<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I’m a freshman at USC, and like dj02bothell mentioned above, the campus has a very chill vibe. It’s not too big, but not too small. Walking is very manageable – it takes me about 15 minutes to get my farthest class and about 8 minutes to get to my closest class (but I’m also a fast walker). Lots of people bike and skateboard…if you’re walking, you just have to watch out for them. Don’t want to get into a bike crash, which I’ve seen twice before. </p>
<p>Safety: I feel quite safe on campus. Police and firetruck sirens are a normal occurrence, but you eventually get used to it. It’s probably also because USC is located near a firestation that you hear these noises at night. Walking across campus at night is really nice – it’s just so nice and peaceful without all of the bikers, skateboarders, crowds, etc. If you have to get off campus at night (within 1 mile), there’s always campus cruiser! The only problem with campus cruiser is that if it’s a busy night (Thursdays and weekends), it’ll take a while to get a hold of them. </p>
<p>Classes: I registered on August 13 (after all of the other upperclassmen and freshmen, except international students, registered), and I was still able to get all of the classes I wanted. USC usually holds certain slots open in each class for each registration period, so you just have to keep your eyes out for them. For the spring semester, I had problems getting the professor I wanted, but I still got the classes that I needed. New spots or sections always open up for major/core classes if they get too full. General Education classes are a different story, but still very manageable. The good thing is that you don’t have to take all 6 of your GE’s in one year, so if a class in a certain GE is closed and you really want it, you can always wait to register for it the next year. One of my friends ended up taking all business classes this past semester, and will be taking some GE’s next semester. As a business major, our schedules are very flexible! If you’re majoring in Engineering or one of the Sciences, it may be a bit harder because your schedules are a bit more rigid… My suite-mate is pre-med, and I’m pretty sure she got all of the classes she needed though. </p>
<p>As for the size of the classes, it varies. In my GE 5 class, it’s about 27 students. In writing classes, they are usually limited to 15 students. In my GE lectures, there are usually about 100-200 kids; however, we also have labs and discussions with these lectures and there are usually only 20-25 kids in these sections. In my core business classes, the limit is about 75-80 students per lecture. In my roommate’s language classes, there are about 20 students?</p>
<p>If you’re worried about fitting in, don’t be. USC is nice in that there is a niche or group for everyone. I also agree with dj02bothell that staying on campus can end up feeling like you’re in a bubble, so don’t be afraid to explore LA. If you HAVE to take the taxi, take Uber. A trip to Little Tokyo with 4 people in UberX is like… $10 one way. I personally have no problems with the metro, but everyone has different preferences. Take the metro during the day to downtown or something. If you need to go somewhere at night, go with a large group of people on the metro or just take uber. </p>
<p>Hopefully this helped!</p>