@Ninchen I’m from Los Angeles as well and I’m also very interested in Film and Business (I plan on applying for an MBA program after my undergraduate program). However, I’m planning on getting a bachelor’s in CS.
My sister loves USC and is very happy there. She is pursuing a criminal justice degree. My sister transferred to USC from Vanderbilt and in comparison, my parents prefer Vanderbilt because they feel it is less money-oriented than USC. I’m not sure how USC compares to Berkeley in that regard, but my parents don’t like how blatantly cash-driven USC is. My sister also wanted to be close to home, but I would like a little distance for my college experience.
My father, who owns a business in India which works in both software engineering and film told me that the most well known Universities overseas are Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley (also Oxford and Cambridge). Also, he believes that a Business degree from Haas is more prestigious than one from Marshall (although Marshall is no joke). If rankings matter to you, the USNWR rankings for undergrad business put Haas at #2 with MIT, second only to Wharton (where my father earned his MBA). Marshall is at #10.
USC has an advantage in its film school and while the film scene in the Bay Area is not as huge as it is LA, it is still significant and may even be a better atmosphere if your son is interested in indie filmmaking. LA has become stifling for people who don’t have a huge budget. I’ve had many experiences in the past where a police officers asked me to stop filming because I didn’t have a ridiculously expensive permit.
Based on the advice given by the posters above and what my father told me, I chose to deposit at Berkeley while I wait for my waitlist results. At this point, I’m almost certain I’ll go to Berkeley even if I was admitted at either Brown or Chicago.