USC (Gould) c/o 2018 Forum

[LawsRUs]

Not a Gould student but I went to SC for undergrad and loved it, if you have any questions about being a Trojan in general I may be able to answer

Oh hello there.
I'm getting really frustrated with the housing search. Where did you live when you went to school there? How did you find it? Was the area safe and reasonably priced?

[LawsRUs]

@towit, I think everybody's on the same boat.

[towit]

@towit, I think everybody's on the same boat.

Yeah, I realize that now. My mistake.

Even if you improve a little, you can ask for more monies. If you don't improve, you're already in at USC. Nothing to lose, win-win.

Didn't catch this comment.

[UCLAHopeful2015]

After some consideration and talking to some attorney friends, I'm leaning towards not retaking and just getting WE in a paid position at a law firm. Not touching lsat stuff for several months has me too rusty to be in top shape within 1.5 months

Kicking myself for messing up so bad on what I thought was a fair lsat in December :\

[LawsRUs]

After some consideration and talking to some attorney friends, I'm leaning towards not retaking and just getting WE in a paid position at a law firm. Not touching lsat stuff for several months has me too rusty to be in top shape within 1.5 months

Kicking myself for messing up so bad on what I thought was a fair lsat in December :\

--Sad that you may not be matriculating with us.

But WE is good.

[UCLAHopeful2015]

After some consideration and talking to some attorney friends, I'm leaning towards not retaking and just getting WE in a paid position at a law firm. Not touching lsat stuff for several months has me too rusty to be in top shape within 1.5 months

Kicking myself for messing up so bad on what I thought was a fair lsat in December :\

--Sad that you may not be matriculating with us.

But WE is good.

Oh no, I'm still set on USC

I should have clarified that the WE was just until school starts.

[LawsRUs]

After some consideration and talking to some attorney friends, I'm leaning towards not retaking and just getting WE in a paid position at a law firm. Not touching lsat stuff for several months has me too rusty to be in top shape within 1.5 months

Kicking myself for messing up so bad on what I thought was a fair lsat in December :\

--Sad that you may not be matriculating with us.

But WE is good.

Oh no, I'm still set on USC

I should have clarified that the WE was just until school starts.

Oh, then

[towit]

After some consideration and talking to some attorney friends, I'm leaning towards not retaking and just getting WE in a paid position at a law firm. Not touching lsat stuff for several months has me too rusty to be in top shape within 1.5 months

Kicking myself for messing up so bad on what I thought was a fair lsat in December :\

--Sad that you may not be matriculating with us.

But WE is good.

Oh no, I'm still set on USC

I should have clarified that the WE was just until school starts.

Don't scare us like that!

[Yea All Right]

Not a Gould student but I went to SC for undergrad and loved it, if you have any questions about being a Trojan in general I may be able to answer

Oh hello there.
I'm getting really frustrated with the housing search. Where did you live when you went to school there? How did you find it? Was the area safe and reasonably priced?

As I mentioned I don't attend Gould, so I don't know where the law students like to live and you should take everything I say about housing with a grain of salt.

Tuscany Apartments is really close to the law school, just south of campus and right above Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, and Coffee Bean. Icon Plaza is a luxury apartments complex right across the street from the law school as well, above Pizza Studio, Built, Which Wich, and Starbucks. The Lorenzo opened up a couple years ago and is really nice, just further away than most housing options in the immediate USC area, though they do provide a shuttle and you can bike there. Gateway is another very nice apartment complex right across the street north of USC, though this one may have more undergrads, I'm not sure. The USC housing for law students, Terrace, is nice and provides you with big units if I remember correctly. During my sophomore year I lived in a building that was designed just like Terrace, and I enjoyed it. Terrace is also about a 5 minute or less bike ride from the edge of campus, then you just bike 5 more minutes to get to the southern part of campus that the law school building is at. Biking isn't strenuous because the campus is flat, it just gets really crowded on campus so you need to bike carefully. During my junior and senior years, I lived on the same street as Terrace, Ellendale Place, in an apartment building and paid about $625/month for a 2BR split among 4 people. And there are houses all around that you can rent out with a group of people, although that will take some legwork to get together obviously.

I heard some law students live in nearby cities or other areas. Downtown, Culver City, Koreatown, and Little Tokyo are all relatively close. All of those are nice places to live and the food is great. But I think there's something to be said about living especially close to campus, especially during 1L. Commuting from West LA would be a pain because of traffic. I wouldn't do it but that's just me.

Regarding safety, the area where I lived near Terrace is almost all students and has people walking around all the time. I don't know how you guys imagine it, but I would describe the general area where USC students live as a working-class residential neighborhood with lots of houses and apartment buildings. Ideally you should try to live within the zone bordered by Vermont Street to the west, Adams Boulevard to the north, and Figueroa Street to the east. The Lorenzo, which I mentioned earlier, is just outside this zone but is ok.

Unfortunately there have been incidents in the last few years. Last summer a student was jumped by some teenagers when he was walking around at 1 AM in the middle of summer, and he died from his injuries (RIP). This was surprising considering that the specific area is heavily populated, hopefully it was just a freak incident caused by some evil heartless people who are being tried now. Three years ago, two international students were shot and killed while sitting in their car late at night (RIP to them too). They were west of Vermont, which is outside the zone I described and an area I recommend against. The perpetrators were sentenced to life in prison.

