Easy to Have Fun, Easy to Get Lost

Introduction
If you're a business major and/or looking to do international business then this school is for you. The Journalism program is top notch as well. College is what you make of it. The teachers here are caring and very knowledgable of their subject matter. However from my personal experience the administrative faculty and staff are not the friendliest people. Parking tickets are a killer; they are eager to give tickets, which will ruin your mood cause to get a ticket you have to find a parking space which can be nonexistant unless you like long uphill walks which are not too fun in the heat. The Campus Police are hardcore and seem competent enough in finding ways to tick off an undergrad but when you need their help...well its kind of not there. The education here is great, you get what you put into it. It's such a big campus with about 25,000 students give or take; you can make friends easily but also it is easy to feel especially lonely if you do not live on campus or are in upper-level dorms. However freshman dorms are very fun, you make a lot of friends and have wild times. Everyone on my freshman floor got along and we hang out all the time, just drop into whoever's door is open. My first day I came home after a little run in with the police and was bummed out and a person on my hall who I had never met before was more than eager to hear me vent. If you like a small/medium city size with a campus integrated within the city then USC is a prime choice in South Carolina. Also we got Spurrier and you will learn to hate Clemson with a passion.

Campus Life and Social Life
Something is always going on around campus. They have a lot of club sports teams and intermurals which are very fun. Beer pong was my favorite sport, if you consider it a sport... it's very competitive here. We have a pretty good Rugby team that plays a lot during the fall and after every game they throw a massive party. Greek life has something always going on. Big houses lots of beer and the usual run of the mill. If you are into scholastic and extracurricular clubs then you're in luck. Honor Fraternities (Co-ed) and Societies are available as well as multiple clubs that are active around the campus. You can be a DJ at the radio station that broadcasts to the city or if you're an up-and-coming journalist there is the school paper which puts out very good articles 3 times a week. Also about a block away from campus is Five Points, which is where about 20+ bars are located and there are free concerts there every Thursday night and it's just a lot of fun with something to do every night. The downside to the social/campus scene is that sometimes you just need some me time. Which is hard when you are in your dorm room and the people above you are loud and drunk and makes you envy them for the moment. Downtown Columbia is going through a lot of construction right now, a re-beautification if you will. However, traffic congestion is minimal and if you're in Five Points where it's all located you should be walking anyways cause it is so close. Advertisement
Academics
The top departments at USC are the following: Journalism, Business, Nursing, Psychology, Music. Some departments that are not on my favorite list include Math, Chemistry, and Phsyics...mainly because they can get very difficult. They're all pretty well organized programs, however you will be lucky to get a professor that is a native english speaker if you are in a science program. The physics, chemistry, and biology programs are really heavy with workload and class instructions. I was premed and being in a 300+ auditorium for your inorganic chemistry and low level physics and biology is hard to pay attention in and difficult to get much interaction with the Professor. They're always willing to help and have tutoring labs available for you but a big classroom can be pretty overwhelming. The Professors are really neat, Different from highschool teachers; professors are mostly witty, slightly strange people that know a lot about what they're teaching and love it to an almost unhealthy level. The TA's can be mixed, There are beautiful TAs that you want to ask out but know it will only complicate your education as well as TA's that are understanding and caring to TA's that hate teaching and only do it because they are required to through the graduate school. My TA for Japanese was really cool, he would invite me to social events that he would throw and would go out of his way to tutor me in Japanese which was great. People are willing to help as much as you are willing to ask of them. There is not a big snooty ego floating around the Professors and TAs at USC, they actually are human beings and act like them too unlike those IVY leagues up north. Also the Study Abroad program is a very good experience. For the same price as tuition you can go study in many different countries for a semester or year depending on what you choose and it is a great chance to go see the world. Also this is one of the cheapest ways you will be able to travel abroad too.

Student Body
There are a few typical students at USC. Your Frat boy, he will be wearing dockers, the Sigma Nu's really like the blue docker shorts and rainbow flip flops. The girls will have their Greek Letters on their tote bag for everyone to see, and most of them will have dyed blonde hair. USC is a very mixed population; you will have your geeky kids, your artsy kids, your preps, etc etc. A fair percentage of students are from South Carolina. Most students love the football program as well as drinking. School politics is a big issue as well. Most people are laid back and enjoy college life for what it is worth. Before you go to college remember that these 4 years (mostly 5 years for everyone now) are going to be the best years of your life. You have a lot of freedom, minimal/manageable responsibility, pretty people and everything you could want to do is in Columbia or a short drive away.

In Closing...
I would like to say that as a Columbia native, if you are from Columbia and inquiring about USC i would suggest you look outside your hometown. School is fun, and USC is great, but to really learn and live life a little get out of your town. You will meet so many people during your college career from all over the country and world that you should at least change your environment. If it turns out sour your first semester, USC will accept transfers from other schools and remember your first choice does not have to be your only choice in your college education.