<p>Daughter says she saw a spring admit post on FB tonight that he was just moved up to fall.</p>
<p>There are private apartments & other housing that are just as close to campus as Gateway and significantly cheaper. Our kids leases generally started in May or August and ran for a year. A spring admit would likely take over a sublease of someone doing a term abroad or away. Housing for the following year generally has students signing up sometime in January, if memory serves.</p>
<p>Really think that it’s important to keep this sad event in perspective. This is a rare, random event and very uncommon. Violence, unfortunately DOES happen at many campuses and other places in our nation, as has been posted at other places in this thread and elsewhere.</p>
<p>“yes, it is possible to live on campus, though not guaranteed. Housing is done by lottery, and juniors and seniors are given lower priority, so there is not enough space for everyone.”</p>
<p>Sounds like the Hunger Games! If you lose the lottery, you are forced outside the gates and you have to fight it out in the wilderness. Fight On!</p>
<p>First of all I want to add my condolences to the families. I ache at the thought of those parents getting a phone call telling them that their children have been murdered.</p>
<p>I also want to add my two cents on the safety discussion. The ‘real world’ can be a cruel and violent place. Maturity and adulthood is about learning that lesson, learning to assess and handle “acceptable” risks as well as the price you have to pay to avoid risk. </p>
<p>Nearly two decades ago I was mugged in Manhattan in an area that was and is considered very safe. It was a crime of opportunity. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the event I had a few simple choices - never go back to NYC again (not career feasible), wrap myself up in a safety cocoon of door-to-door car trips isolating myself from the potential of crime as well as eliminating the surprises that the city (any city) has to offer, or realize that ‘these things happen’ and do my best to be even more aware of my surroundings. Even though it meant that my head was on a swivel, I chose the last option and remained part of the experience.</p>
<p>My wife and I were aware of USC’s neighborhood and while we were anxious about our son being thousands of miles from home we were more excited about the opportunities that the diversity of SC and Los Angeles had to offer him. While I was in graduate school I lived in a “gang-infested” area, it was all I could afford. Believe me, the area around SC is not gang-infested, working class? Yes. A little down on its luck? Certainly in spots.</p>
<p>Crime is everywhere. Crimes of opportunity are especially prevalent of college campuses. Murders are exceptionally rare. Rural and suburban campuses offer what seems to be safety but can only lull non-street savvy kids into a sense of false security. I’m sure the parents who sent their children to Virginia Tech or Okios University in Oakland were certain they were going to a safe environment.</p>
<p>To the potential parents of freshmen, I would never trivialize your safety concerns. If it’s impossible for you or your child to see themselves being comfortable at USC then they shouldn’t attend. I would just encourage you to realize that these sort of crimes are rare events and that isolation from the surrounding world cuts your child off from the very life expanding experiences college is supposed to provide.</p>
<p>I have lived in Los Angeles most of my life, and there is no way I would consider the area around USC safe. I wouldn’t go there alone. I don’t care how many security officers are posted in front of buildings. That alone tells me that something is amiss. It’s a darn shame that such a good school is in such a crappy area. I know crime can happen anywhere, but USC is in South-Central LA, which is particularly notorious, and nothing can change that fact. The students there are isolated from the surrounding community by necessity. I wouldn’t want my student to venture out at night, and that is very limiting.</p>
<p>Have also lived in LA most of my life, and I echo Vince’s sentiments.</p>
<p>Again, look at the map I posted a couple pages ago of the University Park area.</p>
<p>[University</a> Park - Neighborhoods - Homicide Report - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“http://projects.latimes.com/homicide/neighborhood/university-park/]University”>http://projects.latimes.com/homicide/neighborhood/university-park/)</p>
<p>Now look at the same numbers for the UCLA campus, in one of LA’s absolute nicest neighborhoods (and just a few miles from my house).</p>
<p>[Westwood</a> - Neighborhoods - Homicide Report - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“http://projects.latimes.com/homicide/neighborhood/westwood/]Westwood”>http://projects.latimes.com/homicide/neighborhood/westwood/)</p>
<p>There are links from both pages where you can see more statistics.</p>
<p>Again, a few miles from USC - not so good. But according to my son, as a student, he never has any reason to go even two miles from USC. His world is within a few blocks, or he’s getting on the freeway and driving to another neighborhood.</p>
<p>I would resist comparisons to Virgina Tech just because the school handled both the mass murder and the aftermath so very, very poorly. I would hope USC would do far better. On that note, as a parent I would have expected to receive some kind of email or other notification by now from USC’s Parent Office about this tragedy, but nothing. I did get an email about athletics yesterday.
