This year, prospective college students will have an opportunity to explore USC like never before - without setting foot on campus.
College Prowler, a company dedicated to equipping students with sufficient knowledge to pick the right school, published in January 2005 a USC insider reality guide. Unlike other college guides, College Prowler takes a "one school, one guide" approach, and the information contained in each is supplied entirely by students at that school.
"College Prowler is the first company to produce a series of school-specific guidebooks," Christina Koshzow, College Prowler editor in chief, said.
"The fact that we dedicate a complete book to each university means that we're able to deliver an in-depth and well-rounded picture of each school that we cover. From the writing, to the editing, to the layout, we try to keep our guides in the hands of students at all times, and each is filled with quotes from students who actually attend the school," she said.
Koshzow heads up media relations and oversees content on all College Prowler publications. After posting on the School of Journalism's listserv that College Prowler would be producing a USC guide, Koshzow selected third-year print journalism student Jessica Foster for the job. Soon after, Foster began compiling information on what Carolina was all about.
"I compiled results from surveys I sent to USC students, interviewed them on different aspects of the school and basically gathered all the general information students would find useful," Foster said.
Each guide College Prowler produces digs up dirt on aspects of the school that are important to students who aren't sure where to spend their college years. Students' opinions are emphasized with direct quotations and elaborate on facets of the school, including what professors are like, food variety and quality, housing options on and off campus and Greek life, just to name a few.
"Students pursuing a college education can read about what the nightlife is like, how strict campus rules are and even what the drug scene is like at school," Foster said. "They can also get a sense of how safe USC's campus is and find out how if the student body is a diverse one. This is the kind of knowledge that people can't get anywhere else, and College Prowler really likes to stress that to students."
Students quoted in the guides also assign a grade to the category they address. USC's grading scale ranges from A to D, and rankings relate to student happiness, prominence and satisfaction for each category.
"Information comes straight from the students, not from some glossy brochure or guidebook. As a result, our guides present both the positive and the negative," Koshzow said.
Besides showcasing student quotes, College Prowler's reality guides also supply vital information that all students should know about each school, including average SAT scores, parking permit fees and the cost of the average meal plan.
And the guides aren't being used only by high school juniors and seniors. Freshmen are using them to adjust to their schools faster, parents are finding them helpful in making sure they send their children to a worthy institution and counselors are using knowledge from the guides to guide high school students in the right direction.
"College Prowler is really doing a service for young people considering USC for school. Students who decide to come to Carolina have the advantage of knowing the school inside and out before they arrive for classes in the fall," Foster said.
USC's guide is one of more than 200 guides College Prowler offers, and is available for about $15 through Web sites such as www.CollegeProwler.com, www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.
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