<p>I must have misunderstood the comment above where they drove around and couldn’t find the bad neighborhood around USC. I took that as a claim as you would say. I loathe politically correct arguments so I will agree. If one is comfortable with gang violence, drive by shootings etc then you will be thrilled with the apartments you can get around the coliseum. If more edgy loving folks would move to that side of the campus maybe the rents would go down on the other side for the rest of us. We would appreciate it greatly. As for the comparison to Berkeley plunk it down in Oakland and that is a fairer comparison. Finally, UCLA has often been shown to have more crime than USC. Because USC is so vigilant about the security of its students due to the surroundings (that for the sake of political correctness I will describe as dangerously chic), the campus is much safer.</p>
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<p>@southerncalimom - there is no need to paraphrase those of us who pointed out that the area is not “that bad.” I live within a stones throw of a major university (also museums, other colleges, sports stadiums). Kind of like L.A. There are pockets of wealth, pockets of poverty and everything in between - all living in close proximity. </p>
<p>“Bad” is relative and based on a person’s prior experience… </p>
<p>To claim someone is
because we understand how to navigate the climate is kind of stretching it and a true disservice. Campus security is pretty ubiquitous, the redundant security in the dorm (I.D. plus thumbprints plus keys to access the building and stairwell) gave us peace of mind. And D has taken public transportation to get to meetings, lectures, interviews without incident. We have heard of muggings but mostly of wealthy kids driving expensive cars late at night flashing cash and looking for drugs. My daughter had to caution one friend to stop counting her money (approx $1,000) while on a public bus.</p>
<p>Common sense is the key here.</p>
<p>I do have a friend on the police force who cautioned our daughter to be attentive, but didn’t warn us against enrolling. So we drove the area around USC AND L.A. in general. I honestly did not see what was causing all the histrionics. But will concede that if you live in the suburbs, the area is not going to be to “your taste” and could be quite a culture shock.</p>
<p>In every city there are areas that are safer than others. But frankly, having driven around the city in its entirety, I don’t see much difference from the area surrounding USC until you get out into the burbs. So if a student needs to live in a “bubble” I would suggest universities that are in suburbs or rural areas. Only, I hate to tell you, that pretty much eliminates most of the IVY League colleges and a lot of state universities. That eliminates U Chicago and Northwestern and NYU (and the list goes on…) The area around Yale is sketchy and yet - like USC - they have an overabundance of applications from people who don’t seem to be bothered by that fact.</p>
<p>City living in general warrants a level of knowledge and caution. You can’t transplant suburban and gentrification norms and cues to an area like that. It is what it is. And so far, it’s been fine.</p>
<p>So the conclusion - if a child needs to live in a safe Stepford environment, or can’t learn to navigate one that is not - then don’t apply to USC. - leave the spot for a kid and/or family who will feel comfortable in a large city environment.</p>
<p>That BI article was shown to be misleading:</p>
<p><a href=“Newsroom | UCLA”>http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-a-dangerous-campus-don-t-241068.aspx</a></p>
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</p>
<p>USC and Cal have both had complaints against them for misreporting sexual assaults to keep their numbers low:</p>
<p><a href=“USC Mislabels Sexual Assault To Keep Crime Numbers Low, Clery Complaint Says | HuffPost College”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;
<p>There’s no argument here, southerncalimom, because your post illustrates my point. You see a war zone and drive by shootings, and you must be terrified – I acknowledge that and am not trying to diminish those feelings. Just know that others – driving around and looking for the bad neighborhood – might not share the same discomfort. </p>
<p>Nicely said CCMThreeTimes.</p>
<p>And southerncalimom - I didn’t mean to invalidate your point. I do think you have an important perspective.</p>
