Buy our guides
Read our blog
Login Register

University of Southern California
- Local Atmosphere

RT
Currently attending or alumni?
Review this school!
Are you interested
in this school?
Yes, let this school know
Maybe, bookmark for later
No, get better matches
Saving your decision
Yes
Maybe
No

Your information has been sent to this school through our partnership with .

This school has been saved to your schools list.

This school has been removed from your recommended schools list.

For your next recommendation, check out .

Jump to a section:

Grade
Quick Stats
Student Author Overview
Student Reviews
Student Polls
Facts
Listings
Take A SurveyWrite A ReviewUpload A PhotoLink Up A VideoWrite The Guide
University of Southern California - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Local Atmosphere

B
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Local Atmosphere Grades:

Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Ahmanson Theater
  • California Science Center
  • Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
  • Exposition Park
  • Grand Central Market
  • LA Live
  • Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Museum of Natural History

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Most USC students begin to appreciate Los Angeles after they’ve had a semester to get comfortable living in such a big city. Once students develop a navigational sense of the area and find a mode of transportation, they gain access to a world of mountains and oceans, city and country, shopping centers and art museums, movie stars on the silver screen and in person, and job opportunities matched both in quality and quantity—with opportunities for fun. People are friendly at any time of day, other than rush hour. The weather is beautiful. The food is amazing. Anything is possible in LA—anything.

On the other hand, USC is in the heart of South LA, only blocks away from the site of the infamous riots of the early '90s. Now that USC is the leading private employer in LA, the school has a bigger stake in the community. Most of the low-income communities that surround USC have a tremendous amount of respect for USC students, though some can’t help but resent the obnoxious wealth that certain students flaunt and flash. But, hey, it’s LA—you’re going to get that from time to time.

See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

Southern California Student ReviewsWhat's This?

Sort by:

Loading...

Local Atmosphere at University of Southern California

Meccamo

'13

Political Science and Government

3.8
B+

Lots of Activity

There are tons of things to do in L.A. – from going to the shopping districts to leisurely walking around museums. The food is as diverse as the population, a testimony to the strong immigrant community in L.A. While it has the same types of crimes as any majorly populated area, there's a general sense that if you reach out people will at least be willing to point you in the right direction.

Jan 11, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Local Atmosphere at University of Southern California

okaplan

'15

Drama and Theatre Production

5.0
A+

Activities

USC constantly has events and activities for students, whether it's through its arts program called Visions and Voices, or during Welcome Week freshman year. Visions and Voices is a fabulous program that has well-known and successful entertainers, writers, directors, etc. that come to campus and talk to students. USC also screens many movies for its film students. There is always something for you to do on campus!

Jan 04, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Local Atmosphere at University of Southern California

huangale

'14

Business Administration and Management

5.0
A+

Diversity

The university is absolutely diverse. There are people from all places thus making USC one of the largest and best melting pots of the world. Here everyone gets along and the atmosphere is great.

Jan 04, 2012

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate
Page 1 of 13

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Beverly Center
  • The Grove
  • Shops at the Bonaventure
  • University Village
Major Sports Teams
  • Anaheim Ducks: hockey
  • Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: baseball
  • Los Angeles Clippers: basketball
  • Los Angeles Dodgers: baseball
  • Los Angeles Kings: hockey
  • Los Angeles Lakers: basketball
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • San Diego: CA: 2 hours
  • San Francisco: CA: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Did You Know?

Five Fun Facts About Los Angeles:
• Founded in 1781 by a group of 46 people comprising 12 families, Los Angeles’s full name is “El Pueblo do Nuestra Senora la Reina de Angeles do Poriuncula.”
• Only eight American states have larger populations than Los Angeles County.
• The Emmy Awards for television are held annually at the Shrine Auditorium, directly across Jefferson Avenue from USC. This is where a plane can fly over a car traveling over a train, going over a boat . . . (or submarine, or Pogo stick, or hovercraft).
• The first motion picture theater opened in LA on April 2, 1902.
• The famous Hollywood sign is on Mount Lee, not far from Mount Hollywood

Famous Los Angeles Natives:
Drew Barrymore
Dustin Hoffman
Jackie Cooper
Marilyn Monroe
Leonardo DiCaprio
Duke Sneide
Jodie Foster
Leonard Slotkin
Tom Hanks
Madeleine Stowe

Local Slang:
Agro – Out of control.
Hollyweird – Another name for Hollywood.
PCH – Pacific Coast Highway.
S&M Boulevard – Santa Monica Boulevard.

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15
4020 Marlton Ave.
Los Angeles
(888) 262-4386

IMAX—California Science Center
700 State Dr.
Los Angeles
(213) 744-7400

Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex
345 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles
(213) 617-0268

Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14
189 The Grove Dr.
Los Angeles
(323) 692-0829

University Village 3
3323 S. Hoover St.
Los Angeles
(213) 748-6321

Buy The Guidebook

Buy a hard copy of "University of Southern California 2012: Off The Record"

Read more about the book . . .Add to Cart

Buy the eBook:

AmazonBarnes & NobleGoogleSmashwordsDownload the FREE Printable Summary (PDF)

Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at USC

Name: BJ Grip

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

Major: Theater

see all student author bios > Become a student author to help update the guide for this school

Find a college

Find a major

Scholarships

Reviews

Company

Buy College Prowler school guides in our bookstore Get the real scoop on what it's like on campus and see what school is the place for you!

How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. Please note that the information presented on this site is updated periodically, but may not be the
most recent information available for a particular school. For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.