BU College of Communication vs. USC Annenberg

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
1

<p>After receiving all of my college acceptances, I have narrowed it down to two schools, BU & USC. However, I can’t decide between the two and was hoping someone could give me some advise or opinions. </p>

<p>Which school (BU or USC) would be better for…

  1. …their advertising major?
  2. …double majoring in a marketing major?
  3. …their study abroad program?
  4. …internship opportunities & future employment?</p>

<p>I would really appreciate any feedback!</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Where do you live? I have lived in CA all my life, close to USC. At the risk of being flamed rather mercifully, I will tell you my opinion.

  1. USC is a very insular school in the CA community. USC people hire USC grads. Many non-USC people hesitate to hire USC grads, as they tend to have entitled attitudes and believe that there education is the best of the best, and if you didn’t go to USC, you are lesser than. This is a gross generalization, but if you polled parents on this board who live in CA, I’ll bet I would not be the only person saying this. My best friend’s son just graduated from there - he and his friend are literally the only people that have attended that school that I have ever met that I actually like. Sorry - ruthless truth. Filter it through other opinions. If you end up deciding to go there, know that you will have to be extra careful to cultivate an approachable and “I am always learning” attitude.<br>
  2. Annenburg’s program is supposed to be excellent. DD is in BU’s program, and has been very impressed, but she has yet to look for a job. She is in marketing and advertising, and plans to study abroad the second half of her junior year.<br>
  3. I can’t speak to future opportunities, but I will say that we hired her as an intern last summer after her freshman year. Our expectations were low, and she blew us away with her insights. Based on that one experience, I would say that even in freshman year she learned very valuable lessons.</p>
3

<p>To answer #4, most BU kids in advertising/business graduate and end up moving to NYC to start their careers. For USC, I’d assume most of the graduates end up staying in the LA area since there are a lot of opportunities there as well. So that’s also something to take into consideration.</p>

4

<p>I want to revive this thread because I am also in the same position. I’m a transfer student and been accepted to BU for advertising. </p>

<p>I applied to USC for communication but haven’t heard back yet. If accepted I think this is how it’ll play out.</p>

<p>BU Pros:

  • awesome comm school
  • advertising major is top notch, practical, hands on courses
  • great city of boston
  • plenty of internship opportunities
  • great financial aid package (only have to pay $7k in loans + transportation)</p>

<p>BU Cons:

  • far from home (both a pro and con hehe, I’m from california)
  • very cold in winter
  • rather scattered campus, no traditional college campus feel :frowning:
  • I won’t know anyone there</p>

<p>USC Pros:

  • great comm school and second comm facility to open next year
  • beautiful campus
  • perfect distance from home
  • several friends go there
  • more prestige than BU
  • great weather
  • better alumni network than BU, possibly better internship opportunities</p>

<p>USC Cons:
-comm school lacks “advertising major” (going for communication major)
-courses are theoretical stuff which is interesting but not very useful in the “real world”

  • most likely will get an inferior financial aid package and would have to take out $20k in loans at least per year)
  • social life consists only around campus (need car to go to LA, not a big deal though)</p>

<p>Which one would you pick? Higher loan for more prestige but inferior major but better network or almost no loans for an awesome school but far from home and lacking the awesomeness that USC is?</p>

<p>Edit: and I will look for jobs in LA, New York, and Boston.</p>

5

<p>I can’t speak for USC, but here are the advantages I have as a rising senior in COM’s advertising program: </p>

<p>-Great program with practical courses. BU offers AdLab, the largest student-run agency in the country, which gives you real experience with real clients. Professors in charge of the program often forward emails directly from major agencies with potential offers.
-Internship opportunities: Being in the city of Boston means access to some great agencies such as Digitas, Hill Holiday, and Jack Morton, all of whom take BU ad students and often graduates!
-Study Abroad: BU has one of the best internship programs abroad-where you take classes and intern. I just completed the Sydney Internship Program and interned with a top Sydney agency-it was a great experience! There’s also London, Dublin, LA, and more!
-The city of Boston in general-so many things to do!
-Internationally known-almost everyone I spoke to in Sydney knew BU and it’s reputation-don’t worry, it’s well known. </p>

<p>Let me know if any of you guys have specific questions about the ad program, classes, internships, etc. I’ve had five internships so far and am involved with lots of activities on campus!</p>

6

<p>@shiningstar91</p>

<p>Thanks! It all sounds good. Is ADlab open to all advertising students? BU COM advertises “adlab” a lot but it would be unfair if I never get a chance to be in it.</p>

7

<p>AdLab is open to students who have junior or senior standing-you register for it like a regular class, but you can “intern” sophomore year, which basically means you assist the professors and executive board. </p>

<p>There is also AdClub, a club (if that wasn’t obvious haha) that you can join at any time, any year. it’s basically a more flexible version of AdLab and many of the clients are student organizations. It’s a great place to learn more about how the advertising world works-there are agency tours, pizza parties, awards, and weekly meetings throughout the semester. </p>

<p>I’m actually on the executive board for both AdLab and AdClub, haha, and both have been great!</p>

8

<p>20k a year? That’s going to take decades to repay!!! Absolutely BU. That much debt limits your ability to take low paying jobs in your area of passion, which is how most people start. Loans like that are the quickest way to have to settle for a higher paying but dull/non-preferred job.</p>

9

<p>@shoot4moon</p>

<p>I want to close up this thread. The aid I got from USC is about on par with BU’s and while I love both schools (for different reasons) I decided to go to USC. BU’s program has courses I like and overall is very cool but I think USC will be the better choice for me in terms of practicality and future employment. Maybe I’ll apply to a school near Boston for grad school.</p>