<p>@curious- AMX answered well.</p>
<p>@butta- Sorry, I can’t say I’ve even heard of that place.</p>
<p>New/North is trash. Birnkrant is the best dorm in terms of being the nicest, newest building with the best facilities and air conditioning. New/North just has too many people, and it’s the go-to “party at my place” dorm which ultimately ends with puke everywhere, like the stairwells and elevators.</p>
<p>Parkside is a good building, but it’s far less social because of the suite style.</p>
<p>Hawkings:
I don’t think anybody could honestly say they think Birnkrant, facilities wise, is better than Parkside. IMO Birnkrant is the best ALL AROUND, but only because it has a good social scene compared to Parkside. New/North, as previously stated, is the most sought after dorm on campus. Granted, it will not be a good fit for some and it is certainly a party dorm, but that does not change the fact that it is the most popular choice among freshmen.</p>
<p>How is USC for non-drinkers? Is it hard to find a group of people who aren’t into hardcore partying and drinking? Also, what majors tend to drink/party most and least?</p>
<p>myuser: This is a question that I don’t think I am well equipped to answer due to my limited single semester experience, but I will attempt it nonetheless. Please take my perspective with a grain of salt. </p>
<p>“Is it hard to find a group of people who aren’t into hardcore partying and drinking?”
No. However, I would say it can be difficult to find people who aren’t into social drinking AT ALL and people who don’t even go to parties on occasion. I know some people who go to parties but tell others “I don’t drink” (mostly girls) and still manage to have a fun time. Some of these people have forsaken their restrictions though after several weeks. While they were not, to my knowledge, pressured to drink, they likely just became weary of being the odd one out and eventually gave in. I think this kind of occurrence will be common in individuals who try to “party” without drinking. It’s like trying to play hockey without a puck: pretty damn hard.
If you want to go through college without drinking, find a group of people early on who shares your ideals. I guarantee they are there and there are likely a significant number of them. I would say USC is no better or worse than any other school of similar caliber. All elite privates are going to have a strong drinking/party culture. If you want to get involved with it, great. If not, that’s great too. It’s a decision you will have to make and a dilemma you will be confronted with at any top tier college you attend.
I’m not sure about what specific majors party the most. The easy answer would be Business, just because of the stereotype, but I cannot speak conclusively as to whether an actual greater percentage of Business students party as opposed to the percentage of Cinematic Arts or even Mechanical Engineering students. There are just a ton of business students everywhere, so you will be sure to find them no matter what activity you are participating in.</p>
<p>I have some friends who didn’t drink until they turned 21 at USC, and they still came out to all the social outings and had a blast… it is definitely possible to go without drinking at 'SC, even though everyone around you might be drinking</p>
<p>Business and comm majors, strictly because there’s so many of them and their lighter courseload allows them to socialize more. A stereotype? Yes, but not without reason.</p>
<p>The only reason that New/North is so popular is because everyone constantly talks about it. Just like why freshmen go to the row all the time. There’s more options available, perhaps better, but they don’t know about them. Yes, I did mean that Birnkrant is the overall best because of both the facilities and the social interaction. Parkside is the newest so obviously it has the best facilities. New/North is also popular because it simply has more freshmen than any other dorm, so people hear more about it.</p>
<p>Do note that Birnkrant is, as far as I know, an honors dorm now, and you can’t get in unless you are a Presidential or Trustee scholar.</p>
<p>One thing to note is that Birnkrant Triples are arguably the best freshman housing you can get - Three beds in one room, a huge living room in the other (they basically knocked a hole into the wall between two rooms and made that one unit).</p>
<p>I am applying to USC Viterbi as an Electrical/ Aerospace engineer, and am really concerned about my social situation if I choose to pursue this major. I am really motivated in Physics and engineering. I feel like it is where I belong and I have a ton of fun doing. However, the science and math people I have encountered are notoriously socially awkward. I am just wondering whether I am going to be the odd one out and have a tough time socializing if I go to USC and pursue engineering. I definitely want to join a fraternity and I am a big partier, but will I have a ridiculous amount of work that will prevent me from doing these things?<br>
I am in a difficult situation, because I value my social life and happiness almost as much as my aspirations as a Engineer/Physicist, and don’t want them conflicting with each other. Will I have time for a fraternity? for parties? for stereotypical college awesomeness? </p>
<p>Thanks for doing this by the way, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>@Curious95asd</p>
<p>I’m a senior in high school, applying to USC so I can’t necessarily answer your question. But I will say this: I’m in just about the exact same boat as you. I want to do Chem E, but I also want to have fun. I’ve been around a large group of engineering students and for the most part they are terribly awkward. But I think that’s one of the biggest reasons why I like USC over other schools like CalTech. For one, it’s not an engineering based school, so most students won’t be engineering majors. Secondly, the culture on campus is much different than that of a school like CalTech. The engineering students will most likely be, on average, much more social. In any case, there will always be kids like you. It may just be harder to find them. I want to party, to have fun, to be at college, and I’m pretty certain I’ll find the right group for this at SC. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>curious- There is that stereotype, and it may even be the majority of engineers who are rather awkward and not big socialites. However, there are definitely biomedical, electrical, aerospace, and other difficult engineering majors who thrive in greek life, balance their studies, and wind up with a great gpa while being extremely active in their house. </p>
<p>It’s all about time management and you as an individual. Some people will certainly find that in order to survive in these majors they can afford to do nothing but study. Others will complete their work in a timely fashion and have ample free time to spend as they please. I can’t speak for you specifically, I can only tell you that it is in fact possible.</p>
<p>Hey (directed towards anyone really) -
I was wondering what id be like or me at USC if I was admitted. What’s dormlife like for a guy in dornsife as undecided. What’s the workload like in the gen. ed. classes?
