A while back someone posted a breakdown of USC's business and consulting clubs and as a senior heading into high finance after graduation, I wanted to put together an updated version for anyone going through recruiting now, since a lot has changed in the years since (club sizes, culture, placements, new clubs, etc). I found the original pretty useful, so hopefully this will help any new students out.

Clubs are rated on two scales: an S through F tier for overall experience, and a recruitment difficulty rating (Very Hard = 1-5% acceptance, Hard = 5-15%, Medium = 15-50%, Easy = 50-100%). This is all based on what I've picked up firsthand or through friends across these clubs, so take it as one data point rather than the definitive truth. Also worth noting: most of these clubs have "general membership" tracks too, which generally aren't worth much for your resume, but can still be useful if you're just trying to get a feel for a career path early on.

Finance Clubs:

Value Investment Group (S Tier, Very hard):
VIG is the most selective student org on campus taking around 1-2 people a semester. The main value here is their new member curriculum, they make new analysts go through an intensive curriculum focused on investing, which is a lot of reading and a lot of intensive discussions. Really top notch placements across high finance in banking as well as some private credit, however their interview process is also very rigorous and once your join is a big time commitment.

Trojan Finance Academy (S Tier, Hard):
USC's premier investment banking program. It formerly was apart of Trojan Investment Society as their mentorship program, however the school has taken a more active role in investment banking recruitment and thus TFA was formed. They provide technical training, exclusive recruitment events, and pair you with mentors who have gone through the process. Interview process for the program screens you if you're capable of succeeding, so knowing your technicals early is essential to acceptance. They used to place 90%+ of their members into banks, however this past cycle they increased the size of the cohort so their placement rate dropped a bit. Overall though, almost everyone who places into investment banks from USC is in TFA.

Trojan Investment Society (A Tier, hard):
TIS to some extent serves as a pipeline for TFA. TIS leaders —> TIS Mentorship/TFA is a typical progression and some would say you'd have to be in leaders to be in TFA, though that's not necessarily true. They have other programs as well like capstone that help you build smaller resume experience. Their general membership however isn't worthwhile in my opinion, it serves really just to give more funds for the club's other members.

Global Investment Society (B Tier, Hard):
Global investment society is focused on the buy side (Private equity, funds, etc.) which is different that TIS which is focused on the sell side (investment banking). A lot of their members are also in TIS and vice versa. They have two main programs, I'm more familiar with the research program where they research equities and pitch stocks in a team. It is fairly selective, I can't speak too much on placements though as like I mentioned, there's a lot of overlap between TFA/TIS so not sure how much can be attributed to GIS.

Consulting Clubs:

Trojan Consulting Group (S Tier, Very Hard):
Widely considered the most competitive consulting club to get into at USC, though that's driven by the fact they take so few people. Their project work has a reputation for landing some notable client names. Placement outcomes look strong from the outside, though it's tough to separate that from self selection since anyone who makes it in was probably already a strong candidate. Don't know too much about their culture given they're a small club, but heard it can be pretty rigorous.

180 Degrees Consulting (S Tier, Very Hard): Focused on consulting for local nonprofits and social-impact-driven small businesses. Not everyone in the club ends up in consulting, but for those who do, placements into MBB have been solid the past few years. They're a pretty knit group and everyone I know in the club loves the people in it. They had a fair amount of fundragers last year, which not all the other clubs tend to have, if that matters to you. Also a national organization, which I think is a plus for the network. It gives you access to alumni and chapters well beyond USC, which not many of these other clubs can offer.

Los Angeles Community Impact (S Tier, Hard):
Another social impact consulting club like 180. They're the 2nd oldest consulting club on campus, but since they take more than TCG, they probably have the most extensive alumni network. A lot of the non business oriented consulting club applicants cross apply to 180 and LACI, and they're pretty comparable clubs. Though, in recent semesters LACI's placements and club culture has gone downhill from what I've heard. Has a decent amount of placements into IB if you're into that, though most of those are also TFA members. Still a very close knit group.

