University of Southern California

All these UCLA trolls giving USC one stars are saying the exact same thing... It says something when your rival school resorts to blasting you with fake reviews in order to make themselves feel better. Fight on!

Ok, I've attended two programs at USC. Here's the deal: 1. Undergrad sucks. Unless you enjoy materialism, you'll definitely get a better value at almost any university. Don't confuse this with "UCLA is better" - this is a problem that plagues the LA area in general. UCLA will cost less money, but you'll still have the same ilk as classmates, same "large school" feel, and the housing will be pricier. (Plus, with the California budget the way it is, it's hard to say how long it will really be cheaper. ;) 2. Grad school *can* be good. This depends on your department. If you choose a school/department that has accessible faculty, good research areas, and you want to live in the LA area afterward, it's hard to beat USC. I got my grad degree here, and I can confidently say that it was worth it. The bottom line: do your research first. Talk with employers, people in the area you want to end up. Talk with students who graduated 2+ years ago, to see what they think in retrospect.

A terrible school. I went to USC for undergrad and majored in business. I HATED my experience with the students. This is one over-rated college where it's a "good" school, but oh, it's not that great as Stanford, Harvard or even UCLA. I have studied at other colleges for summer programs such as Michigan and UC berkeley, and trust me, the students at other colleges are more down-to-earth, than the jerk/materialistic/a-holes who dominate USC. I had bad, VERY HORRIFIC, experience of living in the dorms. My R.A., an Indian or sri lankan piece of turd, didn't even help me out in times of trouble. I remember this punk living across my hall who would blast his music to deprive me of sleep on purpose. Same for the jerk who lived next to me. The R.A.'s here at USC only care about "cool" hip people. this is why USC is still a party school in my mind. I would never send my kids to this school. USC == mediocre education for a rip-off price. I have never gone back to SC eversince my sister graduate... Read more

I hated my experience at USC. I would have never came to this corrupt college had I known the in and outs of L.A.  L.A. plain sucks. It's an over-rated city, but that's another story. In terms of USC students, the majority of them, esp the ones from rich/wealthy families are clueless drones who don't take their academic seriously. It's all about being "cool and laid back" and being jerks and think that you're the top of the world. Seriously, nobody outside of L.A. gives a rat's a$$ about USC. USC students and admins are a joke. They try to tweak their GPA and SAT numbers in order to be ranked higher than UCLA in the US news report. USC students are also immature in general. All about bad-mouthing UCLA and pretending that USC is a better school. A non-California out-of-state student like me knows that USC isn't that great of a school.  I also hated my dorm life and will never forget the hellish lifestyle of living amongst immature trojans. I lived in Marks tower during my freshmen year,... Read more

USC plain sucks. I would not have attended USC had I known more about LA people, how materialistic, self-centered and snobby they are. My hatred of USC is based on how LA people are just immature, like to cuss and look "cool" and try to think they're better than you by driving BMWs when they're dirt poor students. I also had a terrible time living in the dorms where my neighboring dorm mate would blast his music loud, or people across the hall would place trash in front of my door deliberately because they knew I was annoyed by their childish behavior. Basically, I would describe your typical trojan as immature people. I am proud to be an alum of this institute, yet am ashamed that they always have to bad-mouth UCLA like little kids.

USC is changing rapidly in character. Ten years ago it was considered a safety school by students who would probably be swiftly rejected these days. Apparently only 1/5 people who applied were admitted for next year's (2008-2009) freshmen class. Big publicity/fundraising initiatives have really improved the quality of the school. Pros: Very Social, Regionally Prestigious, Lots of Extracurriculars, Access to Greater LA Area, Amazing Athletics, Good Weather, Attractive People, Nice Campus Cons: Bad Location (South Central LA), Student Body Not Interested in Serious Academics Very well-rounded school on the whole. Similar to schools like University of Michigan and UCLA for undergrad--a good balance of work and play--but without as many stellar graduate programs. It will probably greatly improve academically over the next few years.

USC is a great academic institution. I graduated from the Master of Health Administration program in 2007 and it was a priceless experience.

Great school academically. The people here who criticize it academically either did not go there or did not give it a fair chance. I was in a frat and I agree tha the frat stuff can get a little annoying and most of the broads are only good for one thing. Never the less the school is amazing academically and if you make the effort to be involved is an awesome time as well. Fight On!

