USC (Gould) - 2011 Forum

[jonny1031]

Who's attending next fall?

Southern Cal, here I come.

[tamtam]

if they accept me, I would.. However, they seem oblivious about my application... Turned in Jan, nothing til now...

[spruance]

Fight on! - I'm right there with you. USC was the first response of any sort I received, so I've been very fortunate to not have been left in limbo. I'm an Angelino, through and through, and going to school in the city I love is going to be great.

[jonny1031]

good luck tamtam. it sucks that the southern california schools have been so slow getting to applications. i'll be pulling for you, for what it's worth.

glad to hear you are excited about USC spruance. i grew up an hour north of LA and i too am in love with the whole LA area and could not be happier about joining the class of 2011.

sadly, i can't make the April 18th Preview Day. if anyone plans on attending, i'd love to hear all about it!

[spruance]

I'm definitely going to the Preview Day. There is also a "Celebration of Diversity" the night before that I will be attending.

As for tamtam - Jan may have been a bit late leading to the delay. I sent in my application on the first of December and got the packet at the end of February. Also, for what its worth, I think USC in particular really analyzes the applications so that they can make a thoughtful decision. I had good numbers, but I don't think that is the only reason they let me in. They also let me know they appreciated my work and volunteer experience, things that were an important part of my application.

All that being said - I feel your pain. I was lucky, but a lot of people have not been as fortunate. Best of luck and maybe we'll see you at Preview Day.

[Faye Valentine]

Tam, it seems our cycles are SO similar! I wouldn't worry about the huuuuge delay. I submitted my application in October, went complete in November, and I didn't hear ANYTHING from them until last week, when I was accepted. So don't fret!

...I don't know if I'll be going to USC, though.

[nobrainer]

What up guys, in all likelihood I'll be going to USC

Did any of you guys apply to UCLA, by chance? And what was the decision there? ( or lack of decision on their part so far)

[jonny1031]

I got waitlisted at UCLA. I withdrew because the USC money made it sweeter and I decided I'd take USC with money over UCLA without.

[rabidapplicant]

who is going thats not from CA?

[rabidapplicant]

Definitely going to USC!

[tamtam]

Thanks everybody for ameliorating my pain.
USC still hasn't given me a decision, actually I called and the lady told me I'm not given a decision yet.. *sweat*

UCLA said they will let me know by the end of MAY... *sigh*

[jonny1031]

Sweet Rabid, I'll see you next year. I just sent in my deposit this past week and am excited about the Fall in Los Angeles.

Keep the faith tamtam!

[rabidapplicant]

I'm stoked to meet everyone, thanks Jonny

[nobrainer]

For those who are in the housing phase already-

Did you guys apply for terrace? I registered online like March 20th or so and I'm wondering if I'd get in there cuz there's only 45 spots for a 200 student class? I'm not too hot about trying to get housing on my own in LA freshman year....

Also, johny, i also got WL'ed at UCLA and some money from USC, but I haven't withdrawn from UCLA yet...... I'm thinking if UCLA does take me off the WL I'll have an interesting decision of very comparable schools.

You live in Ventura County? Which city?

[Leonidas]

What up guys, in all likelihood I'll be going to USC

Did any of you guys apply to UCLA, by chance? And what was the decision there? ( or lack of decision on their part so far)

Hey, Got in to both...going to the Preview day this Friday. UCLA made a great presentation last Saturday; thus, it will be up to USC on Friday to dissuade me from going to UCLA. I still don't know about leaving my Ugrad for its rival school.

[jonny1031]

Yo guys,

nobrainer, I grew up in Oxnard, but am out on the East Coast in school right now. My family is still in Ventura, so it will be nice to be close to them again. I agree that UCLA versus USC is an extremely difficult decision, but one that you can't go wrong with.

Leonidas, I hope USC does dissuade you from going to UCLA and making a terrible mistake! Obviously kidding, but I would like to know what you think of the event. I can't attend and feel like watching it on YouTube just won't be as exciting as the real thing.

[Leonidas]

Yo guys,

nobrainer, I grew up in Oxnard, but am out on the East Coast in school right now. My family is still in Ventura, so it will be nice to be close to them again. I agree that UCLA versus USC is an extremely difficult decision, but one that you can't go wrong with.

Leonidas, I hope USC does dissuade you from going to UCLA and making a terrible mistake! Obviously kidding, but I would like to know what you think of the event. I can't attend and feel like watching it on YouTube just won't be as exciting as the real thing.

I'll report back with the pros and cons and highlights of the day...USC always does a spectacular job promoting itself, so I don't expect anything less than

[nobrainer]

Seriously, though, with a name like Leonidas, how can you go anywhere but USC?


johnny, my mom lives in Camarillo, so we're practically neighbors ( when you consider everyone else living in all corners of North America), and I'll be there in the summer/ going back there during the breaks.

Thanks in advance for the report on USC. Really helpful for those of us who live in the Midwest or East coast ( I currently go to University of Illinois)

[Leonidas]

Seriously, though, with a name like Leonidas, how can you go anywhere but USC?

Trust me, it's going to be a difficult decision.

[hiphoppopotamus]

Seriously, though, with a name like Leonidas, how can you go anywhere but USC?

don't you mean how could he possibly go to USC...looks like somebody needs to brush up on their Greek history...

