USC is definitely the best school in the world. As opposed to it's rival school, UCLA, people who attend USC are well rounded individuals.People: The people here are extremely nice and friendly. Don't believe the comments that call us "self absorbed" and "snotty". I have yet to actually meet one person who's like that. People here are laid back (going to class in sweats not dressed up like they're going to a club) and extremely school spirited.
Campus: The campus is absolutely beautiful although it's definitely in the worst part of LA. Just this year alone, there were 2 sexual assaults on campus, a shooting, and a stabbing on campus. And the school didn't even tell the students about it until it was too late. Now the campus police are finally doing their job instead of yelling at people for riding bikes on the walkways.
Dorms: Most of the dorms here are pretty nice with the exception of Trojan Hall and a few others. If you are an incoming Freshman, I'd recommend you stay at Parkside. It was built just a couple years ago. Otherwise, I would recommend Tuscany, which is NOT affiliated with USC so it could be a bit pricier than the rest.
Activities: Believe it or not, USC parties hard (we recently had one of our parties raided by the SWAT team complete with helicopters). We have a bar called 90 (or the 9-0 as we call it) which is in walking distance of the school. In addition to that, we also have the Row which is where all the frat and sorority houses are located. You will ALWAYS find a party if you go to the Row.
Greek: The Greek system at USC is extremely strong and many students choose to join it. The best sororities are: Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Delta Gamma. The best frats are: Sigma Chi and Lambda Chi. Don't believe in the stereotype Greeks that they show in the TV shows and movies. Most people in the Greek system are very nice.
Sports: Considering that our football team is in the top 10, school spirit here is amazing...especially during football season. Everyone always goes and has fun at the games. And there's always a million tailgate parties on campus.
Food: To be honest, the food is good anywhere but EVK.
Academics: The academics here are amazing. Even the "easy" classes are hard. Any major that's here at USC will always challenge you, unless of course you're major is PPD.
Advice:
-When buying meal plans, always buy the LOWEST priced one. If you buy the middle one, they require you to spend $50 a day on food. Considering the food isn't even that expensive here, it's a little ridiculous.
-If you are from out of the state, bring a bike because the campus is HUGE. And remember to bring a lock because bikes do get stolen.
-Pick a really good and easy teacher when you have to take WRIT 140. It's an extremely hard class and even my English major friends struggled through that class.
-Go to the football games early or you might get a sucky seat in the nosebleed section.
-Instate students: Bring your car. Hollywood is just 15 minutes away and partying on campus all the time gets boring.
-The books cost around $500 a semester so I would suggest buying it online for cheaper. The bookstore tends to run out of books on the first day and believe me when I say that if you don't have any books within a week of the class, you might as well drop the class.
-There are movies that are always filmed on campus so you might need to find alternate routes to class.
-If you REALLY want to study, don't go to Leavy (library), go to the other one. Everyone knows you go to Leavy to socialize.
-Don't calling the Campus Cruisers for rides. They never show up and leave you stranded.-Don't bother going to the Health Center. They suck. They thing that taking an X-Ray solves everything.
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