Well, you can't say that USC isn't trying. In the past decade the school ranks #1 (tied with NYU) in the amount of money spent recruiting top-notch professors. Which means, sadly, that most of those academic stars go there for the money only, because it's the only reason they can think of for teaching the fourth-generation frat boys and sorority sisters, the heirs and heiresses of L.A.'s upper crust. So most of these professors end up displaying more or less open contempt for their undergraduates -- and, really, who can blame them? USC can't draw academically gifted high-school seniors, since the school is crushed in every way (academically, geographically, economically, athletically) by its world-renowned public competitor over in Westwood. USC's grad school is in much better shape, though here again it is difficult for their programs to overcome the perception that USC isn't really about academics. It doesn't help that, every month or so, another gifted undergrad of color gets stoppe... Read more

I attended USC for only my freshmen year,..as I soon found out how I disliked this school. It's very conservative, students are close-minded, not much political activism, students are materialistic and snobby and the campus is located in a 'depressing' neighborhood (but not very dangerous neighborhood as people stereotype USC). I also had many problems with students in my dorm, some who were just jerks to me, some who simply wanted to start an altercation with me for no reasons, some who....like I said...were jerks who would blast their music until 3AM...and other frat idiots who puked all over the dorm carpets making the dorm hall stink for several days. It was hell living in the USC dorms...as I think my dorm experience at SC equates to that living in a state prison! And this was an "honors" dormitory for honor students! USC does not seem to have a lot of emphasis on research, academics or have students who want to pursue a degree after their undergrad years. I was a music major, and... Read more

Nice weather, but bad profs. :(

I'm actually giving this terrible rating to the Marshall business school since that's what I've studied while being an undergrad at SC. The professors were usually mean, close-minded, unfriendly and rude. One of my finance professor would place his leg on his desk and answer my question...right off the back...a rude instructor. Then I had a marketing instructor who didn't even know what the hell he was doing. He even allowed a TA who evaluated my group's presentation, to give us an F. I hope he gets struck by lighting. SC is also an expensive college for such mediocre education. I could have attended a Cal-State school or a small private college to get better grades. Oh,...speaking of grades...Marshall has a retarded grading curve to prevent grade inflation. Such a retarded thing to think about. This curve really hurt students like me who wanted to go to law school....or hurt other students who want to go on to grad school. This curve only helps the money-seeking dolts who graduate fro... Read more

This is a good private school in a great location.

USC has too much beauracracy...go here..go there just to register for a course. I have also had some a-hole instructors who played favoritism. There are also a-hole students who make your school life miserable at SC. SC is also fraternity-oriented,..meaning there are parties and if you're not part of the frat group, don't expect them to talk to you. All in all, I got treated like crap at SC. I hated it.

Horrible business school...a total waste of time and money..and is a joke. Students can also be segregated and the overall campus environment tends to be conservative. Also a pro-football school over academics. Many East Coast or non-California companies haven't even heard of USC, let alone, think it's U South Carolina.

USC has a bad reputation of being the Spoiled Childrens school, but it has improved a lot academically recently

USC is awesome! The school spirit of this place is amazing, and so are the connections with alumni upon graduation. Five years ago, the academic facet of this school was nothing to brag about, but since then, it has been working its way up steadily, hiring knowledgeable professors from other prestigious universities and receiving generous donations to improve their schools, namely, the Viterbi School of Engineering. Now, US News compares USC with the likes of Ivy League Schools.

USC is such a lousy institute. It has a big name, but doesn't focus much on academics and research. Although USC is a private institute, a lot of the classes are HUGE. Some instructors are a-holes, students are rude and a-holes, and frat and greek life seems to be the center of student life at USC. It was a culture shock for me when I first went to SC. I would never go back ...NEVER!

The school is ranked high, but there's no intellectual stimulating environment at USC. Many students there are engrossed in greek life and if you're not a part of them, they won't bother to talk to you. Many students tend to be snobby too. I've also had rude and mean professors who played favoritism and some didn't seem to care to teach at all. If you are a rich spoiled brat, and looking for glamor, come to USC. Otherwise, go to a UC campus or an east coast ivy college.

The Best University in Southern California.

The school is really strong academically and the network connections available to you are really helpful. The school is diverse and you do have the opportunity to either be a slacker or a hard-core student. Basically, you can have a full college experience here. However, the school is rather expensive if you are from middle income (rich can pay, poor get financial aid) and there is a large gap between rich and poor student, real majors and B.S. majors, Greeks and non-greeks, and the area of LA itself to deal with. It has its weaknesses, but I'm have no regretts deciding to go here.

Many of the kids here are jokesters. They love to party...and seems like the main focus. Despite the phony "Princeton Review" award, I still think the school's president ought to do more to enhance the "intellectual environment" rather than promoting fraternities as if it was an anti-drug campaign.

USC is incredible!! Not only does it provide a first-rate education, but countless opportunities for it's students. I would recommend it to anyone who wants the ultimate college experience!