<p>Hey,</p>
<p>This might seem like a very odd question, but I was wondering if some people could tell me some reasons why I should be excited to go to USC--in terms of academics, social life, opportunities, etc. </p>
<p>I had an agonizing decision between financial quality (USC) and my first choice (Amherst), but I eventually chose USC purely for financial reasons and sent in my enroll form today. </p>
<p>I'm feeling really melancholy about it too.</p>
<p>I'd appreciate your help,
Thanks.</p>
<p>you're kidding right? buddy do some research. USC is awesome for tons and tons of reasons. Seriously, just google USC, and you'll be bombarded.</p>
<p>I posted this under a different thread. It is a start. But as guidez89 stated, just do some searching, on google, on CC, in the USC threads, and you will quickly see why USC is worth attending. </p>
<p>Anyway, here are a couple of good reasons. But the list is almost endless:</p>
<p>USNEWS 2007 Engineernig Schools.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University (CA)
3. University of CaliforniaBerkeley
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
5. University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign
6. Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette (IN)
6. University of MichiganAnn Arbor
8. Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
9. University of Southern California (Viterbi)
10. California Institute of Technology
11. Cornell University (NY)
11. University of CaliforniaSan Diego (Jacobs)
13. University of TexasAustin
14. Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station (Look)
15. University of CaliforniaLos Angeles (Samueli)
15. University of MarylandCollege Park (Clark)
15. University of WisconsinMadison
18. Princeton University (NJ)
19. Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park
20. Columbia University (Fu Foundation) (NY)</p>
<p>USNEWS: 2006: Best Undergraduate Business Rankings:
1 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
2 Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (Sloan)
3 University of CaliforniaBerkeley (Haas)
** University of MichiganAnn Arbor
5 Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
** New York University (Stern)
** U. of North CarolinaChapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
** University of TexasAustin (McCombs)
9 Univ. of Southern California (Marshall)
** University of Virginia (McIntire)
11 Indiana UniversityBloomington (Kelley)
12 Cornell University (NY)
** Purdue Univ.West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
** U. of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign
** Univ. of MinnesotaTwin Cities (Carlson)
** Univ. of WisconsinMadison
** Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)
18 Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
** Ohio State UniversityColumbus (Fisher)
** Pennsylvania State U.University Park (Smeal)
** University of Arizona (Eller) </p>
<p>About the USC School of Cinema-Television</p>
<p>In 2004, the USC School of Cinema-Television celebrates 75 years of training the next generation of creative talent and scholars in film, television, and new media. Co-founded by the University of Southern California and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929, the School offered the first bachelors degree in film in the country and today is consistently ranked as the top program of its kind. Its more than 8,000 graduates the ranks of which include such stellar figures as Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Ron Howard, James Ivory, Randal Kleiser, George Lucas, Michelle Manning, Bill Mechanic, Neal Moritz, Walter Murch, Jay Roach, Gary Rydstrom, Edward Saxon, Stacey Sher, Bryan Singer, John Singleton, Robert Zemeckis, and Laura Ziskin are among the entertainment industrys most distinguished animators, scholars, teachers, writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound experts and industry executives</p>
<p>Hey...i was going through the same exact thing however my situtation was sorta tainted by a fierce rivalry...i was stuck between UCLA and USC and eventually chose the Trojans! At first i was sad that i had to sacrafice my dream of going to UCLA and still am a little today because both my parents went there and i have a total affinity for the lifestyle which UCLA and westwood has to offer. BUT!...here are my reasons for finally choosing the USC Trojan family over UCLA</p>
<p>USC offers an amazing network of alumni which offers awesome awesome help to USC grads...so when it comes to internships USC rises above the rest in the LA area because Alumni are anxious to give back to the students and university...</p>
<p>USC is on a large scale but makes it seem small...the orientation of the campus makes USC feel a little more intimate than other big schools (im not sure how big Amherst is) but USC balances size well</p>
<p>I was admitted to Marshall School of Business and that was probably my second reason for attending USC...their dynamic program offers a ton of opportunites to experience business beyond what i like to call the foundations of business...finance banking, consulting, and accounting...although these are still present at USC...you are not forced to take these up as an emphasis...instead you can explore different areas...which brings me to my last point...</p>
<p>USC's Dean of Students is a true Renaissance man...he believes that students should be able to experience and explore many different facets of education whether they are related or not...for example although i would love to pursue a career in business...i can choose to have an emphasis in film or the arts ... exploring the business aspects of these industries...or maybe sprinkle in a little Japanese just because im into that</p>
<p>This should make u happy if you were even considering the liberal arts route at Amherst</p>
<p>In addition...sorrry i just thought of this...umm...USC has an awesome class size ratio and can offer a little more student attention than other schools (especially ones like UCLA)</p>
<p>In addition the private nature of USC offers more security..you wont be subject to harsh budget cuts by the governator</p>
<p>USC is in the Middle of LA!!!! even though the area is kinda shady..it ranks even higher in student safety than UCLA in the heart of Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Westwood</p>
<p>Finally USC has an awesome student population enlivened by an incredible sense of school pride and unity which you will carry with you for the rest of your life!</p>
<p>Be happy and proud that u got into USC..you are part of a very prestigous family and even though i am still a little sad by my sacrafice...i know that all the things i wanted in UCLA will become reality too at USC..in other words i will find things that make USC right for me...and im sure the same applies for u!</p>
<p>Hope this helped..it sure helped me!</p>
<p>hey guys thanks for the posts.</p>
<p>I mean aside from the rankings, what makes USC so great?
