So recently I got into USC as a spring admit which kind of sucks but I also got into Williams College and I was just wondering which school I should choose. I want to major in CS and I know that USC has a really good CS program. However, since I got in as a spring admit I am pretty worried that this will impact me so would it be better if I just went to Williams or go with USC?
A lot of people use spring admit to work or take cc credits that transfer into USC, saving you money, but I get it is a downer missing fall and seeing all your friends head off to college in August. There is a pretty good thread on this forum about pros/cons of spring admit. People do say within a week of getting there it is like you never missed it, but I get that you do miss that true freshman experience and football games, etc. But that can be a small price to pay over your entire future and being able to attend a better CS program (disclaimer - I really don’t know anything about Williams CS.) Having said that and having a CS major at USC, I can tell you it is a phenomenal program, him and his friends (all over achievers) have out of this world internships this summer. Is this Williams in Mass? Is there a coast factor in it for you or cost issues? They are very different schools, what do you like better besides the program about each school? Or is it all around the spring admit thing?
It won’t impact you from a graduating in 4 years thing, mine could finish in 3 1/2 with a double major and 4 with a double major and minor, cause he really loaded up each semester (and did take one brutal CS class over a summer so it didn’t weigh him down during a regular semester). You can also take some classes at your cc this fall that would ensure that as well.
@CADREAMIN thanks for the advice! Price is not really a big issue for me, it is more about the opportunities at each school. Yeah Williams is in Massachusetts and relatively close to NYC as well as Boston but it doesn’t compare to USC being in LA. I guess that for USC I really love the location since it is in California and about 7 hours away from home. It has beautiful weather, well rounded people, LOTS of organizations, sports, and the typical college experience. Williams also intrigues me because it is in the East Coast and it is a prestigious school. It is also smaller and get more of the tight knit community. There are definitely trade offs for either school but I guess my overall questions would be, a degree from which school would look better whenever I am trying to look for a job or possibly graduate school?
Have you had the chance to visit to USC or Williams? Don’t get hung up on prestige, (which USC has a ton of as well, particularly on west coast), I think you will do best if you go where you really want to be and feel is a great school and experience FOR YOU. Relying on prestige is relying on what other people think rather than really looking inside at what you want. It’s like picking a school on rankings, which kids do, and a year later they are transferring. You will do best where you are happiest. And don’t underestimate how much you will grow in these 4 years - anything that seems daunting now, will be nothing in 12 months. They are such different schools, and no school writes your ticket to job success or grad, you do that.
If you think you may want to work on west coast when all is said and done, USC would certainly be the one. If east coast - again, I don’t know enough about Williams to say, let’s see if others chime in. While just a single event, I have a friend whose kid went to Davidson, a great east coast school. When he went to find jobs, he had a ton of offers on the east coast. But he wanted to come back to CA. When he looked here, they basically said, “You went to school where?” And it was much more a struggle than he thought it would be. Not everyone working is in the know about schools, but most people do know USC with varying opinions of course. But on the west coast it is well regarded these days.
Sorry, I know this spring admit thing really puts a damper on it. It sounds like if you were a fall admit, USC would be the one, eh? Post in the spring admit thread here and see what feedback you get, there are some current students that provide feeback there, it may be helpful. I’ll confess, while many say it is not a big deal, if mine had been a spring admit, I don’t know what we would have done with other options in hand, so I get it. For some it has always been their dream school so the wait is easily worth it.
@CADREAMIN thanks so much! I will definitely post on the Spring Admit group! I am going to tour both of the schools this month and hopefully I will be able to decide which one is the best for me 
Great, the tours will seal the deal for you. Hopefully you have one of those “Hallmark” moments as I call it at one of them, where it just feels warm, great and right! Good luck!
Agree that the schools are very different. Williams is a more academic, intellectual place but of course doesn’t offer remotely what USC does in terms of proximity to Los Angeles or Pac-10 sports. So you have to decide which environment best suits you. I do want to correct the record on one point: if you are a CS major at Williams, you will have NO trouble getting an elite job back on the West Coast. I have close friends from Williams working at Amazon and Google (actually I know three classmates currently working at Google) as well as many others at smaller start-ups. Some were on the CS track, some more on the econ/business side, but in all events, Williams is well-know and very well regarded by the West coast tech firms. As you can see from this list, many of the CS majors from Williams go on to attend top-notch graduate programs or secure very prestigious jobs right out of college: http://www.cs.williams.edu/people/alumni-directory/