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Total Grad Surveys 25
Females 8
Males 17
Avg years at University 2.0
Research Quality B+ (8.0)
Research Availability B (6.7)
Research Funding B (7.3)
Graduate Politics B (7.3)
Errand Runners B (7.1)
Degree Completion B+ (7.8)
Alternative pay [ta/gsi] B- (6.5)
Sufficient Pay B- (5.8)
Competitiveness B+ (7.5)
Education Quality B (7.0)
Faculty Accessibility B (6.8)
Useful Research B+ (7.8)
"Individual" treatment B+ (7.6)
Friendliness B+ (7.7)
Safety C+ (5.7)
Campus Beauty B (7.2)
Campus Maintenance B+ (7.9)
University Resource/spending B+ (7.5)
Extracurriculars B+ (7.9)
Success-Understanding B+ (7.9)
Surrounding City B+ (7.6)
Social Life/Environment B+ (7.6)

I applied to USC's MSW program and was accepted. Prior to my acceptance, I was informed by the, "academic advisor" that the fees and tuition that the post 9/11 gi bill did not cover would be covered by their yellow ribbon program which I fully qualified for and the additional money would be covered by their "military schoarship program":. Well, none of it was true! There are very few slots, evidently 20? Also, this so called military scholarship did not exist'. After I was accepted I was pressured into enrolling sooner than what I was ready and when I didn't agree to I was treated very poorly by the academic advisor!. Whenever I asked for additiona information from the staff, I ALWAYS got the run around and was referred to some other department or person whom did NOT help me;. At the end of all of it, they demanded a $250 check to tell me whether or not I might receive a yellow ribbon slot or any additional assistance:. Along with many other students, I received e-mails to attend teleconferences for "financial aid" which just consisted of pressuring students into taking out high interest student loans, what a joke! After all is said and done, I applied to a state school that my 9/11 gi bill will cover entirely and there will be no out of pocket cost/. I am currently awaiting my acceptance letter.. I would strongly recommend staying away from USC all together.. They treat students like walking atms and their only goal is to meet their quota, nothing more, they don't care, not one bit.
Mar 04 2012
Social Work

Do not enroll in the Rossier's MAT at USC program! Instructors are arrogant. I am a current student and finishing the first semester of classes. It is awful. The program does not seem to inspire new teachers, but instead gives a lot of ?overview? assignments about issues in education that are really not discussed in class to connect to the real world classroom. It is to late to drop the program, but I would if I did not have to start from scratch again at another university. This program is not worth the cost! The program seems to want to make the students write like researchers. I do not want to be a professional researcher, I want to be a classroom teacher.

I have a friend in another program and she loves it! They are learning the same theories, but the instructors are supporting, caring, and connect it all to the classroom. I wish I was in that program and getting a practical teacher education. Instead I am going broke and in a program that I dislike. I am learning that I do have stamina and that I will prevail?even in the bad MAT at USC program. I can?t wait to get it done and out of USC.
Jul 15 2011
Education

I do not come from a wealthy background and don't fit the "stereotype" that many would describe for USC. I did attend a small private liberal arts college and USC was a great follow up. I had a high GPA and committed to higher education. USC has an amazing supportive network in and out of school and that is rare to find. I continue to see the benefits of networking and choosing the right college. Afterall, it often comes down to "who you know" and USC provides you the opportunities to continue to get to know other alums in different fields and learn from each other.
Aug 24 2010
Social Work
N/A

Choosing to attend USC for graduate school was the best decision I have ever made. I loved all of my courses, my classmates were brilliant and socially capable, the university was gorgeous and Southern California is the nicest region in the entire country (okay, maybe second to Hawaii).

The Trojan Network has come through for me time and time again. I would absolutely choose to attend USC again 100%!
Apr 23 2010
Business - Management and Administration

First of all, USC is the great school. And my "actual" department is extremely great. USC reputation is very good and the academic is very strong.

However, I just want to point out one thing that many international students have to suffer at the moment they are starting their academic at USC. It is about The American Language Institute (ALI).

If you asked honest opinion from international students who have a chance (been forced) to take any ALI classes. The same answers you will heard is it's the "USC rip-off" campaign, and nothing else. This ALI only need your money, the knowledge came later. Many incoming students who already impressed the school environment (by their own department) have to stop the impression with the dark-side of USC... "The ALI".

Why? First, it's very expensive, the unit price is almost the same as a very good class offering by the "real" department in which student intends/more-than-willing to take. Second, the class is not in-any-aspect good. The quality of teaching is bad. The teachers attitude are even worst. Third, the most important, ALI always come-up with stupid policies to force you take its classes. If your TOEFL < threshold, you need to take it... even year 200x I can't believe in USA still have this kind of scam publicly. I know it's informed by admission, but it's like you buy a car bundle with motorcycle... it's lame... Top schools never allow this to happen... OR if you are TA, no matter your TOEFL score (they know how to deal with this hah), then you will need to take stupid EXAM (not even by any standard test) and the people who examine you are the ALI's staffs who are ready to put you in some classes... ... these classes never improve TA skill at any rate.. everybody knows.. it's just for money...but no one say it outloud... It's a SIN... TA is now just a scapegoat.. Believe me, international TAs can teach if they are selected by the department.. the only people who cannot teach are those in ALI school.

