<p>myuser: This is a question that I don’t think I am well equipped to answer due to my limited single semester experience, but I will attempt it nonetheless. Please take my perspective with a grain of salt. </p>
<p>“Is it hard to find a group of people who aren’t into hardcore partying and drinking?”
No. However, I would say it can be difficult to find people who aren’t into social drinking AT ALL and people who don’t even go to parties on occasion. I know some people who go to parties but tell others “I don’t drink” (mostly girls) and still manage to have a fun time. Some of these people have forsaken their restrictions though after several weeks. While they were not, to my knowledge, pressured to drink, they likely just became weary of being the odd one out and eventually gave in. I think this kind of occurrence will be common in individuals who try to “party” without drinking. It’s like trying to play hockey without a puck: pretty damn hard.
If you want to go through college without drinking, find a group of people early on who shares your ideals. I guarantee they are there and there are likely a significant number of them. I would say USC is no better or worse than any other school of similar caliber. All elite privates are going to have a strong drinking/party culture. If you want to get involved with it, great. If not, that’s great too. It’s a decision you will have to make and a dilemma you will be confronted with at any top tier college you attend.
I’m not sure about what specific majors party the most. The easy answer would be Business, just because of the stereotype, but I cannot speak conclusively as to whether an actual greater percentage of Business students party as opposed to the percentage of Cinematic Arts or even Mechanical Engineering students. There are just a ton of business students everywhere, so you will be sure to find them no matter what activity you are participating in.</p>