<p>Having two at USC I feel equipped to give my opinion (and it is only my opinion from my perspective) about the neighborhood around USC. What troubles me are the people that say it is so bad around USC, Cal, wherever… but in fact have never been there to see if for themselves. I get that a lot when I say my kids are there so I reply, oh when were you there? The first time I saw the area around USC, (from my perspective) it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had heard. It certainly wasn’t the ghetto as had been described. I have seen real ghettos - in cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, New York - from what I have experienced, the area around USC is not the ghetto, it is working class. Is it a “great” area? Certainly not, but the whole world can’t be Manhattan Beach (although I wish it could). I can say I had moments of concern for the first few months our oldest was there, but I haven’t given it a second thought about it for a very long time, and we sent our second there as well. We will have another applying. But I get that for some it isn’t a good fit and maybe a Claremont type school in suburbia is more preferable, for mine that type of location is a bit too tame. We are lucky to be in a country where there are lots of styles and options to choose from.</p>
<p>When I was 24 years old, I took my little size 2 self on my first solo business trip to NYC - getting into the cab alone at JFK I hoped I didn’t end up in the Hudson but I was actually very confident in the city because I had been exposed to “the other side” growing up. Thousands and thousands of students have attended USC and got out safely 
. To me, it is valuable to know how to navigate a variety of cityscapes, not just Pleasantville. They have to live in color (another movie comparison A&L!). I have thought my students very fortunate to be experiencing life in such a cosmopolitan and vibrant area in the epicenter of one the greatest and happening areas in the country with the best weather ever. And it is a fab place to visit except for the hotel prices! Love LA Live and all it’s “LA-ness” right down the street.</p>
<p>April 11 </p>
<p>“The biggest drawback continues to be the neighborhood. Walking outside of campus, we encountered a lot of aggressive panhandlers, and twice saw men urinating on the sidewalk. True. I would have been afraid to walk alone off campus, even in the middle of the day. There was lots of police action, too, lots of sirens at all hours; we stayed at a hotel across the street and heard sirens throughout the night.”
When we went there for our D recruiting visit we stayed at the Sheraton nearby and in the morning our car which was in valet parking had been broken into. We had heard about the neighborhood and sure enough just our luck! We were super impressed with the school though:) Congrats and good luck! </p>
<p>“The biggest drawback continues to be the neighborhood. Walking outside of campus, we encountered a lot of aggressive panhandlers, and twice saw men urinating on the sidewalk. True. I would have been afraid to walk alone off campus, even in the middle of the day. There was lots of police action, too, lots of sirens at all hours; we stayed at a hotel across the street and heard sirens throughout the night.”
When we went there for our D recruiting visit we stayed at the Sheraton nearby and in the morning our car which was in valet parking had been broken into. We had heard about the neighborhood and sure enough just our luck! We were super impressed with the school though:) Congrats and good luck! quote from aboe</p>
<p>The nearest Sheraton is 2.3 miles from campus and not within the patrolled zone. Best of luck for your daughter.</p>
<p>As the parent of an upperclassmen daughter, I am very pleased with the campus security.</p>
<p>I have been very impressed with Campus Security. And we made SURE our D’s off campus apartment was in the DPS patrolled zone. It’s closer to many of her classes than her freshman dorm. </p>
<p>I really can’t complain about the campus or security (other than it is overzealous when it comes to keeping the neighboring community outside the gates). There’s so much security around and on University Park Campus that many incidents are resolved rather promptly. For every notice about a robbery or what have you, we get a follow-up detailing how DPS found the suspect.</p>
<p>I have lived in Washington D.C. and parts of Oakland, as well as the greater Los Angeles area. I imagine that South Los Angeles may come as a shock to people with limited or zero urban experience, but I simply laugh at parents who think their children walk around a war zone or draw up comparison to Compton in the '90s.</p>
<p>Crime and murder in Los Angeles has actually dropped to record levels; it has never been safer to live in the county limits. If you’re looking to isolate your child and don’t want them to see the harsh realities of income inequality in Los Angeles, then I suggest taking them elsewhere. The flip side is that students that explore and connect to the outside community often find greater context for life and help dispel the myth that the campus is full of spoiled, rich children.</p>
<p>I totally agree with CADREAMIN. I have a freshman daughter and of course my husband and I value her safety above all. When my daughter and I first visited campus we were so surprised at how nice it was and including the surrounding streets. I grew up in New York and am familiar with grungy city streets, but I did not see that there at all. She wants to stay safe too, so she uses Campus Cruiser and takes Uber or goes with a friend in a car when they want to go somewhere far. Just like an adult, they learn to live in a city, and I think that is an education in itself. We are very happy with our decision to send her to USC and she appreciates the opportunities the school has to offer and tells us that all the time.</p>
