University of Southern California Top Questions

to a certain extent. there are a lot of rich people that don't really realize how rich they really are, and can't understand the perspective of more normal students

The stereotypes are more accurated amongst the Greek community, but I find it's pretty much invalid with the rest of the USC population.

No. Sometimes it feels as if the stereotypes about Greek life and the white affluent kids are true. But USC is a very diverse school filled with plenty of people from ALL backgrounds. I also find it irritating that people think the neighborhood surrounding USC is dangerous and ghetto. I KNOW ghetto and USC's neighborhood is very middle class, not to mention 80 percent student. I never felt in danger in the neighborhood.

It's a big school, so of course there are those kids, but there is also a HUUUGE diversity of kids. So, the stereotypes are somewhat true.

I would say that fifteen years ago, these stereotypes were pretty true. However, as the university gains rank each year, it's becoming more and more academic. Hence, the majority of students are either on financial aid, scholarships, or both. The big focus is football and now basketball, and the students really support both because they're good. As for being good looking, USC students ARE really attractive! Perhaps it's the sun?

These stereotypes are both true and false. It is true that the majority of the people you meet will come from financially secure families, but that doesn't mean they are spoiled or showing off their financial status. I've never had the feeling like someone was richer than me and therefore felt more inferior from it. Also, students here do study hard and get involved in a lot of extracurricular activities/internships. PreMed and engineering students are quite often buried in their books and business students are definitely out on internships by sophomore year. Regarding Greek life, its presence is definitely felt on campus, but I've never felt pressured that I need to be a part of it to fit in. Also, the stereotype of the frat boy or sorority girl has been proven wrong to me time and again. Often I find the students most actively involved in frats/sororities are those who are have the most developed leadership skills and are just as equally involved in other extracurricular organizations and jobs.

Perhaps, but not as much as is said because of scholarships and financial aid, which USC is decent at.

To the best of my knowledge, they are not. While many people go to parties, some go often, others go once in a while, and others do not at all. The student body is so large that you find such a diverse group of people with extremely varied interests. In terms of the spoiled stereotype, there are some people who take interest in showing off their wealth, but there are many more people who have other priorities. While there are some people who come from affluent families, it is not conveyed in their attitude. The people I meet are generally very down-to-earth.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. There are a fair amount of students who drive swanky cars and wear designer clothes to class, so if that's your thing, you'll find something in common with some of the people here. But if it's not, you will still definitely find friends at USC who have the means of regular students. And I happen to love our football team; once you're part of the Trojan Family, it's sort of necessary to.

No. As most stereotypes go, they may be true for some members of the student body (I have seen one kid with a Lotus), but not for everyone, or even the majority. There are many students on scholarships here. And while there are many bright students at USC, and the average SAT for entering students is rising every year, studying is certainly not the only thing we do here.