USC was not what Neysi Chegue expected.

Before enrolling, Chegue had a clear image of college life that was shaped for her by social media and the University’s own portrayal of student experiences. But once she arrived, that perception began to shift.

“There’s a standardized like, ‘oh, you come in, you go to frat parties,’” Chegue said. “A privileged lifestyle that is very normalized when talked about, whenever people are describing USC.”

Newly accepted Trojans begin to imagine what their lives at USC will look like for them — late-night studies at Leavey Library, football season shenanigans or a walk around USC Village with their group of friends — long before they click on their portal and see the falling confetti and victory sign emojis confirming their acceptance.

As students transition from admitted applicants to enrolled Trojans, some said their experiences align with their original expectations. Others said there is a gap in USC’s idealized image versus what they saw when they came to campus.

Expectations Shaped

The anticipation surrounding that moment continues to be amplified by USC’s highly selective admissions process. According to a Daily Trojan report on the Fall 2026 admissions cycle, the University received over 79,290 applications for the class of 2030 — with only 9,251 students, roughly 11.7% — receiving offers of admission. Compared to other years, the class of 2030 has a grade-point average of 3.92 — an all-time record and 0.02 points higher than the Fall 2025 cycle’s mark.

Timothy Brunold, interim vice president for enrollment management, said the University does not have a fixed set of criteria when evaluating students, but determines admittance based on how the applicant aligns with USC’s values.

“There is not a single archetype of a USC student,” Brunold said. “We’re looking for students who want to engage fully, people who are collaborative, intellectually open, and also just want to take advantage of the academic and extracurricular opportunities available for them.”

Brunold said while academic preparation is expected, the students who stand out are those who demonstrate initiative and a willingness to participate in campus culture and the broader community outside of it.

Once accepted, prospective students often take tours of the campus. Current Trojans who work as tour guides introduce visitors to the different academic programs and campus spaces available to students, demonstrating what life as a Trojan looks like. These tours are designed to give interested applicants a sense of what the University offers and the environment it is in.

According to a College Hub article, nearly 40% of Gen Z prefer searching on TikTok and Instagram over Google Search. As such, these platforms play critical roles in applicants’ perspectives of universities and their decision to attend said schools.

“We attempt to be genuine. We attempt to show the University in an objective light,” Brunold said of USC’s social media platforms. “We help people understand that a lot of success about USC is going to have to be from within the student. They’re going to have to work for some things.”

Brunold emphasized that much of the USC experience depends on student initiative. For many students, that begins by actively searching for these opportunities and uncovering resources that are not always reflected in curated online portrayals.

Perception meets Reality

Chegue, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, said there was a gap between USC’s marketed image and the reality of attending the school. In her four years at USC, Chegue has witnessed campus protests happening following the Oct. 7, 2021 attack on Israel and the Spring 2024 pro-Palestine encampments, and a host of staff layoffs from Spring 2025, continuing into the fall.

Chegue said she felt these specific moments contrasted with USC’s marketed image as a progressive and student-focused institution. According to the University’s website, USC’s goal is to “create an inclusive culture” and an environment where students feel “valued” and “supported,” while promoting diverse perspectives and campus engagement.

“[I am] constantly seeing USC act in a way that’s not actually what you would assume from a prestigious institution,” Chegue said. “I realized I kind of rejected the idea that USC was painting for us, because I realized that it was kind of a facade.”

While some students interviewed by the Daily Trojan described a disconnect between USC’s image and their own personal experiences, others, such as Kristen Somoza, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said this disconnect became an opportunity to redefine what their college experience meant on their own terms.

“If you’re yourself, you’ll find your group of people,” Somoza said. “It’s not so much about fitting in. And I definitely think the people that I have met throughout the four years, they’re all so different from me as well, and I have all these different friends from different courses and student life groups that I think there is no fitting in.”

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA conducts the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshman Survey, which measures incoming students’ expectations before they begin college and follows how those perspectives evolve during the students’ first year.

With thousands striving for limited spots each year, applicants often feel compelled to not only present academic excellence but also demonstrate a commitment to the leadership and community involvement relevant to their desired career path, given that strong extracurriculars and service-based activities are widely regarded as essential components of competitive applications.

