<p>sorry if it sounded cliche/dumb/whatsoever</p>
<p>just a sincere feedback..</p>
<p>I doubt there is one American in ten who could tell you anything about USC or even tell you what it stands for. If you give them the full name, they can tell you it is in Southern California, and used to make it to the Rose Bowl.</p>
<p>But more than half can tell you about O.J. (and will have an opinion.) Don't let that fool you, though: where I live, no more than 1 in 10 could tell you what a Brown is (or if they did, they would say it was founded by UPS, and I don't mean University of Puget Sound.)</p>
<p>USC has high crime its good for grade school but not undergrad. There are a bunch of rich kids who are spoiled (not a myth). UCLA is a friendlier atmosphere where everyone enjoys there college experience.</p>
<p>I think any American who follows college football would be able to tell you about USC, mini. </p>
<p>Just amazed by the rash generalizations and bitter feelings--from non-USC alums and non-USC-parents! </p>
<p>Not what I expected from the parent's board. Of course, I never expected a bashing thread either. Not on a website devoted to youngsters searching for colleges. </p>
<p>Wow.</p>
<p>Well, I did mention the Rose Bowl. Once you get past that (and OJ), how much do you think "any American" could tell you? (I also know that it is an absolutely unique school, demographically, but there's probably no more than 300 of us who know that, statitiscally.) I've often thought it sounds like an absolutely fascinating place. I know a physics major from up here (who really wanted to go to Rice), whose mother says he likes it. But other than that, I've never known anyone who attended. </p>
<p>Is it a good place? I used to wonder for my younger one, but, sadly, no women's gymnastics.</p>
<p>Cheers, Cheers, Cheers.... I'll turn your statement on its head: some parents' knee-jerk defense and over-dramatization of negative comments about USC is most closely akin to some of the students on the Search/Selection board who believe that only an Ivy will do.
One can make negative comments about NYU, Georgetown, the UC's, etc., and nobody reacts as if the village were being filled by peasants with pitchforks and torches. Now whether these reactions are prompted by a gnawing sense of inferiority, a self-satisfied sense of entitlement, or something else, I really couldn't hazard a guess.</p>
<p>As for students/parents searching for colleges, they can take my comments--and yours--under advisement when they visit and check it out themselves.</p>
<p>TheDad, you must be joking. Tell me a school where alumni won't defend their school when someone states:</p>
<p>"(the) general academic attitude and atmosphere there to be lacking"</p>
<p>"there's a collective delusion of superiority about it which isn't justified"</p>
<p>"they are using $$$ shrewdly to buy some high performing students"</p>
<p>"As for the ballyhooed "USC family", one might want to read the comments of Mike Williams, the star football player who was on again, off again with eligibility and finally declared for the pro draft...it's only the most recent example of a long history."</p>
<p>"There being, as one SC undergrad most winceably put it, "the Stanford of the West.""</p>
<p>"(USC) is a middling-serious school where more emphasis is on the social and the rah rah</p>
<p>And by reading all the previous posts, the two "knee jerk defensive" parents you're talking about have been pretty reasonable. Reasonabledad was just laying down hard data and was open to discussion. Tsdad only butted in after multiple flames about the school. Can you point out an instance where a parent on this thread was overracting(outside of you?).</p>
<p>I do not have an opinion to offer on USC, and I sure could not compare it to UCLA or UCB. I do, however, take exception to the growing antagonism displayed towards TheDad. Let's remember what the OP asked for: "I wonder how parents view USC..a typical rich kid school or there're some exceptions?"
The OP asked for the perceptions of poster, not statistical analyses of data. I'm quite certain that the OP has access to the same SAT or Pell grants statistics. I'm also certain that he could draw his own conclusions from the same statistics. Like people who use selective statistics to further their agenda, he could find support to his own theories. And were he to repeat the same conclusion enough times, he might even believe his conclusions to be correct, especially when ignoring other who have exposed the fallacy of the conclusions. </p>
<p>There is no reason to believe that "numbers" show a more objective position. The interpretation of data can be extremely subjective and result in nothing less than unadulterated quackery -like some of the analyses of SAT results and Pell grants in this thread. </p>
<p>The OP asked for personal opinions, and that is what he got.</p>
<p>Dad, Dad, Dad. One negative post, no problem. Two, no problem. Three, no problem. Eight? With knee-jerk defenses of studentreview? With no first hand experience? Responding to an international student? A 17 year old? From a seasoned parent with a conflict of interest?</p>
<p>Pullllleeeeze. </p>
<p>You've got a problem with simple apologies, don't you? </p>
<p>But we still love you. You're still funny. Not about USC, but you are still funny.</p>
<p>Cheers, you pitch 'em, I'll hit 'em. If it takes eight posts to do it and I'm responding to criticisms of what I've said, I'll do it. If you don't like it, tough. </p>
<p>As to what constitutes sufficient first-hand information, readers are free to make their own call as to whether mine is valid or not. Living where I do, I know <em>lots</em> of people who have gone to SC--including many that agree with the points that I have made--and people who teach or have taught there. </p>
<p>You keep trying to shift the discussion from USC to me and I'm calling you on it. The fact that the OP is an international student is completely irrelevant. The fact that the OP is 17 years old is irrelevant. I've rebutted both my alleged "conflict of interest" and the validities and lack thereof for SR...and all you can do is sling the same mud again.</p>
<p>Ace, Cheers is an example of someone who can't bear to hear a word of his beloved insitution and confuses "negative" with "vitriollic". And I previously responded to the list you regurgitated.</p>
<p>This is all very interesting reading. The OP did ask for personal opinions. I don't understand the antagonism.</p>
<p>I hate to resurrect an old, contentious post, but I just want to toss something out there for discussion.</p>
