building door?"</p>
<p>I see it every day. Those people are called my friends. (just kidding).</p>
<p>Ok, I think no one actually reads my posts. They just read a portion and say that I am wrong or whatever. I'll give it to you guys and say that USC is not in the ghetto. I always say that it is not as bad as everyone says. That is the part that people tend to ignore. At the same time though, I hope you same people never call South Central, Compton, or Watts the ghetto either. Those places are not as bad as people make them out to be either. Like I said, just because minorities live there does not mean that the place is bad. Minorities are mostly good!!!</p>
<p>I'm going to have to agree with ShyBoy13. While the area around USC isn't as attractive or chic as Westood, for example, it's definitely not the "ghetto." Just a regular working class area. People describe the area as if they're sleeping to the melody of neighboring gunshots or something. I think most people are, in fact, basing such judgments on some type of inherent fear of large minorty populations living in concentrated areas, which is really sad. I think it's awesome that USC's surrounded by the REALITIES of life-- especially since many of these people are coming from areas that aren't diverse racially or economically. </p>
<p>p.s. Did you know that many of these poorly portrayed areas, such as Watts, were once mostly populated by middle class whites? That was until minorities gained entrance into the areas and the whites were afraid of dropping house rates and such, thus causing "white flight" from the areas. </p>
<p>Having a major university in such an area is a stepping stone to resolving that problem. Living among the people that many are taught to fear can be pretty enlightening!</p>
<p>Enough rambling, maybe?</p>
<p>Sure.</p>
<p>Shyboy is right about people making those places worse than they actually are.USC might be located near an area with minorities,which seems to be most people on here's definition of a ghetto.However,this doesn't mean that USC is a dangerous area.More dangerous than Beverly Hills or a nice suburb yes,but not dangerous in general.I just drove through South Central a little while ago,and I wasn't carjacked!</p>
<p>257</p>
<p>calling the neighborhood a ghetto would be inappropriate but if you are asking if it's a bad scene and/or dangerous, it certainly is. </p>
<p>i worked downtown for close to 10 years in the 80's and went to SC at night to get a masters degree. son now attends SC. i'm familiar with the neighborhood and that's the only neg I have about SC. would I like daughter to attend SC? no way. </p>
<p>you don't have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to encounter trouble, it encounters you -- on or off campus. you gotta be savvy, alert, and looking over your shoulder all the time when outside the walls, or even inside the walls at night. young kids with money are easy prey for the street-tough punks and pushers and that's why they are hanging all over the place. and that's really a sad thing when compared to campuses in small or medium sized towns. if you get out here, check out the security bars on practically all windows and doors in the adjacent area and form your own conclusion. </p>
<p>i'm a huge SC backer but factor in the neighborhood as a HUGE negative. students and faculty make the mental adjustments but many of them have no clue how grand life is without that little fear factor being present all the time. it is one mighty powerful institution here on the west coast and downtown is where they be.</p>
<p>The area where USC is has improved greatly. Many of the employees live in surrounding areas and wouldn't do so unless it was safe. Plus the campus is gated and secure. One nice thing is to look at the city center of LA and see the nice ring of smog.</p>
<p>There is a reason that USC has such high security....it can be a dangerous area. BUT because of security the USC campus has a lower crime rate than, I believe, UCLA which is in a far better area. I imagine if you utilize the campus security measures and if you don't do foolish things, you are fine. There was a mugging, with a gun shown, last week...at 3 a.m....right off campus. But it was 3 a.m. and I guess the guy was alone.</p>
<p>Yeah, once again that shows that if you walk around alone (and possibly drunk) at 3 am, yes, stuff can happen. But if you are smart, and keep friends with you (which isn't too hard) and pay attention to your surroundings, things probably won't happen. The only muggings, etc that I can remember hearing of around here were people by themselves late at night.</p>
<p>Yeah...I remember when I went to visit USC this summer...my stepmom's sister said that once we got off the highway we should lock our car doors and made it sound like it would be really bad...but in all honesty, it wasn't. Also, there was lots of security with a guard at the entrance gate and everything...plus, I thought the campus itself was beautiful. I really don't think that there is anything to worry about. The location should not hinder your decision...it should enhance it, because it is right in the center of everything and as safe as any other college campus, if not more because of the additional security.</p>
<p>I think a lot of these posts are playing up the area around USC. The campus itself is gorgeous, yes, and there is high security too. But you can't deny that much of the area around the campus is pretty sketchy. And to someone who comes from a small town it may seem terrifying (although I think people adapt fairly quickly).</p>
<p>My dad grew up in LA and went to a trade school there. When I was looking into USC he told me a story from his time at the trade school. He had been on the freeway, but traffic was stop-and-go, so he got off and was driving down Figueroa (?), a street that runs by USC. While at a stop light he noticed a commotion in a parking lot. He said about five guys were wailing on one guy, beating him with sticks and kicking him and whatnot, and this continued uninterrupted the entire time he was at the stoplight. (I don't know why he didn't report it. My dad is different from me and they were different times I guess)</p>
<p>Now my dad is definitely not easily scared by a 'bad' neighborhood, and laughed at me when I said I was freaked out when I got a little lost on my way to USC. And the story above is not typical, but it did happen. While there are much worse places, the area around the campus IS sketchy.</p>