Hosting: FAQ

Who are the students visiting campus?
The high school students invited to Explore USC have all been admitted. For some of them, this will be their first visit to our campus. We expect that more than half of the students participating in this program will enroll at the university.

What is Explore hosting?
The main purpose of Explore USC is to give admitted freshmen a glimpse into what student life is like at USC. To make this happen, we need current USC students to act as volunteer hosts.

There are two types of Explore USC hosts:

Overnight hosts (needed for all dates) will take their visitors to dinner, attend the evening activity, allow students to spend the night in their residence hall room, and eat breakfast with them the next morning.

Lunch-only hosts (needed only for April 9, 11, 16, 18, 23) will take their visitors to lunch in the dining halls and answer questions they may have about being a student at USC.

How should I entertain my high school student?
After the student/host match-up, you will take your student to dinner (we'll provide your guest with a meal voucher, and if you don't have a meal plan, we'll provide you with one too). You are responsible for taking your high school student to the evening activity. The Office of Admission will provide you with a description and location for each evening activity at the match-up.

Last year’s evaluations of the Explore program revealed that high school students really enjoyed their hosts showing them around campus, introducing them to friends, and most importantly, answering questions about what it is like being a student at USC.

Why should I host?
You will do the university a great service by hosting. To these students, you represent all facets of USC. Many students tell us that they made their final enrollment decision based on the time they spent with their host. As a host, you will receive a free t-shirt and, if you don't have a meal plan, you will get a meal voucher to allow you to dine with our visitors. Lastly, there will be a weekly prize drawing for participating hosts.

I'd like to host; what do I do now?
Make sure to ask your roommate for permission. It's even more fun and relaxing for you as a host if he or she signs up as well.

Hosting Application Coming Soon