If there's one school that can conceivably rival UCLA as the top school in Los Angeles, it's the
University of Southern California. This academic institution consistently ranks among the best universities in the country and the rest of the world, right up there with the Ivy League schools, the historic British universities, and the like. But what about it stands out among the rest? Its dedication to technology. The University of Southern California serves as the leading institution for developing technology and AI. Controversial though it may be, the school remains devoted to helping push the world into the new frontier.
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History of The University of Southern California
Judge Robert Maclay Widney founded the University of Southern California in 1880. He secured donations from various
Los Angeles figures at the time—former governor John Gately Downey, Protestant nurseryman Ozro Childs, and German Jewish banker Isaias Wolf Hellman—to set up the school. The donations came in the form of 308 acres, which was used to establish the university campus. During its early days, USC was affiliated with the Methodist Church, adopting a mandate that “no student would be denied admission because of race.” Hence, the University of Southern California was one of the most inclusive academic institutions during its time.
What Does The University of Southern California Look Like?
Much like its rival, UCLA, the University of Southern California's campus is spread throughout various
neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Its main campus, for example, is located in the city's University Park district, just two miles southeast of Downtown LA. As it's a historic campus, many of the buildings were designed in the Romanesque Revival style, a popular architectural aesthetic at the time. Other buildings, however, namely the engineering departments and science labs, are more modern and designed in the Brutalist style. Another famous part of the campus is its Health Sciences Campus, which serves as a hospital of sorts located northeast of Downtown LA.
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The University of Southern California Student Body
It's safe to say that the University of Southern California is the biggest school in Los Angeles. Not just with its expansive campus, but also with its massive student body. Today, the school welcomes over 49,000 students per year, including both new enrollees and those returning who have yet to graduate. In contrast, UCLA has around 48,000 students per year, which isn't too far but is still considerably less than USC. To break the university students even further, around 20,500 of them are undergraduates while 28,500 of them are postgraduates. This is another relatively rare case wherein there’s more of the latter than the former.
The University of Southern California's Best Programs and Courses
University of Southern California's best academic programs are as diverse as its student body. The school isn't known for just one or two fields; its prominence stems from its never-ending legacy of providing high-quality education through various courses. Hence, its most popular majors tend to change from time to time. Nowadays, the programs that have produced the biggest number of graduates include Business Administration & Management, Computer Science, Human Biology, Psychology, Management Science, and Accounting. Its more scientific programs come as no surprise considering that USC's medical school also serves as one of the
finest hospitals in Los Angeles.
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The University of Southern California’s Prerequisites
Is it hard to get into the University of Southern California? Well, with an acceptance rate of only 12%, it's pretty safe to say that it is. Nevertheless, this shouldn't dissuade you from applying if you think you meet their standards and you can submit all the prerequisites. For one thing, applicants should have at least a 3.87 GPA or higher, which means you’ll need undeniably good grades just to get noticed. You'll also need to have passed the US standardized tests and place within the 75th percentile, namely 1540 on the SAT or a 35 on the ACT.
How Much Does It Cost to Study at The University of Southern California?
The University of Southern California is unsurprisingly one of the most expensive schools in Los Angeles, perhaps even in the entire country. Its undergraduate tuition fee is around $69,904.00 per year while its postgraduate tuition fee is over $66,640.00. Alongside other school costs that the university imposes (e.g. housing, meals, books & supplies, transportation, etc.), students are looking to pay a minimum of $90,921.00 to a maximum of $95,225.00 per year. And even if you do decide to stay outside of the campus, you'll only be paying less than these prices but still have to contend with
LA's high living costs.
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Where is The University of Southern California in Los Angeles?
As already mentioned, the University of Southern California's campus is spread throughout various parts of LA. But a lot of the older school buildings, including the main campus, are in the historic University Park district. The area is only two miles southwest of Downtown LA, so it’s fairly close to the city center. Despite how close it is to one of the city's busiest areas, however, the University Park district itself is relatively peaceful. Even beyond the school buildings, residential hubs mostly make up the rest of the neighborhood. Hence, this is also where you'll find some of the best
luxury homes to rent in Los Angeles.
The University of Southern California's Famous Graduates
University of Southern California graduates are some of the most famous and most prominent figures in American and world history. Arguably the best-known of them all is Neil Armstrong, the first person to ever walk on the moon. There's also George Lucas, a legendary director who created the iconic “Star Wars” film franchise. There's also Frank Gehry, who is perhaps one of the most consequential architects of the 21st century. And though he has become infamous over the years. the late O.J. Simpson also graduated from here. Other celebrities who studied at USC include actors Will Ferrell, John Ritter, American Ferrera, and Larry Hamon.
Source: University of Southern California Facebook Page
The University of Southern California stays at the cusp of technological advancement and artificial intelligence. As such, there's no denying that it's one of the top schools in Los Angeles and the rest of the country.