[silveri]

^^^^^ TITCR

As I was in the process of writing, Leonidas was Spartan. Helen was the king of Sparta's wife. Her kidnapping by Paris of Troy resulted in all of Greece uniting for the sole purpose of burning the place down.

So Leonidas may want to go there, but probably for different reasons than the study of law.

[Leonidas]

ahah...good call...already 30 mins late for ASD....SCORE!

[tamtam]

^^^^^ TITCR

As I was in the process of writing, Leonidas was Spartan. Helen was the king of Sparta's wife. Her kidnapping by Paris of Troy resulted in all of Greece uniting for the sole purpose of burning the place down.

So Leonidas may want to go there, but probably for different reasons than the study of law.

don't mean to dispute what u said. but troy is not the same as trojan.. i think.. the trojan are the romans.

[Leonidas]

Ok, just walked back to my apartment from the ASD...didn't stay for the whole tours portion because I'm already an undergrad here, and I have been through the law school many times. Without further ado:

Weather:
- As with all law schools in Southern California, Gould made a concerted effort to emphasize the beautiful weather that graces the campus year round.

- Today was just like any other day: 80 degrees and Sunny

- At the student life discussion panel, a current 2L stated how honestly upset he gets when the weather becomes higher than 85 or lower than 65 - thought that was pretty funny

Speakers:
- Dean Rasmussen - He seemed like a very nice man with a relaxed attitude. He emphasized the importance of USC's alumni network, of which I can attest to being the strongest and most loyal in California (the top 5 across the nation).

- Professor Thomas Lyon - A very capable and eloquent public speaker who made everyone laugh with his anecdotes about his experiences at Harvard Law School and the dream journal he kept during his 1L. Spoke at great length about USC's interdisciplinary approach to law and cited a 2006 report that ranked USC #1 in the nation (factors included: quality of education, professors, etc.). Gave numerous reasons as to why one should attend USC: alumni, jobs, weather, dedicated faculty, and virtually competition-free environment.

Mock Class:
- I attended the Criminal Law class taught by Jody Armour. Started off great and seemed very interesting until the Sandman came to visit me (nothing to do with Prof. Armour: a wonderful orator and quite engaging. It's just that I spent the night/morning before showing friends who flew in for ASW the wonders of USC night life, and ASD was at 8 am... ).

Students:
- I personally spoke with one 1L and two 2Ls. All stated that they made the right decision in USC as it has already started paying dividends. All raved about the mentor program (USC pairs you up with an alumni), alumni base, weather, relaxed environment, personable professors, and intelligent classmates.

Campus
- I have spent 4 years on USC's campus, so I can attest to its beauty. The campus is compact with all the graduate schools merged into the undergrad campus (except for Keck school of medicine which is 8 miles away). It's always busy with student gatherings, musical performances, events, and construction. The law school is located in the Southeast corner of campus, which is a two minute walk from the nearest eateries (commons) and a 20 minute walk from the Terrace apts. The law library is located in the same building.


Pros:
- Very strong alumni base (blows everyone else away)
- Friendly professors
- Relaxed, less competitive environment (could be Con for some)
- Beautiful weather
- Moderately priced housing
- USC's constant pampering of its students (The ASD luncheon was first-class: held at Town and Gown [beautiful building inside and out that serves as USC's premier welcoming, recruiting, and reception hall], the food was great [salad, chicken with potatoes, cake], the presentation was marvelous [fully catered and served - my iced tea never got lower than half full hah], etc.).
- Grants a lot of financial aid and scholarships.

Cons
- Law building is not aesthetically pleasing and in need of updates(built in the 70s; USC is considering remodeling, but I don't know if anyone here will get to experience that).
- The neighborhood is urban and not the nicest (Just don't walk around the streets alone at 2am, and you'll be fine. The campus is actually statistically safer than that of UCLA).
- Only 46 spots available for on-campus 1L housing with priority going to 1Ls coming out-of-state ... (however, there are plenty of apartments very close to campus that just take a little effort on your part to find)
- Quite pricey if you didn't get that aid package you needed

All in all, I believe that the only reason one should choose USC over UCLA or vice versa is the environment: how well do you see yourself fitting in? USC is a great choice for anyone seeking a top tier law school in CA with amazing job prospects in Los Angeles. The reason why USC/UCLA do not have the national prestige like many other top law schools is that once students get here from their East Coast ugrads, they don't want to go back home; thus, both schools lack the diversified alumni base of many of the other top tier schools (although UCLA does have higher national prestige). However, if you want to practice in LA, it's either UCLA or USC - no doubt.

Oh and btw...I got a cool tote bag/backpack...finally some SWAG!!

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[nobrainer]

Excellent, Leonidas, thanks a lot for your thoughtful and objective post.

I wish I had been at preview day today, too, especially since you mentioned both food and weather were awesome. About how many people were there today and you meet up w/ any folks going to USC?

I think you hit the pro/con analysis on the nose, I think it was very objective even though you're a UG trojan. I talked to the USC admissions office and they did highlight the "relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere of the place." I kinda discounted what they said cuz at the time i figured most schools say that anyway, but it seems the more I hear about it that it is true. And from last year's preview day videos they also mentioned how most students got along better because of the close-knit community.

Is USC really a Top 5 alumni network nationally? Huh.

Where'd u hear that out-of-staters get preference to terrace? Is that what someone said at ASD?

And finally......now that you've been there, any change in opinion about USC/ UCLA and which one you'd want to go to?