The University of Southern California (USC), has infamously been referred to as the “University of Spoiled Children,” based on its relationships with privilege and a lack of academic rigor in the past. Unfortunately for USC, this reputation hides the improvement that the school has seen in recent years. It has skyrocketed to being a top university in the country, and has suddenly become a hub for business and the arts.

But first, attendance requires an application. Ten percent of USC applicants make it into the school, making it highly competitive. The average USC student had a high school GPA of 3.87 and an SAT score of 1510, showcasing the school’s focus on academics. Teacher recommendations and the rigor of a students’ schedule are incredibly important to an application to the university.

USC also highly values the application essays, which allow the applicant to share their interest in both the university and the major that they are applying for. Finally, volunteer work and job experience will be considered, but don’t hold the same significance in an application to the school.

While the school has made leaps and bounds academically, its history of privilege still shines through its prices. The school’s tuition comes out to about $69,000, vastly higher than the average to attend most colleges in the country. With boarding costs, fees and other expenses, students can expect to pay nearly $100,000 annually just for attendance. Unfortunately, these costs are the same for in-state students, meaning Oak Park High School applicants don’t have an advantage.

Further, starting with the incoming class of 2025, national merit has been reduced by over 40% due to financial issues that USC is facing. However, the school has stated that these changes to merit scholarships will go towards creating a stronger financial aid pool. This makes sense, as USC does offer significant financial aid to applicants in need of it. 41% of students at the school receive aid, with an average package of $61,000. Don’t get me wrong; this doesn’t make the price of attendance cheap, but it makes it at least bearable for just under half of the school’s applicants.

These high costs beg the question: Why choose USC? Well, the University of Southern California is generally strong, but it heavily appeals to certain majors. USC excels in business, social sciences, visual and performing arts, communication, engineering and architecture.

Additionally, students with high GPAs and test scores may choose the “Thematic Option”, jokingly nicknamed by students as the “Traumatic Option”, in place of the normal general education courses. Those who do are placed in smaller classes with some of the university’s best teachers and a handpicked group of writing instructors. The pathway is incredibly rigorous, but pays off with an incredible education and a larger chance of being hired after graduation.

Now we see the benefits of USC’s age-old privilege. With a student to staff ratio of nine to one and twenty-three unique schools as part of the campus, USC’s high costs are being put to good use. Students on campus have access to a number of facilities to further their education.

These facilities are part of the reason that USC has the most Olympians, medalists and gold medalists than any other school in the country. In fact, USC has won at least one gold medal in every Summer Olympics since 1912. The college is also third all-time in NCAA wins and has won the most Heisman trophies of any university in the nation. Essentially, USC is an athletic hot-spot, and its dominance in college sports is only growing.

Moving on, the University of Southern California has surmounted the challenges of being based in, well, Southern California. The greater L.A. region isn’t exactly known for its security, yet USC has achieved a safe campus despite its location. Students should feel safe walking around the school, but wandering into the surrounding area may not be the best idea.

64% of students find that Greek Life at USC is big, with the biggest events naturally being the varsity football games. 26% of men on campus are in fraternities, and 27% of women are in sororities. Parties take place practically every weekend at USC, but they aren’t a predominant part of life on campus if you don’t want them to be.

Meanwhile, 95% of students at the school appreciate the campus’ quality. USC does provide housing for students, but the majority live off campus after their freshman year.

Overall, USC has spent its recent history developing a diverse student body and strong academic outlook in order to overcome its history of privilege. The school is the best of the best for athletics and the ideal destination for students majoring in the arts. For applicants willing to face the sky-high costs, the University of Southern California has been perfectly crafted to build the careers of the future.