<p>Wow, cc411, you expressed my thoughts exactly!</p>
<p>Flexibility, compromise, thoughtfulness....these are the characteristics to me of a great roommate. </p>
<p>Wanting a soulmate in a roommate is asking too much.</p>
<p>"for those whose kids didn't know their roommate in advance, any stories how this turned out? What dorm? Where was the roommate from? Did they get in contact before move-in day? Any disasters? Friends for life?"</p>
<p>Our daughter had absolutely no problems with her roommate, they were very compatible livingwise, but -- this was a real negative -- roommate already had a social circle as she was one of at least a dozen kids from her (local) graduating class attending the school. So except for "floor" activities and occasional activities like going across the street to the movies, daughter rarely saw her roommate; she was <em>always</em> off with her old friends and wasn't really interested in a new "friendship" beyond sleeping in the same room. They have rarely seen each other this year, except for saying hello at a class they share this year. I strongly encourage you to encourage your students, if they already know a lot of people, to consider branching out into a new social life! Having a roommate who was mostly absent was one of my D's disappointments, but fortunately there were lots of other nice girls on her floor and of course she got to know people elsewhere.</p>
<p>This year daughter is rooming with 2 other girls from last year's dorm floor; the fourth spot was filled (after another girl who was going to be with them got an RA job) by a random student assigned to them, and she's worked out great, very nice girl who just didn't happen to have any rooming plans for this year.</p>
<p>I think it's important to emphasize something another parent took from my above post, that outside class USC can be very different for every student. It can be a "party" school, a "Greek" school, a "sports" school, an "arts" school, or whatever combination your student chooses. My daughter got involved with faith-based groups and also has a work study job in the religious life office, and also attends a lot of arts programs, so there is really a wide variety of possible experiences.</p>
<p>"Could you comment a little bit more on the programs Learning Communities and Visions and Voices? Are these special programs they sign up for as extra curricular activities?"</p>
<p>These have been two of my daughter's favorite things about USC. Your student should look into Learning Communities before registering for fall classes this summer, as they are only offered to freshmen in the fall. We got a brochure about LC's around the time she committed to USC, and there should also be info online.</p>
<p>LC's pair two groups of GE-type classes -- for instance, my daughter chose the pairing of Intro to Cinema (one of USC's best-known classes, taught by Drew Casper) and Classical Mythology. LC's have 20 students who are all taking both the classes. They are bunched together for their discussion section, so they have a place to start to get to know some students with the same interests a little better. There is also a luncheon during welcome week with fun "freebies," and sometimes special meals with the professors for the two related classes. (Casper hosts "Dinner and a Movie with Drew" and I think last year he also hosted a lunch in the Upstairs Commons.) The best part is if you are in an LC you get to take advantage of all sorts of completely free activities in the L.A. area -- my daughter got to participate again last fall by acting as an LC "mentor" to the freshmen. She has seen CURTAINS, WICKED, Dodgers games, Kings hockey, all for free with the LC's. </p>
<p>Visions and Voices is another program with free cultural activities that take place over the course of the entire year, on and off campus. I believe it started as part of President Sample's desire to have USC be more of a "residential" campus with plenty to do on campus and in the LA area. For instance, last fall she attended a concert conducted by John Williams at Bovard (my husband and one of our children went up for that one -- we do meet her sometimes on campus, though she doesn't come home much!). She saw WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? last year with Kathleen Turner & Bill Irwin; this year she saw the American Ballet Theater perform SWAN LAKE.</p>
<p>In both cases USC provides the transportation and I know for sure at the LC events they also provide dinner (like food from Subway). Visions and Voices activities are on USC's online calendar and the students sign up online.</p>
<p>if the kids do TO then they probably won't be able to do LC, right?</p>
<p>Is learning communities a program connected with one of the dorms? What is "learning communities"? Thanks.</p>
<p>LC sounds fantastic. I don't know if you all have the same reaction that I do, but it seems every time I learn of something new that is offered at USC, I get excited. Wish my S could take advantage of everything. So much cool stuff, so little time!</p>
<p>Learning Communities, I should have thought to add at the outset, I believe are for students who don't yet have a declared major.</p>
<p>Here's more info from the USC website:</p>
<p>USC</a> Learning Communities</p>
<p>I don't know enough about the TO program to know if they could participate...there is a Learning Community Advisor who I'm sure could answer any questions via email.</p>
<p>In reply to another question, LC's aren't set up through dorms. They are matching up students who are interested in taking two of the same fall classes freshman year.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Does anyone know if students in the Science Freshman Honor Program can participate in the LC or VV groups described above?</p>