The thing is, yes, these things can happen anywhere, at any school, and they do. What matters is how each school faces up to its crisis and responds.</p>
<p>jazz/shreddermom - I guess we will see the effect if any on yield later this year. It is all conjecture at this point but murders in the month of April are certainly not going to enhance yield especially given the fact (don’t think this part is debatable) that the huge increase in applications this year is not attributable to a sudden massive increase in desire for the USC experience but simply to the common app. The supplement was less demanding than some others as well.</p>
<p>Your comment about your son’s world being within the campus unless he is driving on the freeway brings up something important. What about those students not from the west coast who will not have a car to whisk themselves onto the freeway. We’ve heard the public transportation in the area is just fine. Is it really?</p>
<p>This news story broke my heart! Such a senseless, horrible loss.</p>
<p>I was a bit concerned about the location 3 years ago when my D was wildly excited to go to USC. It was her first choice and she turned down several other excellent respected universities and chose USC (as do most students here.)</p>
<p>She enjoys an active social life and has NEVER felt unsafe. She lived on campus for 2 years and now has an apartment just adjacent to the school. USC security works closely with the LAPD and does a fabulous job. We were clear with her regarding where she should live and use of common sense. (These grad students did nothing wrong. It was very late and a rainy night here in So Cal. They were just sitting in a car, pretty late at night, in the wrong place at the wrong time.) There is a $125000 reward offered for info on the murderer.</p>
<p>USC has a “Campus Cruiser” service whereby students can call for rides to local addresses and venues if they don’t have a car.I agree with previous posters that there is crime in most urban school areas. Don’t let fear of this type of random violence stop you from attending USC. It is a great place to go to school.</p>
<p>Snowdog, from what we’ve seen, there are many group outings where kids with cars drive the kids without cars if it’s something in another neighborhood (movies, concerts, etc.) In the immediate area, they use Campus Cruiser, zip car, etc. A prospective parent should look these services up on USC’s site. It is also entirely possible and advisable to never visit a store, restaurant, etc. outside of the “safe” part of the campus area, with or without a car.</p>
<p>And I don’t know much about it (because my son does have a car), but the metro’s new and soon-to-open lines are apparently changing everything. There are many posts about this in cc if one does a search.</p>
<p>Again, my heart goes out to the families of these innocent victims.</p>
<p>And I agree that no parent should send their child to a school they’re not comfortable with.</p>
<p>terrible tragedy</p>
<p>list of most dangerous schools, with higher stats of violent crimes on students, including murder. USC is not on the list: [50</a> Most Dangerous Colleges - The Daily Beast](<a href=“50 Most Dangerous Colleges”>50 Most Dangerous Colleges)</p>
<p>and the 2700 block of Raymond in not what I would call USC. That’s like getting shot on San Pablo Ave in Berkeley and framing it as if it happened at Cal. </p>
<p>it’s horrific that two students were murdered at 1am in Los Angeles. but it was a half mile from the university. this could have happened anywhere in LA at 1am in the middle of the street.</p>
<p>i’m very sorry for the families</p>
<p>My kids did not have a car at USC (though S got one in his SR year). They were able to get around just fine with friends, bus, Campus Cruiser, and other means. They have told me they have never felt to be in danger there and try to always stay aware of their surroundings, much like any other urban area, even Honolulu where they were born and raised. They have not be the victims of any crimes and enjoyed their time at USC.</p>
<p>Wow. I am shocked at some of the school that ARE on that “50 most dangerous” list.</p>
<p>A quick look at the numbers in the top 10 says the methodology of that study bears closer examination.</p>
