I think preferred school is Santa Moinca, but post your question in the transfer thread, these folks have all been living the CC’s and know what is up. Super helpful posters over here:
Thank you @CADREAMIN. You and @WWWard we’re a great help in our decision making process. Like most kids accepted to USC, our D had some great choices for college, but she fell in love with USC and we like knowing that she’ll have all the support she needs.
Im not going to USC. UCSB giving me a better deal and LA is too expensive. I want money in my pockets at all times rather than owing for 10 years to an institution with subtle improvements to cover such a gap in cost between the two options. Need that money to actually afford going to and fro from LA. 
you’re welcome, @kcheves Fight On!
Ugh. I am conflicted. I have gone from the elation of being admitted to USC to the possible realization that this is not the school for me. I spent a few days st both USC and ucla over the past few weeks. I didn’t have the best experience at USC. I’m sure my experience was tainted by who I spent time with but I met up with a friend from high school and he and his friends are just straight up into drugs and spending obscene amounts of money. This is a friend from high ah oil who partook a bit in our hometown but now - it is cocaine every single day. And it seems that this is just simply what he and his friends do. I found the atmosphere at ucla to be much more healthy. More serious students and without the rich kid vibe- although it existed a bit - it wasn’t prevalent like I felt at USC. Has anyone had this experience when visiting USC? I hate that o am in this position after feeling so incredibly lucky to attend the school of my dreams.
@optimistic43, there are going to be partiers at every school, but that doesn’t need to define your experience. I’m sure you will find like minded friends wherever you go. Congrats on getting into 2 great schools.
@optimistic43 The problem isn’t the school, it is your choice of friends and choosing to hang out with them. It is a shame you didn’t meet new people during your time there, that is what college is all about. I am sure UCLA appeared healthier because you weren’t hanging out with coke heads there. If you aren’t strong enough to get away from your old “friends” and will likely hang out with the same high school crowd - that you call friends - then UCLA may be a better choice. But if you think students with drugs and money aren’t at UCLA, you are kidding yourself. They are also at any other private or public school. So try not to find them and call them friends wherever you choose to attend if it is not your scene.
Yea - it was really an unfortunate time. I did meet some new kids- I hooked up with a friend of his and went to a class with him - but seeing that I was staying in my old high school acquaintances room - and was only there for two nights- I couldn’t exactly. Branch out and have a completely independent visit. It was just so completely out of character for him to be like this. I never would have made arrangements to stay with him if I had known. I certainly expect there to be a drug culture at every school and understand that that element is everywhere. I certainly have lived my life so far to my exacting standards. I just shared it because it was such a disappointment to me personally. I had such high exoectstions- and they were dashed by my personal experience. I just wanted to see if anyone else had had a similar experience when visiting. Perhaps mine was unique because of the unfortunate path that my former classmate has taken while at his first year of school. It’s a downer all around.
there are 14000 UG students at USC. There will be tons of kids there that you will like.
@optimistic43 I fully concur with @blueskies2day You cannot judge USC or any college or university based on the impressions garnered by meeting or interacting with 1, 2 or even a handful of the 18K undergrads there. I have two daughters at USC… a freshman and a senior. Neither has interacted with anyone like the friend you describe. What you encountered likely equates to 1-3% of the population at any college or university. It would be a shame to judge the other 97-99% based on such a minor sampling of individuals. Yes… there are people who drink at USC. There are even people who smoke pot from time to time. But heavy drug usage… i.e. - cocaine, heroine, etc. equates to an extremely small minority… clearly less than 5% of the population. And that will be the same at UCLA or any public or private university these days. Ignore your recent experience… choose the college that is right for you… and simply hang out with a better class of friends…
Thanks for the support and info. Glad to hear that what I experienced was truly an isolated incident.
Wew…DD is to be a Trojan. The outside scholarship for the missing 50% tuition decided it. She has all tuition covered and has Viterbi scholar and university scholarship to knock off half cost of living. Summer jobs and small student loans can cover rest.
Glad to finally have it all decided.
@sekere62
“the outside scholarship for the missing 50% tuition decided it.”
You had BETTER be sure that the “outside” scholarship wont cause USC to reduce THEIR scholarship by the amont of the outside scholaship.
That’s called “stacking” and I dont think USC allows that.
I’d call and ask to speak to a SRrFA officer right away.
Already called. Since they are scholarships, not grants, it works to our benefit.
50% presidential and 50% outside covers tuition. Outside will also cover mandatory fees.
Viterbi scholar and university scholarship are not tied to tuition, so can be used for dorm.
The university grant will go away, but outside scholarship is bigger. Also, we will not need FAFSA next year as it’s all scholarships, no grants.
@sekere62 Congratulations to your DD!! I met great parents and students at Explore USC so I’m still following this thread and celebrating as the final decisions are being made. Wonderful news for your DD about Viterbi Scholar and the outside scholarship! Fight on!
(Whew! College decision–check. And so we move on to…graduation… )
@sekere62 wow congratulations! Do you mind sharing the source of the external scholarship?
Just got home from USC Explore. What a well-run, fantastic event. It reinforced all of the reasons we’re sending our D to USC next fall.
@kcheves They do know how to hold events that’s for sure. They are quite a well running machine. Wait till your D is there, you will be amazed at how efficient their online systems are over the next four years. Whether they are registering for classes, or payments, or degree progress status, putting money on their USC card, etc., the MY USC site is something else. Glad you enjoyed Explore! It leaves you feeling very good about sending your student (and money) there - lots of pride for sure. 
@CADREAMIN Do you think that by May 15th that most spring admits will know if they have been bumped to fall admit?
No, it could be after transfer admits and well into June, but also, very few (some years none) get bumped to fall. We have only heard that happening in a couple cases so I wouldn’t count on it at all, in order to go ahead an plan things out as a spring admit.