I think the areas around USC and Berkeley are very comparable. Once you get about half-a-mile east or southeast of Berkeley, I’d consider those neighborhoods to be as bad, or worse, than neighborhoods a similar distance from USC.
My partner went to USC in the late 80s. We’re there for football games and other events frequently now. I don’t really think the area is too much to worry about unless you’re comparing it to some cloistered rural Midwest college. I live in the Bay Area now and I do equate it to Cal. There have been a number of robberies of students not too far from Cal’s campus this past year. Frankly I’d probably feel more comfortable around USC at this point in time than I do around Cal’s campus. The ‘good’ area has expanded dramatically since we were in school – it’s so much better now.
My daughter is applying to USC and I have no concerns about her being there.
USC is right next to Watts and Compton. As in Watts riots and Crip/Blood gang territory. I’m sure USC does a great job with security, but let’s not minimize the safety concerns about the surrounding area.
This is silly. For the geographically challenged, USC is 26 minutes – 12 miles – away from Compton, and around 10 miles – 20 minutes – from Watts. The Watts riots were over 50 years ago.
Yes, it’s an urban school. So is Columbia. So is U of Chicago. So is Ga Tech. So is, to some degree, UC Berkeley.
The area around the school has changed a lot in the past 20 years. The area devoted to student housing has grown.
90% of the people who claim the neighborhood is dangerous have probably never been to Los Angeles.
Some of these comments are ridiculous. I’m a petite female and I attended USC in the 90’s with no problem. I have wandered throughout the neighborhood many times since, again with no problem. However, you should use common sense. Don’t walk alone late at night and call for a ride home if you need it. Most of the student housing areas are well lit and well traveled, so pretty safe.
The area surrounding USC is predominantly working class, not depressed and crime ridden. You don’t see many people just hanging around. We should also keep in mind that, just south of campus, are several wonderful museums and the L.A. Coliseum, which are frequented by families and kids and have their own security.
It is good to understand the motivation of some posts with no validity.
Not everyone can be accepted to great schools, but making people worry needlessly about their choice is not nice.
^^^ Indeed. If you are thinking about attending USC, I suggest limiting your gained insights from alumni or those attending now or those with family members attending there now or your personal experience while visiting. For example, I personally attended Johns Hopkins. At that time, there were significant crime and safety issues surrounding the Homewood Campus in Baltimore. But I cannot speak to how it is today. Hopefully things are much better now. I do though have two daughters attending USC currently and have visited there many times. While I of course advise caution, especially at night, and urge them to use Campus Cruisers or the free Lyft rides in the area surrounding campus at night, I have zero safety concerns. If I had such… neither would be attending there currently. And based on numerous student and alumni accounts here on CC and the student/alumni reviews at Niche, safety concerns at or around USC are generally overstated. It is rated a B for safety… matching or bettering all but one of the 18 schools rated higher than USC on the Niche College Rankings. (See Post 15 for all their scores). Only Bowdoin was judged to be safer. Many elite colleges and universities are judged to be less safe than USC… and by their own students and alumni.
But before attending any college or university, I highly suggest visiting in person and judging it all for yourself. The important thing is whether or not USC or any other college is the right fit for you. You only get one shot at your undergraduate college experience, so choose wisely…
Ha! Grew up in LA and spent my whole life there. USC is a good school. Solid programs in many areas. But this thread is about location. As noted above, other good schools like Yale and Chicago are in tough areas too. No need to get defensive folks.
A couple of you mentioned Compton and Watts. They are located south of the USC campus and geographically, the LA County museums serve as a “buffer” zone between the campus and Compton/Watts. North of campus is the LA Convention Center and then downtown LA. On the eastside, there is the Harbor Freeway (Hwy 110). The patrolled areas of the campus is relatively safe, but like any urban campuses, one has to be vigilant, especially walking at night.
I don’t think it is being defensive, I think it is actual USC students or alumni fixing incorrect information. Saying USC is right next to Compton is inaccurate and doing interested students a disservice. Beverly Hills is closer to USC than Compton is.
Students and parents should keep in mind city distances wherever looking at any urban college. Compton is 12 miles away, in a city, even 2 miles is an entirely different place. Think about the differences within Chicago or San Francisco if you went even just two miles. Manhattan Beach is 15 miles from Compton and LAX is 13 miles. Should everyone be afraid to go to the airport or one of the most expensive coastal towns in the country because of the legendary Compton? I drive through it often without a concern. Here’s some landmarks with actual perspective for those unfamiliar with area.
As @WWWard posted. “If you are thinking about attending USC, I suggest limiting your gained insights from alumni or those attending now or those with family members attending there now or your personal experience while visiting.”
Really not trying to sound like an endorser, because USC isn’t right for everyone (no school is), but I would be checking out is how close USC is to downtown, Staples center, LA Live, the beach and all Socal has to offer.