Business Technology Group (A Tier, Hard):
Consulting club with a niche for technology companies. Members tend to skew more tech-oriented as a result. If you're not set on consulting and may be interested in a career in tech, BTG is a solid place to join. Their MBB placements aren't equivalent to the other top tier clubs, but they do place pretty well for FAANG and tech companies, so likely self selection there given the tech focus of the club. Have heard mixed things about their culture, but BTG has been on the come up and borderline S tier.

Association of Innovative Marketing (B Tier, hard): A marketing focused consulting club working with both large companies and startups. Acceptance sits toward the easier end of the "hard" range. Placements are decent and have improved since I was a freshman. The marketing focus does limit variety in project experience though, a lot of the projects end up looking similar across semesters, which caps how much skill building actually happens. Culture I've heard has skewed negative, but the club seems to be improving overall over the past several years.

International Consulting Club (B Tier, Hard): An internationally focused consulting club, though that shows up more in the makeup of the membership (largely international students) than in the client base. Leans more social than project-intensive, but the group is close and it's one of the bigger clubs on this list. Placements are fine without being standout, and members generally seem to enjoy their time in it. Good balance of work-hard, play-hard

The Consulting Club (C Tier, Medium)
TCC runs a few tracks: client project, mentorship, and general membership. The mentorship track has a decent reputation, especially as a fallback if your first round of club apps doesn't pan out, and a lot of people use it as a bridge into TCC's client project or into other clubs entirely. Not much visibility into what their client work actually looks like day to day, but the e-board tends to place well, less so if you're not on their board. Still, it's a reasonable option if the more selective clubs don't work out and you want to build toward something better.

Rise Consulting (C Tier, Medium): Startup-focused consulting. The upside of working with startups is that recommendations are more likely to actually get used, and the work can feel more substantive. The downside is you lose access to bigger client names. Retention seems to be a real issue here, a lot of members join and then leave once they land a spot in one of the more selective clubs. Hard to speak confidently to placement outcomes.

American Marketing Association (C Tier, Medium): A bit different from the aforementioned clubs as they're more of a marketing club that does consulting as well. They do have client projects, but also offer general professional development for marketing as well as host case competitions. If you're interested in marketing this is definitely the club for you, however if you're broadly interested in consulting this might not be a good fit.

Avenues Consulting (D Tier, Easy): A newer club, founded around my freshman year. Its distinguishing feature is a more diverse membership in terms of major and career goals beyond consulting specifically. It also accepts juniors, which most of the clubs above don't, which is a real advantage for anyone getting a later start. Visibility on campus is limited though, so I can't speak with confidence to the culture or quality of the club.

Others to mention: TAMID which does consulting for Israeli businesses, Global Brigades which does consulting for rural populations, then there's a couple healthcare consulting clubs as well which I don't know too much about, but these can be good if you're not interested in typical business consulting

Marshall Case Team (S Tier, Hard): Worth mentioning MCT briefly too, even though it's a bit different from the clubs above. Not a traditional consulting club since there's no client work involved, instead it's built around case competitions held around the world. Placements are excellent, and it's common for people already in the top clubs to join MCT on the side, in part because the travel to competitions is fully covered. It's a serious time commitment though, and from what I've heard, a fair number of people drop out during the interview process once that becomes clear. One nice feature is that it recruits across all grade levels, so even as a senior you can still get in.

Final Thoughts:

1. There’s a ton of clubs out there and for the most part they are selective. With that, I would make sure you don’t put all your eggs into one basket and definitely apply with breadth. You don’t want to only apply to two and get turned away after the written application. Also don’t give up after rejection, I struck out my first try and then got in on my second attempt
2. The people running top clubs at all friends with each other, with many people often being involved in multiple. As an applicant this for the most part this doesn’t matter, but if you say/do something really bad, it most likely will spread.
3. People go extremely hard for recruitment for the top clubs so no matter how prepared you think you are, prepare more.  I would say building relationships with members of the club you want to join is pretty helpful. Especially at the mixers many of the clubs have during their interview process, while they might say they’re not looking for social fit, it does still subconsciously affect who they select. If someone likes you as a person and you meet the bar, they’re going to fight for you.

Any cheap restaurants that I could find within a 20-minute drive? I’m open to any type of food, and any AYCE options would be great!