In response, USC has been bringing in more security cameras and additional yellow jacket security staff, who stand on street corners watching out for stuff. USC knows the reputation its surrounding area has and is trying to improve the area through gentrification (new USC Village), land purchases, the installation of more security, etc. Obviously safety is a concern at whatever school you attend, especially urban ones, and all I can say is be smart, walk with a buddy as much as possible when it's late at night, or ride a bike. You can also get a free ride from the Campus Cruisers (cars which you call to get picked up, and they take you to where you want to go).

Like I said USC law students may prefer to live elsewhere, but hopefully this gave you a better idea of the options. Let me know if you have other specific questions. And get excited for football season.

[LawsRUs]

^^ YAR..thank you so much!

[spencercross]

Not a Gould student but I went to SC for undergrad and loved it, if you have any questions about being a Trojan in general I may be able to answer

Oh hello there.
I'm getting really frustrated with the housing search. Where did you live when you went to school there? How did you find it? Was the area safe and reasonably priced?

I've lived in LA for almost 20 years, 11 of those about 10-15 minutes north of USC. If you have questions about specific neighborhoods, I'm happy to give some insight. The areas you've already mentioned (Culver City, Koreatown, DTLA) are all good options. DTLA and Culver City aren't cheap. Little Tokyo might be more affordable and is still in downtown. Same with the Arts District, but it's going to be grungier than the rest of DTLA. Silver Lake and Echo Park are just the other side of downtown if you're comfortable in an older Brooklyn-style neighborhood (i.e., "hipsters"). I'm personally in Historic Filipinotown, which is the southern part of Echo Park and there are a number of students (most of them USC I would imagine) in my neighborhood including a bunch of Japanese exchange students. Lots of USC students live at Belmont Station, which is right down the street from me, and in the various Tuscany/Orsini complexes, which are in an adjacent area called City West. GLO Apartments and 1111 Wilshire are also in City West.

[Hikikomorist]

.

[spencercross]

Not a Gould student but I went to SC for undergrad and loved it, if you have any questions about being a Trojan in general I may be able to answer

Oh hello there.
I'm getting really frustrated with the housing search. Where did you live when you went to school there? How did you find it? Was the area safe and reasonably priced?

I've lived in LA for almost 20 years, 11 of those about 10-15 minutes north of USC. If you have questions about specific neighborhoods, I'm happy to give some insight. The areas you've already mentioned (Culver City, Koreatown, DTLA) are all good options. DTLA and Culver City aren't cheap. Little Tokyo might be more affordable and is still in downtown. Same with the Arts District, but it's going to be grungier than the rest of DTLA. Silver Lake and Echo Park are just the other side of downtown if you're comfortable in an older Brooklyn-style neighborhood (i.e., "hipsters"). I'm personally in Historic Filipinotown, which is the southern part of Echo Park and there are a number of students (most of them USC I would imagine) in my neighborhood including a bunch of Japanese exchange students. Lots of USC students live at Belmont Station, which is right down the street from me, and in the various Tuscany/Orsini complexes, which are in an adjacent area called City West. GLO Apartments and 1111 Wilshire are also in City West.

How's Koreatown for cost/safety/convenience?

Koreatown is big and has both good and bad areas, so it's all over the place as far as cost. Unfortunately, the cheaper parts of Koreatown are not going to be as clean and safe as the more expensive ones. It's probably safer than the neighborhoods immediately around USC that aren't within USC's "bubble." It's not too far from campus, so it would be relatively convenient (as opposed to, say, the west side) but Koreatown is the most densely populated part of LA county, so it's extremely congested and traffic can get bad, and the only freeway you're even a little close to is the 101, so you're likely going to be taking lots of surface streets. If you're on the eastern side of Koreatown near Vermont/Wilshire you could theoretically take the Purple Line to the Blue Line and get to campus by train, but I don't have any experience with those routes so I can't give much insight. Last note: when they say Koreatown, they reallly mean Koreatown, not "a neighborhood that used to be a center for the Korean population but is now mostly gentrified" (which is the case with my neighborhood, Historic Filipinotown). All of the signs are in Korean. A huge chunk of the people that live there are Korean. Not Korean American, but Korean. Most of the stores and restaurants are Korean. There are certainly people that live there and places to go that aren't Korean (Roy Choi's Commissary in the Line Hotel being a spectacular example). I know plenty of people that live there and have forever, but if, for example, you were moving here from a small town with little experience of other cultures, moving into what's essentially "Korean Mini-Manhattan" might be a bit of overload.

[HalfStudent]

I see the random scholarships increases they were doing not too long ago are done.. I guess they must be confident going into post deposit period.

[LawsRUs]

Thanks @Spencer. That was super helpful. I'm trying not to venture west of Normandie Ave. in KTown because I think it could get a bit too sketchy for me and may have issues with safety.
---
GUYZ, I'm graduating in mid-May, and after my graduation, I'm going to request a perma-ban on my account. I'm going to go away to do other (more or less productive) stuff, like making music and beach bumming haha. I liked being on here though--it was fun and helpful. I got all the information that I wanted to know.* I'm going to watch this thread closely on 5/1 to see who are going to make the first seat deposit; and if you have already committed, you should post your happy decision here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=245085.

