My daughter was accepted to USC - Annenberg but has some concerns about the safety/security in the USC area. Would love to hear people’s thoughts/experiences on this topic!
The school is very safe with a lot of security. There are some Boba/ food places walking distance outside the school and the area seems sketchy but as long as you’re in a big group, seems ok.
1 Like
This is an excellent question and is of concern to parents of freshmen each year. The campus itself is well patrolled by the school’s department of public safety -dps. At night the campus is closed gated to all but students and employees-after 10. A nice comfort for core campus freshmen dorms. The surrounding neighborhood including the village is also dps patrolled and LAPD patrolled. It’s called the dps zone or something like that.
As another poster said, use the buddy system that you would use on any major campus. They told us about the buddy system at my small college back in the 80s. Be street smart. There are thousands of students there which means the safety calculus is fine for all those students and parents.
During orientation there are videos and presentations about physical safety, date and alcohol safety too. As a parent I have been satisfied that all those topics are taken seriously.
Incidents of all those types do happen. Almost every college campus has those. Especially city campuses.
Congrats on the admission, it’s a great school.
3 Likes
My daughter was accepted to Viterbi (mechanical). She applied in time to be considered for scholarships but was not invited to interview. The financial package is here but there is no mention of anything regarding scholarship. Does this mean no scholarship was awarded or does Viterbi send out scholarship information independent of USC’s finance office? Planning to call finance office on Monday to find out but any insight would be much appreciated.
The campus itself is quite safe, and the nearby area is patrolled (DPS zone – Department of Public safety) and USC offers free Lyfts in the evening.
But…USC only guarnatees housing for the first two years, and very few juniors and seniors get on-campus housing. Students spread out over the nearby area into private apartments, some of which rent by the bedspace and some by the apartment. There are some that are literally across the street from campus, and many, many options within the DPS zone. That being said, it is still a big city and it is good to always be aware of your surroundings.
1 Like
My son is currently a freshman. We currently live in a fairly rural area of the Midwest, but have also lived in larger cities (Boston, Chicago, etc.). We’ve been to USC a few times over the past year to visit for move-in, parents’ weekend, etc. They take safety seriously and have a presence of security patrols, limited entrances on campus, free Lyfts etc. But it’s a major city and the students need to use common sense. The campus itself is self-contained and in my opinion, as safe as it can be within the confines of a major city.
1 Like
Driving back from packed admitted student event in the Bay Area. Nicely done but my D didn’t learn anything new — continues to love the school though. Students were able to do breakout groups by major, but she didn’t because no one there for the small schools like hers.
Since our financial aid packet shows pending I asked about this and was told we should get it it in 2-3 business days. And, they reiterated that merit recipients have been notified.
An admissions officer was surprised to learn my D had been invited to apply to Thematic Option and was not a recipient of a merit scholarship. Apparently that goes hand in hand.
So, we wait.
3 Likes
Hmmm… my daughter was invited to apply for TO, as well. Plot thickens…
With that, thank you for sharing and the fight on! 
I think that came off wrong from the AO. Generally all scholarship recipients are invited and so are those that are not merit recipients that show strong combined reading/writing test scores/high GPA or other evidence of strong reading/writing skills. Many eligible students (merit and not) are contacted by T.O. after they are admitted, but anyone interested can apply. I personally know several invited who were not merit kids. Typically 200ish in TO. And they did reiterate all merit is out…but I get being anxious with FA not done!
btw, anyone interested in applying to TO that wasn’t invited may do so by April 15 - that is the priority deadline. If you apply by the priority deadline, you will be notified of your acceptance status via email by April 25. Scholarship status or admission to other USC programs are not taken into consideration for those that apply.
2 Likes
Oops… I replied from my cell / old account, but I am still a grateful mom!
That said, thank you for sharing that tidbit. My daughter was also invited to apply to Thematic Options and will ask about that next Saturday.
Fight on!
Appreciate that info, too!
