University of Southern California

College Search & Selection
41

<p>sratman1011, </p>

<p>USC has many strong programs in general. It is common to find with all universities that they tend to truly excel in fields that correspond with their geographic locations. In that respect, USC has gained much well-deserved fame and prestige in its strong programs related to the entertainment industry. Not only is the Los Angeles area strongest in this field, but USC is strongest as well. </p>

<p>The industry is filled with alumni serving as scholars, newspeople, actors, directors, musicians, hosts, and other positions. Every year USC likes to advertise how many alumni receive Academy Awards and Grammy Awards. </p>

<p>In terms of law, there is no specific law major for undergraduates, however there is a Music Industry major. It seems like your interest might also be served by the joint business-cinematic arts degree. </p>

<p>At USC there are many minors and classes related to your interest. Some minors include the following:<br>
Business Law
Communication and the Entertainment Industry
Communication Law and Media Policy
Law and Internet Technology
Law and Society
Law and Public Policy
Music Industry</p>

42

<p>"There is not a sense of cut-throat competition, and students are very supportive, yet at the same time they are also brilliant."</p>

<p>Evidently, you're not a USC pre-health (pre-med, pre-dent, or pre-pharm) student. These students are VERY competitive to the point that they won't share lecture notes with you, or they'll give you wrong information about the exam locations. These exams are graded on a curve, so for them to do well, everybody else must do worse, thus they will do whatever it takes to make that happen!</p>

43

<p>Check these out:</p>

<pre><code>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnXoFCcBOOg
</code></pre>

<p>and one more.....</p>

<pre><code>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbBwUoQsyao
</code></pre>

44

<p>Mc Cash, I love the videos! </p>

<p>everhard23, so it does very from program to program. As an architecture major first semester, I recall a competitive vibe. It is there, and in any class there will be those people who allow competition to take priority, particular when there are curves/fixed amounts of A's. From my personal experience, even in architecture, people have been supportive. </p>

<p>Regarding USC's strong alumni network, it's all I ever hear about, and it is probably an aspect of the school that distinguishes USC. The Trojan Family holds true to its name in many ways. Whenever I wear USC clothing in public, I can never get by without getting a "Fight on!" from an alumnus. Trojans, as a whole, are very proud of their school, and they maintain this level of pride after they graduate. As a result, people in professional fields who are alumni are proud of Trojans, and they hold high regard for job applicants who hold USC degrees. The notion of companies hiring USC students just because they attended USC certainly varies from company to company, but USC alumni, who hold high positions in many industries, do tend to highly respect new alumni entering the workforce. </p>

<p>I feel like when I meet USC people and alumni, that I inherently have something in common with them. </p>

<p>Alumni clubs are also strong and present domestically and internationally. I recall when I was admitted attending an Admitted Students Reception held at a nice house by one of the Orange County Alumni Clubs, and USC pride was everywhere! There was a person in a wheelchair with an oxygen machine who had to have graduated at least 60 years ago who even had on a nice Reyn Spooner USC shirt (they sell them in the Bookstore), and alumni, including my brother who graduated in 1996, still attend all of the football games. In this respect, alumni do stay in touch and maintain their USC pride, which further impacts the connections within the Trojan Family after graduation. </p>

<p>Another note: As the home of the Trojans, "Troy" is a common theme at USC (the band is the Spirit of Troy, students are often called the Men and Women of Troy). I recently met someone who was a third generation Trojan, and she officially named her newborn son Troy. I wonder where he'll be going in the future?</p>

45

<p>Here's a good question: how many panic buttons are there around campus? My local U has 1 like every mile, which is completely unacceptable. I am thinking about a half mile would be a reasonable distance to run when getting chased by a rapist. Are the buttons visible? USCD had one that was hidden in a construction area with a fence running 6 inches away on 3 of the 4 sides.
How well lit is the school? UCSD is plagued with dark spots-- long stretches of sidewalk that are completely unlit. I don't need someone coming out from around a corner, mugging me, and no body being able to see it.</p>

46

<p>Panic buttons are prevalent at USC. The newer ones feature a blue light, and the older ones appear as public telephones. When needed, students are encouraged to call DPS, the campus police, who pride themselves in having a very quick response time. </p>

<p>UCSD, like all UC campuses, is huge and sprawling (the state of CA owns a lot of land). The UC's usually have a lot of open space, often dedicated to park uses and nature. USC is much more urban and compact, and the campus is relatively small. Every sidewalk is lit. The only sprawling areas are McCarthy Quad and Alumni Park (which can't compare with UCSD in terms of the size of open space), yet even these areas are well lit and surrounded by buildings.</p>

47

<p>
[quote]

Evidently, you're not a USC pre-health (pre-med, pre-dent, or pre-pharm) student. These students are VERY competitive to the point that they won't share lecture notes with you, or they'll give you wrong information about the exam locations. These exams are graded on a curve, so for them to do well, everybody else must do worse, thus they will do whatever it takes to make that happen!

