<p>gunn
My S is an out of state soph from NY.While not involved with Hillel (he’s half Jewish) he did help out a prospective freshman this year with Hillel questions and knows while its a small group, it is active and has a presence at all organization fairs. Its a good idea to contact them directly. Make sure you are comfortable in an atmosphere where the overwhelming presence is non Jewish.
There is also a student organization group called Out of State Mentors. They should be able to help you out,even finding a California kid for you to correspond with. Maybe someone from the Admissions Office can put you in touch with them. If you want info specifically on the Honors College, or applying for scholarships at USC send me a PM.</p>