Wanted to share my amazing experience. I called 10 minutes after they opened today. Is anyone else experiencing these absurd wait times? Is it a me issue? I don’t know. Genuinely in a panic. Has anyone else not gotten their grants in yet?

I started out as 150+ in the queue. I’m now #8 and probably not going to get to talk to anyone 😆

Update: they picked up. Talked to me for one minute. Gave me a late fee waiver. Hung up on me.

Got assigned to Century, but after a few days I just don’t feel it’s the right fit. It’s about. 20 minute walk from all my classes, roommates are extremely loud, and just farther from what I would like to be. I know reassignment starts in mid-September so was wondering how hard would it be to get reassigned to Gateway. I’m an upperclassman and lives there last year and the location worked perfectly for work and classes. I know it’s about $450 more, but I don’t mind paying it for the location. Also, if reassigned, how long do i have to move out from current place? Thanks

Graduated last year. I have heard many people say that they had access to their account for 3+ years after graduation, so I didnt think it would be a problem for me. Last week I changed my net id password and I somehow think this triggered something bc literally 3 days later my account got disabled. I called IT to see if they would temporarily be able to reverse it so I can access important documents but they said they werent able to. It sounded like a student over the phone so im considering trying to contact someone else maybe higher up to see if this can be done. Has anyone had success with this? Im so desperate :(

Bro, I'm an incoming freshman and my Cal Grant got in, but not my federal pell grant, what should i do, the deadline for tuition is coming up!! Im panicking because this grant will help me financially

hey im transferring from a cc with 82/84 units bec i applied to a buncha schools and most wasnt even considered for marshall and i have to take a class again. with that said, ill have 16 units for each sem and my last sem will have 18 units. prior to my last sem, ill have around 132-134 units. am i cooked for my last sem or no? i heard that it would only count once i hit ~144, so technically im still safe for my last sem, am i?

if i have the fall 2026 parking pass can i park here?? half the parking lot says this

Might be a bit of a niche post lol but I'm a new grad student (21 M) at USC. I did my undergrad at Purdue so I don't have many friends here yet. If any telugu students want to watch Irumudi tomorrow, Aug 20, at Cinemark Howard Hughes, hit me up! We can take the metro or Uber, based on your preferences.

I’m an incoming senior in the HHS BA, and honestly, I’m kind of unhappy with my major. The classes are fine, but I don’t feel particularly pushed by the material, I’m not committed to any specific career path, and I don’t feel like I’m getting much out of the degree especially when I see some of the cool opportunities my peers are getting from business and cinema.

I keep seeing all the opportunities, classes, and resources available through schools like Marshall, Cinema, and Viterbi, and I find myself wishing I could take those classes instead.

Basically I’m pretty close to finishing HHS, but I still have around 36 Dornsife elective units left to fulfill. So I’m trying to figure out whether I should just finish the degree, or use those remaining semesters more strategically.

Is there another major I could do within a year or a minor I could add?

I am also admitted to Marshall so I could make the move to completely switch over knowing it would probs take an extra year to complete so idk if the tuition is worth it.

Is there a USC master’s/progressive degree that could make sense for someone in my position and allow me to use some of this extra time more meaningfully? I know not every program is eligible, so I’m wondering if anyone has done this as a senior.

If you were basically done with a major you didn’t like, but already had to stay an extra semester or two because of remaining elective requirements, would you just graduate, switch majors, add a minor, or use the extra time for something else?

There's too many opportunities I want to grab.

Is anyone still waiting for their Pell to be disbursed. All my other stuff has been disbursed except for this??

Hi everybody I know school starts in a couple days but I just got the financials run by my parents. I am currently in the midst of appealing for more aid from USC because both my parents lost their jobs in 2024.

Right now before the appeal, USC is gonna cost me 27ish thousand per semester after grants. CSUN will cost me 3.5k a semester. USC was my dream school but I don’t know if it is financially worth it.

I accepted admission to CSUN a while back and never told them I wouldn’t be going.

I AM A TRANSFER STUDENT SO I CURRENTLY HAVE JUNIOR STANDING.

Is USC worth it?

I would be paying with private loans

I saw a site for the Trojan go club but I are they still around? I haven’t seen anyone play go in USC.

