What is USC student culture like?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

Hi, I was nominated as a trustee scholarship finalist. Just finished the Explore USC program and typing this at the LAX airport right now.

I’m so grateful for the generous scholarship, but I’m a bit bummed because I don’t think I fit in with the student culture. the entire program gave me the impression that USC students are superficial. the students I met wore fancy clothing, and all my meals were held at fancy venues. My host gave me the impression that USC is very competitive and everyone is fighting to get ahead of the curve. I’m a nerd at heart (the type of person to ask for a textbook for their birthday present), and I felt judged for being nerdy.

I will have to go to USC if I’m offered the Trustee scholarship because it will be my lowest-cost option. I’m so scared I’ll have to spend the next four years around people I’m uncomfortable around. I seriously hope my first impression of USC is incorrect - I really want to love the school!

I probably have an incomplete impression of USC, after all I was only there for a day and a half. Alumni and current USC students, what is the USC student culture like? Are people usually able to fit in and find their crowd?

2

Not going to deny that there are some fancy kids doing fancy things there. But that is just a part of USC (and also a part of a lot of schools, particularly private ones). The one thing that underlies the USC experience is diversity, in all kinds of demographics - race, geography, wealth/no wealth. Frankly, I think you just saw a small subset or perhaps just chose to see that small subset maybe? Maybe you noticed it more because it is something you aren’t use to seeing so it stood out more? Could that be it? Certainly within your fellow Explore students there were kids not exuding wealth right? And around campus as you mingle more, you will find all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds. I have had a kid (or two concurrently) there for many years and I know from their friends that acceptance of any and all is the norm there. It’s a be who you are kind of place, it’s California after all. But it’s also Socal, where there is always gonna be those around that are into show and image. Of course you will find your own peeps, and the good news is it is big enough, population wise, to find them. And btw, other nerds like yourself that you would make as friends would come from all walks of life. And don’t underestimate the value of having successful contacts in your bunch - whether your fellow students, their parents, or alumni. The network at USC is something to behold. College is the time to be a little uncomfortable and grow, it’s a time to make friends with people outside of the world you come from.

Of course, maybe another school, does in fact, fit you better. No one school is right for everyone. Have you been to other schools? Different types and sizes? I know it’s a crazy time but try to visit all the schools you can in the next month or two to make sure the feelings you have about any school are based on solid comparisons and data. Sometimes a first impression can be spot on or be misleading. One of mine had the opposite happen - loved a school the first time they saw it and on the second visit said “no way!” Hope you are able to compare by seeing different kinds of college environments.

3

Hm I think you may be right that I only chose to focus only on the small subset of students - I admit I was purposely pinpointing girls clad in brand clothing. Thinking a little more about the experience, I think overall it was skewed mostly by my host. He told us “USC is very cutthroat, but don’t worry you’ll outcompete everyone else because you’re a trustee nominee” which rang very negatively with me. While giving us a tour, we only passed by students quietly studying but never any collaborative work. He spent most of the tour ignoring us while talking to his fraternity friends and later encouraged us to go to frat parties because “girls get in free wink”.

Talking to some of my friends also at Explore, I think my experience was probably an outlier. You’re right, USC is large and i’ll undoubtedly find my own peeps. I think I’ll visit again for the admitted student event in April and hopefully have a better experience!

4

@dot228 - The students in fancy clothes and the venues were likely just USC trying to convince you to attend. They pull out all the stops to impress admitted students. While it did impress my daughter, what convinced her to attend was speaking to current students. When we visited, we arrived early and did our own “pre-tour”, did all the USC sponsored stuff, then stayed late and walked around some more chatting up some current students.

My daughter is now a sophomore from the east coast (Virginia). She has never been interested in hanging out with superficial and over the top competitive people as well. She saw enough of that in high school.

The first group of people she hung out with were mainly comprised of other admitted students she met through a chat group. She recognized pretty quickly (first month) that some of them were not the kind of people she saw becoming long-term friends.

She was concerned initially, but when she mentioned it to me, I told her that it’s normal to run into this kind of situation. The fact that she recognized this, and resolved to do something to address it, is also a good indicator that I was correct in assessing her maturity to attend college 2,500 miles from home.

My daughter, traditionally, was not the kind of person to initiate friendships easily. She has always been very personable and friendly, just felt nervous initiating first contact. I told her it’s like anything else; do it a few times and you become more comfortable.

She did that, and was able to meet other students that were more like her. There’s numerous clubs, fraternal organizations (Greek and Non-Greek), meeting others in your classes, etc., to find your place at USC.

I have a question for you. I saw a post recently that at USC Explore, USC admissions officers told the admitted students that the acceptance rate for this year is around 10-11 percent. The AO’s have spoken about this at Explore the last couple years. Did they discuss this at a Explore?

5

@dot228 - I just saw your response to @CADREAMIN, now I understand your first impression, you were being hosted by a “frat guy”. Don’t let him leave a bad impression. You indicated he kind of ignored your group and was chatting up his other frat brothers. USC needs to screen their hosts better. I don’t think they have the same issue with their tour guides. The bad apples get flushed quickly. My daughter knows a girl who was a host last year who had no business being a host.