I really never visited, and I regret that deeply.</p>
<p>if u have ne questions just hit me back....but is it more the social or the academics or what that u are concerned with that is if i didn't answer it in my rant :) j/k...i would love to answer ne questions...i live in Norther CA and have visited a couple of times but i guess i have a little better scope than u since ive had the opportunity to walk around and stuff</p>
<p>bzfo 06: thanks a lot for that. I really enjoyed reading your points and they were helpful. I hope to see you at USC. Hopefully my undergrad experience will still be great even though I didn't apply to those honors type programs?</p>
<p>By the way, do you know how hard it is to get A's in most of the classes--is there grade deflation? I ask this purely because I'm concerned about graduate school. </p>
<p>Thanks, and I appreciate these posts</p>
<p>as far as i know teachers vary in the way which they grade...according to the Marshall Business students i talked to some grade on a curve others refuse to because they say competition inhibits students from working together...so i liked that too because at USC the competition is not cutthroat..did that help?</p>
<p>^i heard at marshall the grade curve sucks.. so you must work for your A.. I heard that's the biggest complaint marshall students have.</p>
<p>bzf... awkward... haha.</p>
<p>but u need to delete that post b/c my safety is now in danger!</p>
<p>this post was modified for the safety of a VIP a very important panda</p>
<p>I told u i'm addicted!!</p>
<p>this is really wierd</p>
<p>other ppl probably think we are crazy</p>
<p>EDIT
(and we're jacking sonyvaio's thread, sorry btw)</p>
<p>^^^^^Very.</p>
<p>USC is awesome!!! I realize that you probably had your heart set on Amherst, but USC is a very diverse and exciting college with many opportunities to be had-socially, academically, and business...er, um, -ly. Beyond the great location (Los Angeles, CA!!!) USC has a lot going for it. Beyond being ranked very highly among the top schools in the nation, the facilities and academic outlets are very advanced. Being at USC will expose you to more than you could ever imagine. No matter your major, USC will allow you to experience just about anything you want- from Astronomy to the Cinema. USC simply, is just great (and a lot warmer/nicer than MA- I would know!) So I'm sorry to hear you had to let go of your preferred school, but in no way should you be melancholy about attending USC (especially if they're giving you money.)</p>
<p>I must confess that I initially was unsure about attending USC; I was trying to decide between USC and Wellesley, which is somewhat comparable to Amherst. Two of my really good friends are going to Amherst, another to Wellesley, so I know what it's like. I chose USC because:</p>
<p>a) The opportunities to double major, minor, etc. Many schools give rhetoric about giving their students to do so, but they usually have a lot of nasty red tape and/or numerous course credits that impede the majority of students who want to double major. And you can still graduate in four years.
b) The excellent pre-professional schools. Though I'm in the College of Arts, Letters and Sciences I'm really glad that I can take courses at Annenberg (communications), Thornton (music) and at the School of Cinema Television. These three schools are considered to be some of the best in the country for their field; Thornton and the School of Cinema Television are easily in the top spot for music and film. And as a huge film music fan (USC's film scoring program is unsurprisingly the best in the country), I just couldn't pass that up.
c) The academics: When I was at USC during scholarship weekend I was really impressed by the professors who spoke (especially Professor Kincaid), and I've heard many great things about TO, the honors program, from within and outside USC.
d) The benefits of being in a large but small-feeling university. There's such an amazing array of fields that you can explore at USC, but the few students I've met say that they don't feel lost within the campus at all. Sure, some of the intro-level classes are on the bigger side, but it's often the biggest classes that have the best professors and most interesting material. Once you really get into your major, you get a fair amount of attention. The school is big enough to have really nice academic resources, speakers and facilities. Internships and job opportunities I've heard are widely available if you search for them.<br>
e) It's the most progressive college I've come across in its curriculum and policy changes. USC's academic reputation is on the rise as the university attracts more well-rounded students every year and shapes programs to suit their many interests. I've heard that the university has gone on a major hiring initiative of top quality faculty within recent years. Not only that, but USC's merit scholarship program has pulled in talented students who would have gone elsewhere. I like that there are honors programs, learning communities and residential colleges all available once you start out as a student there.
f) The alumni network: legendary for being supportive and dedicated to looking after USC students.
g) The housing's nicer than some of the other places I looked at. There are a lot of options for students ranging from traditional dorms to suites to apartments. And starting next year, freshman students are guaranteed housing sophomore year!
