Thoughts on USC?

Parents Forum
21

<p>Thank you all so much for that great advice and insights! Really appreciate it. </p>

<p>This is completely uncharted territory for me, the California school world, so glad to have some excellent thoughts/direction on it!</p>

<p>Sounds like visiting is a useful thing to consider (although thinking--if the cost of airfare makes us [me] hesitate to even visit...should we really be considering this school?? lol). </p>

<p>Thanks for the other school suggestions. While son is good on standardized tests (34 ACT) his gpa (because of 9th/10th yr grades) would likely keep him out of a place like CalTech (& I think, Harvey Mudd, also). He's on the ball, now (& has As) but we still have to be realistic w/the cards in the hand. </p>

<p>Again, very much appreciate the info & guidance!</p>

22

<p>Jolynne,
Since you mention the cost of airfare..I'll chime in. I am in CA and have one in school in Boston. It is pricey to do things long distance and I have not been hugely successful using mileage points to get him to and from. Often there are restrictions on dates he has to move in/out of the dorms that make it nearly impossible to use mileage points.
The other thing that hasn't been mentioned here is why your child is interested in the CA schools. I have family on the East Coast and much of my niece/nephews perception of "socal" is from watching OC and the Hills.<br>
I would definitely visit. USC is a great school but obviously the area and the people are not adequately represented by the glut of television shows about twenty somethings from Southern California.</p>

23

<p>Caveat emptor: by upbringing and personal history, I'm a UC-loving, Trojan-hating type. That said, I recently heard a speaker who is a prof. at USC in a science field. I was very, very, very impressed by how he had undergrads involved in his research, pretty much because they knocked on his door and said they were interested in what he'd been talking about one day in class. He mentioned several specific students and their research (along with their publication citations), and urged the audience to invite these students to speak at colloquia. Nice to see, though I have no idea if this is limited to this one professor or one field.</p>

<p>I don't know that I'd say USC is downtown LA. Yes, it's near downtown, but it's not stroll-off-campus-to-Disney-Hall close to downtown. I recall reading an LA Times story maybe 5 years ago about how some USC students had a cheaper and easier time renting an apartment downtown and taking the bus (or maybe a campus shuttle?) to campus. Still, downtown LA really does have a lot to see and do.</p>

24

<p>menlopark mom: the acceptance rate for OOS kids at Cal is 20%, not 10%; in-state acceptance rate is 25%. Of course, the unknown is the stats of each pool of kids.</p>

<p><a href="http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/freshmen.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/freshmen.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

25

<p>As an East Coaster, I'll chime in and say I really enjoyed the time I spent in California 3 summers, plus two years. If dh ever got a job offer in LA I'd be sorely tempted to go back. Stanford by the way, doesn't look at freshman grades, so he might have a better chance there, than you would think. (The weather isn't as warm as So Cal though.)</p>

26

<p>
[quote]
Stanford by the way, doesn't look at freshman grades, so he might have a better chance there, than you would think.

[/quote]

The UCs also don't use the freshman grades in their GPA calcs (they calculate a 'UC weighted GPA' from the grades and courses taken). I don't know if USC or CalTech ignore freshman grades or not.</p>

27

<p>Thanks for that additional info! Very helpful! And, great news about several schools ignoring the 9th year grades! To be frank, son's 10th year numbers were not great either, but to eliminate one whole mediocre year from the numerical average would be a real asset to him! </p>

<p>Good tip about not judging a school by pop cultural images. We don't have a TV, though, so I don't think son has seen the OC, et al., much. He's visited out there, though, and loved the weather & atmosphere (he was in an upscale area, though, not in the areas where he'd have to likely live as a student! So, maybe rose-colored classes, still..!).</p>

28

<p>Jolynne:</p>

<p>Out of all the highly selective Calif schools, your Son's best chance is probably with USC if only bcos test scores mean a lot to them -- they love to boast that their test scores are higher than Cal's. The UCs focus much more on transcripts, and less on test scores.</p>

29

<p>I like to think that USC admits students that are promising and a lot based on the strength of the student’s high school. My daughter let me take a sneak peak into the USC facebook and a lot of students are from highly selective magnet schools like Troy, Whitney, Oxford or selective CA private schools like Harker and WestLake high schools. These high schools require testing in order to be admitted.
For high scorers, USC does have the Thematic Option program which offers the tutorial program for writing (like Oxford), where students meet with their TO professor one on one, once or twice weekly. The TO class size is limit to 15 students, unlike other state schools that have huge class size, more personal attention. Students graduate from TO go on to top graduate schools like MIT/Oxford or top law schools like Stanford, Harvard, and Yale.</p>