What I can say is my daughter loves attending USC. She has not described a cutthroat environment at all. That may be different if you’re in say, SCA, maybe Marshall, others may be able to give you feedback on those schools.

The fact that you are in the running for a Trustee does indicate you’ll likely excel at USC.

6

Thank you for the responses, I appreciate it. Really hoping for a better experience in April. yes, they did discuss some admissions statistics (I will pm you, not sure if supposed to share)

7

@dot228 I am so glad you will have a chance to do another visit! The Trustee scholarship is a huge honor - if you secure that, wow, that is something, certainly worth a second look!

The cut-throat comment almost made me laugh, not sure your guide has found the right people! That attribute is likely major dependent, as I assume pre-med would be super competitive anywhere…but also dependent on the person, as some are more competitive by nature. But for my students, across four different schools at USC, cut-throat has not been their experience at all, it is a very collaborative environment, even in CS/Engineering. That factor is one of the reasons they chose USC over some other schools.

The word coming out of Explore is 10% acceptance rate this year, so I don’t think you are violating anything by saying what you heard, no worries there. I have seen it in some posts on social media as well, so it’s out there. Please keep us posted on visit #2!

8

I’m really sorry that you had such a negative experience at Explore. I was an Explore student myself four years age (YIKES), and have since hosted at least 30 people, and I can tell you that they are not selective AT ALL with the hosts. Usually not enough people apply, so they have to scramble, and pretty much everyone who is able to make it to an info session can host.

That said, as a current senior, I can assure you that what you saw at Explore is not an everyday reality. In fact, I don’t think I’ve eaten at Town and Gown since my own Trustee interview, and I definitely don’t yell “fight on” to my friends when I run into them on campus. I’ve also survived college without going to a single frat party or being involved in Greek life at all. It is true that there are a lot of extremely wealthy people who wear fancy clothes and $6k Cartier bracelets, but they are – as others have said before – just a subset of the student population (and honestly, being rich doesn’t equal being superficial). It isn’t something I grew up with either and I found it intimidating at first, but once I found my niche (marching band/RA - neither are fancy/superficial at all), it no longer bothered me. Also, while I wouldn’t personally call myself nerdy, I attend a board game night every week and trust me, there are plenty of nerdy people there, and there is zero judging going on. In terms of a competitive environment, it depends on your major. I’m in SCA, and I’ve never found any of my classes to be competitive (though I know that’s not the case for schools like Marshall).

Of course, USC isn’t a good fit for everyone, and I do know people who were put off by how large it is/how prominent the school spirit is, etc. Sometimes even I find myself annoyed by how entitled and cliquey certain SCA kids can be, which is why I don’t have a lot of cinema friends, but overall I could tailor my USC experience into something I enjoy. So I guess the bottom line is, don’t write USC off just yet, but do remember that not every school is for everyone.

9

Yikes, I, too, am really sorry you had such an experience. My daughter did Explore about this time last year, and she had a great host whom she really connected with and is now a happy USC freshman. I must concur with everything said by @CADREAMIN who is a great resource about all things USC. My daughter has certainly found her “tribe” at USC. I do not think she would fit into the superficial category. She and her friends love to go to different areas in LA and visit thrift/resale shops and find great bargains. She was complaining when she was home over the holidays that our thrift stores in the Midwest are overpriced! I think she finds her friends and classmates to be very accepting. I wish you luck in the scholarship quest, and I hope you are able to visit USC again.

10

@LayraSparks Say it ain’t so - four years already?!!! But congrats too!

11

I echo the above sentiments. I sent two daughters to USC from Florida. Both were slightly astonished by some of the wealth on display there, but that quickly faded and did not prove to be much of a concern after the first week or so. Over a span of five years now with at least one daughter there, I have never heard stories regarding USC being a “cut-throat” or ultra-competitive environment. In reality, the opposite seems to be true. They each found it to be rather chill and unassuming for the most part. They have often described USC as “whatever you make it”.

At its core, the primary advantage of USC may be its hybrid status as an elite private university that often mimics a state university in terms of its greater size and diversity… plus all the extras like stellar athletics, school spirit, tons of clubs and activities, etc. I personally went to JHU. Now it was certainly cut-throat, way too competitive and not at all as well-rounded and diverse as I was hoping for my daughters. To me, small elite private colleges or universities in the mold of Hopkins are far too limiting. They do not really afford their students the option of partaking in the total college experience.

If you take a good hard look at the USC freshman profile, you can really see USC’s efforts at diversity and the goal of crafting a well-rounded freshman class at work. My daughters found USC to be the type of place where you can be the chief architect of your own college experience. Both were more on the nerdy side themselves. My older daughter focused on acting and never really fully engaged in the overall college experience, only maintaining a small group of friends. She also chose to maintain a long-distance relationship throughout her college years… which had its own impact on her choices. Her personality did not really alter at all over her four years there. My younger daughter was more of a nerdy / theatre-leader mix, but she too had set expectations in mind when agreeing to attend USC. But those have evolved over time. Like @layrasparks, she too is in SCA, but she does not even find it to be that competitive. And she even joined a sorority with @jcwjnw99’s daughter… which was sort of shocking to me - as she seemed decidedly anti-Greek before that. But the sorority that they each joined seems to be primarily comprised of like-minded women.

