<p>I'm looking to major in sciecnes and probably go pre-med. I know my options for medical school are better out of USC cuz it's private and that Cal is very cutthroat and difficult for medical school and the sciences. I have a half tuiton scholarship to USC and I really do like it. But I do love what Cal has to offer in terms of the college experience. I love SC's campus but am worried about the area. Cal has a much better reputation, but is it hard to get A's? Everyone tells me SC offers an amazing college experience, but is this on the campus only due to the bad area? I've lived in LA my whole life and am wondering if this is my only real option to get out of LA for 4 years... Ahh, this is a tough decision.. If I look at my future, I think SC has the best opportunitity, but I think at Cal I'll grow more as an individual beacuse I'll be farther from home. I've lived about 40 miles out of LA my whole life but have never really explored LA, so maybe it can be a change for me?? Who knows. Everyone who is younger/graduated college/20-30s says go to Cal!! Everyone who is older, more mature, says I have to go with what will give me the best future, which is probably SC. At Berkeley I may be just a number in their system, they want me in and out... And I heard Berkeley isn't the place for Health Sciences. I know I should listen to myself, but I haven't told myself where that place is yet.</p>
<p>I don't know where everyone gets the freaking idea that we are all sitting out in Compton amidst crack whores and gang wars and the like...</p>
<p>No, the area is not going to be a hindrance to your college life. </p>
<p>And I feel like this is a dumb question anyways, because if you have lived near LA your whole life anyways, then you should be aware of the other things that there are to do in LA. (Sunset, Santa Monica, movies, etc) It's not like you sign with a college and then are hooked up to a martha stewart style ankle bracelet and can't go beyond 5 miles somewhere else! </p>
<p>Sorry if I was overly sarcastic, I just get tired of people thinking that we live in the worst part of LA.</p>
<p>the area isnt even that bad... i remember pulling up to the campus and wondering where all the supposed ghettoness was. i mean it wasnt like beverly hills or anything but it honestly was not bad</p>
<p>Yeah, when I was first going to tour USC, I just had this awful image in my mind of what the area would be like, because of all that I'd heard. Then I got here, and I was, like, seriously? This is the bad area? Believe me, whoever thinks that USC is in the ghetto, has NOT seen the ghetto. I took the bus to visit my friend at UCLA the other day, and boy, some of those bus stops... Seriously, I was scared. USC is lucky, that's all I have to say. It looked like paradise when I got back. </p>
<p>Now, this is not saying that USC's neighborhood is the safest or prettiest area, but it's still great for the college experience. I mean, you're in LA! At USC! How can you not have a great college experience? Whether it is on campus, the surrounding off campus area, or any hot spot in LA, you'll find a great time.</p>