See you in the fall~~ (You guyz need to find me during the week of orientation in August. I missed about five of you on Law Day. )

PS. If someone else wants to be OP starting mid-May, you should pm me, so that we can let Nony or sublime know and change hands.
*TLS has wonderfully occupied and wasted my time for the past few months.
Also, after mid-May, please do continue to answer WL-ed USC applicants' questions here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=235555. I imagine some of them having a long wait.

[UCLAHopeful2015]

Thanks @Spencer. That was super helpful. I'm trying not to venture west of Normandie Ave. in KTown because I think it could get a bit too sketchy for me and may have issues with safety.
---
GUYZ, I'm graduating in mid-May, and after my graduation, I'm going to request a perma-ban on my account. I'm going to go away to do other (more or less productive) stuff, like making music and beach bumming haha. I liked being on here though--it was fun and helpful. I got all the information that I wanted to know.* I'm going to watch this thread closely on 5/1 to see who are going to make the first seat deposit; and if you have already committed, you should post your happy decision here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=245085.

See you in the fall~~ (You guyz need to find me during the week of orientation in August. I missed about five of you on Law Day. )

PS. If someone else wants to be OP starting mid-May, you should pm me, so that we can let Nony or sublime know and change hands.
*TLS has wonderfully occupied and wasted my time for the past few months.
Also, after mid-May, please do continue to answer WL-ed USC applicants' questions here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=235555. I imagine some of them having a long wait.

I think I can speak for everyone on this thread when I say we're going to miss you on here! Thanks for making tls a more enjoyable website to be on I'll be sure to look for you during orientation! Fight on!

[monkeyKT]

.

[lawschool1741]

Just wondering, has anyone tried renegotiation scholarships twice? (not just with USC but with other schools too). Got a good renegotiation offer from USC after presenting it with a peer school's renegotiated amount. Wondering if it's typical to just stay at this amount or if most people will try to go back and forth one more time? or is that just bad form?

Keep going until you get a firm no, and even then you can keep going. As long as you are respectful, professional, and have a valid reason to request (ie new offers from other schools), they are not going to take away your $$ or anything.

[spencercross]

Thanks @Spencer. That was super helpful. I'm trying not to venture west of Normandie Ave. in KTown because I think it could get a bit too sketchy for me and may have issues with safety.
---
GUYZ, I'm graduating in mid-May, and after my graduation, I'm going to request a perma-ban on my account. I'm going to go away to do other (more or less productive) stuff, like making music and beach bumming haha. I liked being on here though--it was fun and helpful. I got all the information that I wanted to know.* I'm going to watch this thread closely on 5/1 to see who are going to make the first seat deposit; and if you have already committed, you should post your happy decision here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=245085.

See you in the fall~~ (You guyz need to find me during the week of orientation in August. I missed about five of you on Law Day. )

PS. If someone else wants to be OP starting mid-May, you should pm me, so that we can let Nony or sublime know and change hands.
*TLS has wonderfully occupied and wasted my time for the past few months.
Also, after mid-May, please do continue to answer WL-ed USC applicants' questions here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=235555. I imagine some of them having a long wait.

FWIW, west of Normandie is probably fine as long as you stay between 6th and 8th. Definitely safer than some of the neighborhoods closer to USC. There's a brand new huge apartment complex at Wilshire and Vermont that's right next to the train station that would probably be pretty convenient.

Enjoy your break!

[HalfStudent]

How many people are still negotiating scholarships?

[HalfStudent]

Looks like MEC is done with these forums. Unfortunately I don't think he/she made it clear if he/she is going anywhere or sitting this cycle out.

[spencercross]

How many people are still negotiating scholarships?

I've already inquired about and received one increase (though I suspect I may have received it anyway because it was just a day or so before the wave of bumps went out), but I'm debating asking again because I'm still short of making them financially viable. Haven't decided for sure.

[LawsRUs]

@spencer, you should totally go for it! I know you'd rather attend USC than *cough* *cough* some other school.
---
@half, are you still considering USC? I think I'm done with negotiating. I don't have any other leverage than the one I used, and I don't see ANYONE on lsn who has my #s that has the same or higher scholarship amount as I do.
---
Also, mec, where are youu?

[spencercross]

@spencer, you should totally go for it! I know you'd rather attend USC than *cough* *cough* some other school.

Haha. Believe it or not, I'm currently deposited at Davis (but still debating USC/UCI). The other one *cough* *cough* is officially a not happening.

[LawsRUs]

@spencer, you should totally go for it! I know you'd rather attend USC than *cough* *cough* some other school.

Haha. Believe it or not, I'm currently deposited at Davis (but still debating USC/UCI). The other one *cough* *cough* is officially a not happening.

1. Did you deposit at this *cough" *cough" school?
2. If you didn't, were you motivated by financial reasons, or was there something else?
(Feel free to pm. Thanks.)