h) Diversity: There's a huge international population here, probably the biggest int'l college student population in the US as well as many students from California and elsewhere in the US. Despite its moniker of the University of Spoiled Children, USC does have a lot of students from lower-income families, more than any other top 30 private college in the US. I'm glad that I have the chance to meet many people from a wide variety of backgrounds. What worried me about going to a smaller liberal arts college was being trapped in a bubble-like isolated campus. My current school is somewhat bubble-like, and I want a taste of reality.
i) LA. California weather is beautiful (though not always sunshine); SoCal's weather is even nicer than the Bay Area's. The area has a lot of great internship opportunities and interesting neighborhoods. There are so many different things you can do and places to explore, from the mountains to the beach. And there's a glamorous Hollywood aspect to it.</p>
<p>OK, so I'm not quite sold on this one yet. I'm a NorCal native and once vowed never to move to LA. It just goes to show you that you never can tell.
j) It's co-ed. This may seem like a very silly reason, but's the only co-ed college where I was accepted, and I've been to an all-girls school for the past seven years. Though I honestly wouldn't have minded going to an all-women's college for four years, I'm glad that I have the opportunities to have male friends who are actually in my classes and dorms now.
k) I've liked all of the USC folks on the CC thread :) This isn't to put down Wellesley (or Amherst) by any means, though!</p>
<p>Hope to see you in August! :D</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack the thread again, but jenny and bzf, do you guys go to AHS?</p>
<p>retroactivity,</p>
<p>Thanks for the amazing post. I enjoyed reading it and I was persuaded by many of your points.</p>
<p>However, from my experience with most large research universities like USC, I dont see how USC is unique in allowing for opportunities to double major and minor, especially with the general education courses I will be forced to take, unlike in Amherst--so that point is a bit hard to weigh.</p>
<p>Also, because I was being really stupid in the beginning and because I never really researched what USC was about, even though, ironically, I live in the Southern California Area, I didn't even know about the honor programs such as the thematic honor program, so I feel like my opportunities at USC are already stifled; by the way, do you know if it's possible to apply to the honor programs after the initial applications, and, further, do you know if its graded less on a bell curve and such?</p>
<p>Thanks again for the post and I also hope to see you at USC,
On a side note, it's interesting to hear that some students spend their entire junior high and high in a single sex school and plan to spend another four years in a single sex college; I wonder what that must be like.</p>
<p>Anyway,
Thanks.</p>
<p>creepy...but no</p>
<p>sonyvaio: I'm not sure if you can apply for TO and FSH after, because those are usually freshman classes only. However, there's a new program called College Honors Society that lasts all 4 years, but requires no new classes. I think being in the Society gets you the word "honors" on your diploma, but I think you have to get a 3.7 GPA in order to apply after initial apps. Not quite sure, so can someone confirm?</p>
<p>Thank you, and I'm glad that you liked it, sonyvaio :)</p>
<p>USC is certainly not unique in the double major/minor availability, and I've heard that some GEs can be somewhat annoying. AP credit can help a little here; AP Euro, for example, places you out of one GE category. Getting a score of a 3, 4, or 5 will give you elective credit at least. As for the honors programs, it's not too late. If you're still keen on participating in TO, you can ask the professors at the start and they'll probably let you in. Also, the College Honors program invites students who have a 3.7 GPA or higher at the end of their freshman year for additional opportunities. The honors in multimedia scholarship program does accept second-year students in, I think, although it's hard to get into in the first place. There are also various other non-USC specific honors programs available to students in different majors like Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Kappa Phi. And in your individual major you can often graduate with honors by writing a thesis or doing some other sort of capstone project, but you'll have to check with your advisor about that. What field(s) do you want to major in?</p>
<p>Many classes seem to be graded on a curve but how beneficial these are for your GPA depends on the professor and the class. Marshall seems to have a really horrible curve but I don't know about the college or the other schools.</p>
<p>For more information, there's a thread talking about USC honors societies here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=182664%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=182664</a></p>
<p>Honors in Multimedia Scholarship thread:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=180832%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=180832</a>
The official site for HMS: <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2004/schools/cinema/multimedia.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2004/schools/cinema/multimedia.html</a></p>
<p>As for the single-sex education thing from middle school/junior high to undergrad college is still pretty uncommon, I'll admit. I know of only one person, who went from elementary/primary school to undergrad college. Another friend of mine almost did 8th grade-undergrad college but decided to go to Pomona instead for financial reasons. </p>
<p>I have the greatest respect for those who do go through single-sex schools for 7-11 years, but the impression I've gotten is that single-sex ed students get the most out of their experience when they do middle/high school or undergrad. The academic environment certainly is wonderful, and the social connections you form with your peers are unlike any other. But there is a certain bubble-like insularity about it which is both beneficial and detrimental. Without much comparison to co-ed settings (I took summer classes at Harvard last year), though, I'm not quite sure if I'm a good judge. I think I can fairly say that I'm much more sure of myself and of my ideas now, and that I don't feel uncomfortable finding myself in all-male academic environments.</p>