09-14-2016, 11:39 AM
USC is a different beast than most people on this board are aware of, academically. I'm most familiar with what it was like from 2006 to 2010, but I'm sure that the emphasis on academics that was placed then is only being more heavily emphasized now. I do have a cousin who's currently a sophomore on scholarship and her experience bears this out as well- they are heavily recruiting academically talented students and they are throwing money at them to come.
It's not a preeminent research facility like UCLA or Berkeley, but I bet most students would get a comparable or possibly better education at SC. I had several friends in high school who chose SC with scholarships over UCLA or Berkeley, and they don't regret it.
At football tailgates I would sometimes hear grumbling from older alums that the campus was changing, more "foreign" students (Asians), less California blondes. I think there are still remnants of the "Old SC", particularly in the Greek system, but it's a different university than 30 years ago.
It's not a preeminent research facility like UCLA or Berkeley, but I bet most students would get a comparable or possibly better education at SC. I had several friends in high school who chose SC with scholarships over UCLA or Berkeley, and they don't regret it.
At football tailgates I would sometimes hear grumbling from older alums that the campus was changing, more "foreign" students (Asians), less California blondes. I think there are still remnants of the "Old SC", particularly in the Greek system, but it's a different university than 30 years ago.