Hi guys, so basically I was accepted to UC Berkeley for Spring 2016 and USC for fall 2015, both for political economy as a junior transfer student. I had a hard time deciding between the 2 so I paid the deposit for both schools in order to buy some time. But now that it is nearing the start of the fall semester, I think it’s time I stop being so fickle and make a decision. I was wondering if you guys can help me out in choosing a school to attend?
So first, the cost of attendance: I am an out of state student so I can’t pay in-state tuition at Berkeley. After looking at my financial aid packages, Berkeley will set me back around $43,000 a year while USC will only set me back about $15,000 a year. Money is not a huge issue (still an issue to a certain extent), but is it really worth it to spend almost thrice as much at Cal for it’s academics and prestige?
Next thing to consider is that I’m a fall 2015 admit for USC but a spring 2016 admit for Cal. I know one semester is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I’m worried that it may be hard to adjust and make friends since every body is already there for a semester.
I hope to attend grad school in the future, hopefully for a masters in education or an MBA. Would it be harder to get into a good program if I attend Berkeley considering the whole grade deflation thing? But on the other hand, I can’t find any statistics on USC’s job placement rate or grad school rate and I’m worried that USC will not prepare me for grad school. Is it harder to get to know professors at Cal who can write a letter of rec for me, since the classes are much bigger?
I’ve heard people say that they regret transferring to Berkeley but I have never heard anyone say the same about USC. I’m not one who can study 24/7 nor am I extremely smart, how will I fare at Cal? I heard that networking is not as great at Cal compared to USC, but Cal graduates seem to get hired more.
I like Cal’s prestige, but I’m not sure if I’ve got what it takes to be successful there. I like USC’s atmosphere but I’m afraid I will regret not attending Cal. Anyone have any suggestion on where I should attend and why? Thank you in advance.
TL;DR: Cal for $43,000 a year or USC for $15,000 a year?
I’d say USC based on tuition alone, and you’re planning on graduate school - going to Cal vs. USC won’t give you a huge advantage. They’re both very good schools, although admittedly I don’t know how USC’s political economy program ranks.
The school is what you make it. Look at it this way: You’d be paying 86k for a bachelor’s degree from Cal, knowing that you want to go to graduate school, and 30k at USC. Again, I would pick USC.
Agree on SC for financial reasons, but to be completely honest, I have no clue what their respective programs/departments are like, or their record for placing students in grad schools. That being said, I know some SC poli econ students/grads, and they really liked SC.
@goldencub Assuming tuition cost isn’t an issue since my dad (who is pro-berkeley) would be covering my undergrad cost fully, would USC still be the better choice?
Grad school isn’t a certain thing, if I just stopped at a bachelor’s would the 86K be worth it?
@luckie1367 Financial reasons aside, is there any other factor that would make you pick one school over the other? I guess I’m just afraid it will be harder to find employment after graduating from USC (couldn’t find any job stats), whereas the job placement rate that Cal puts on its website seems pretty decent. And I need to get hired and get work experience before I can go to grad school for an MBA.
Have you visited both? Do you like Nor cal better than So cal?
@lindyk8 May I know why you would choose USC? Would it be for financial reasons alone?
@luckie1367 Yes I have, but nothing stands out about either campus that makes me feel like I’m destined to be there lol. Pretty neutral about NorCal vs SoCal as well, I like NorCal’s environment but SoCal’s weather.
@lindyk8 Thank you so much for your insights.
Maybe I should add that tuition cost isn’t such a big issue because my dad is willing to cover the full cost of my undergrad, and he is actually leaning more towards Cal. But I don’t really want him to shell out 86K for 2 years when I can get the same bachelor’s for one third of its cost at USC.
As for grad school, I hope to get into an MBA program which requires work experience. According to the job placement rate on Cal’s website, it seems pretty decent. Whereas I couldn’t find any on USC’s, so I’m afraid that it would be hard to gain employment, especially as non specialized major like poli econ.
Lol I didn’t say EVERYONE regretted transferring to Cal, just that I’ve known a couple. But come to think of it, they are all majoring in some form of engineering, so they were pretty much asking for it haha,
I guess I was pro-USC yesterday, when I wrote the original post, that’s why it may seem like I have already made a subconscious decision. But today I’m feeling more pro-Cal (curse my fickle mind). I most definitely have not made a decision, but I have to pronto since fall semester at USC start in 5 weeks or so.
My daughter’s at berkeley and I graduated from berkeley. I believe it is the better school and you will really like it. But that’s me.
Prestige and ranking is higher at Berkeley, and probably job recruitment too. Now that you’ve restated the situation a bit, it seems like your big concerns are guilt re $$ and possibly spring start (which isn’t the end of the world). My suggestion - go with your heart. Neither will be a bad choice.
@lindyk8 But if I really followed what my heart wanted, I would have dropped out of school and moved to Antarctica to live with the penguins, lol jk. My heart says USC one day and Cal the next.
Anyway thanks for your input, I will keep them in mind when I make my decision in the next few days.
USC has an amazing alumni network. It will help you. You can make social connections at USC that you cannot necessarily make at UC Berkeley. Academically speaking, I think that Berkley is the better school, but USC offers things that Berkeley does not. There are certain social statuses and financial statuses of people who attend USC because they have the means to do so. I’m not saying the that Berkeley doesn’t offer similar connections, but not as much as USC will. That can be a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it or what is important to you. But I can only imagine if you are looking to work in either finance or political circles, USC would offer better networking opportunities. There are people who get into USC because they are smart and have the grades to get in. But there are a lot of other people who get in because of their families, connections, social status, and their money. If you are of that mindset you could definitely take advantage of those possible connections. And on top of all of that, it would be cheaper.
I faced the same decision almost two months ago. I was admitted into USC (without any financial aid) making COA 67,000/year. UC Berkeley will be 33,000/year. Also, considering one my biggest reasons for transferring was to be closer to home (Norcal), it was a no brainer. Go bears!
It looks as though you have entirely different factors. I feel as though the pros of USC vastly outweigh those of Cal. COA is significantly cheaper (valuable for your aspirations for grad school), the lack of grade deflation helps towards your MBA aspirations, and the Trojan Network should come into play if you wish to work in California.
Unless you have a reason to stay in Norcal/Berkeley that vastly outweighs the pros towards USC, I would stick with USC.
Obviously, while all this is important, you should take everything said on this forum with a grain of salt. You may end up hating Berkeley or USC and become bitter towards strangers offering advice over the internet. At the end of the day, consider which option will bring you the most job (in light of all factors) and have fun with your remaining collegiate years!
Haha, very well said @poliscitransfer !
I would go to USC but major in accounting instead. You can take political science classes for fun if you want to. USC’s accounting program is amazing. Especially, if u can attend at that price.
USC is much cheaper than Berkeley. You are getting financial aid so money must matter.
^^^^ excellent point. =D>