Nov 10 2009
Unknown

Great experience. When I came from India I was very apprehensive, moreso the underlying costs being very high and no financial aid was forthcoming. But the quality of faculty, the coverage of curriculum, freedom of originality and approachability of seniors and faculty make the cost and effort worth the value in education. I strongly recommend the University to those who are not fixated only on costs
May 21 2009
Electrical Engineering

I would like to join for more studies at this college
Mar 27 2009
Computer Science

USC is a phenomenal school. The MSW program is extremely competitive and is rigorous. I actually enjoyed working my butt off for all A's. The staff are great but as always, there are one or two who should just retire. The students are very arrogant (outside of the school of Social Work)with most being upper or middle class...basically very little minority representation in most graduate programs. Undergrad are very annoying and obnoxious, but overall the program is worth every penny. The MSW program is known to produce leaders in all concentrations. The parties are awesome and so is the networking...everyone always is offering you jobs once they find out you're a TROJAN....
Dec 30 2008
Social Work

Going to USC was a really good experience except for the high cost of tuition but that was offset by partial reimbursement from my employer. The faculty at the school of engineering are at the cutting edge of research in my field. The diversity was a factor as most of the students were of Chinese/Indian descent but I guess that is true for most highly ranked engineering programs these days.

Overall, a really good experience!
Jun 06 2007
Electrical Engineering

My experience at USC has been quite positive. I think much depends on the faculty you work with as a PhD student, and I selected some fantastic faculty members to work with. That said, there are students who have different ideas about what the graduate school experience should be and they have selected faculty members to work with who I can't even imagine dealing with on that frequent a basis. In the time I have been there, USC has really put a lot of emphesis on raising the bar of its programs, and most of the faculty are now first-rate. The down side is that there are some who think they really are so wonderful that they don't have to address student concerns. If you select the faculty you're working with wisely though, USC is an excellent choice for a graduate school.
Nov 12 2006
History/Histories (art history/etc.)

Guys and Girls if you are concidering this school beaware its not so easy to maintain 3.0 GPA especially if you concider your self an average student.
Jun 24 2006
Computer Science

unlike most universities where education is highly valued, usc is more money focused....meaning USC is more interested in taking your moneys than giving what they promised or the media acclaimed. there is no doubts that USC media related program are the worlds finest....and there is no doubt that their alumni lend hands in jacking up their engineering grad rank so high. please don't let this high rank deceive you. what you saw isn't true. the educational quality is far below sub-standard. i have taken an anlog ic grad course with 150 students? that is totally absurd. most of the professors USC hired aren't even on the faculty roster, they're part timers from the outside and they're not very passionated about teaching most of the time. they're more concerned about their paychecks. while the full time professors are very arrogrants and idiotic, they're full of themselves. impossible to approach or even say hi to them, they love smirf at your face when you ask them for research/teaching assitantship. let's me explain my unconfused friends, that's simply because the university admitted way too many darn students. the engineering grad school alone has over 4000 on campus students and over 2000 part time students. that number is continuously expanding as time goes on from what I understood from their DEN program. if the stat doesn't speaks for itself, I have not idea what elses would. so if you're an ms student trying to get some funding here, forget it ! 99.99% of MS students here got ZERO aids from USC. And USC could careless about them either. However, if you're a phd students....you'll have a little more chances depending on your area of researches. also, don't forget there are a lot of research professors here who likes to form their own ethnical niches. if you're not one of them *people* then good luck to you when you ask them for sponsorships. overall, I would NOT recommend USC to anyone....please consider other schools where that school professors care more about you than your wallet!
May 29 2005
Engineering Department
phd

This university was not clean. Trash was everywhere and the faculty are so arrogant and evil......They are so mean...I really like how the bookstore is open though.
Apr 11 2005
Agriculture/Horticulture
Dr.

hey guys ...nybidy from india goin to USC this spring?
Oct 11 2004
Engineering Department

Not worth the money to study in this school..Far too many hassles for a student.

Jun 30 2004
Computer Science

The Health Science Campus is about 8 miles from the main campus. This provides a more professional experience for Medical students, Pharmacy students, and some Ph.D or Master's students. However it is a commuter campus and can be boring/uptight at times. The main campus or "University Park" campus is more vibrant. The students and faculty at both campuses are serious about what they do and are determined to improve themselves and their University. The only downer is the fact that the school is located in one of the poorest sections of Los Angeles. This makes it tough to live near the school.
Oct 10 2002
Pharmacy
Ph.D

Graduate Studies in Computer Science at the University of Southern California are good.

The Computer Science department has some very good faculty, and the amount of research done here is extensive.

The problem is low criteria for admission and thus the low quality of students. And particularly, very high number of students resulting in high class strengths, low financial aid chances.

So I would advise you to go a similarly ranked university if you have offer of admission in one.

Apart from academics, USC has good social/party life for undergraduates, whereas for graduate students its more work and spending time in computer labs.

Sep 11 2002
Computer Science

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