Ask an Alumnus

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>One thing I forgot to mention! What could really make him stand out in an interview would be taking the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 test. It kind of kills 2 birds with one stone in that he’ll get a leg up on all of the material he’d otherwise be learning in the aforementioned post regarding classes, and having level one on your resume REALLY makes you stand out (my buddy went into Equity Research @ GS, they said that REALLY set him apart). </p>

<p>The stuff he’s learning would be cemented by this thing, and it would be hard to imagine him not getting every interview he applies for thru OCR if he has it.</p>

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<p>You are awesome, thanks for being willing and taking time to help a fellow Trojan. I know it is what USC is all about, but great to see it in action.</p>

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<p>Of course. Always loveto help.</p>

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<p>bumpp</p>

<p>kjkjhkjl</p>

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<p>Good info from SCHedgie. CADREAMIN, my son (grad '13) found it very doable to earn dual degrees from Marshall (Finance) & Leventhal while having plenty of time for extracurriculars. I know requirements have changed so YMMV. He’s also a strong math kid, but enjoyed the upper division Finance classes more than Accounting (which go heavy into rules, regs, ethics, etc.).</p>

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<p>Hi there! May seem like a silly question but I am an undeclared major, sophomore transfer that will be attempting to enter the Human Biology major to become a Reg. Dietician. Do you recommend that for the classes and note-taking I purchase an iPad? I have a Macbook Pro already, but thinking of the iPad because it would not be distractive and it is lightweight. Also, is USC more Apple or Android friendly? As in the professors and their usage of apps…
Thanks :)</p>

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<p>If you can go on facebook on an iPad, it can be just as distractive :P</p>

<p>To each his/her own for taking notes. If the convenience of bringing an iPad instead of a MacBook to class outweighs the hundreds of dollars of cost, go for it.</p>

<p>USC is friendly to whatever strain of technology you use. The bio majors I’ve known use whatever device they want. I think the only exception is for course specific software. For example, I’ve heard Solidworks (engineering program) only runs on Windows. However, for anything like this, there’s a lab where you can go to use the software.</p>

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<p>CEC: How big’s your MBP? I have a 17" and the thing’s a ^#@%! to carry around sometimes. It’s like, I skate around not really thinking about it, but then when I skate somewhere without it, I feel like I’m riding a dragon. If you have a 13" or a 15" (I used to have a 15") you should be fine. </p>

<p>BUT that said, I feel like tablets aren’t very practical when it comes to notetaking - you’ll want a keyboard attachment anyway with any serious notetaking, and if you need to draw diagrams and stuff, nothing beats paper-pen IMO. Besides, I feel like taking paper notes and transferring everything over to make a study guide later in the semester helps me internalize all the info. </p>

<p>I haven’t had any classes where iOS vs Android was an issue. Did a project or two on Android during my IMD coursework.</p>

29

<p>The reason I was considering an iPad is because a friend of mine that attends UCLA said she highly recommends it for those reasons (heavy and distracting to students around, as well as professors). </p>

<p>@ Lencias- I have a 13" MBPro and find it useful, but pretty heavy throughout the day. I do not normally use it to take notes. I usually use paper and pencil, but felt that it would be a good habit to begin in order to conserve organization, order and well, paper :slight_smile:
You make a good point though, do you find many students don’t use laptops or tablets then? Just paper and pen?</p>

<p>@ psydent- I too think it is very expensive and that is why I asked if USC is more apple or Android friendly, because Android tablets are much cheaper and I would consider purchasing that instead.</p>

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<p>@CEC1889 Unless you have a preference for iOS then I’d go with Android to save money.</p>

<p>Either one has apps for note taking, some even assist with diagrams and OCR.</p>

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<p>Is it worth OOS tuition?</p>

32

<p>Back to our regular scheduled programming about finance and accounting – please start another thread about devices if you want. SC hedgie was nice enough to put in time to this and hijacking threads isn’t cool.
@amacmom - that sounds like great way to go. S got a late start going this direction - went in thinking premed at first, so lost a little ground in being able to do what yours is doing, which seems like a great combo. S has decided to go Leventhal then do MBA/Finance masters cause he is simply out of time to do both in undergrad. Basically doing what yours did but needed more time. He needs every credit to finish the requirements in Leventhal, cause those bio etc., classes don’t do much for business/acct school, only so many electives! Who knows, S may end up in law school, but at least he is finding what he likes which is the goal. While college should be about discovering your passions, those that come in with a pretty good idea can be much more efficient those 4 years! Congrats to your graduate and good luck to him in the workforce!</p>