<p>Visions and Voices is for all students...there are a limited number of free tickets to each event. As I understood from my D, they had a calendar online which showed the date tickets would become available, and she calendared to immediately sign up for her ticket on those dates.</p>
<p>Many of the V&V programs on campus are also available to non-students at a reasonable ticket price. My husband bought tickets and took one of our other children to see the John Williams concert on campus last fall, for example. I think that was $15 a ticket.</p>
<p>tsdad, you sound like my alter ego. My daughter (and I!) survived her first year. Cannot believe it is over already. Had a few of those heart stopping middle of the night calls but hopefully we're over that phase. I have no doubt that the next three years will fly by and that she will choose to stay out there - can't blame her, we're from MN. My husband and I flew out in early April to sunshine and 90 degrees while it was snowing here - can't beat that!</p>
<p>Indeed, the next three years will fly by. In retrospect you will regard that with regret.</p>
<p>Piece of advice: Counsel your child not to engage in a campus sit-in two weeks before she's scheduled to graduate no matter how good the issue. A few heart stopping calls between my son and I in April 2007, one of which was the subject of a photograph in the LA Times. He even had a campus activist here come visit me to plead his case. USC also called me to plead their case. Well actually they called to tell me that if he didn't vacate they would suspend him. I ignored that call. He got out when ordered by the university to do so. Thankfully.</p>
<p>tsdad--!!! And to think I, the naive and happy mom, thought it was all downhill from here. Oh my.</p>
<p>Had your S shown signs of that protesting spirit in HS or was his consciousness raised after he left home? lol. Good for him.</p>
<p>Madbean--Yes. He was a co-founder of the Amnesty International chapter at his school, and served as co-director for a while. At USC he and his then girlfriend started the Religious Left Alliance, Austin</a> American-Statesman | statesman.com, which was a project that grew out of his fellowship with the People for the American Way. The two of them were also responsible for starting a week of anti-war protest at USC, Die-in</a> protest kicks off Iraq Week - News.</p>
<p>The campus newspaper, the Daily Trojan, is fairly conservative at least from my son's point of view. His first year he took part in an independent left-leaning paper called The Trojan Horse.</p>
<p>The protest last year (he had pretty much given up campus activism until then concentrating on school and a comedy troupe he belonged to) was against the use of sweatshop labor to produce USC logo stuff. USC is a bad actor in this arena unlike my current employer. This is an issue on many campuses that most members of the public don't know about.</p>
<p>Internet</a> Archive: Details: SCALE USC anti-sweatshop sit-in: How it ended
cbs2.com</a> - USC Students Stage Sit-In, Protest Labor Policies</p>
<p>tsdad, Comedy troupe? More info about this please, sound like something my D would be interested in.</p>
<p>TSdad, Your son is a pretty amazing kid....he will be very successful. And he is not afraid to take a stance. Congrats!</p>
<p>Thanks for the nice comments. We think he is pretty amazing too--sometimes. </p>
<p>As for the comedy troupe; its called the Big Game Hunters. I can't guarantee they are still in existence. If not, your daughter can start a comedy group and ask the student government for money.</p>
<p>Here's an old, but still operating link to the bios of the then members, Big</a> Game Hunters - Making people laugh when they don't want to since 1728!. My son is the second one down: "Hobo who wandered into a meeting." "Also, one time a bird pooped on his head."</p>
<p>The overall link is: Big</a> Game Hunters - Favorite comedy group of James K. Polk!. All of these folks have graduated, or will in a few days, and he is still friends with them and they work on projects together including a video game. He wrote the poetry for it. </p>
<p>I think what you all need to know is that USC is a place where your student can do as much or as little as they want. There are 100s of opportunities to do both significant and silly things regardless of what they are majoring in or what they think they want to do with the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>We all are paying, or in my case, thankfully paid, a lot of money for our children to have this rare chance. Remind them to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.</p>
<p>Parking help!
It seems the parking permits go on sale mid-day today, and D is at AP testing, so I am left to try to get a parking permit. She will be in Parkside Internation Residence and wants to park in parking structure A - do I get the "UPC Gold?" Or do I buy a permit specifically for Parking Structure A? It is very confusing. Any info/advice is appreciated!</p>
<p>I suggest you pm cc411 - she knows all about the parking situation.</p>
<p>Try to get a permit for PSA which is the closest parking to IRC. That should be a "Gold" permit.</p>
<p>^Yes- I hope you were able to get what you wanted. Here's the info for future reference-
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/503460-parking-permit-question-fall-2008-2009-a.html?highlight=parking+permit%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/503460-parking-permit-question-fall-2008-2009-a.html?highlight=parking+permit</a></p>