<p>hey i was just wondering whether anyone had any info on the thematic option program… is it worth the extra time? im also wondering whether those who complete t.o. are recognized for their extra effort on their diploma or transcript… does one receive any sort of commendable mention that would impress prospective grad schools and/or companies? im not saying the recognition would be my sole reason for choosing to do thematic option, but it would certainly be nice if such a long-term benefit was part of the deal.</p>
<p>1.What is the pre-med program like? </p>
<p>2.What major would be best for a pre-med student? (Like biological sciences or something.) </p>
<p>3.And is the Health & Humanities major good for someone pre-med? On the website it says that it may not fufill all the requirements for someone going into medicie.</p>
<p>4.Lastly, is the area around the school THAT bad? I might really want to go here but right when I told my parents that it’s in L.A. they were immediately turned off haha :/</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>@ Kulakai
You said “South Central LA is to the South and East of where the campus is. The area around the campus is a working class neighborhood and not that bad unless you’ve only lived in a secluded upper middle-class suburb your entire life.”</p>
<p>So… I live in upper/middle-class suburban Toronto (Ontario, Canada) right now, which is far less a crazy-city-place than LA… and before I moved to Toronto, I lived in Seoul, which definitely IS a crazy city but isn’t as… well, “dangerous” as LA (since you can’t possess weapon at all and all that…)
So my question is: would I be totally screwed if I were to live in South Central LA?</p>
<p>@ anyone here :)</p>
<p>Also, would it be harder for me to get into USC because I’m Asian (South Korean background to be exact) AND international (Canadian citizenship)? My SAT I was 2100 (taking it again for 2200+ hopefully), SAT2 math level 2 was 740, and my GPA isn’t that bad - although my school (in CANADA) doesn’t offer AP courses so I just took enriched courses - first semester junior (now second semester junior) 93.3%.</p>
<p>@mmmaythe - Ok you know the Jane & Finch area of Toronto? That is the reputation that south centeral LA has however the area around the USC campus is nothing like that because USC is not in south central. South Central is more like inglewood/lynnwood/compton. There are a bunch of other threads in the usc forum on the topic of safety around campus which you should search for and read</p>
<p>When I saw “Jane & Finch” I kind of freaked out because that would be one area in which I wouldn’t want to spend a single day. However, I’m glad to hear that the campus area is not like that 
Thank you!</p>
<p>the area surrounding USC campus is NOT that bad. It’s definitely not Westwood, but USC has created extensive outreach services to the surrounding area and hires a lot of security to the point where it really isn’t that big of a deal. That said, I wouldn’t go out at 3AM alone (especially if you’re a girl) off campus, but it’s not something you need to stress about because of all the security. I was definitely scared at first myself, but it’s something you grow with and to be honest, it keeps us grounded. IF we were located in the middle of Westwood, we would definitely be the “University of Spoiled Children”, but just the fact that we are located downtown keeps the student body really down to earth.</p>
<p>Oh, also, I come from a really upper-middle class suburb on the east coast, so even though it was a HUGE change, it really didn’t faze me that much because I do love helping out our surrounding community. It really humbles you.</p>
<p>I have two kids attending USC–S is a senior in EE & D is still undeclared soph/jr. We heard all the stereotypes, but neither they nor their friends are into the Greek scene, parties, or even football & still have had a great experience at USC. Both have had an excellent experience at USC. The contacts they make at USC have been useful in their internships & job searches.</p>
<p>S & his friends & some of D’s friends have cars at USC. All of them park in gated parking off campus & none have had problems of theft (that I’ve heard of). </p>
<p>S lived in Pardee Tower, Great Outdoors floor as a freshman & loved it. D was a transfer sophomore & lived in Webb. She’s lived in Cardinal Gardens this year (which she finds convenient but older than she’d like). Would not recommend for freshmen.</p>
<p>As parents, we’ve been pretty satisfied with our kids’ experience and education (so far) at USC. We were very pleased with the generous merit aid USC awards academic & other achievers to have a high achieving student body.</p>
<p>ajaku3714… info on Thematic Option can be found here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/866805-thematic-option.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/866805-thematic-option.html</a></p>
<p>I am literally falling in love with USC! It is perfect for me…well so I think.
Okay so here are my stats.
GPA weighted (with senior first semester): 3.85
GPA weighted (without senior first semester): 3.7
GPA unweighted: 3.4
SAT: 1940
Bad SAT IIs and I sent them by mistake!!
Activities: varsity lacrosse three years, piano for twelve years, volunteer at a science museum’s gift shop for four years, other various acitivies for one, two, three, and four years.
Essay: about how I never gave up trying out for lacrosse and after applying this determined attitude to the rest of my life I see I can conquer anything. Cheesy but true! I deleted a word by mistake before I sent it so it has one tiny error 
Recommendations: I am not quite sure but I think the counselor one is pretty good.
Senior Grades:
Physics: B+, AP LIT: A-, AP GOV: A-, AP PHOTO: A, Precalculus: A
So pretty good this year senior grades which is good because they sent me a formal letter asking for them.