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<p>

Hi Complik! USC is a private university, so there is no OOS tuition.</p>

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<p>I’m sorry haha what I meant was, is it worth private tuition over a public in state university like UT?</p>

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<p>@CEC1889:
Ah, if you were planning to use the tablet purely as an ‘internet device’ or planner (for which tablets are fantastic, particularly if you sync calendars with your phone), then go for it. Mull over what you want to do it carefully when choosing screen sizes/specs. </p>

<p>I definitely don’t see too many students taking notes on tablets. A good amount of students “taking notes” on laptops, but it’s hard to tell how many are actually taking notes versus “taking notes” if you get what I mean. I have to say I’m biased towards pen-paper, unless I’m in the mood to “take notes” bahahaha.</p>

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<p>@CADREAMIN Apologies. All I noticed was “ask an alumnus”, and not that there was a particular topic. Thank you for responding! @Lencias haha, I get you! @psydent, thanks :)</p>

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<p>No I shouldn’t have been so gestapo like - he did say ask me anything…I actually thought it said ask me anything about finance, so my bad. Carry on - I will quit acting like I own the place ha, sorry too!</p>

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<p>@CEC- I’m probably really old school when it comes to this, but you asked so I shall tell.</p>

<p>I always found devices in class to be a huge distraction (I’d always wind up trading stocks instead of paying attention). It was laughable to see how many kids were just on facebook “taking notes” during class (I was one, unfortunately). </p>

<p>The SMART kids would print up the lecture slides in notes format w/3 slides to a page, take notes on those, and leave all potential distractions behind.</p>

<p>I WISH I had done that. It probably would have saved me SO much time studying for finals (I had to LEARN the concepts on my own instead of REVIEW them, which is what finals studying should be about). If you think you can avoid the temptation to check your gadgets during class, by all means bring them, but too many, myself included, aren’t disciplined enough to ignore them.</p>

<p>Just me though. As for tablets, it seems to me trying to type on those would be more trouble than its worth. But I’m old, so what do I know.</p>

39

<p>I know things have changed since you gone to USC, and I hope I’m not prying when I ask this, but how much did you pay a year to go to USC and how much debt did you leave USC with? Don’t answer if you don’t feel comfortable with it :T</p>

<p>Also, USC didn’t offer me a penny, so I have to tough it out and get loans/apply for scholarships/get a job. Would you say that USC is worth sticker price for an art major like me?</p>

40

<p>I was fortunate enough to have a combo of scholarships/parental support, so I ended up not coming out with any debt. I think all in it probably cost about $60k/year.</p>

<p>As for debt as it relates to a college education, I might be a tad more outspoken on this than most. First, I assume that you want to do something art related upon graduation. I hate to sound like a ******, but the ROI on an arts degree just isnt there to justify what you’re going to be spending. (I assume its about $65k a year at this point). You can take on a job, but anything you get isn’t going to supply you with enough money to make any meaningful impact on the debt, but it will give you some basic walking around money.</p>

<p>I just ran some numbers as I’m curious as to how this would work on my own. Assuming a student loan interest rate of 6.5% (which i think is generous), you’ll wind up with ~320k+ in debt (assuming of course you financed the entire education).</p>

<p>Compare that to what you’d expect to make with an art degree (don’t know what that is, but lets put it at 40k a year). With 40k a year, you’ll be able to live somewhat comfortably (assuming no debt), but you’ll struggly MIGHTILY to make minimum payments on the debt.</p>

<p>Take it from someone who invests in fixed income. The creditor never actually WANTS to be repaid, they’d much rather have a fixed income stream paying in perpetuity at the prevailing interest rate of the time. This is why student loans are SO profitable (that, and they can’t be discharged in BK court), and, why they’re willing to lend to you.</p>

<p>I don’t mean to take a proverbial dump all over your dreams, but the fact of the matter is lenders sell a dream of college education, without adequately educating you, the consumer, about the nightmare of debt that follows the dream experience. This type of lending/borrowing activity, in my sort of educated opinion, is going to spell a far worse financial crisis for our country than 2008 ever was.</p>

<p>/rant off</p>

<p>Essentially, If you can’t get away with borrowing 50k or less for the entire college experience, the debt and hardship you’ll take on later in life isn’t worth it.</p>