Frank Duarte, a freshman majoring in legal studies, said his understanding of USC during the admissions process was shaped by what he believed the University valued in its applicants — students who wanted to contribute to their communities.

“I didn’t know much [at the time],” Duarte said. “I knew the [legal studies major] was newer, so I thought they wanted someone [who] was interested in the law. Maybe not as much experience or knowledge of the law, but they wanted someone who really wanted to make a difference.”

Brunold said students are not expected to arrive with everything figured out. Instead, he said, they should grow into their experiences over time.

“There’s likely a place for everyone here at USC,” Brunold said. “Maybe it takes some folks a little bit of time to find their lane, but I think the vast majority of students do that very well and very rapidly once they get here.”

Somoza said over time, she noticed a distinct sense of school pride and connection among students — something she believes is reflected in the type of applicants that USC attracts.

“It’s a bigger thing to feel more connected and embrace student life here at USC,” Somoza said, “Way more than at other schools.”

Caroline Beilke, a sophomore transfer student majoring in legal studies, said stepping into that pre-established sense of community at USC can come with a different set of challenges. She said it can be difficult to build connections in spaces with already established dynamics and relationships.

“The social scene is here, but getting into it was really hard,” Beilke said.

Access vs. Availability

Research from the 2022 National Survey of Student Engagement found that 70% of first-year students say their institution provides opportunities to be socially involved. At USC, students interviewed by the Daily Trojan emphasized that the challenge is less about the availability of opportunities and more about awareness and accessibility, as many require a sense of initiative to find and engage with them.

Extending on this pattern, Claudia Caruso, a sophomore majoring in political science, said her previous expectations around the University’s resources and support systems did not always align with how accessible they felt once she began navigating them as a student.

“I figured there’d be possibly more resources than other schools,” Caruso said. “The wake-up call was that the resources, if they are there, they’re harder to access or even become aware of.”

Although USC emphasizes student support and engagement through its stated commitment to fostering an “inclusive culture” and promoting community involvement, Caruso said that access to these resources is not always straightforward in practice.

“It’s not necessarily the lack of resources, but it’s just the lack of knowledge of how to access those resources,” Caruso said.

Daniel Dyaz, a freshman majoring in legal studies, said structured, creative opportunities like yoga classes, exciting electives outside one’s major and student-run jazz nights allow students to explore interests outside their primary field of study — often in ways they did not anticipate beforehand. He said that many of these experiences are not emphasized enough during the application process.

“I know there are Monday night jazz nights, and just little traditions that the campus has that are not there when you apply and when you’re accepted,” Dyaz said. “You really learn to discover [these traditions] in your own way when you get here.”

Rather than viewing this as a gap, Dyaz described it as part of the college experience itself — where students uncover opportunities and traditions through exploration rather than expectation.

Redefining the Trojan Experience

For Beilke, some of her initial assumptions about USC’s social environment, particularly surrounding Greek life, shifted once she experienced campus life firsthand. She said she expected a more divided social life or competitive atmosphere in terms of academics; instead, she found a culture that felt more collaborative than exclusive.

“I thought it was going to be a competitive environment,” Beilke said. “But really, everybody is so happy to see other people succeed, and people are willing to go to any lengths and engage with any type of person to ensure that they themselves and their peers also succeed.”

However, not all students experienced USC’s social environment in the same way. Chegue said she entered USC already aware of the dominant social narratives surrounding the University.

While Chegue said these expectations were reinforced by what she saw online prior to enrolling, she said that once arriving on campus, she found herself navigating USC in a way that diverged from these traditional norms of the party-centric, Greek life-driven social scene and the “privileged lifestyle” often associated with the University.

“I learned to love the non-traditional way to exist in USC,” Chegue said. “They talk about very stereotypical stuff about USC, like Cabo on spring break. That’s what I mean by non-traditional, even though that sounds kind of corny to say, because it’s just their lifestyle. But yeah, I found my culture here.”

Overall, students interviewed by the Daily Trojan said social media and the admissions process do not fully capture what the Trojan experience is, and it is not fully understood from the outside.

Brunold said that while USC presents students with a range of opportunities, fully understanding the experience does require firsthand engagement.

“There are going to be things that, until you experience it as in real life, you’re not really going to be able to understand what it’s all about,” Brunold says. “The final enrollment decision really needs to also come from their gut, from their heart.”