Gosh, I remember going to a transfer orientation at UCLA about 3 years ago and they were making fun of USC’s safety. They said something like “unlike that school on the other side of town, we have our own police department”. For other reasons, I ended up withdrawing from UCLA and decided on USC. I had no regrets. Sure, the area around UCLA is nicer, but I just didn’t like it. I also wasn’t a fan of all the hills, lol 
I felt safe at USC and it was a major plus that the California Science Center just happened to be nearby. I used to love going there as a kid. I actually had no idea that USC was next to this particular science museum, so I feel that shows just how much of a bubble I was in. I rarely left my town and if I did, it would always be the same places - I didn’t explore until I was at USC.
The Space Shuttle Endeavour is on display in a building across the street from USC. If the area was that dangerous, they wouldn’t have put it there.
I don’t have any experience with USC, but when my daughter was 16, she had a summer internship at the Museum of Natural History, right across the street from USC, and she’d walk around during lunch all the time, and the only people that ever talked to her were lost tourists.
When we visited last March I was on the lookout for the “bad neighborhood” surrounding USC. I did not see anything that would be cause for concern. It looked like an older, working class LA neighborhood. I live in an ag area in Northern CA as a frame of reference. The sketchiest thing I saw was a greek house with a beer pong table in the front yard. :))
Folks should understand that it is not just the immediate surrounding mile around campus that students should be aware of, especially at night. As an example, when driving, if you exit the 10 and drive down Vermont to USC at night, vigilance and caution should be used. Walking from campus to university housing that is in the immediate area is a different matter, no doubt there is plenty of campus security. Most first year students won’t have a car but might in later years.
A mile or two past the Coliseum and the area is not particularly safe to walk at night (IMO), not that there would be reason to do so for a student. Even in the opposite direction towards downtown beyond the heavily patrolled immediate area, I would avoid walking at night.
Last year I drove from DC to the University of Maryland in the daytime and discovered that the area just a couple miles from campus might be cause for concern, especially at night. There are parts of New Orleans a few blocks in the wrong direction off St. Charles Street, that are less safe. Heck, if you are in Union Square in San Francisco and walk just a few blocks, you will find yourself in the Tenderloin! Be aware not just of the immediate area around campus housing but several miles out, especially if one is considering non USC apartment housing. Not saying to not attend the school, but consider the area in its entirety. There are many benefits of an urban setting, as others posted. Also, there is crime in Westwood near UCLA!
I disagree that there is a concern regarding driving at night in LA, which is what Nomorelurker seems to be implying. I have driven that stretch of Vermont at night and it doesn’t seem scary to me, but I suppose it could seem scary to someone who is used to a small town or the suburbs. One of the benefits of living in an urban setting is dispelling irrational fears. I agree that everyone should be aware of their surroundings, but to be afraid of driving through LA is irrational. I don’t know a single person who has been attacked in their car, or anywhere else for that matter.
No implication. It is a fact that driving around parts of L.A. or any big city at night brings certain risks.There are safety concerns within the radius of USC. I don’t know the exact number of miles, but I know it’s a concern. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so much campus security. It’s great that students can feel safe in the immediate area walking from campus to and from housing.
I would not discourage a student to attend USC due to safety. However, once venturing outside of the secure area, one should be careful, especially at night. Safety concerns are not unique to USC. There are other urban universities that warrant similar vigilance, perhaps Penn or U Chicago, as others posted might be examples. If you read the papers and watch the news, you know that the area around USC is marginal and warrants caution at night and in some areas a few miles from campus in daylight.
I think it’s perspective, I spent a lot of time in Chicago and St. Louis, to me LA is a walk in the park. Compton doesn’t phase me, nor does driving Vermont or Crenshaw Blvd from end to end. My D’s on the other hand can’t wait for the ride to be over, but they grew up in Pleasantville compared to me.
Having said that, the first year I thought it was sketch as heck, but I realize now I owe that in part to being a first time parent of a college kid. My student NEVER worried about it. Having an athlete, I spent a lot of weekends there and came to realize it is a very working class neighborhood, with lots of cute little kids walking to school on weekday mornings down by Ralphs at Vermont and Adams. They have made vast improvements in last 2-3 years including the Village, which wiped out an overall icky area and replaced it with high end city. They are also covering the DPS boundary extremely well now which was pretty much lip service when it started, then they got way more serious. To me the best improvement was offering free Uber (which is now Lyft I believe) till 2am for a 2 miles radius around campus, in addition to the Campus Cruiser. They said USC funds 40K rides per week. Yes, per week.
I agree with @Nomorelurker. One would still keep the car doors locked and the windows rolled up when driving in those areas that @Nomorelurker mentioned (especially getting off Hwy 10 or Hwy 11, the Harbor Freeway, to get to/from the campus at night. There may be transients or others waiting or lurking around the freeway exits/entrances, for an opportunity to commit a crime. Those areas are seedy compared the the campus patrolled areas.