University of Southern California Top Questions

I suppose I wish I'd been told to get out and have more fun. I did have an alright amount of adventuring and bonding with people in my dorm and in some of my classes, but I also spent a generous amount of time in front of the computer. The window to meet new people tends to get more narrow after your first year at college, so it's nice to reach out as much as you can.

I wish I would have known the right way to manage my time between theatre and school work.

I wish I had known that USC would challenge me to be a better critical thinker, citizen, student, and leader in more ways than I had imagined. Moreover, I wish I had known that while USC brought out these qualities in me, I possessed these qualities all along. Furthermore, while USC has all the right framework to continually bring out the best in me, I wish I had known that I need to go looking for the right opportunities myself. I have learned to be a proactive rather than reactive member of society.

I wish I had known that interships were invaluable in helping me get a job after I graduated. I also wish I would have know how difficult it is to pay off student loans.

I wish I had known a bit more about the history of the school itself, as well as the general interworkings of it to help give me a better understanding of how the campus functioned.

The social scene revolves around greek life

I wish I had know about scholarships, grants, and other financial rewards before I came to USC. Tutition is extremely expensive at USC, therefore, these financial rewards would have helped ahead of time. Also, I wish I had known more about housing as well as campus life. Those are important aspects in deciding a university to attend.

The health care services on campus are outstanding. There are all sorts of medical, dental and psychological services available to students. After graduating, it's highly unlikely you will ever have such convenient access to first-rate services. So, take full advantage and seek out preventive care.

Study hard. It's hard to pull up your GPA later.

How much work there is to do but I wouldn't have changed my mind

My answer would be that I'm happy that I was not told much before I came to USC. The time I took to figure my way here, to sort out the mess, to adapt to the new lifestyle was all a part of your freshman experience, and I felt those imperfect experiences may have actually made my freshman life more memorable.

How many opportunities I have for research and volunteering

To not bring a new looking bike, because it will get stolen.

I wish I had known about the relevance of real-world experience. I feel like most of my classmates including myself agree that school in general doesn't teach you enough to get you out in the real-world and prepared for a career. What is more necessary is to pick up an internship or job on the side to teach you real world lessons.

I wish I had known a little more about requirements because I would have likely had a better idea than freak out during orientation and have someone else choose. Not that the classes were terrible, but there were better options for me. I also would have liked to have known how college isn't hard academically, but time and managing it. It is so easy to underestimate what you can do with all that "free time". Lastly, I wish I knew more about the services my school offers because it's something I'm now pursuing as a sophomore.

How dominant the greek system is. While you don't have to be Greek, a large amount of the school is involved in it.

I wish I had known the level of stress and pressure placed upon students who are following Pre-Health career pathways. Competition is fierce amongst the brightest Pre-Health students in all of my science classes.

How much extra time you need to devote to studying outside of class. Yes, you expect USC to be hard but some classes have very large loads of reading that I was not expecting. Other than that, it is exactly what I expected.

I wish I had known the the school had provide various scholarship for transfer student and all the deadlines for scholarship program. Also, I wish I had known the campuse environment as well.

how to take advantage of USC's resources

I wish I had known more about the specific dorms. They each have very different personalities and social styles. For example, New-North is a party dorm that I would not have been happy in had I ended up there because it is always very louds. The International Residence hall on the other hand is very nice and new but very un-social. I also wish I had known more about the two different meal plans.

Before I came to USC, I wish I had known to just relax. It's really easy to get caught up in the anxieties of the senior year in high school. The application process can be extremely stressful, however, I have learned that there are so many resources for me to utilize. I am grateful for my loving family, who helped me handle the difficult process. I think I would tell anyone in the same situation to "breathe" and trust that everythin will work itself out.

I wish I knew how intense the fraternity and sorority recruitment was. It is a very grueling process. I also wish I knew more about the surrounding neighborhood of the school. It would have been helpful to know which AP classes the school will give credit for. I also wish I had known more people before I got here. Although I quickly made friends and found an amazing group, it was definitely easier for people who came in knowing other people.

I wish I knew how to properly handle peer pressure. Entering high school is entering a new world of experiences and knowledge. I didn't know a lot about drugs and alcohol before high school, therefore, when my friends became more invovled with the party scene, I didn't know how to handle the situation. Instead of holding my ground and saying "no", I merely gave in and participated in some party scenes that I regret to this day. On a lighter note, during my junior year in high school, I found the strength to say no to peer pressure.

I wish I had known that the campus was a lot smaller in actuality so that I wouldn't have freaked out about not being able to find my classes

I wish I had known to stick up for my own rights and needs as a person, because in my first semester, I let friends walk over me and I didn't feel like I had the right to say what I wanted to do when it contradicted with what others felt like doing. I was so concerned with making other people happy that I forgot about my own happiness. I'm very happy now, however, because I've learned that I'm worth something, and my needs and wants are worth speaking up for.

I wish I knew more about the pre-med program as well as the greek life offered at USC.

I wish I had known what community college courses would have counted towards my degree so that I could have got the prerequirements, etc. out of the way and make room for some of the other exciting classes my school offers. I also wish I would have known what AP tests would plac me out of general requirement classes, because some of the ones I passed did not count for anything and some of the ones I did not pass could have saved me tuition money and the time of taking a GE class I was not particularly interested in.

I wish I was aware of all the different scholarships that the school had to offer so that I would be in less debt with my loans.

- The firms that come to recruiting - The neighborhood around the school campus - The different clubs available at the school

Nothing. The thrill of exploring Los Angeles and California all while I got there was all the fun! Coming from Upstate New York, the area could not be any different then where I am from.

How little there was to do outside of the campus.

N/A. I did as much research as I could, and was well in formed in my decision. That said, LA is a very superficial place...

How greek oriented it is

I wish I had known more about sororities.

Most people go to SC because Mommy and Daddy are footing the bill and have no trouble affording it.

Not very liberal, a lot of snobbish upper-class valley people, greek-life centered socially.

that everyone only hangs out with people extremely similar to them. Race and social class is a definite easy way to select friends at this campus.

The level of competition in the Pre-Med department. Although it's not outright competition and people are willing to help each other, the classes are very difficult and the curve creates artificial competition.

I wish I was more prepared to deal with liberalism in academics, myself being a conservative. It's taken me a while to learn how to respond to hyper-academics personally.

That transportation is a big problem.

I wish I knew about all the different majors and programs that the school offers before I applied.

That the Greek system is as large as it is

I wish I had sought out a Bible study right away instead of waiting until my sophmore year.

STUDY STUDY STUDY

There are many more activities, and a diverse range of organizations to get involved with than the Greek system.

I wish I'd known before my senior year how many amazing activities there are to do at USC. I came in as a transfer student my sophomore year, and I had no idea the breadth of things to do at school. I got really involved in activities on campus, but beyond clubs and organizations, there are sports, group exercise classes, free movies, plays, concerts, you name it. Go out there and find the things you love to do because at USC, anything you like you can find.

There is nothing that comes to mind.

That if you receive a scholarship, you should not stay in the scholarship dorm, unless you are mainly at school to study. Make sure to stay in New, North, Pardee, or Birnkrant because the social scene is more active, and people are friendlier. Make sure to join a club or group that you are interested in, because it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. Rush, even if you don't join a house, it's a great way to meet people.

I wish I had known that there are resources available to help you choose your courses and to help with tutoring. Class is not mandatory but it is extremely important to attend; if you don't attend you won't know what you missed. I wish I had known how to cook on my own.