proudtrojan

I am a current freshman at USC, and I made the best decision of my life coming here!

If you are facing a difficult decision between USC and another great college, and you need advice or if you have any questions about the USC experience, classes, majors, professional schools, minors, extracurriculars, or anything else, please ask!

Fight on!
Shane

saam14

Is it relatively easy to get good grades if ur an above average student at USC?

proudtrojan

This is a tough question to answer, but I will say yes. One thing to consider is that every student at USC is an above average student; therefore, above average takes on a whole new meaning. Certain programs at USC follow a curve system (i.e. the Marshall School of Business), and this fixes the amount of students qualified to receive specific grades. As a whole, most teachers are fair, and with effort, you can get good grades. Every grade is important, however. My high school experience was filled with many opportunities for "easy points." In most classes at USC you will have readings, but your grade will be based on several large assignments (namely papers, midterms, and finals). I currently have a class where each paper is worth 20% of the grade, the midterm is 25% and the final is 25%. The remaining 10% is participation. You just have to take every assignment seriously.

proudtrojan

I'll add that I spent my first semester as an architecture major. This school offers a great program, yet it is very competitive, and as with many of the design-based programs at USC, grading is very subjective.

dawritingmachine

ok usc or ucla for communications/english/writing AND biology/premed?? idk which school is more well rounded for both and i have until tues to decide! ;(

dawritingmachine

and how difficult is it to specialize in 2 diff schools like coll of letters arts and sciences AND annenberg?

savoytruffle

If I am going to major in Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, and I got a 4 on English Language AP test last year, will I get further credit for passing the English Lit. test this year? Also, by passing the test from last year, will I be exempted from english at USC?

summerinthecity

A few q's:

-What is the social scene like? Do you have to join a sorority/frat to really have a good time?

-What is the general student body like (if there is a general stereotype)

-Describe a typical Saturday.

-What kind of a reputation does the J school have and do you know anything about the workload in the journalism program?

dawritingmachine

another ?:

can we enroll to some sort of honors program (Freshman Science Honors, TO, etc..) as a soph or jr? i didn't apply to any and i think it's too late.

also, how's the work load is such honors program at usc??

Ned5555

I'm a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism, so I can answer questions about the Annenberg program.

The journalism school is very reputable, especially on the west coast. It's considered one of the more difficult programs to get in to at USC and the school is well known for its faculty and resources. An extensive network of Annenberg alumni can also help students land their first job out of school.

I would characterize the workload as very light freshman year. There's an optional "Introduction to Journalism" class, as well as a required "History of News in America" course. I didn't find either of these especially straining.

Sophomore year, the curriculum picks up speed. All journalism majors must take news writing classes in both the broadcast and print format. In the spring semester, students are given video cameras and assigned broadcast stories on campus. Each class is also assigned an L.A. community that they cover for the term. Students are expected to visit the area once a week, and write articles covering a variety of beats.

While this isn't necessarily the most challenging work, it's incredibly time consuming. A lot depends on your ability to do news in both formats. There are print majors who dread being near a camera, while many broadcast students have to work for the nuance and complexity expected in some print stories.

Junior and senior year, the majors begin to specialize. Print majors take classes pertinent to newspaper and magazine production, while broadcast majors do more on-camera work and newscast producing. By that point, students are usually sure of their major and dedicated to their classes.

makkuroi

if i hate science (especially science with labs, i'm horrible at labs) what should i take to fulfill my category IV GE? and when is a good time to get rid of the dreaded science class?

Futureholds

computer science gaming

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Anyone know if this is a degree in Computer science with a minor in gaming or if it will read a degree in Computer Science gaming? On slash.com it sounds like a degree in cs gaming is too specific and will not give you options in the future. I guess the gaming industry is pretty cut throat and they tend to use up people and spit them out for more lower paying new grads. The website slash.com also says the major classes in this gaming major ( although they have many of the CS classes used for a regular BS in CS) is missing some of the higher math and physics you would need to succeed in the CS industry if you decided to change as most do after starting in the industry. Any help appreciated. Trying to decide on UCSD, U of Washington or USC.

proudtrojan

To dawritingmachine:

USC is a very well rounded school in many fields, particular in the communication/journalism programs offered in Annenberg. It is also very common to find students here taking advantage of the variety of programs through double-majoring or pursuing a major and a minor. While certain schools like Annenberg have certain criteria for admission, it is very possible to pursue studies in multiple schools, and the staff at these schools make the process as easy as possible.

Regarding TO and Freshman Science Honors, you should contact USC. I know that classes for these programs are usually taken freshman year, but if you contact USC, you might be able to register for classes in these programs. These programs do require substantial work.

ForeverA

I have a question..

Do you know if spring admits have a harder time adjusting to the school since everybody else will have been there for a semester? Is it harder to make friends?

proudtrojan

To savoytruffle:

Unfortunatly, USC does not give AP credit for English Courses. For your AP English scores of 3 or higher you will get credits (4 each) for elective units. However, you will still have to take Writing 140, Writing 340, and an Arts and Letters course, or the Thematic Option equivalents of these courses.