<p>“The statistics account for nine types of criminal incidents, which we weighted based on a subjective judgment of violence, asserting that an incident of murder represents a higher level of intrinsic threat to public safety than a robbery. Burglary carried the lowest value, with car theft weighed twice as much, assault or robbery six times, arson 10 times, negligent manslaughter 20 times and murder 40 times. All totals were then divided by the number of enrolled students, so that midsize and large campuses could be accurately compared.”</p>
<p>Penn and Harvard have similar enrollments – the ranking must be combining undergrad and grad enrollments. Penn lists 4 murders, but is deemed less dangerous than Harvard, which has several times more forcible rapes and aggravated assaults yet 0 murders.</p>
<p>The ranking is based on 2006-2008 crime data. I image USC will appear in the rankings once 2011-2012 data is included. Appears to be a bump in violent crime involving USC students the past couple of years, but overall violent crime has been steadily decreasing.</p>
<p>Tragic, and seemingly an aberration, but no one wants to be a statistic.</p>
<p>My bro went to USC, and during his four years only had a problem once, where him and his friend were jumped and robbed at night not too far from campus. I’m not too sure if this is normal, but I know he did not tell our parents because he did not want to worry them.</p>
<p>Thanks jjalfonso. There is a lot that is wrong with that study design (IMO, I am not a statistician).</p>
<p>As, again, a 20-year resident of Philadephia (we left when our kids were little, I’ve been back a few times and it has declined in some measures, improved in others) I can tell you that I would walk alone in Cambridge all night long before I’d do the same in West Philly.</p>
<p>My daughter is undeterred by this tragedy. Brava, we should not go through life afraid.</p>
<p>This letter just arrived to our admitted student. Well done, USC. </p>
<p><<Dear XXX, April 13, 2012</p>
<p>By now you may have heard about the tragedy at our university. On April 11, two USC graduate students were shot and killed while sitting in their car in a neighborhood west of the university. As both USC president and as a recent USC parent, I am deeply saddened and outraged. As the families mourn the loss of their loved ones, we, too, mourn the loss of valued members of our own Trojan Family.</p>
<p>We are especially shocked because crimes of this nature against members of our campus community are extremely rare. Over the past several years, USC has devoted significant resources to maintaining a safe environment for students. We have increased our security presence, adding security cameras, uniformed officers and security ambassadors on campus and throughout the residential areas surrounding the university. All on-campus residence halls have secured access. Sorority and fraternity houses, and other off-campus housing, are part of our routine patrol area. As a result, we have succeeded in significantly improving safety in our surrounding community and our crime rate remains low compared to other areas of Los Angeles and in comparison to peer universities.</p>
<p>One of USC’s strong attributes is that we exist in a dynamic urban environment. And we are very proud of our engagement with our neighbors and our surrounding community. The USC Department of Public Safety is working closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and the community to solve this senseless crime. As we are reminded that we all need to remain vigilant about safety and security, we will continue to care for each other and the community.</p>
<p>We already consider you a part of our Trojan Family. For this reason I wanted to reach out to you directly to let you know that there is nothing more important to me than the well-being and safety of our students. I hope that you will join our diverse, vibrant community of scholars and athletes, leaders and innovators. The opportunities that await you at USC—from an array of majors and minors to one-on-one research experiences with professors, from the excitement of Visions and Voices programming to the conversations you will have with students from around the world—will provide you an unparalleled university experience. And I look forward to personally welcoming you in the fall.</p>
<p>Sincerely,
University of Southern California
C. L. Max Nikias
President>></p>
<p>Very classy. Still love USC.</p>