One Less Option

Boy, he must be really, really stupid. Not getting accepted by USC? LOL.

I almost forgot:

13-9

Lets see....

US News & World Report Top National Universities for 2007 from the Pac-10...

4. Stanford
21. Berkeley
26. UCLA
27. USC
42. UW
98. UA
112. WSU
120. UO

Where are ASU and Oregon State?

Also, what is more stupid, someone that doesn't get into USC or a Bruin fan that hangs out on an SC blog on a Sunday morning? Tool.

Obviously 13-9 has nothing intelligent to say and lives only to provoke. Don't waste your time trying to rationalize with this idiot - he doesn't get it. Just ignore him and his "noise" will dissappear.

Damn, 13-9, you're really getting the best of us here. Never saw that zinger coming...

oh yeah I forgot UCLA sucks

Because he was from a Junior College, he couldn't enroll at LA Trade Tech!!!

Bush lied, football died!!!

I would like to dispel some of the old and tired myths UCLA faithful feel compelled to perpetuate about USC. I do want to point out that I believe UCLA is a good school and respect it as a top notch academic institution. However, I know many members of the UCLA brainwashing program do not respect USC and continue to sling disparaging (and false) remarks about USC at every opportunity.

One of the most egregious myths advanced is that USC is a wealthy school full of rich (and I guess by natural extension - spoiled) kids. One can only assume this has to do with USC being a private school. Well, being a private school simply means that USC does not have direct support from the state for its operations. This means USC must charge a much higher tuition than public supported schools. However, USC has one of the largest aid programs in the country to counter balance the cost and help families from all economic backgrounds afford a USC education. In fact, a college board assessment revealed that median family incomes at UCLA were higher than those at USC. This is not to say that USC has solved a major issue in higher education - rapidly rising cost, but USC for many familes can be less expensive and more affordbale than UCLA's. So if USC is not full of wealthy elite and in fact has a very economically diverse student body, why the myth?

Being a private institution does have its advantages. USC is a very entrepreneurial school. It can be creative and innovative in developing academic programs that provide a unique and enriched environment that is unmatched at UCLA. USC was able to get a 100 million dollar gift for a Bio medial research center from a UCLA graduate - the donor apparently was frustrated with UCLA's bureaucracy and wanted to see his investment go to a school that could maximize his investment. So I guess in terms of academic enrichment, USC students are quite wealthy.

Another myth is that UCLA is a superior academic school. Rankings in general are a bit of a sore subject to many education experts since they tend to over generalize a schools strengths. Case in point, USC's Annenberg's school for communication and its school of Cinematic Arts are considered the best in the country in their respective fields. For students wanting to study these fields, this would mean USC (for them) is better than an Ivy League education. But, since rankings and stats seem to be an integral component of how people view the overall academic ability of their schools, I will play along. In the recent US News and world report ranking, USC's undergraduate ranking was (27 - UCLA 26th). Many undergraduate and graduate programs were ranked well ahead of UCLA's (such as engineering). Not exactly numbers to substantiate the claim that UCLA is a "superior" academic school Further, USC recent freshman class was "academically" superior to UCLA's in terms of SAT scores.

Now lets move beyond the stats to the intangibles - like USC's average classes are smaller than UCLA's. USC has a lower (read better) faculty to student ratio. USC has launched many innovative programs including the renaissance program that rewards students who excel at two or more widely separate academic disciplines and encourages students to take minors or double majors that cross disciplinary lines. Integrating research as the core experience from freshman through post docs is rapidly becoming the signature of a USC education. Reducing or eliminating the sit and listen model so prevalent in education today towards a learner centric model that treats every student as a contrbutor and director of their own educational path is USC's focus. USC is also rapidly growing its highly successful residential colleges where student live with senior faculty members in a residential environment. USC has worked aggressively to create a very unique educational experience that has yet to be recognized and appreciated within the academic community.

Finally, myth #3 that USC is in a dangerous area (or as many like to say in a "ghetto"). USC is located in a working class neighborhood on the southern tip of downtown Los Angeles. While the location is not Beverly hills, it is a diverse neighborhood where people of all backgrounds work and live together. In fact, the area has been changing and becoming more gentrified along with downtown Los Angeles. The fact that USC is not in a affluent neighborhood is one if its greatest strengths. USC integrates real world issues and challenges into its curriculum. Participating in the community and working to solve many challenges in urban life are very much part of the academic fabric of USC. Students come to USC not only to learn the theoretical constructs of our modern world, but to be active participants. This makes USC location not only unique, but very much an asset.

A USC education cannot be watered down into a simple set of old and tired adages and the common rankings of the day have not caught up to the ground breaking and innovative approach USC is taking in redefining education. The pursuit of new discoveries, team and independent research, integrating community involvement within the learning process and a diverse community that spans a rich array of socio-economic, cultural and political boundaries is what defines a USC education.

...actually Bill if he went to Community College...he might have an easier time transferring right into UCLA like the rest of your school!