My status online: Undergraduate Application (Part II, Fall 2010)
We received the fall grades we requested, and require no additional information at this time. We will mail decisions to freshman applicants by April 1st.</p>
<p>PLEASEEEEE!?</p>
<p>Hey everyone, sorry for the late responses. I’ve been pretty busy this weekend! Here we go…</p>
<p>Raikoben, </p>
<p>I’m not really familiar with the admissions process as that was 4 years ago and I applied to CLAS, so I’m sorry to say I can’t give you a good answer. I wouldn’t want to give you any false information. Sorry!</p>
<p>martyjones,</p>
<p>Kulakai has already answered your questions pretty well. I would just add that USC has a free shuttle that leaves to and from LA LIVE ([L.A</a>. LIVE](<a href=“http://www.lalive.com%5DL.A”>http://www.lalive.com)) every 30 minutes Fri/Sat from 6pm-2am and Sun 4pm-10pm.</p>
<p>lakerforever24,</p>
<p>USC is ranked #2 most attractive student body after ASU in the entire nation. But ASU’s academics are a joke so I think we win :)</p>
<p>ajaku3714,</p>
<p>I think there is a designation on your transcript stating that your TO classes were honors-level courses.</p>
<p>optimisticgirl92,</p>
<p>To be honest, the pre-med program will be the same regardless of what undergrad institution you attend, assuming that they are all decent schools. You’ll have to take all the standard pre-med courses. Check out [Pre-Health</a> Resources > USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences](<a href=“http://college.usc.edu/pre-health-resources/]Pre-Health”>http://college.usc.edu/pre-health-resources/) for “Academic Planning Handouts for Medical, Dental, Pharmacy, PA and PT Schools”. </p>
<p>I would recommend doing the BISC BA and double-majoring in another subject you’re interested in. To be honest, I feel like the BISC BS is overkill unless you’re going into research. (The difference between the BA and the BS is that you have to take more upper-division biology classes with labs plus 4 (or is it 8?) units of directed research if you’re a BS.) You don’t even have to do BISC. Other good majors include Gerontology, Health Promotion, and Neuroscience. Perhaps I’m biased because i’m a BISC/EALC double-major, but I think it’s good to major in one science and one non-science. The reason why I recommend choosing a science major is because all your pre-med prerequisites will already satisfy a good portion of a science major. Humanities majors are fine to do because you will have more than enough room in your schedule to fulfill both the medical school prereqs and your humanities major.</p>
<p>The area around USC is not that bad. People are usually just in shock because they’ve lived in upper-middle class suburbia their entire lives. It’s just like any urban area. Don’t be stupid and you’ll be fine. I’ve never had a problem in my 4 years here at USC and I walk alone all the time north of campus from 10pm-3am in the morning. Please note that I’m not advocating that it’s safe for everyone to do that, but I’m just giving my own personal experience. People should definitely take advantage of the options that USC provides, such as the free Campus Cruiser service.</p>
<p>mmmaythe,</p>
<p>Hello there, fellow Korean. Your stats are right with USC’s averages. It really depends on the rest of your application. This is purely speculation, but I don’t think ethnicity plays a large part in applications unless you’re some really heavily under-represented minority like Native American. Approximately 1/4 of all USC students are Asian so I don’t think there is any sort of disadvantage. If you’re international you better make sure you have a way of paying $50,000 a year since USC doesn’t give need-based finaid to internationals. They do offer merit scholarships, though.</p>
<p>Taylerxc, </p>
<p>Unfortunately your unweighted GPA is significantly lower than the USC unweighted average, which is hovering somewhere around a 3.7-3.8. Your SAT is also on the lower end of the spectrum. Your activities are OK, but nothing that stands out. You are definitely not out of the running but I would say that USC is a reach for you. Since you already applied though, my opinion means nothing and it’s all up to the adcom now lol. Good job with your 1st semester of senior year though. Definitely a good upward trend. Good luck!</p>
<p>So I could be an English major and have space to do pre-med classes?</p>
<p>Yes, you would definitely have enough room in your schedule to do that. Check out this link: [USC</a> Catalogue: The Schools: USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: English: Undergraduate Degrees](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/college/engl/undergraduate.html#bachelor]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/college/engl/undergraduate.html#bachelor)</p>
<p>Your English major would only be 40 units (10 courses). You will also need to take the 24 units (6 courses) of general education. If you do it correctly, you may be able to double-dip for one or two classes so that the GE requirements satisfy your major requirements. While at USC, you will take a total of 128 units, so you can see that you will have at least 64 units remaining to take all your pre-med courses, which is more than enough.</p>
<p>Thank you! You have been really helpful!</p>
<p>I have a question about math requirement. I am only taking AB Calc and hate it alot. How tough is the USC math curriculum (required course)</p>
<p>easyasabc,</p>
<p>What will your major be? Not all majors have a math requirement.</p>
<p>easyasabc, I was in BC last year, and now I’m in the IB equivalent of AB. I struggled a lot with BC, but I have found that taking the class a second time has really helped me learn the material very well. I don’t know what USC math classes are like, but I think you’ll find some calculus easier the second time around. :)</p>
<p>Is parking expensive? I know generally having a car in LA is expensive, but worth it, because the culture out there is so driving-centric. I’m just worried about getting my car across the country, parking it, getting all my inspections in order, etc. </p>
<p>What is your favorite part about USC?</p>
<p>wisdomsomehow,</p>
<p>Parking is pretty expensive. Depending on where you park it can be anywhere between $200-400/semester for parking. The higher the price, the better the location (for instance, PSX is one of the most expensive ones). If you’re going to be a freshman coming from the other side of the country I would actually recommend not bringing your car. I guarantee you’ll make friends that are from the socal area that will have cars, and you can tag along with them. </p>
<p>My favorite part about USC… hmm… that’s tough. I think it’s perhaps the general feel of the school. People here work hard, but there’s a general laid back atmosphere as opposed to some of the other prestigious schools around the nation. Maybe it’s the great California weather that makes people more relaxed? There’s also the strong athletics program which gives our students a lot of school spirit.</p>
<p>can you double major in bio and chem?</p>
<p>striker15,</p>
<p>Yes, you could but most people interested in both biology and chemistry choose to major in biochem.</p>
<p>How are the physics courses at USC? and are BISC 120 & 220 as hard as they say?</p>