Job Discussion Forums

[jmbendy]

I'm considering applying to the USC MS program here in Los Angeles and would love to hear feedback from anyone who has gone there.

Is the USC program well-regarded among employers?

What kind of job placement do they provide? Opportunities for teaching training while earning the degree?

Thanks very much.

[moneyoriented]

I can't answer your specific questions about the program you're considering. But I'm familiar with USC...

Officially known as University of Southern California, students joke that USC actually stands for University of South Central, in reference to the LA ghetto neighborhood it borders on. Of course, when the school was founded in the 1880's, that neighborhood was the "Beverly Hills of LA", long before there was a Beverly Hills.

Also known as University of Spoiled Children, in reference to all the rich kids... Jews, Persians and Persian-Jews from Beverly Hills, proverbial California blondes from Orange County, assorted richies from cities "back East", and the highest percentage of foreign students of any American university (mainly from East and Southeast Asia, and now also South Asia). The richest of the rich kids are the Indonesian-Chinese, who generally wear flashy Rolex watches and drive Mercedes (but Ferraris are not unknown). The Shah's son studied here, as did Will Farrell and a bunch of other semi-famous people.

If you go to USC, you gotta have a car, because public transportation consists of ratty, grafitti-covered, vandalized buses, which come infrequently, and are used only by the underclass. Students don't take public transportation. Also, it helps if you're a drinker and a football fan - football and fraternities are HUGE at 'SC.

Nice campus, and safe, as long as you don't wander off it (especially south or west of campus, or anywhere at night). Very central location, right off the freeway just south of downtown LA, with it's Chinatown and Little Tokyo. Koreatown is also very close. In good traffic, you can be anywhere in 20 minutes: Hollywood, Pasadena, Westwood, etc.

[jmbendy]

Thanks for your reply.

I do live in LA so am somewhat familiar with USC - but I'm curious as to the reputation of their TESOL program.

[Chancellor]

[john_n_carolina]

didn't CA just get rid of or nearly eliminate all ESL jobs?

or was that just bilingual ed.?

i'm not sure, but I remember Arnold at mic cracking jokes about his own English.

[sarahg]

I searched the EdJoin site for ESL/ELD and whatever terms I could think of for ESL positions, and the only results were for teaching adults part time, and if I recall correctly they were all in agricultural areas, nothing in the bay area or LA/OC/SD.

Seems like California is moving toward requiring anyone who works with the public to be bilingual rather than helping monolingual Spanish speakers learn English.

[Chancellor]