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University of Southern California Visit Report by ricegal

Visit to University of Southern California in May 2007 by ricegal
(Parent of Student, HS Class of 2008)
(Member since August 19 2004 with 698 posts)
 
1 of 1 people found this visit report helpful

Visit Activities:


Information Session: Yes - We had a private information session with an admissions officer. She was informative and helpful.

Campus Tour: Yes - Tour guide was great! Very friendly and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, the tour does not include the dorms. We only went inside two buildings.

Campus:


Friendliness/Courtesy of Students:
4 - Very Good
4 - Very Good
School was already out for the semester so we didn't get to see what the student body was really like.


Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff:
2 - Fair
2 - Fair
The engineering admissions officer was intimidating, and not particularly helpful. My son felt like he was being grilled rather than informed.


Appearance of Campus:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
Beautiful campus. Very nicely laid out. Compact. Dorms are close to libraries and classrooms.


Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent
Everything seemed new. The engineering building was brand-new.


Security/Safety:
4 - Very Good
4 - Very Good
Security has to be good because the school is in downtown LA. The campus seemed safe. Campus police patrol in a radius of 5 miles.


Overall Campus Impression:
5 - Excellent
5 - Excellent


Off-Campus:


Area Immediately Around Campus:
1 - Poor
1 - Poor



City/Town/Community:
4 - Very Good
4 - Very Good


Campus Visit Notes for University of Southern California


Visit Description:

Overall, the USC campus impressed me. The buildings were nice looking and the layout of the campus was walkable. Unfortunately, we didn't try the food or see the dorms. I was a bit dismayed with the approach taken by the engineering admissions officer. Everything my son expressed interest in he tried to discourage. It's like he's seen too many eager beavers and he wants to jolt them with a shot of reality. Reality comes soon enough, IMO. Didn't phase my son, though. He stills likes USC. He likes the school spirit and the LA location. The computer science department seemed decent to me, although I felt that CMU was stronger and the people we spoke with were more enthusiastic about computer science. Maybe, the difference is in the size of the schools. At USC the whole admissions process seems more like a series of hoops to jump through than a match-making. They don't bother to try to sell the school.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We stayed at the downtown Sheraton after reading bad reviews about the Radisson. Downtown is outrageously expensive, but LA traffic is too bad to stay elsewhere.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

We ate at one of the restaurants on Olvera Street. It's right at the Union Station metro stop.