Along with many prospective students, I myself was drawn to USC because of the world-renowned Darla Moore School of Business. The annually ranked #1 International Business program is just one of many of the successes held to the business school’s name, and it continues to attract students worldwide to its outstanding faculty and educational programs.
As of 1998, Darla Moore, a USC grad and extremely successful businesswoman, became the face of the business school at USC. Moore was the first woman in the U.S. to have a business school named in her honor.
As a freshman walking into “Darla,” (as it is affectionately known by students) I continue to be taken back by the building’s beauty and class. Its sleek redesign came in late 2013 to offer students a world-class facility to learn and discover their abilities to their fullest potentials.
The Moore School is home to nine undergraduate degrees, seven master’s degrees, and two Ph.D. degrees that are housed in state-of-the-art classrooms, data labs, and lecture halls. My personal favorite eye-catcher is the Dr. Olin S. Pugh Trading Room, which is the area surrounded by windows with an active and up to date stock ticker for students to utilize and learn with.
There are five levels of Darla, the trading room being on the second. The first floor’s largest attraction is the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall, which is used along with the USC School of Music and doubles as a lecture-style classroom and a performance hall. Along with the trading room, the second floor contains the Global Café, which has an array of delicious foods, snacks, and coffee for students and staff every day. Some of my favorites are the alfredo pasta, the tofu, and, of course, the gelato. The best part about the Global Café is that there are some constants, like their sandwiches and small Starbucks; however, the Global area changes daily with fresh and delectable foods from all over the world.
The third and fourth floors of The Moore School contain office spaces and conference areas for the business school’s faculty, staff, administration, and Ph.D. students. Concluding with the fifth level is the absolutely stunning rooftop pavilion, home to a space for special meetings, conferences, events, etc. It showcases gorgeous landscaping and highlights an important sustainability initiative set forth by the business school.
Currently, my must-sees when exploring Darla would certainly be the Global Café, the Study Commons, the Trading Room, and the Rooftop Pavilion (if you can swing an access pass!) There are amazing Darla Moore Student Ambassadors that work in the Welcome Center on the second-floor level (also known as the Greene Street level.) The ambassadors offer free tours daily to showcase just how amazing Darla Moore really is to any prospective student who might be interested. I highly recommend these tours to any prospective business student because just hearing about Darla is not the same unless you see it with your own eyes.
I could go on for hours about one of my favorite places on campus, but it really is a beautiful sight to see and an amazing one to experience. I hope everyone can witness it! If you can’t be there in person, check out this virtual tour of the stunning building!