How "academic" is USC?

GroovyGeek
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:35:31 +0000

Undoubtedly there are smart, talented, driven students at USC. However, this is true about any college in the US, as is the opposite…every school has people who would rather party. I think that the OP’s question was about the middle of the distribution, not the extremes. The answer there is less clear. There have been some discussions on this topic in the past in this forum, search should help.

Having said this, for a motivated student the middle of the distribution is inconsequential. He/she will do well regardless. And students in the middle of the distribution, who are most susceptible to its influences, often don’t worry/care what it looks like. How is that for a paradox :-)