<p>Hello All. I'm a high school senior that grew up in Columbia, and even though i've always wanted to go out of state for undergrad education, I got a decently large enough scholarship from USC, to the point where my parents are unwilling to let me go out of state to other schools. </p>
<p>The main crux of my argument is that I was accepted to Boston College and Boston University, but did not receive much in the way of scholarships and financial aid. Did anyone else turn down good schools to go to USC? And if you did, Why?</p>
<p>By the way, I am a biology major on the pre-med track.</p>
<p>I am sure you will do well wherever you go to school. Most doctors come out of school with enormous debt, in my opinion save where you can and just do well at USC… It is you that will shine as a doctor in the years after your education. USC is a good school that can definetly get you where you need to go… save your money for the next level of education… good luck…</p>
<p>My S chose USC Moore (out of state student with scholarship) and declined Villanova Business and several others. Finishing his junior year with great GPA, internships an additional scholarships. I realize most of othe responses have been about the business school but S has several friends pre-med who also seem very happy and are very good students.</p>
<h1>1: Last year, our son turned down Vanderbilt, Emory and UNC (Honors Program + some other goodies including annual merit money) for USC’s Honors College and a McNair Scholarship. During McNair Candidate weekend, he fell in love with the Honors College. Upon his return home, he announced that he was going to attend USC even if he were not awarded a McNair Scholarship.</h1>
<h1>2: I was speaking with a young woman who graduated from Princeton with a degree in English. Two years out of Princeton, she was working as a receptionist. It was the only job she could find. Her father had become seriously ill, and was very concerned that he would not be able to pay back the loans he had taken out to finance his daughter’s $50,000+ a year Ivy League education. The young woman told me that her father kept saying, “I spent over $200,000 for Princeton, and now you’re a receptionist. What was the point of it all?”</h1>
<h1>3: Imagine that your parents were to give you whatever it is going to cost to attend Boston University and Boston College – for argument’s sake, let’s say the cost after modest scholarships and financial aid is $160,000. Your choice is to pay the $160,000 to attend BU or BC, or attend USC and keep the difference – let’s say $120,000. What would you do? To me, it’s a no-brainer. I would enroll at USC and pocket the difference. If by chance you agree with me, then why would you expect your parents to pay the extra $120,000?</h1>
<p>I am choosing to go to USC instead of UF (offered 3,200 a year plus i live in state). Even with my McKissic scholarship, USC will still cost more to attend to UF. I toured both colleges, and i fell in love with Columbia. I also want to major in business and I love German, and i think a double major in IB and Finance with a german minor beats a finance major from UF. </p>
<p>I am also going to be a Capstone Scholar, and I believe that Capstone is better than any dorm hall at Florida. One of the biggest draws to USC in my opinion is that it is out of state. I really want to experience a new part of the country and be far away from home for once. (Orlando is NOT “the south”) </p>
<p>I have also received much more personal attention from USC than I ever did from UF. I feel like i will have better access to professors, advisers, research opportunities, and study abroad grants.</p>
<p>In Summation, while UF might be considered the “better” school over USC, i will be getting a better education by attending South Carolina.</p>
<p>I have a friend who chose USC over Dartmouth.</p>
<p>And I know a girl who chose USC over Princeton.</p>
<p>People have their reasons. I went to USC specifically so I would have as little debt as possible and it really ended up being the best decision that I could have made. I’m extremely happy here and it isn’t costing me a boat load.</p>
<p>As a person with no regrets and no current outstanding education loans, who went in-state undergrad, and Ivy for graduate school…I highly recommend you put your money into your post-graduate education. People will ask you where you went to medical school. Undergraduate at USC in Biology will give you the basis for application to excellent medical schools, where the name counts for much more than undergrad. Enjoy USC and maximize your educational opportunities. Then, go urban and “name” for a high level medical education. Your medical school and place of residency will matter in the long run.</p>
<p>Probably not a relevant example since my son is a music major attending with a talent scholarship this Fall, but he turned down offers and scholarships from UF and FSU to go to Columbia - and FSU is one of the top 10-15 music programs in the country.</p>
<p>He loves the program and the campus at SC, it’s just a much more warm and inviting environment for him</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation as you are. I’m a high school senior who has lived in Columbia all her life, and I wanted to go out of state also. I got into Tulane with 22,000 a year and also Barnard College (affiliated with Columbia University in NYC). I really wanted to go to Barnard because it is an amazing opportunity, but I got offered a lot to USC, so I couldn’t turn it down. Money is really the only reason I am going to USC, and I also love Carolina football. I want to go to graduate school, so I’ll just go somewhere else for grad school. Good luck with USC, and I hope you enjoy it!</p>
<p>My son turned down BU, UMiami and decided to go to SC. Something about their Marine Science program clicked. While it would be cheaper somewhat, that was not the reason. He felt they want him there. Then, it became a question about what others are saying. For an undergrad school, selection criteria should not be the name or US News ranking. It should be where you can get the best education so that you are qualified for a masters in a reputed school. There is a difference between big school vs where you will get the best education. He felt USC serves that purpose of best education and people at USC seemed to care about him more. Do I make sense?</p>
<p>My friend decided to take USC Honors plus Capstone Scholars program over offers from BU (honors), BC, and Wake Forest. She liked the campus, and the people.</p>
<p>midwest dad, the #1 ranking of honors college was based on a number of factors including retention, graduation rates, housing, classes offered, travel abroad and research opportunities and priority registration. Needless to say, the things this guides says are important doesn’t mean there aren’t programs out there that are better fits for any specific students. After all, sometimes it is just a feeling of fitting in that makes one college a better choice for your child. Or there may be a specific major that is offered only at some schools. However, it is nice distinction that shows you don’t have to go to “top” school or small liberal arts college to get quality education.</p>
<p>I chose USC over BU, Syracuse, UMD College Park, University of Delaware, Drexel, UMass, and NC State. For me it was the money advantage USC had over UMD, the only real contender with USC. It was a difference of 76k and not too shabby of a Business program. Plus I was astonished with the university during Scholars day. I flew out of Boston at 5 AM on an hour of sleep and a night of work the night before. Any school that can put a smile on my face after a train wreck like that is where I want to be.</p>
<p>I chose USC over Princeton, Dartmouth, UPenn, UVA Honors, UNC Honors, Duke, McGill, and UF Honors. In the end it came down to UVA and USC and I chose the latter because it felt right. For me, it was the combination of a full ride, #1 International Business program, Honors College, and beautiful campus. Where you go to medical school will rely mainly on your GMAT score, so have your parents use some of the money they would save to pay for prep classes. Students I graduated with are currently in med school at Harvard, Emory, UVA, Vanderbilt, UCSF (Berkeley), Southern Cal, MUSC, and Columbia. You can do well wherever you go.</p>