2 Likes
Hi again! Is there any advantage to attending an off campus in person event vs virtual event? Our hope is after attending one of these it will determine if we go out and do an in person tour before making a final decision. I feel like virtual doesn’t give enough of an experience but not sure how much more an off campus event will either.
Also I’ve seen talks of Thematic Options. Is it highly recommended? We don’t know too much about it - hoping the events will cover this too. Thanks so much!!!
As for the issue of safety on or near USC’s campus, I too was of course concerned as a parent sending one and then two daughters across the country from Florida to L.A. But… based on my daughters’ accounts and on my own visits over time, my fears have lessened greatly. Parents are especially always going to worry… and no matter where their kids go to college, but the DPS safety zone around USC is rather large and well monitored with safety patrols, etc. They also provide campus cruisers and even free Lyft rides.
Here is a link to a variety of topics related to student safety at or near USC: Patrol Areas - Department of Public Safety
There are of course areas outside of the USC DPS patrolled zone that should be avoided… just as there are areas to be avoided in most major U.S. cities. The Niche college rankings puts USC’s safety grade at B and is based on dozens of public data sets and on student, alumni and faculty reviews.
For those curious… the last time I checked, USC ranked #16 overall on the Niche College Rankings and its grades are: A+ for its Overall Niche Grade… and then by category: Academics A+, Value A+, Diversity A+, Campus A+, Athletics A+, Party Scene A+, Professors A+, Location B+, Dorms A-, Campus Food A-, Student Life A+, Safety B.
USC compares quite well in terms of safety with other elite colleges and universities… for example, in terms of safety - here are others’ grades for some other highly ranked colleges and universities via Niche:
MIT B, Stanford B-, Harvard B, Yale C, Princeton B+, Penn B, Columbia B, Duke C+, Brown B-, CalTech B, Wash U in St Louis A-, Rice B-, Notre Dame B, Northwestern B, UChicago B-, Vanderbilt B-, Dartmouth B. So only Princeton and WashU are ranked higher than USC in terms of safety.
4 Likes
If you are trying to determine whether or not you should travel to visit campus, I feel that the in person event will give you a more definitive answer.
Some engineers do TO but it really depends on your student and their interest/focus. It would be a good question to ask at this event.
1 Like
TO replaced Gen Eds. Smaller classes, too professors, more reading and writing. AO yesterday said they were generally harder.
I highly recommend attending an off-campus in-person event. You can get some sense of the school by how it’s organized, who is presenting, and what they prioritize in their presentations. Depending on the school, these are people you/your student may interact with a lot over the coming years—it’s really nice to put names to faces (for you and for the administrators/staff).
USC has a campus and surrounding environs unlike any other I’m familiar with. Though I’m not sure there is any better way to get a feel for the school than attending an in-person admitted students day, if you are able to, these days the virtual offerings are pretty darn great, too.
Best of luck in the decision-making process & congratulations on having a decision to make!
Very much agree with this. Attend anything in-person that you can. Director of Admissions at our event. Like all USC events, was well run, polished and inspiring. D got a sense about who her peers would be. Smart, some nerdy — felt like people had money. The school is dynamic, innovative and sees the future as operating on the international stage. Global thinking, interdisciplinary.
Regarding its location and the fact that surrounding area is not a quaint college town beyond the Village. I understand that this is an important component for some. But honestly the SoCal/LA culture is that you hop in your car or Uber to where you want to go. LA is your oyster — you just don’t plan to walk!
4 Likes
So we just left the in person event in DC - and just wow. My daughter (and us) are very impressed. Loved the intimate Q and A with Dean for Viterbi. Thanks everyone for your input. Looks like we are now looking for a flight to So Cal!
3 Likes
That’s exciting! How many Viterbi kids were at the DC event?
1 Like
There were only about 8 students there for Viterbi. But about 200 or so students attending the entire event. I was surprised that there weren’t more
1 Like