Help me decide! USC vs UPenn :)

College Search & Selection
1

I seriously can’t pick between the two and it’s stressing me out a LOT so maybe you all can help!

University of Southern California - 18k per year (on a full tuition scholarship)
Pros:

  • Location/weather
  • Less stress probably
  • Trojan scholar society
  • Cheaper
  • already have a few friends there
  • seems like it may be easier for me to stand out
  • honors suite dorm is the perfect fit for me bc I can’t do communal bathrooms

Cons:

  • Can’t do freshman science honors program because didn’t take physics
  • Not as successful as upenn in getting students into medical school
  • May be harder to get an internship bc so many people
  • not as prestigious/recent scandals have made it seem not so great tbh

University of Pennsylvania - 28k per year (waiting on appeal for more aid)
Pros:

  • Vagelos Scholars Program in the Molecular Life Sciences
  • Better pre-med program and opportunities
  • More prestigious
  • Already know i like the campus bc visited
  • School of medicine is on campus + childrens hospital nearby

Cons:

  • environment seems way more stressful
  • More expensive
  • Will be harder to maintain gpa and be top of the class
  • Campus is not as pretty/weather can suck

Thanks for your help!

1 Like
2

Can you afford the $10k per year difference (and how)?

3

If you are headed to med school, can the extra $40K be applied to that?

1 Like
4

if the appeal gets it down to a 5k difference instead of a 10k like I’m hoping, then i can afford it w/ my parents help.

5

So the answer should be:
If you can afford it, go to Penn, if not - your second option ain’t too shabby!!!

Congrats!

6

As a contestant of Jeopardy would ask “UPenn for $40,000 (or less), please.” :wink:

1 Like
7

Two very different vibes at these schools. USC is more laid back and Penn, I believe, is more pre-professional and competitive. USC is not exactly second rate. The savings can be substantial and if med school is in the cards, should be carefully considered.

Hoping that you only have to come up with an extra $5k a year, IF you get the extra money, is still going to be tough if you have to earn most of that on your own. You will have to work in the summer and not assume that you will be able work during the academic year. Many colleges restrict students to working about 10 hours a week anyway, because you will be busy with classes and homework.

Your pros for USC seem pretty solid:
Less stress probably
Trojan scholar society
Cheaper
already have a few friends there (not a pro, IMO.)
seems like it may be easier for me to stand out
honors suite dorm is the perfect fit for me bc I can’t do communal bathrooms

IMO, several of your pros for Penn are less solid:
Vagelos Scholars Program in the Molecular Life Sciences
Better pre-med program and opportunities
More prestigious (prestige doesn’t matter much for med school admission.)
Already know I like the campus bc visited (Not a pro. USC has a fantastic campus.)
School of medicine is on campus + childrens hospital nearby (application to med school will be totally separate and depend on grades and MCAT scores. It might be hard to get higher grades than other Penn med school applicants. There are plenty of hospitals in LA.)

I think your cons for USC are very minor and not terribly convincing. OTOH, I think your cons for Penn, especially these three–
“environment seems way more stressful
More expensive
Will be harder to maintain gpa and be top of the class”–
are problematic.

I think USC sounds best for you.

1 Like
8

update for anyone still wondering - upenn denied my financial aid appeal so it would be 10k more per year. I really do want to attend upenn over USC but I just don’t think I can afford it.

1 Like
9

It’s not like USC is a bad choice. Good luck!!!

10

just go to USC