<p>
[quote]
offers small classes with some of the University's best undergraduate teachers and a hand-picked group of writing instructors. The T.O. program is challenging, yet still manageable for students invited to participate.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>
[quote]
To qualify for an invitation to the program, students admitted to the University must have a high school GPA of around 4.0 and a combined SAT I score of at least 2100.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Thematic</a> Option</p>

<p>USC</a> - Freshman 15 - "Unlock Your Success at USC"</p>

30

<p>bluebayou--thanks, that's encouraging. W/son's good tests/lower gpa--looks like he did pick the CA school that might be most favorable, at least admission-wise! </p>

<p>Columbia Student--thanks for that tip. I never would have heard about hte Thmatic option otherwise! I looked at the site & wonder if it's 'weighted 4.0 gpa.' Son would probably make that cut (he's taken almost all honors courses) but unweighted would be a no-go.</p>

31

<p>You might find this official stats thread enlightening:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/454785-stats-only-usc-official-decisions-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=official+decision%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/454785-stats-only-usc-official-decisions-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=official+decision&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

32

<p>Thanks, timely. It was enlightening (trying not to look at it as depressing...given the stellar, consistently high qualifications of all the admits to USC!). Guess we'll just go w/whatever son has & pursue it if it's something he likes. </p>

<p>The more I hear from everyone on CC, the more it sounds like a very good school & option for him (plus...would be fun to visit a warm, sunny place!).</p>

33

<p>Jolynne,
I think the main thing to take from the USC stats thread is that unless your son has stellar test scores, stellar grades, and stellar ec's (oh, and he writes stellar essays!), he should definitely apply to some other schools at which he could also be happy. If he gets into USC, great! If not, he'll still have some good options.</p>

34

<p>I have a son at USC studying computer engineering. I was not real happy when he chose to go there over Northwestern or even Oregon State but it was his choice. We are from Montana and I worried about the neighborhood and distance. I have spent quite a bit of time in LA, having worked for a company with a branch office there, and I never really liked the city.</p>

<p>Well one year later and he has had a great year. He had no problems finding friends and while he says the neighborhood is a not great around USC it doesn't bother him and he has had no problems. He truly enjoys the diverse student body and says the party scene is there but not dominating by any stretch of the imagination. I have to say he has really grown there and my worry was for naught.</p>

<p>He does not come home for Thanksgiving or spring break due to plane costs so you need to think travel plans through. My wife does have an uncle there so he did have family close and had thanksgiving dinner there. He also stores his belongings at the uncle's house over the summer. This has really helped and is something to think about,</p>

35

<p>
[quote]
plus...would be fun to visit a warm, sunny place!

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Do not underestimate this point. Make sure that you have your son chose a school where you want to visit!! If you are going to have to pay big bucks that's as good a basis as any for a college choice at least from a parent's perspective. And I speak from experince. Loved the visits to LA when the Virginia or Wisconsin weather was cold.</p>

36

<p>
[Quote]
would UC San Diego & UC Berkeley be generally 'on par' in terms of competitiveness/admissions standards re: USC?

[/Quote]
</p>

<p>No, they're more competitive out-of-state. Berkeley is much more competitive in-state than USC.</p>

<p>I'd say if your son gets into SC's honors program or w/e they call it, go for it (assuming you're financially able). If not, there are just as good/better schools in CA for half the price.</p>

<p>Basically, the "prestige ladder", for lack of a better term, goes like this in CA:</p>

<p>1) Stanford
2) Berkeley/CalTech (equal depending on major)
3) UCLA/Pomona/Harvey Mudd (Mudd has best engineering, UCLA best environment and sciences, and Pomona best liberal arts)
4) UCSD
5) USC
6) Cal Poly SLO and others...</p>

<p>BUT** before someone jumps on that let me say that prestige is definitely not everything. I passed up more "prestigious" schools, and feel confident in my decision. Also, the strength of certain programs should definitely be considered as well. For example, USC has the third strongest business program behind Stanford and UCB Haas; Cal Poly easily has one of the top undergrad engineering programs in the country. Likewise, the experience at USC might surpass that of the social life at Mudd and UCSD. So prestige is not everything, those are strictly academic reputations for the universities as a whole, and not for individual programs.</p>

<p>Also, as others have mentioned, USC has great networking and alumni base. I think other schools attach a more real-world approach, but USC is rarely paralleled in alumni involvement and recruiting. So I'd say it depends on the major and type of education. Also, the area around USC isn't the best compared to many other top schools in CA, so just be aware of that and visit if possible. Some people don't mind staying on campus and not having a college town, for others that's a priority. Personal preference.</p>

<p>Good luck, USC is a good school and should he choose to go there I'm sure he'll have a great time!</p>

<p>
[Quote]
Search VC08's posts. she has plenty of opinions on USC.

