<p>This trip report based on a visit in November, 2008</p>
<p>This school was on our list because DD was looking for a larger school in a warmer climate. As a dancer who would like to continue although not major in dance, the strong dance program at USC is a plus. The school has approximately 18,000 undergrads, and the percentage of these from out of state has grown recently from 11% (per 2008 edition of the Princeton Review) to the current 27% (per the adrep during our visit).</p>
<p>The school had a strong freshman profile entering in 2007, with an interquartile SAT of 1110-1260, interquartile ACT of 23-28 and an average GPA of 3.77 (I believe this was weighted). Approximately 60% of the 15,000 applicants were accepted.</p>
<p>This year is the first year they have not had rolling admissions.</p>
<p>The tour started with a brief video, which featured students and some tongue in cheek humor about campus life. This was followed by a short presentation from the adrep (she handed out copies of the PowerPoint to the prospies), which emphasized merit scholarship opportunities for strong students (Capstone scholars with a 2007 average SAT score of 1300 and Honors College with an interquartile SAT of 1350-1440). We then headed out for the tour.</p>
<p>The tour was lead by a junior from Pittsburgh, accompanied by a sophmore from Atlanta and a freshman from Charleston. The intent had been to break down the large group into smaller ones, but since only four prospective students (all female, one local and one each from Oregon, Massachusetts and New York) and their parents were in attendance, we went in one group. This made it easy for informal chat with any of the current students.</p>
<p>The tour included an elevator ride to visit a room in Capstone. Some of the dorms still have visitation hours for the opposite sex. We also looked in on a large lecture class (the prof waved at us), stopped in at the student union (students were learning a dance out front), passed by the library and strolled along the Horseshoe (the picturesque student quad). </p>
<p>We learned about the advisor system that helps student in course selection. Advisors have expertise on different major and there are special advisors for those who are undecided. Our tour guide mentioned the Supplementary Instruction available for extra help, and he had taken advantage of it for his accounting class. Freshman English as well as language courses are capped at 20 students.</p>
<p>Professors do take attendance and course grades suffer if students exceed the permitted number of cuts.</p>
<p>The weather was cooler than we had expected (in the high 40s, although it did warm up), and leaves were on the ground, although I believe they were from live oaks which will not lose all their leaves for winter. </p>
<p>DD also took a ballet class and liked it very much. I had arranged for her to meet up with some current students the evening before, and they showed her around to the beautiful fitness center and into some upperclass dorms.</p>
<p>I made arrangements for this trip only one week in advance, and was impressed with the quick response from the dance department. The department head got back to me the same day and invited DD to take the class (rather than just observe) if she wished. The visit itinerary DD received at the beginning of the tour had spaces for up to four appointments, so my sense is that they are very open to prospective students meeting up with professors and perhaps visiting classes of interest.</p>
<p>DD applied to this school Early Answer. After DD applied, the school provided a personal touch by having students call to see if they could answer any questions.</p>
<p>DD will attend this fall. My sense is that it is a good fit for students looking for the classic state university experience, with a bustling college town, school spirit, and attractive campus. Everyone was very friendly, and not especially Southern!</p>