<p>"Well, Cheers, I'm not a regular reader of USA TODAY, so my pie-chart reading skills may not be as fine as I would like, but the percentage of students who wouldn't return to USC is more roughly a third more at USC compared to Smith, about 37.5 percent to 28 percent. Smith ties with Berkeley in that regard, trails UCLA, and is ahead of Stanford, with USC running...dead last among the group"</p>
<p>TheDad, if StudentReview (by all means an unscientific, subjective source open to data tampering -- though I'm not suggesting this has happened) rates USC as being dead last in the students that would return, then why does USC have the greatest alumni giving rates (an objective quantifier) after Stanford? See <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908051.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908051.html</a></p>
<p>And as an aside, it appears double UCLA grads like to give over $100 mil to USC too: <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/engineering/CNE/mann/%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/engineering/CNE/mann/</a></p>
<p>not to mention <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0770757.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0770757.html</a></p>
<p>Where has he (TheDad) been lately? I haven't read him for a while. Is he still busy absorbing knowledge from 20 years ago, or try finding another new world beside LAC:)</p>
<p>The dude was a legend.</p>
<p>USC is the one private school that consistently sparks heated debate here on CC. Which leads me to believe that USC is big enough to be many different things to many different people, and that it is likely that all of the stereotypes are both true and false, depending on who is doing the talking. :)</p>
<p>Hi all, I am going to be a Senior in the fall and USC is one of my top choices. However, I am worried my parents and I won't to be able to pay for it. My stats include a 4.4 GPA and 2100 SAT. Would these scores qualify me enough to receive any scholarships from USC? Also, my parents make 100,000 all together.</p>
<p>I'm entering USC as a Freshman this fall, and being bored I had some fun in reading this thread. Since I'm an out-of-stater, I did not bother applying to any UC. I had already decided a long time ago that I was going to major in Engineering, and since USC has a reputable Engineering school - for both grad and undergrad - I decided to apply to it. I ended up picking it over more "reputable" schools that I got accepted to: UVa, University of Chicago to name a few. One of the big reasons I chose the school, other than reputation, was that I found the campus to be full of very hospitable people; people who could care less about those who hate USC and start chanting up those slogans (University of Spoiled Children certainly doesn't work, as I've met many people from low-income backgrounds at my orientation who are quite grateful for USC to give them a chance at a good education. I've never heard of one of the "boasting" schools doing such a good deed).<br>
Just my 2 cents...</p>
<p>YoungBuddhist, you have a very good shot for a scholarship. I'm sure of that. When they choose scholarship recipients, it is need-blind. The only time they look at your income is when they consider financial aid.</p>
<p>USC was once viewed as a rich kid school (U of second choice, U of spoiled children, etc.) While some still hold that view, IMO USC has grown and grown up alot in recent years. It is a private school and so yes there is money there, but I think it is a very diverse school, large international population and I really don't think the rich kid tag is appropriate any longer.</p>
<p>SC is increasingly harder to get into and has made tremendous strides to elevate its academics. Certainly its sports programs are very strong and right or wrong, most people know it for that, alone.</p>
<p>As to negatives I see about the school, there is not much student housing and I believe only freshman have guaranteed on campus housing. The surrounding neighborhood is also horrible and the housing adjacant to campus isn't the greatest, BUT they are working on this and projects are coming on soon. Also alot of kids are fairly local and tend to scatter on weekends, so absent football weekends, etc. I don't think there is alot happening on campus on weekends except for perhaps if you are part of the Greek System, if you're into that. This is definitely not a residential type college and is certainly not in a college town atmosphere, but there are a core of students living on and around campus, IMO they just need to improve on this and expand that "core".</p>
<p>As far as the alumni network, it is great in the SoCal area. Not so sure once you get beyond, but in general I think an SC degree is very well respected.</p>
<p>As far as the education, I don't think the school is all that strong in the liberal arts. It's strength is and has always been in the "professional" schools both grad and undergrad. Its film, law, medicine, eng., architecture, dental, pharmacy programs are all top notch. The school is improving in all areas though, has LOTS of $$$ and is using it to attract professors, to build new facilities etc. To that end, it is a beautiful campus, really a classic. So much so it is used in countless movies, commercials etc.</p>
<p>All and all, I don't think you can go wrong with an education at USC. My really only strong hesitance with the school is, as I said above, the housing is limited and I don't think very good, but they are working to improve and expand it.</p>
<p>My oldest son attended grad school on a scholarship at USC, after a UC undergraduate experience plus a stint in the military. He worked as a resident advisor and lived among the students, and although he was satisfied there he told me not to let my younger sons apply. His reason was that in his opinion the students weren't smart enough, did not seem to care about their education nor were the courses challenging enough. He particularly was surprised that he never saw the students study. His charges played loud music every night until 4 AM and partied constantly. He is a partier himself so I was surprised at this criticism of the school, but I guess he wants something better for his little brothers.</p>
<p>This is like a typical blanket statement. It is hard for me to believe someone will spend 200k just to party. Will their parents know this? How about their career prospect?</p>
<p>I am working for USC now after I got my graduate degree here. I even have several undergraduate students working alongside. They are good students although I see some average ones. Some are really smart. </p>
<p>P.S. I don't know graduate students can work as resident advisor for undergrads, can they? Or your son went here long ago?</p>