About a month into the school year, the University of Southern California touts its freshman class as its brightest, most engaged, and most diverse ever.
“Many, many years ago we were called the University of Spoiled Children,” said Provost Dr. Michael Quick whose responsibilities include overseeing admissions. “Some of the greatest advancements we’ve made as an institution is that we’ve become more academically rigorous, and we’ve also become more diverse. I think that’s a wonderful story that you can have both.”
Quick added that a student body consisting of an array of viewpoints has been crucial to the strengthening of campus culture. The emphasis on building a class through a holistic admissions process that emphasizes outreach has been a key factor to the university’s success.
“We believe that one of the best ways to get students aware of the university is to go to them,” said Timothy Brunold, dean of admissions. “We cannot accept students from diverse groups if the applicant pool itself is not diverse and broad.”
To expand this pool, Brunold and his team have visited nearly 2000 high schools every year. Rather than sending alumni or third-party representatives, admissions officers from the university visit campuses to make sure prospective applicants have accurate information about USC.
“We want to drive the discussion,” Brunold said. “When you rely on the internet for information, people aren’t necessarily searching for the right things or asking the right questions.”