[/quote]

um...i think that's premed in general :rolleyes:</p>

<p>even engineers at most schools, especially those with weeder prereqs and even those without, tend to be really competitive. but at USC it's anything but, and it's always a pleasant surprise. in my engineering physics class, people always cooperated in lab, homework, and test prep...people always form networks of support whenever help is needed. such is especially true in honors engineering physics, where 3 or 4 homework problems routinely take 12 hours...but instead of people competing to be the best on them, people form study groups, and the professor usually holds office hours until 900 on days before due dates. same goes with my calculus classes...very few people try to be curve busters, and it's clear who those people are. and at the math center (the tutoring center where TAs and professors are always present to help), you're almost always with classmates getting work done. going into the math center every week for my Calc II class really was one of the most enlightening academic experiences i've ever had.</p>

48

<p>As an incoming freshman, I thought I'd like to share my opinion and perspective of my top three schools I had to choose from. I don't intend to start a debate; this is just my perspective. This is what I wrote on a previous post in another thread:</p>

<p>"Okay, I've narrowed down my search to these 3 schools. I'm a chemistry major, but thinking about changing it to maybe biochem or neuroscience, and possibly minoring in history. I also really want to do study abroad, possibly in Scandinavia/England/Scotland/Ireland/France (?)/Italy. I love them all; I just can't decide!</p>

<p>For UCLA, I went to their College Honors Day, since I qualify for their honors program. I really liked the area, the selection of majors and minors, the beauty of the campus, and the emphasis on research. I didn't like how there was music blaring outside in the plazas, music blaring in the dorms, the massive hoards of people walking down the Bruin walk, and the hilly campus where I really can't ride a bike. When I sat in a class there, I felt like I was just a number. The HUGE lecture hall was overflowing, with people sitting in the hall just to hear the professor. Although I haven't actually been in a TA session, I heard that there are a lot who attend and have a hard time getting questions in. I really don't want to fight over 30 other people just to ask a question to a TA. Though I've heard that UCLA has excellent programs in premed/ physical science, I guess I falied to see WHY. I didn't care too much for the dorms, with the loud music, and how cramped the triples were. I DID like their study abroad program though. That was one of the biggest pluses for me; their program is awesome. To be honest, I had a hard time finding a whole lot of good things about UCLA, though I looked; I really did.</p>

<p>For USC, I went to the explore USC day, and I was accepted to their Thematic Option and Freshman Science Honors. I really liked the amazing school spirit, the easily accessible professors, the poplulated, but not crowded FLAT campus where I can easily ride a bike, and the emphasis on research. Although I had heard that the area around USC is horrid, we drove around, and, honestly, it wasn't bad at all. I think it's probably because USC owns so much of the surrounding area that they keep it looking nice. A neuroscientist came and spoke to us, and the light seemingly broke in upon me, as I realized that is exactly what I want to do. He was funny, engaging, practical, and, most of all, brilliant. He showed us some of the research they are currently doing to help solve real life problems, for example: curing addiction. When we were eating lunch, the director was asking us who is in Student Govt, who likes sports, and then who is in the marching band at their school. Immediately after that last one, the marching band came in and started playing. It was awesome. Later, I snuck into some dorm buikdings and took a peek at some dorms. The doubles seemed pretty spacious; I was pretty surprised. Most people get doubles, not triples, so that was pretty cool. I still wanted more info about their study abroad and the TO and FSH programs, though.</p>

<p>For UCSD, I visited there some months ago, and I may go there again this Saturday. It seemed like a nice campus with great research opportunities. I had heard that the student body is kind of dull, though I don't know if that is true. I got into Revelle college, and i think I would enjoy the GE reqs. Like UCLA, I'd heard that they have a good Biochem program, but again I falied to see WHY. I sat in a class there, and it was just like UCLA, overcrowed and dull. I actually don't know enough about UCSD to say a lot of what is good or bad.</p>

<p>So, as you could probably tell, I am leaning towards USC, because people at the UCs didn't really answer my question as to how there programs are so wonderful. For now, the drawbacks seem much greater than at USC."</p>

<p>There you go! In the end, it became quite clear that USC is the right school for me. I am a little scared of the work load in Thematic Option and Freshman Science Honors, but I think I'll learn a LOT if I put my mind to it. Btw, for all those premeds out there, let me just say that USC is great for premed! For example, a neighbor friend went to USC a few years ago as a premed student and participated in the Thematic Option and BAMD programs. He loved USC, and went to UCSD med school and became a neurologist. Immediately upon graduating from the UCSD med school, he was offered a teaching job catered to fit his family schedule, since he was married. At UCLA, the admissions people told us flat out that they don't like to take their own for their medical school, and the same applies to UCs across the board. Again, I don't want to start a flame war, but this is just what I experienced during the difficult time of college decisions. The end. :)</p>

49

<p>Wow! Good decision and good rationale! I know you found the perfect match for you! I still get goosebumps when thinking back to Explore a year ago and hearing the Band play after they asked that question! It NEVER gets old!</p>

50

<p>UCSD dorms are nice, but have a foul odor to them and are moldy. This comes from what my bro told me.
It is also hella hilly with streets at >45 deg. pitches.
USC sounds great, but the tuition is draw-droppingly expensive.</p>

51

<p>USC's yield climbed to 36% for the incoming freshman class according to today's DT:</p>

<p>"The number of admitted students who have submitted their deposit to USC is 4 percent higher than last year, according to admissions officials. </p>

<p>Tim Brunold, associate dean and director of undergraduate admission, said 3,150 admitted freshman, about 36 percent of those admitted, have submitted a deposit to reserve their place in the incoming class."</p>

<p><a href="http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2007/05/23/News/Usc-Yield.Rate.Climbs-2906727.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2007/05/23/News/Usc-Yield.Rate.Climbs-2906727.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

52

<p>Awesome! That makes me happy. One thing is certain though, USC typically matriculates about 2700 students, and they say they like to keep the size of the freshmen class consistent, which means that this increase in the yield combined with the probable increase in applicants next year (I heard there were 37,000 this year) will most definitely result in drastically fewer offers of admission next year.</p>

53

<p>What would you say are the negatives about USC?</p>

54

<p>expensive tuition costs!!</p>