As @CADREAMIN suggests, USC is or can be what you set out to make it. It even affords you the opportunity to change your mind, explore new pathways and re-invent yourself as many times as you like. I suspect that you simply got a poor choice of an Explore Host. I would take a fresh look at USC if at all possible or if you remain open to it.

Of course, as others have mentioned, USC is not the perfect fit for everyone. But it does at least allow you the flexibility to craft and define your college experience as you deem appropriate. Not all colleges or universities allow for such.

Good luck with your decision…

12

My daughter was at Explore SC this week too, and had pretty much the opposite take… she texted me that the overall vibe was “chill,” and that the students she met were funny and friendly. (She met a bunch b/c her host brought her into McCarthy and rounded up volunteers to show her every single floor plan, lol.) I think you and your host were just a mismatch.

Regarding the fancy venues, I went to SC myself, and never saw the inside of Town and Gown until my husband sent me a picture of it this week from the Explore SC dinner. That won’t be part of your day-to-day life.

13

Thank you for the replies. @WWWard JHU certainly has a rep for being cutthroat, but from my visits to both, it seemed USC had even less collaborative work going on. I noticed JHU’s brody learning commons is open 24/7 and always filled with students studying in groups, whereas at USC we visited the Doheny library and it looked like everyone was quietly studying alone. I’m an extremely social studier - I can’t study alone without getting distracted, so I’m wondering how common study groups are at USC?

14

My D is a freshman and went through Explore last year. She does not study in the library and rarely alone in her room. She also gets distracted. Most of her studying is with friends in someone’s room or more commonly in the dorm lounge. She has never described USC as being competitive. She is a very collaborative learner.

She is not superficial in the least and neither are the friends she’s made. You’re going to find students at all extremes and ones that don’t fit into any box. That’s my daughter. Sometimes she dresses trendy and sometimes she’s a total dork! Her common app essay was on wearing her crocs.

15

Think about it, you are comparing apples and oranges - the part of the library where people go to be quiet and alone versus a learning commons. USC has many many reservable group study places (yes even in the library, but not where you first walk in) throughout campus, and a lot of group work is done in dorm conference rooms and the conference rooms in virtually every building on campus. Did you visit prior to applying or was Explore your first visit to USC? I think you are missing a lot of things in your evaluation, my suggestion would be to broaden your mind and spend more time at USC or any school you look at. Were you able to express a desire to go to USC in your interview?

16

I can confirm that my daughter is an extreme social studier as well and is always studying with friends – in the dorms, in study rooms in the dorms, in the library, etc. She is a science major and, in particular, it seems that she is always getting together with people from her chem and bio lab sections to study together.

17

As far as Viterbi students go, I haven’t really met any superficial people.

18

You’re welcome. Study groups are very common at USC.

19

@dot228 Doheny is one of the quiet libraries, best suited for people who need total silence to study. People have given me dirty looks just for pulling my chair out loud haha. Visit the group study rooms of Leavey, or even the study lounges in the dorms, and you’ll have a very different experience.

20

I definitely agree that there’s plenty of wealthy students. I remember sitting behind an international student and he was casually shopping for $300 pairs of sweats online instead of paying attention to the lecture. I thought that was insane. Heck, even the solicitors I encountered were more high-class. I remember this one lady that said something like “It would be great if you could donate $200”. I guess she automatically assumed that USC = rich.

USC definitely pulls out the stops when their aim is to impress. During the award reception for the undergraduate research symposium I participated in, I was quite in awe of Town and Gown. I recall an email saying that we had to RSVP as the plates were something like $120+. I certainly don’t think what I ate was worthy of such a price, so I’m glad I didn’t have to pay. I also felt like I was grossly underdressed. I had no idea the dinner was going to be so fancy. I had worn one of my nicest polos, but I felt tacky wearing a cheap pair of cargo shorts that I got from a flea market. I was really embarrassed. I even had mixed feelings during my lunch for the transfer orientation. I felt bad that people were offering to throw away my plate when I was perfectly capable of discarding the plate myself. I guess I’m not used to the culture/being waited on. That was one of the only things I didn’t like about my orientation. I loved everything else. I had never been to USC before my orientation, but I fell in love with the school that day.

You encounter all walks of life at USC. It’s so diverse. You have rich kids, but then can find people on the opposite end of the spectrum like me - a student with a household income of 14K and a user of CalFresh/EBT (food stamps). I really enjoyed my time at USC. I only wish I hadn’t rushed my time as an undergrad because I felt “behind”. I’m working on a graduate degree elsewhere, but I would sure love to return to USC someday as a PhD student if I’m fortunate enough.