<p>USC sounds like a great school and everything except for the fact that it's located on the south side of Los Angeles. My question is how much of an impact does this play in your decision to attend USC? I mean how bad is it really? Is it analagous to University of Chicago? I just don't want to get shot before graduating college.</p>
<p>I didn't even apply to SC, and that played a huge part. USC is a very, very good school, but I've attended several events and such up there, and it just isn't a very good area. The campus is really nice, but if you want to go off campus, don't do it too late at night. All of the surrounding neighborhoods have bars over the doors/windows of houses, and many of the yards are fenced with barbed wire, especially around the stadium area. I remember one time I was taking a taxi to the campus, and the driver greeted me with "Welcome to South Central LA. Hoommme of the bad guys." I mean, you won't be shot if you just keep your wits about you. And I have several friends at SC who absolutely love it. But I really suggest visiting the campus beforehand, the campus and surrounding areas are very racially and economically polarized, so keep that in mind. Good luck!</p>
<p>To my knowledge, no one has ever been shot before graduating USC, so you're good to go.</p>
<p>It's in an urban area so it has both the benefits and disadvantages of being in a city, not unlike UC Berkeley. It's not for everyone so visit the campus. Some people just prefer the suburban areas that other colleges are located in. I'm pretty sure that getting shot should be far down on your list of worries.</p>
<p>My family visited USC back in Sep and we did not feel nervous about the area. I heard bad things about the surrounding neighborhood before our first visit but it did not scared DD from applying.</p>
<ol>
<li>Dont be a loner and walk by yourself late at night.</li>
<li>Make good choices.</li>
<li>Have fun! My sisters have never had a problem with security.</li>
</ol>
<p>yup, pretty much agree with everyone on here. I mean, the area isn't safe, but be smart and you don't have to worry about getting shot lol. Now mugged, on the other hand....</p>
<p>jk :P</p>
<p>similar question.... does the lack of "college town" surrounding the campus affect the atmosphere?</p>
<p>Heres Princeton Review's take on the campus life at USC</p>
<p>"Students note that while "It used to be that the neighborhood around USC shut down on weekends, and that downtown was seedy. But there's been a real renaissance in these neighborhoods, and more and more students choose to live on and near campus and spend weekends here." Now, there are "more restaurants, more museums, more theater, etc. than ever before, and even burgeoning cafes." That said, being "in a large city," "Much of the 'student life' is off campus." USC undergraduates tell us that "LA is a Trojan's playground, if you don't mind driving to get there." One student reports that "usually we find someone with a car and go into Santa Monica or Beverly Hills and shop and eat dinner or go to the movies." However, students are happy to report that "USC is quickly transitioning into a fully residential university." Also, "The just-completed Galen Center sports facility adds a lot of prestige to the neighborhood. It's the new home of USC basketball and serves as a large and modern venue for entertainment events." For the toga-inclined, "Almost all Greek houses are located on one street. It is famous for its parties on Thursday nights because campus dies down on Friday." Students are also "very involved in collegiate sports (especially football)" and on-campus lectures and movie showings. One undergraduate writes, "There's always an advance screening somewhere that you get handed tickets to on the way to class."</p>
<p>Why does the campus die down on Friday?</p>
<p>Because everyone goes to the Westside of LA to party.</p>
<p>This topic comes up here about once a month. If anyone wants more info, do a search and you'll find tons of opinions about this.</p>
<p>That quote is a bit outdated. Thursday parties are now discouraged by DPS so Friday/Saturday are the most lively nights.</p>
<p>Wait... what ? What is DPS? And there are no parties on Thursday nights?</p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/453299-robert-morris-u-students-murdered.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/453299-robert-morris-u-students-murdered.html</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/451364-duke-university-grad-student-murdered-last-night-lived-off-campus.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/451364-duke-university-grad-student-murdered-last-night-lived-off-campus.html</a></p>
<p>DPS is the Department of Public Safety, the local police group of USC. There are still plenty of parties on Thursday nights, if you want to go to one.</p>
<p>Hi- I have lived here for 2 years, right outside the campus, 5 min away by foot. Yes, it is indeed a ghetto compared to the rest of Los Angeles, make no mistake of it. Those who say otherwise are just dellusioning themselves. Raciallyand economically polarized- check, Infrastructure and services lacking-check, lack of safety or feeling of lack of personal safety walking around at any time of the day especially at night-check, high factual and actual occurences of crime - check (this is a fact and is well documented and made known to students via email), cleanliness of streets and public places-low or lacking-check. Thsi neighborhood is overall seedy, unsafe, dirty, unpleasant hands down. In addition, the apartments are just overrated ie. rents are not low to make up for it. The only one perk - convenience to rush to class and get all your school business done in a jiffy. Not the fault of the university necessarily. Root causes are more complex and no one organization is able to solve it single handedly. The university does a good job policing and making their rounds, it just happens to be in a real crappy part of Los Angeles. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks for the cold hard truth bloomju, now at least we know what we're getting ourselves into</p>
<p>I don't agree with you. It is a poor neighborhood, but not ghetto. I have been living here for long, and known many neighbors and landlords, and they are mostly nice, hard-working people. There are some coming from other neighborhood who commit petty crimes here, but that is a reality for most urban community.</p>
<p>I have heard stories and it is somewhat unsafe I hear, you don't want to walk alone at night, especially off campus.</p>