<p>My son will be at Viterbi and I heard that Engineering is difficult to maintain a high GPA. Are there any departments or freshmen courses which tend to be easier to round out a challenging Engineering course load? Are the General Ed. requirements difficult grade wise?</p>
<p>I just finished my 3rd year in Viterbi, so I think I can answer this question pretty well.</p>
<p>Here is a list of undergraduate bulletins for each major: [USC</a> Viterbi School of Engineering : Undergraduate Bulletin](<a href=“http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/bulletin/]USC”>http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/bulletin/)
It essentially provides a 4 year plan for every major within Viterbi. </p>
<p>For majors in the liberal arts, there are not as many classes within the major required to receive a degree, which is why those students are able to either easily double major or take many electives.</p>
<p>As far as GE courses go, grading difficulty depends on the professor. I would suggest that your son takes GEs that actually interest him…that way, he will enjoy studying the material and getting a good grade shouldn’t be too difficult.</p>
<p>If your son has passed out of certain math classes or GEs based on AP credits, then he will have even more room to take electives that can raise his GPA. USC offers courses on The Beatles, Classic Rock, etc which I hear are not difficult and can be used as a GPA boost. Also, PE classes are 1 unit and can be taken for a grade.</p>
<p>Any easy courses for Marshall students?</p>
<p>To 2 plus 2: Do you think it is reasonable for my son to work part time (8-10 hours) a week as a freshman CS major? Is the major too hard to have time to work? Thanks.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend working during freshman year, so long as it doesn’t interfere with his ability to be social and make friends. 
I worked 10 hours/week on campus during my freshman year and it was nice to have some extra money on the side. If he notices that he is having a hard time managing a job, school work, and a social life, it would probably be in his best interest to drop the job.</p>
<p>He will probably have the most free time during freshman year because the workload from classes will only increase in the following years.</p>
<p>I remember I used to work in the mornings because my classes didn’t start until 11am. If I didn’t go to work on those days, I would probably stay in bed, so I figured it would be better to be productive.</p>
<p>all the courses i’ve taken in marshall have been extremely easy and light on the courseload.</p>
<p>To 2 plus 2: Are you happy at Viterbi Engineering and do you enjoy your classes? Do you happen to know how the CS classes are? Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>I definitely enjoy being in Viterbi and the classes are enjoyable. There will always be a class or two that you don’t want to take or feel as if it isn’t necessary for your degree, but is required none the less. Viterbi puts on a lot of events during each semester, so I’d definitely recommend that your son become involved. It’s very easy to join organizations that have to do with your major and it’s also a way to become friends with upperclassmen who may be able to help you with classes.</p>
<p>I have 3 friends (1 of whom is my current house mate) from freshman year who started off as CECS (Computer Engineering/Computer Science). One of them changed majors to EE because he realized that he hated programming, but the other 2 are still in it. I’ve never taken a CSCI class at USC, so I can’t tell you how they are :)</p>
<p>Thank you 2 plus 2. My son is really looking forward to going to USC. He thinks the Viterbi Engineering school is a great fit. What kind of organizations are you referring to? I am sure my son will get involved with a couple of major activities/organizations because he is this way in high school.</p>