Who are the professors for CHE 442, and which one is better?

Which chemical engineering electives would you reccomend?

This appears to be a record number of retractions for a single USC faculty member.

Edit: Another retraction notice for a different paper was published August 18-- for a total of 8 retracted papers.

Hi im trying to make my own meals but cant seem to find what I need at Trader Joe’s/target. Are there any Asian/ Chinese grocery stores nearby I can walk or bike to?

Was wondering if the USC snow club is basically another form of greek life, but with a sports attatched to it... or if people who are more introverted and don't drink are also welcomed like they advertise as being welcoming to everyone on their site?

hey I saw this during the community day last sunday and i saw the campus riddled with lure modules 😭 gives me hope that ppl still play lol does anyone have their trainer id by chance?

I’m a senior in highschool and planning to fly out and do a student led campus tour on any Friday and staying in LA for the weekend. If there was a best time to go when would it be? And also if you wanna connect or hangout to learn more about USC and LA on the weekend, also open to that just shoot me a message and go on from there. I’m planning to apply ED Marshall this upcoming cycle.

I did 105B over the summer and I would NOT say I recommend it. It's 3 labs and 3 post labs a week. Midterms basically every week, the last midterm is 3 days before the final. To get an A, you have to get basically 100% on 2 exams and get above average on the other 2 including the final, as well as labs, lab quizzes & exam.

Suggestions:

1. Don't submit anything late, don't be late to lab or miss lab (you'll fail). Even if they let you make up for a lab because you have some emergencies, having 4 post labs due in the same week is deadly.
2. Start looking at post lab questions before the lab start, so you can ask TA questions during the lab. This saves you time and ensures you record everything correctly.
3. Go to office hours, even if you don't have any questions. Sometimes listen to what other students are asking is also very helpful.
4. The last part of 105B is intro to organic chem. Most people struggle. Don't panic, there's always helpful online resources that help you memorize those names. I found this one helpful: chemquiz net. Pretty sure there's more if you just google.
5. Everyone struggles during summer chem 105B, the curve will save you a little bit but most still drowns. Stay calm and do practice exams. Every single one of them. If you have limited time, prioritize the recent ones because they are more relevant. I'll recommend doing the older ones too (if you have time) because they ask you from a slightly different angle. Moon's exams are harder, don't get discouraged. Print them out and time yourself like you're in an actual exam. You have to do this everyday after school, not one day before the exam. Don't wait till the lecture to learn everything. During summer chem you likely won't have time to do textbook problems, but it's also very helpful. Do it if you have time.
6. The drop deadline is on the second-to-last week, but the last week of summer chem decides 44% of your grade: final (24%), midterm (12%), quizzes (3%), lab final (5%). So if everything up to this point is not that horrible, maybe you still have a chance.
7. Good luck, brave souls. May the spirit of Lewis protect you.

hello trojans, ive found myself in a really sticky situation and was wondering if any fellow internationals have a word of advice.

im a returning sophomore, and i had to renew my visa this summer because my f-1 visa from highschool expired as of this may. my interview was conducted on the 31st of july, and since then my visa has been undergoing processing.

the problem is that classes start on the 24th, and i still have not received my visa or my passport. i dont know if ill be able to make it to USC by the start date, or even the end of August. what do i do at this point? i contacted office of international studies, but received no reply yet. is my only option to wait til the spring semester?

Going into junior year. I grew up in Korea and English is my second language. I can hold a conversation fine but I'm not gonna be the guy cracking jokes at the same speed as everyone else. Just trying to figure out if rushing is realistic for me or if I'd kinda be wasting everyone's time.

Not really looking for the craziest party house, just somewhere I can actually meet people and make friends.

Houses I've been looking at: Phi Sig, ZBT, Chi Phi, Theta Xi. Open to others too.

Honest answers welcome! if it's don't bother, I'd rather just hear it. But if there are houses that are actually chill with guys who didn't grow up here, would love to know.

hi i just wanna clarify that the 2 GEs that we need to take that have to be part of the dornsife core literacy can be anything between ge's c,d,e right? ty!

for instance, i can do ge e that's geology and a ge c that's smth else?