<p>We realize you will be every busy and probably will be very overwhelmed in next 2 days. We sincerely wish you good luck. If you do have any spare time, would you be kind enough to share your experience with us who will go for the session 2?</p>
<ul>
<li>How is your overall experience so far? </li>
<li>Did you not bring something you should? </li>
<li>Did you bring anything you should not? </li>
<li>How is the weather? </li>
<li>How is the dorm? </li>
<li>How are the USC students in general? </li>
<li>What is your first impression of USC?</li>
<li>How is your interview? What questions do they ask you? Any surprising questions? </li>
<li>How are the other explore USC activities? </li>
<li>For parents, what is your impression and experience? </li>
<li>How easy is it to schedule sit in a class? </li>
<li>Is there anything that surprised you (good or bad or neutral)?
:
:</li>
</ul>
<p>I just got done with the first session and I absolutely loved it.
How is your overall experience so far? The experience was amazing. It’s ultra-helpful in information about the University and about the Thematic Option. You’re bound to have all of your questions answered by the time you leave.
Did you not bring something you should? Everything on the checklist pretty much covers it. You may want a light jacket - it gets kinda’ chilly at night. Although, I did bring way too many clothes.
Did you bring anything you should not? I brought an umbrella, but didn’t need it due to the weather.
How is the weather? It was breezy, but sunny most of the time.
How is the dorm? Depends on which one your host student lives in. I was in Parkside A&H (the newest) and they were super-quiet and really nice. We ventured over to Birnkrant, which are slightly older but more social. New North is by far the most social of the dorms, but it also is probably the least clean. Don’t worry though, the host students usually do a really good job of cleaning up and what not.
How are the USC students in general? All of the students involved in the program were very helpful and welcoming. All of the others, if asked, are very enthusiastic about USC and seem to really love the school. I even found a couple that didn’t know I wasn’t a student and offered help when I was scouring the campus map for a couple buildings.
What is your first impression of USC? Gorgeous buildings, nice weather, and a dedicated school.
How is your interview? My friends and I spent the night worrying about the interview and its tricky questions, but you need not worry. The interview was very casual conversation and very easily done. You’re in and out in about 20-25 minutes.
What questions do they ask you? 95% of the questions pertain to the material you wrote in your application. Any surprising questions? Not really.
How are the other explore USC activities? The information sessions were really helpful and the night activities (I don’t want to ruin all the surprises) were very fun.
For parents, what is your impression and experience? Not a parent.
How easy is it to schedule sit in a class? Depends on when your interview is. There are a fair share of classes in the morning, a couple in the afternoon. It was hard for me, but my friends went to a couple.
Is there anything that surprised you (good or bad or neutral)? The campus security is fantastic and the dorm food is excellent at Parkside.</p>
<p>chocminicoop answered your questions quite well and I’ve just gotten back home from the program after a long drive, so I won’t answer each of your questions individually; but I will say that Explore was an excellent experience for me. I had never visited campus before, so I was, honestly, fairly neutral when I first stepped foot on campus. But the program absolutely changed my point of view. The campus is beautiful (the cinematic buildings, especially, were, of course, very impressive), the weather is great (sunny but with cool breezes), and the portion of the student body that I interacted with was unbelievably friendly and enthusiastic about USC. My host was super nice (hopefully you’ll get one as awesome as mine!). And the staff was very friendly and informative. They seemed really sincere in their desire to entice you to their school.</p>
<p>Not to mention, the other kids who’ll be going to the Explore session will all basically be equally as smart as one another, so you’ll meet a lot of great people from all over the country. For example, I met a really nice, down-to-earth girl who got accepted into Stanford EA. That was cool. Haha.</p>
<p>This was a total gush post, but seriously, my experience at Explore was awesome. Although my final college choice will ultimately depend on what other schools I get into in April, their financial aid packages, and my experiences on their campuses, I can easily see myself being happy at USC in the future.</p>
<p>I hope you and your student enjoy your Explore session! :)</p>
<p>Greenstupor…sounds like you had a great time. Good to hear. Did you get your Trustee invite for SCA? (you mentioned the cinematic buildings) If you got your USC acceptance for SCA was it in production?</p>
<p>@chattykathy: No, I didn’t apply for SCA, although I might apply for the business/cinematic arts program or apply for a double major in business and cinema production. I got into Marshall. I passed by the SCA as I was walking, though, and it’s a beautiful building. There are also a bunch of other cool cinema-related buildings, like the new George Lucas Building for Something-or-Other. I don’t know. Haha.</p>
<p>Good luck to you if you applied for SCA production, btw! :)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>How is your overall experience so far?
Really positive. I feel like the school is much more impressive in person than on paper.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you not bring something you should?
Had everything I needed.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you bring anything you should not?
Umbrella, no rain.</p></li>
<li><p>How is the weather?
Mild, but sunny and very comfortable.</p></li>
<li><p>How is the dorm?
Stayed in Parkside AH…super nice building, clean/new rooms.</p></li>
<li><p>How are the USC students in general?
Everyone appeared friendly, happy…and overall healthy/fit.</p></li>
<li><p>What is your first impression of USC?
Severely underrated on the national scene.</p></li>
<li><p>How is your interview? What questions do they ask you? Any surprising questions?
Asked entirely about one or two extra-curricular projects.</p></li>
<li><p>How are the other explore USC activities?
Some of the sessions were a bit repetitive, but overall a great program.</p></li>
<li><p>Is there anything that surprised you (good or bad or neutral)?
My host probably shouldn’t have been hosting (left our group for 2 hrs, boasted about drugs, etc.), but nothing ‘bad’ or inappropriate happened. Slept well and was prepared for interview.</p></li>
</ul>