<p>USC has done a lot of fund raising in the last decade, they have recruited top faculty and have worked to improve academic quality. I would now put them as NYU like school, an Ivy wannabe. Yes, they do have the rich spoiled hard partying kids who can pay their way and academics are secondary. They also offer half tuition scholarships for National Merit Finalists. </p>
<p>USC is what you make of it. You can get a top notch education you have (or is it had) a top notch football team for those who want school with athletic and academic reputation. Or you can party around. After all, it is in LA. </p>
<p>I think is very different from what it was two decades ago. If you child is motivated and mature enough to stay from trouble, he/she will do fine.</p>
<p>My son is in his first year at USC and joined a fraternity, and is doing very well. He is among the top in his class, got into a special leadership program, maintained a very high grade point average, and just started a great job which he got through a frat contact. </p>
<p>There is a lot of partying and he joins in sometimes and not others. He lives in the honors dorm and says that most students, at least there, do not participate in the Greek system, but they still have an active social life. </p>
<p>Just keep in mind that there is partying at all schools, whether or not the school is considered a “party” school and your son or daughter can participate in that scene to some, little, or great extent.</p>
<p>I’ll just weigh in as another satisfied parent of a USC student. He’s a NM finalist, film and computer science student, Thematic Option participant. At one point, I questioned whether he would fit in at USC, and some of my impressions were definitely based on old data. USC has been an amazingly great place for him. He’s met a diverse array of fellow students, which has been really important to a kid raised in a liberal and relatively privileged environment. His friends are terrific; some are brainy, some are creative; some are more driven than others. At his house, they shoot movies and debate politics - and yes, they have an occasional blowout party, but they’re over 21 and have turned into responsible adults. No regrets here!</p>