<p>Hey guys! I'm not deciding between these schools but my friend is. I already committed to USC Marshall so I'm not a troll, either. Please take my questions seriously :) I am posting this in both school's forums so that I can get opinions from both sides.</p>
<p>He was accepted to USC for Industrial and Systems Engineering, under which he would be on the 'Information Systems' track. However, he was also admitted to CMU's Information Systems program (one of the best in the country).</p>
<p>I'll break it down for you: The academics are comparable at both schools, but CMU probably has an edge over USC with regards to information systems. What are your opinions on the academics at each school? Class sizes should be relatively similar. CMU, however, has an accelerated IS undergrad degree + MBA program that he's interested in. Getting an MBA is something that he probably wants to do in the future. In terms of a career, he wants to manage and implement technology for companies. Which program is best for his career choice? I saw a ranking with Viterbi as 10th or 11th (can't remember) overall but how is the department he was accepted to in particular? </p>
<p>Now the main problem he has with CMU is the social life. USC has a phenomenal social life compared to CMU (at least from what he has heard). There are, simply put, not enough girls at CMU. Plus, there are a TON of beautiful girls at USC and CMU isn't so lucky. He likes the strong school spirit at USC and the opportunity to meet people through sporting events (football, etc.). He also likes the more relaxed atmosphere at USC as compared to the uptight, competitive atmosphere at CMU. Can anyone corroborate or shoot down these views? Which school has the social life he's looking for?</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to read through all of that and answer honestly! :D</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation (but for chemE +cs not mechE), but overall I’d place CMU a bit above USC on academics, but USC a lot above CMU on social life, yeah, but I need to visit there before confirming that impression.</p>
<p>I’m not so sure about a competitive atmosphere at CMU? It’s hard for anyone to tell your friend where he’d be better off at, I’d recommend a visit to both if he hasn’t already, and after that, it’s really his personal call.</p>
<p>But I’d also like an answer to OP’s question :p</p>
<p>If he’s looking for a more traditional “big” college feel, then USC will definitely fit that better. I imagine USC has a stronger school spirit due to Division I sports, though I guess a plus at CMU is you don’t even need tickets to go sit in the stands during a football game. I think they’ve also had a non-losing season streak going back almost 20 years.</p>
<p>There’s not a very competitive atmosphere at CMU. The general feel I had in my classes when I was there was that everyone knew they were smart, and we could all succeed, so there was no reason to fight each other. All of my classes expected you to work in groups on homeworks, even when the course was going to be curved.</p>
<p>If he’s really desperate for girls at CMU there’s always U Pitt, quite literally, down the street. I also felt Pittsburgh was a much better college town than LA is (I’m living in Pasadena now, so it might be slightly different than down by USC) since Pittsburgh is really cheap, there’s lots of students everywhere, and the public transit system is good enough you won’t need a car for getting around most of the city.</p>
<p>Does it come down to financial aid? I am also planning on majoring in engineering. I have always wanted to go to CMU, but it came down to which one was going to cost more. Sadly for me, CMU was going to cost far more than USC. However, I am happy with my decision (and will always keep my wonderful fat letter).</p>
<p>CMU. By FAR. USC is vastly overrated, especially by Californians. Unless your friend is really into the USC culture, there’s really no reason to choose USC over CMU. Frankly, USC’s academics are rather mediocre compared to CMU and similar schools.</p>