<p>Wow. Late 70s? Come on.</p>
<p>The worst case I’ve ever heard was that one Texas Longhorns fan that got castrated by a Sooners fan. And even then, that was in a bar by two guys that weren’t even students. And it didn’t even happen on either campus. Seriously OP, you have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>The OP asked a question to which he/she does not want the answer to. I have told you my personal experiences, which I feel are relevant considering I live on the UCLA side of town. </p>
<p>I’m with notaznguy on this one by saying that you D has nothing to worry about. Although it seems as if no matter what we tell you, you will still be locked into to the whole college rivalries=violence notion. In the end just remember that we aren’t Raider fans, we’re college students.</p>
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<p>It’s naive to think that college students don’t get into a fight. I mentioned the 70s because back then UCLA did not use holistic admissions. You need to have certain GPA and SAT scores combination to get in, ie you have to be really good students(expect some flame here).
But I’m glad to hear it’s not as bad as I read. Thank you all for your contributions.</p>
<p>Good grief! Frankly, OP, if you are suggesting that “holistic admissions” has lead UCLA to have more low quality students with a propensity to street fights and brawling (and I think we all know what you’re using “holistic admissions” as a euphemism for, and it doesn’t involve white development admits…), I would suggest that you’ll be extremely unhappy with USC which is, by design, ethnically diverse and has a student population that looks a whole lot like the population of SoCal. </p>
<p>Not as bad as you read??? Where have you been reading that those “holistic” UCLA students have been violent toward anyone, let alone students in USC tee shirts. Can you point us toward an article?</p>
<p>Thinly veiled racism deserves to be identified, confronted, and debunked.</p>
<p>I mean what I read from the UCLA forum. One USC student wandered into the forum and got verbally abused. My ex-boyfriend was Asian and was beaten by Asian students. I was not thinking of other minorities.
Here is one of several of the links. And some of the nasty posts were removed by moderators.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/493597-uc-admissions-system-mess.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/493597-uc-admissions-system-mess.html</a></p>
<p>Ok, regarding Westwood. First of all there might be a misconception that Westwood is entirely populated by UCLA students, that UCLA ''owns" Westwood. My D and I go there often, there are lots of people…locals, visitors, tourists, students etc etc. It’s a great area, lots of little cafes/eateries, shopping, the theatre etc. It’s very pleasant. If anything it’s become more vibrant than in past years.
I have absolutely no concerns about any confrontation between USC or UCLA students. I’ve never encountered or witnessed any violence, nor heard of any, and I don’t believe it happens. And we know a LOT of students who go to both schools.
Football season no doubt you might have good natured rivalry being expressed. But street fights and brawls? No.
Both USC and UCLA are great schools, and if anything students of the caliber that are accepted to them are fundamentally going to respect each other’s choices.
I can understand the concerns if one does not know the area, but rest assured, the normal sports rivalry does not degenerate into ugliness or hostility. It’s perfectly safe, and my D has every intention to continue going to Westwood as well as to visit friends at UCLA.</p>
<p>Columbia_Student -
Sorry if I misinterpreted what you were saying. It just sounded from your Post #24 as if you were suggesting that UCLA might have more physical violence than during the '70’s because of its current holistic admissions policies, which are often equated with a UC backdoor approach to AA. That’s why I drew the concludsion I did. (The thread you posted from the UCLA board is pretty rabid, but I still don’t think you have to worry about your D being harmed in any way in Westwood. Things are really very tame over there!)</p>
<p>^Sorry it came out that way, I should have been more careful. I was just referring to the word"good student". D knows a white guy who barely studies and got into UCLA with much lower SAT and GPA than a lot of her friends. He did have a passion for religion and that is the only point I was trying to clarify.</p>
<p>Columbia_Student–
Again, sorry I misinterpreted!</p>
<p>columbia_student- The point I am trying to make is that you asked the question whether or not it is safe for SC students to go to Westwood. I and many other posters have told you that yes it is. </p>
<p>For whatever reason you seemed to reject our responses and believe in the notion that college kids are violent neanderthals that will fight at a moments notice when they see a member of a rival school. </p>
<p>Do college kids fight? Yes, but usually at parties when too much alcohol is involved. Is it rare that an SC kid would get beat up just for wearing cardinal and gold in Westwood…yes.</p>
<p>I don’t even think it’s rare; I think it’s nonexistent. It’s exactly the sort of thing local media would adore. At very least, it would be fodder for Westside gossip for years to come. And there hasn’t been a peep. Also, kids would know. My kid wears USC gear comfortably all over town, and the worst time he gets is from our very UCLA-centric extended family.</p>
<p>My daughter chose USC over Berkeley and she loves it. She and her friends go to Westwood, sometimes in USC apparel, and she has never been bothered. Keep in mind it is a friendly rivalry, in spite of the tacky “fucla” shirts. You are not in the “hood”. You need to be more concerned about your safety in the area surrounding USC. Not horrible, but you need to be cautious and use good judgment. Based on what I’ve heard though, life at USC is never dull.</p>
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<p>I’m not rejecting your responses and I don’t think I believe they are violent neanderthals, you must put words in my mouth. However, I was just point to some of the general comments that college students don’t fight. I know they do sometimes and it depends on how much alcohol is involved.</p>
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<p>Yes I’m aware of this. But from the bus tour of USC surrounding area, I was not overwhelmingly concerned. It’s LA, it’s a lot nicer than I remember. However, my kid has never been to LA area except for the 2 campus tours so she does not know the area at all. She does know she has to be careful because it’s a big city.</p>
<p>I do feel a lot better now after all of your postings. Thank you for your contributions.</p>
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<p>wow, after reading through this i’m so happy i’m not going to UCLA.</p>
<p>the irony of them all talking in such a condescending matter about others being condescending is very funny though</p>
<p>This is my own anecdotal experience, so take it with a grain of salt. Generally, I’ve seen more instances of UCLA students belittling USC students than vice versa. For the most part, USC students handle themselves fairly well while in the company of Bruins. I distinctly remember this one situation where I thought there would be inevitable heckling and what not - a lone girl clad in a baby blue UCLA sweatshirt, was waiting in line, with all SC students to go into Bovard Auditorium for a Natalie Portman speech. To my amazement, nothing happened.</p>
<p>Honestly, it really depends on the individual. Just because one person saw a few UCLA people bash on some USC people doesn’t mean that ALL students at UCLA are like that. There are 25,000 undergrads at UCLA and 16,000 at USC. I’m pretty sure there are both well mannered people and others who are simply @$$holes</p>
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<p>This has been my experience too.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry so much about wearing school t-shirts or sweatshirts, but DO be concerned about the stickers or license plates on your car that is parked in Westwood. It is a lot easier to vandalized a car with a USC sticker on it parked on the street, than accost a student. I have a friend that had mirrors, windshield wipers, antenna, etc…cut off of her car because it had a USC sticker on it and it was parked just off Gayley on Landfair. Just a word of caution!!!</p>