Carleton College or USC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

Hello, everyone!

May 1 is Friday, and I still don’t know where I want to go to school. I’ve narrowed it down to Carleton College and USC, which I both like for very different reasons… and I have no idea what to do from here. Can you advise?

What I like about Carleton:

  • Friendly, warm, articulate, nerdy people - I went to the admitted students weekend and was really happy. I have never fit in with a group of people so well in my life. Everyone's different, but nothing felt oppressive. The party scene was really relaxed.
  • The Arb
  • Frisbees, adventurousness, cookie house
  • Great teaching, great academics, intriguing classes

Drawbacks:

  • not very diverse
  • small - after four years I worry that I would be itching to get out
  • not well known? (good if I plan to be applying to grad schools, bad if I want to work before grad school?)
  • access to internships? (I’d like to intern abroad… can Carleton get me there?)

What I like about USC

  • Not so WHITE - Carleton is really, really white… everyone seems to, for the most part, look and dress the same at Carleton - USC on the other hand has a huge international population, and a high population of Latino-American, Asian-American, and black students.
  • I'm impressed by the amount of access to research and internships. Maybe USC just does a great job of marketing it, but it seems like you can be doing those things from the moment you walk on campus, and that they've got tons of grant money that they're just begging you to apply for
  • Lively campus - the location and the amount going on there is energizing, not to mention that its location makes it easier to be engaging in the community/interning with companies while taking classes
  • I have been offered a Presidential (half-tuition) scholarship

Drawbacks:

  • The words "sorority" and "fraternity" currently make me want to hide - I'm not socially terrible, and I can be "on" when I need to be, but in general I'm a quieter person.
  • Teaching quality (?)
  • Not nearly as friendly as Carleton
  • No Arboretum

What I want to study: Everything (darn it…) - It will be Japanese, and something. I know I want to be fluent in Japanese when I graduate, and then beyond that I want to have a concrete skill that makes me worth hiring. Not sure whether that will be computer science or biochemistry or public health or diplomacy or something else entirely.

Sorry that this is so long. If you made it to the end, thank you. Any and all input is appreciated.

2

I’ve never heard of Carlton but if you feel more comfortable there, wherever it is, then go and be happy.

3

Hi, my son loved both too. In the end he chose USC for the same reasons that you have listed. Don’t be concerned about the frats and sorieties - yes, 20% of students are in a Greek society but that means 80% are not and with over 700 clubs to choose from, you will meet people with similar interests very easily. My son has no desire to enter into a Frat and that is perfectly ok. Pick a Residence Hall like Arts and Humanities or IRC, both on campus at Parkside, very few of the students there are in or thinking about Greek life. It is a big school, but it’s set up in residential colleges (not associated with the college for your major, so plenty of diversity out of class), which makes it have a smaller feel. Plus, there is so much going on in LA and you can enjoy it all year round because the weather is good.

Good luck with your choice, and enjoy it wherever you decide.

4

oh and the professors are usually great - there will always be some that aren’t wherever you go. The class sizes are generally small so it’s easy to form a bond with the profs.