<p>This is just a fun thread to ease tensions and gain excitement before decisions come out!</p>
<p>I’ve been told from many current and past USC students that USC is the happiest place on Earth to them.</p>
<p>What do you think? Why is USC so amazing to you?</p>
<p>USCismydream,</p>
<p>I am not a student at USC, but I thought you might appreciate my perspective. I am a parent of a sophomore at USC, and am a proud alumni of UCLA (1979). When my son was old enough to talk about colleges, I told him that he could go to any college he chose except USC. Of course this was all tongue in cheek, and reflected the rivalry that existed between the two schools. My son had the last laugh after deciding against many other top rated schools to go to USC. Two days after he made the decision to go to USC, he received a partial scholarship based on his academic record. (That made my wife and I love USC). After one semester, he called me and my wife to tell us that he has made the best decision of his entire life. That call actually brought us to tears in the happiest of ways. He lived in the dorm, joined a fraternity, and made the deans list as a chemical engineering major. Since that time, he has managed to come home for a total of 3 weeks (we live out east) and instead, prefers his new life in Southern California, and particularly at USC. He loves everything about USC, except for perhaps the food in the dorms his freshman year. When we have visited and walk with him around campus, he stops every two minutes to say hi, shake a hand, or hug a friend. His comment to us is “see mom and dad, this is really home…this is why I love USC”. That pretty much sums it up. Whether he is studying for exams, going away on spring break, enjoying a weekend in Los Angeles, or the multitude of other Greek and non-Greek activities, he simply loves his day to day existence and the friends in his new life. We must give credit for this happy existence to USC. USC has so much to offer, much of which our son has not even sampled. That is the beauty of going to a place like USC. It has so much to offer such a diverse student body. As a parent and UCLA graduate, I am thrilled that my son chose USC over all of his other options. When I was a student at UCLA, it was the best choice for me at that point in time. However, in 2012, what else can I conclude? Our son is living at the Happiest Place on earth. As a parent, there is virtually nothing more than I could ask for than having a happy and healthy child. I sincerely thank USC for being a significant part of that happiness. Having said this, while I have agreed to wear a USC DAD t-shirt while attending USC football games, I still fight back on wearing a USC jersey. My son has two more years to work on me. </p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Hey there -</p>
<p>I’m currently a sophomore at USC, and I do have to admit it’s a great place. I simply can’t imagine a better place to being studying what I love with some of the greatest faculty and most talented peers in the world.</p>
<p>But The Happiest Place on Earth? Please, save that label for Disney World. Call me jaded, but that’s such a googly-eyed “freshman” way to describe it, a view that only accounts for the upsides of SC (of which there are many), without taking into account its downsides. Also, heads up, I’ve noticed students (from any school) tend to keep their complaints about their school amongst students at their school while putting on a “promo face” when talking about their school to anyone outside the school.</p>
<p>In the narrative of life, it’s important to realize that USC is just a setting. An awesome setting at that, but it’s only a fraction of the life narrative. The overall story depends on the main character (you!), the supporting characters (your friends!) he/she fills his/her life with, and what they all do. SC is a place for growth, change, discovery, and exploration, and you’ll meet people here, faculty and student alike, that you would never have met otherwise. Chances are, you’ll also probably end up doing things (some good, some not so much) that you’ll never have imagined doing just a year ago. </p>
<p>Ultimately, you’re still you, and USC is what you make of it.</p>