[/Quote]
Sorta like you have plenty of opinions on me, right? I appreciate your interest, but stalkers kinda creep me out so you can stop trolling my posts, k? Thanks :)</p>

37

<p>I wish either of my 2 sons would have gone to USC. Son1 was accepted with a half scholarship(this is about 5 years ago) and decided to go to UCLA when he fell in love with the program they were offering. Son2 refused to even consider any California schools and wanted to go east, so he ended up at an OOS State school on the east coast, which is costing about the same as a UC due to the small scholarship he recieved. He could have easily gotten into USC and I probably would have been able to get free tuition for him, but it was a no go for him. Well he could hate the east and end up back home eventually.</p>

38

<p>Jolynne, if you son applies to USC, make SURE he completes part 1 & 2 of his application by the early Dec deadline, in order to be considered for NMF scholarship/ Presidential scholarship [1/2 tuition] consideration. FYI, he can apply early to USC even if he also wants to apply SCEA to Stanford. </p>

<p>I question that Stanford "ignores" Freshman grades completely. The website doesn't say that, it says:
" We will look at your choice of coursework and your performance in 10th and 11th grades in the core academic subjects of Math, English, Social Studies, Science, and Foreign Language. We want to see that you have challenged yourself by taking some of the accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate courses, if they are offered at your school. We look to see how you have done within your unique school environment, how you have taken advantage of what was available to you in your school and community. Typically our admitted students have unweighted GPAs in the range of 3.6-4.0 and are within the top 10% of their high school classes, for those schools that rank."
So if your son's freshman year grades averaged less than a solid "B" accross the board, his chances of acceptance there are low, unless he is an exceptional athlete. Stanford, LOVES it's scholar-athletes.</p>

39

<p>Jolynne - I've noticed your posts in the past because I also have a son who gets terrific test scores but hasn't exactly killed himself trying to get perfect grades. He goes to a very intense school, and has taken all the advanced classes, so we're satisfied that he's gotten a great education. Elite college admissions doesn't always take that into account, though, as you have been told. My son is going to USC in the fall, with NMF and another merit scholarship that will add up to around $90,000 over the 4 years (because the Presidential scholarship is linked to whatever tuition increase happens). USC is very generous with AP credits, so he may well end up double-majoring, but his first love is film. Because of that, USC was an obvious first choice for him. But everything I've learned about the school has convinced me that it would be great for a smart kid with other academic interests, too. Your son's interests in computer science could easily segue into some really interesting programs, such as the interactive media division in the School of Cinematic Arts, or the video game design program in computer science. They also offer a major that combines computer science and physics, which sounds intriguing. </p>

<p>Positives: The campus is impressive, there seems to be a large contingent of very smart, very serious students, the academic offerings are vast, and the merit money is great for a family that doesn't qualify for need-based aid. </p>

<p>Negatives: Life in LA is expensive, even for a student. I don't like the fact that dorm life pretty much is for freshman, and everyone else moves to either USC-owned or private apartments. The area around campus struck me as very odd - not because it's frightening, as commonly reported - but because there is not one iota of "college town" about it. It does seem that you would be unlikely to leave campus on foot, unless walking over to Greek row. It's hard for me to adjust to LA's total dependence on cars, which prompts many students to bring a car, even for freshman year. But I guess that's the price you live to be in LA, and it does seem like there's plenty to do on campus to keep a freshman happy. </p>

<p>An alternative: it's not California, but the University of Washington, Seattle campus, has a first-rate computer science program. My tech-world friends tell me it's the best in the west, and they're annoyed that so many smart and tech-oriented local kids leave it behind so they can go to college in the east or California :)</p>

40

<p>Thanks for all that great, additional info! I had no idea of the rankings of any CA schools (except knew that CalTech was one of tops in country for math/sci). Really helpful too, to hear the details from those who's kids have attended USC and those who are familiar w/the admissions req's.</p>

<p>"unless...he has stellar test scores, stellar grades, and stellar ec's (oh, and he writes stellar essays!), he should definitely apply to some other schools at which he could also be happy."</p>

<p>We'd definitely do that! Just guess a little hope appeared w/the earlier mention that USC valued standardized test scores more than other schools....</p>

<p>Fauxnom...thanks for the encouragement. And--maybe we'll check out U of Wash too (I wouldn't have a tiny fraction of the info I have on colleges w/out the CC perspectives!).</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

<p>PS Re: deadlines---after reading the early admissions thread...I think the plan w/son is just to get in all his apps as soon as the college releases them! He needs every edge he can get!!</p>