Also, what are the places to go that everyone goes to on Friday and Saturday nights?</p>
<p>I’m looking to rush next semester and it would be great if you could make a comprehensive post on what you know about Greek Life at USC. For example a small post about the stereotypes/cultures of each Fraternity… The hazing issue is fine but I want to know what I’m getting into if I was able to get a bid… Any info would be much appreciated thank you</p>
<p>wdemaster02 - dorm life is what you make of it. everyone is new and willing to branch out and meet one another so definitely be involved instead of shying away from others during the first week of school. the first couple weeks of meeting people is crucial since those same people can be your best friends all throughout your 4 years. General Ed. classes are a pain in the ass. They are typically very hard, in my opinion, and the workload can be insane at times. i’m a business major and business classes are easier than GE classes, which is kind of sad. Friday and Saturday nights you can hang out with your friends, go to downtown LA, or just party in the dorms. whatever you choose to make of the situation.</p>
<p>newtousc - greek life at sc is pretty big imo. getting a bid is the tough part if you are wishing to join a fraternity, because if you rush a “top” house, chances are unlikely you’ll get a bid, which means you missed out on your chance of joining a frat for a semester. typically the toughest frats to get into are phi psi, lambda chi, sigma chi, sae, and aepi. they usually take guys who are good looking, athletic, social, etc. that’s not always the case, but it’s true 90% of the time. also, minorities do have a bit tougher chance getting into those top 5 houses just an fyi. right below those frats would be pikapp, tke, ato, phi delt, pike, etc. (not listed in order). but like others will say, don’t join just because of the name, join because you like the guys in the house. each fraternity has some form of hazing during the pledge process, some rougher than others. if you have any other specific questions then just ask away.</p>
<p>My S is a Freshman CS major living at Birnkrant. He likes it there; however, he feels intimidated by all the brainiacs on his floor - haha!</p>
<p>I encouraged him to go through Spring Rush, as I did when I was in college; but he chose not too. He wanted to avoid the heavy party scene on The Row. Instead next semester, he hopes to live in University owned apartments with 3 of his new friends.</p>
<p>He does not have a car, he’s made good use of the public transportation system in LA. A good friend of his from HS is going to SMC and they see each often. He’s thankful he doesn’t have the hassle of parking and the associated costs of it there.</p>
<p>He is very happy with his decision to attend SC. This was re-enforced over Christmas break when visiting HS friends who chose to stay home and attend college in Nebraska. When comparing class notes, Viterbi blows away anything available here.</p>
<p>@Nihility
if you don’t mind posting your stats I would really appreciate it.
I’m worrying a bit because people received acceptance letters to USC today (with scholarship) and I’m worried that because I have mediocre grades (yet STELLAR ECs) that I won’t even receive a regular April decision. Were you accepted in late January and do you think I should be worrying?</p>
<p>Dear OP: What have been your greatest disappointments with USC thus far? Can they be remedied?</p>
<p>I’m current a USC student and am a Computer Science and Business Administration major. While those in my major tend to be more introverted, I was still able to join a frat, go through a tough pledge semester and maintain a good gpa, and enjoy a social life while pursuing this degree. I would say that a fraternity, while not necessary, is a great place to go to be social. We have a good amount of engineers compared to other top houses, thus, they’ve probably taken classes you have taken, and can help you with them. If anyone has questions about this let me know.</p>
<p>USCFraternity, which fraternity are you in? Another question, which fraternities are known to accept minorities, since I’m Asian and looking for a fraternity that doesn’t look down on races other than white.</p>