<p>The question on this thread was what is BAD about USC. I think when people are trying to choose a university it is a fair question to ask especially on a supportive board like this. I gave my personal opinion not knowing I was poking the USC dragons. My answer is still the neighborhood and as long as international students get shot just sitting in their cars or nonstudents get shot at Halloween as happened two years ago and as long as I have friends who have kids that are held up at gun point on the row and as long as students are accosted just waiting in line at McDonald’s, I will continue to believe there is room for improvement. If someone would like to post what is great about USC I would have lots to say there starting with everything having to do with Viterbi! I spend a great deal of time at USC so I would hardly classify myself as terrified or unfamiliar with the area. I attended USC myself and currently have two children attending who are fourth generation Trojans. I am a member of Town and Gown, Cardinal and Gold, and USC Associates, but with all my love for USC I am not afraid to point out what I see as weaknesses. </p>
<p>I don’t believe anyone said it wasn’t a fair question or a fair point to bring up. I posted a link frpm the WSJ which discussed both the gentrification of the area along with the expansion of the homeless population-- hardly one sided. </p>
<p>I think each and every prospective college student and their families should use whatever criteria they personally
choose to make their decision. However, they also can hear multiple views and make their own decisions. There is no rule that people can’t debate a subject on this forum-- in fact, it should be quite useful. </p>
<p>If you think USC area is dicey, then don’t go to Penn:</p>
<p>From today’s Daily Pennsylvanian:</p>
<p>"Rush said that the two men got in an altercation before the shooting. Kevin, a man at the scene who preferred not to give his last name, thought the fight started over a woman. Kevin had been in the bar to see the start of the argument but left and heard the gunshots while he was outside.</p>
<p>The shots brought the bars’ neighbors running to their doors and windows to watch the scene unfold.</p>
<p>“There was a bloodcurdling scream,” said Katherine, a University of the Sciences senior who preferred not to give her last name, and who lives across the street from Copabanana. She looked over at a woman sobbing with a Penn Police officer’s arm around her shoulder. “I think it might have been her.”</p>
<p>The woman had been crouched against the houses on 40th and Pine streets, sobbing and shouting, before the police helped her stand. An officer walked her and a friend toward Spruce Street, an arm around each woman.</p>
<p>“He was right there,” the woman sobbed. “They shot my friend.”</p>
<p>You choose to go to school in a city, you get the stuff that comes with a city. With the exception of Cornell (where the criminals are frozen to death 90% of the year) and Dartmouth (where the criminals are mostly confined to the frat houses), every Ivy is in a city. If you don’t like USC because of its “surroundings,” then chose Williams or Grinnell, but don’t go Ivy either.</p>
<p>Getting additional perspectives is a good idea even on a thread titled “What’s bad” and I don’t believe anyone a dragon for having any opinion. Most threads wind around topics. It is two weeks before decisions are due and a very sensitive time as people gather information — I am not saying color it rosy and b.s. people but I am certainly glad I did not listen to friends when they told me the neighborhood was bad, without seeing it for myself. (Especially when they had never seen it.) Otherwise I wouldn’t have two students at such a great school.</p>
<p>I am a current senior here at USC and I’ve had a love hate relationship with this school…there is so much to talk about in terms of areas that need improvement and things that could be changed… if you’re interested in hearing more info about SC please let me know as I’ll go into further detail.</p>
<p>Interested! Please elaborate @Heisenberg5522</p>
<ol>
<li>Quality of education ( in my opinion at least… depends on your major)</li>
<li>A lot of transferred work from previous colleges especially if you’re not in a jc in Cali is not taken… I had to start over basically in college.</li>
<li>Surrounding area </li>
<li>Student life</li>
</ol>
<p>`@Heisenberg5522
What is your major</p>
<p>He started another thread where this continues:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1640348-my-time-at-usc-a-senior-looking-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1640348-my-time-at-usc-a-senior-looking-back.html#latest</a></p>