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<li><p>LA, in reality, is a very general classification, haha. But assuming you mean LA as in the campus and maybe a 10-15 mile radius around it, it doesn't seem that vibrant/culturally strong, but it can be. Downtown LA, itself, doesn't have too many high-rise buildings or an army of taxi cabs (like NYC), but what it lacks in physical form, it makes up for in culture and entertainment. LA is very diverse (as is the USC campus). Admittedly, getting around LA by onself can be a challenging experience, but I personally don't think a car is necessary... especially if you'll be staying on or near the campus most of the time. To get around this, it helps to have a friend who has a car. Nonetheless, I would ask for more opinions about this because I pretty much stayed on or near campus the whole year last year.</p></li>
<li><p>The USC campus, itself, is nice (and you seem to understand that, as you specifically asked about the neighborhood around the campus). It can be rough. I would say that within a half-mile radius, you're pretty safe. However, I wouldn't recommend going around alone off-campus... especially at night. Try to find someone to walk with you at night if you're going off-campus. Robberies do happen, but I don't think it's that hard to avoid them. On the upswing? That might be true, but I haven't quite seen it yet. But even so, the USC campus is very safe (Department of Public Safety continuously scans the perimeters and inside of the campus).</p></li>
<li><p>In general, the consensus seems to be that financial aid is generous. That being said, I know people who received no to very little financial aid, but those people seem to be the ones who can afford (or at least afford a good chunk of the tuition/fees). The following is a link to USC's scholarships for entering undergraduate students: <a href="http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/sg/entering_undergrad_meritbased/%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/sg/entering_undergrad_meritbased/</a></p></li>
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<p>There are other forms of financial aid, such as Federal Stafford loans and Federal PLUS loans. I think other people could shed more light on what financial aid is like better than I can.</p>
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<li><p>The weather is quite nice in LA. During the late summer (when school starts in mid/late August), temperatures probably reach highs in the 80s and 90s. By the time winter comes around, highs range from the upper 50s to the 60s. Temperatures do change from day to night, but I don't think they are, in any way, drastic. It doesn't rain much here, and if you want snow, you'll have to drive a few hours to reach it during the winter months.</p></li>
<li><p>I didn't go to the beach on the weekends, but whenever I went with my friends on the weekday afternoons/evenings, it didn't seem too bad. So yes, going to the beach on a regular basis is plausible, but I don't know too many people who do go on a regular basis. Horror stories about water temperatures? Well, it's obviously not going to be spa-like temperatures in beach water, so I don't really know how people could be stricken with horror with regards to beach water temperature.</p></li>
<li><p>There is definitely a "balance between the number of down to earth people and the number of snobby people." Actually, I think a majority of the students who come from wealthy families are not snobby. For the most part, it's a myth. Really, the people of USC make the campus great. Yes, there's the occasional snobby student, but at USC, rich does not always equal snobby.</p></li>
<li><p>Is it really 30K+ undergrads? I think it's closer to 16,500 undergrads and 16,500 grads for a total of 33,000. Nonetheless, I would say that class size generally determines whether students can forge relationships with their professors. For example, it would probably be easier to meet up with an arts and letter professor than with a general biology professor because you're basically comparing a 20+ student class to a few hundred student class. In general, professors are accessible through their office hours. For most classes, TAs do the grading. The professors are there only to lecture. It's possible to get an easy or hard TA for the same class. In terms of camaraderie, the general USC population is quite friendly. Don't be surprised if someone asks to sit with you during lunch. I would say that most of the camaraderie stems from the school spirit, which is HUGE, especially for football season. You might not get to know the other 16,499 undergraduates, but if you make the effort to be friendly and go out and socialize with other people, you should be able to sustain or even grow your social interdependence with others.</p></li>
<li><p>I personally don't drink or do drugs, so I don't know much about the off-campus parties (I've never been to one). You'll have to ask someone else about those. If you're not much into the aforementioned either, there are plenty of other options within the campus. As for school spirit, it is, once again, HUGE. It's obviously sustained because of the best college football program in the nation (yes, I'm biased!), but I think Trojan students actually make the effort to sport some Trojan pride. A lot of people go to the football games. I didn't go last year because I went home for the weekend nearly every week (I live about 25 miles away), but I'm the exception, not the rule. Last year, the Spirit cards (a student's access to the football games) was actually SOLD OUT. That's proof that Trojan Nation fever continues to boil.</p></li>
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<p>I hope you seriously consider USC. You never know what could happen (not only in terms of acceptance, but also in terms of financial aid package). I don't think it would hurt to apply to USC.</p>