<p>My son was one of the students in 2007 who took over President Sample's office in protest against the university's apparel contract. USC at the time, and I cannot comment on the current situation, was a very bad actor in its response to the exploitation of foreign workers by the company producing USC branded apparel.</p>
<p>My son is still somewhat angry about that including how the university responded. USC called me. I refused to answer their call. However, I was furious with my son, not because of the issue, but that he was risking his four of college (and all the tuition) a few weeks before graduation. He even sent a political activist on our campus to talk to me. There is a picture of my son in the LA Times with a look of consternation on his face talking on his cell phone. I'm sure he was talking to me or my wife. The students left when USC threatened to suspend them.</p>
<p>There are a number of liberal students and institutions on campus. My son was able to do lots of anti-war stuff and even got the student government to fund some of his speakers. So while the overall color of USC is moderate to conservative, a liberal student should not, and will not, feel uncomfortable. There are plenty of liberal profs and clerics on campus that they can look to for support and inspiration.</p>
<p>tsdad...well THAT must have been quite an unnerving experience for you and your wife! All the makings for great storytelling however. I must say that I admire your son's passion, something that is hard to teach and is even harder to come by these days, I admire that. Thanks so much for your words.</p>
<p>tsdad, I LOVE your story! That is exactly the kind of thing my daughter would (will???) do. And I can just see myself, while supportive of her position, saying "Can you pleeeease just GRADUATE and THEN take on the world???"</p>
<p>One of the objections that I had to what he was doing was that it was strategically unsound.
If you want to take on a major issue for the campus you do not do it three or four weeks before everyone goes home for the summer. There will be no follow-up. Everyone is starting to study for finals, and by the next Fall many of those involved will have moved on and the issue will be stale for most people.</p>
<p>It is the kind of grand dramatic gesture that young people like to do so I had to appreciate it for that having been in SDS is my younger days and very partial to large (often self-defeating) gestures. I did, however, get up and go when I was told to. Getting arrested was not high on my agenda. On the plus side, it did embarrass USC so it was probably worth something. Hopefully, they made some changes in their dealings with the apparel makers.</p>
<p>'99 graduate and I loved every minute of it. I met such a diverse group of people and loved the spirited debate. Because USC is a larger private, about 12k undergrad, there are many opportunities to get involved. However, one of the things that really surprised me on my first visit, was how friendly the campus was. </p>
<p>I agree that the Thematic Option is amazing. I loved that program, but it is also known as Traumatic Option because it can be intense.</p>
<p>As for the neighborhood, I grew up in rural California, so moving to Los Angeles was a bit of a shock. However, the neighborhood gets a bad rep. Yes, it's urban, but it isn't the "ghetto". USC does a great job of patrolling and educating students, however at the end of the day it's up to the students to be aware of their surroundings.</p>
<p>This was posted before, but here is a partial list of the 600+ student organizations at SC.</p>
<p>There are many organizations such as Libertarians at SC which would be conservative, but I think these indicate the broad spectrum of thought in the undergraduate student body.</p>
<p>Amnesty Intl. at USC
Food Not Bombs USC
USC Campus Green Party
USC College Democrats
USC Peace Coalition
Pagans & Wiccams at USC
Medical Gay & Lesbian Organization
Rainbow Organization Alliance
Educators for Queer Alliance</p>
<p>While many political organizations are on campus about 80 religious groups are represented.</p>
<p>here is a link to the TO website. Thematic</a> Option
TO is the General Ed Honors program, which is offered to approx 200 freshman each year- generally to those who have won Trustee or Presidential scholarships, as well as other statistically top scoring freshman[GPA/ SAT]. USC also has an excellant Honors science program.</p>
<p>TO can be somewhat traumatic because of the workload, but my son has raved about his profs and likes being challenged by the smart classmates. The class size is really small (in the 20's for Core courses, and even smaller for the writing courses), and they're taught by some of SC's best professors. The themes of the classes are very creative - many that I would love to take.</p>
<p>Also, if you're not invited specifically, don't be shy about applying. If you're from a rigorous school with no grade inflation, you don't need a high GPA to be considered for TO. High scores and commitment to the program will get you in.</p>
<p>I would like to add (re: TO honors program), it is a perfect program for students who feel they would really love to attend a small and intellectually stimulating LAC, while also getting the benefits of a large university. TO is open to 200 freshmen each year, forming a smaller community within the large campus which can help students with similar academic tastes bond right away. The "trauma" is the rush of books, reading assignments, essays, and ideas that come from the great minds of other TOers, as most get very involved in class discussion, not to mention their top professors. Since the program is voluntary, and since the GenEd requirements may be fulfilled with courses with less reading/essays required per semester, only those preferring the rigor (and don't really mind the trauma) participate.</p>
<p>I will be graduating from USC this spring. I am a trustee scholar, so obviously I am not opposed to difficult classes... but I chose NOT to do TO because I wanted to have time for more activities outside of just classes and homework (work, student organizations, time to relax and have fun). From what I heard from others I knew that did take TO, I am very glad I made the decision I did. I took hard classes, but they were later on - upper division classes within my major where I was genuinely interested in the subject (whereas TO covers general ed. requirements). </p>