I am going to send you a PM so be on the lookout.
“Apparently my dad can’t stand the idea of USC”
Here’s a true story to tell your Dad-
In early 2005 I felt EXACTLY the same way!! All I had heard about USC over the past 30+ years was negative. Hubby went to Stanford and we had high hope DS would follow him there. It would not be an exaggeration to say I almost hated USC, [ but that was mostly because of their football team] .In general I felt is was “beneath” every college and U DS applied to.
DS only applied there because he needed a safety . [At that time USC had a 40% acceptance rate and we felt confident he would be accepted.]
BUT, when we visited there in 2005, while doing a road trip to various SCal colleges, I was surprised to be very pleasantly IMPRESSED!
And when DS won a Trustee scholarship, I realized I really needed to step back and rethink my opinion, especially since the other colleges he was accepted to were going to cost us so much more $$. And Grad school was ALWAYS going to be in the future for DS.
When the recession hit in 2008/2009, both my and my husbands businesses dried up as client’s wallets snapped shut. If DS had been at ANY of the “more prestigious” FULL fare colleges, we would have had to pull him out. It was a HUGE relief for ALL of us that we did not have to even consider that option.
Your father does not know what the future may bring- something my happen to his health, the economy, etc, etc, which could have an impact on their ability pay for your UG education and Grad School. If you are at USC, they wont have to worry about the $$ and NEITHER WILL YOU!
So IGNORE your Dad’s EMOTIONAL temper tantrum and the pressure they and everyone else are putting on you. He and your mom will get over it. They are not going off to college- YOU ARE.
Pick USC and dont look back!
My vote is USC. It’s a fine school and I think it has more name recognition both nationally and internationally than Rice (this may be because I am in the Arts). Los Angeles is also a very excellent international city and has much more to offer you than whatever town Rice is in (see, I don’t even know!).
As far as living on campus, I think most kids are itching to move off any campus by junior year, definitely senior year, no matter WHAT college they attend. By then you’ll be ready for an apartment, and with the extra savings, you will be able to afford a nicer one than if you went to Georgetown (the area of which is also very expensive), maybe even with some of those spoiled children.
Speaking of spoiled children? Just become friends with them! That’s networking their (probably great) international connections right there!
Also, if you are afraid of the USC surrounding area, Durham NC isn’t exactly a country club either.
You’re sitting on 1 1/2 winning lottery tickets! I’d cash in the whole one.
If you go to Georgetown SFS would you need IR grad school? If your dad is willing to pay for it, maybe it is worth it. Maybe you should call and try to talk to someone there with questions.
At USC, my grad student apartment 3 blocks from campus had barred gates to drive through to get into the parking garage. Inside on the bottom floor was an armed guard 7x24 watching surveillance cameras, but my wife’s car was still broken into the only night she parked it overnight there, and it was on the street right next to the building (because she couldn’t use the student parking garage). While I was there, a car of students were held up in a fast food drive-thru). That summer there was a shooting about 3 blocks from my apartment (different apartment). Fortunately, the next year I moved north and commuted, so I wasn’t near campus when the Rodney King verdict came out. It made Baltimore and Ferguson look tame. It happened about a week before graduation, my last finals were cancelled, and I never went back to campus. As I said, my kids are not allowed to apply.
“My grad student apartment”
and HOW many years ago was that??? A Long time ago I’ll bet…
Truth is , there is crime around MANY U’s- Chicago is in a dicey area, so is Yale, etc., etc.
NO U is immune. But USC now has the $$ to employ the second largest on campus police dept of any US college. And it is committed to student safety.
Things have changed a lot there in the past 10 years and will be changing even more in the next 4 years, including adding enough on campus housing for all UG’s. .
Post #44, that must be a long time ago. The area has improved. For my daughter who was there 2008-2012, nothing was stolen from her. No laptop, no bike, no car, no break in. I kind of expected something from what I’ve read online but zip.
For what it’s worth, the area has lot of rich kids go there so they maybe target. I believe Steve Balmer’s first son went to USC. My daughter’s friend whose father was a hot shot in Hollywood, she also knew son of one billionaire from Texas.
Re post 44: Well, it was at least 23 years ago as today is the 23rd anniversary of the 1992 LA Riots where Rodney King was beaten. Like I said, with the $$ saved, OP can live in a better area once moved off campus.
@Daddio3 You lived near USC before 1992? You do realize that the neighborhood has changed significantly from then, right? I attended USC only a few years after you did and it wasn’t nearly as bad as you state. I walked to apartments 3-5 blocks north of campus with friends and never felt unsafe. But now? It’s even better. USC has more security patrols and cameras, LAPD has cleaned up the gang problem to non-existant, and there’s a ton more housing.
I worked for USC Housing as a student and after the riots, they had to lay off staff because students didn’t want to live near campus, by 2005 we were turning people away in droves. Now, almost all students live within walking distance, some in luxury buildings. The university is building a new mixed use complex that will house many students as well as a Trader Joe’s, Target and more.
Is USC’s neighborhood like Beverly Hills? No, but it’s also not dangerous.
Naïveté is not the same as safety. Did they get rid of the armed guards, gates, and surveillance cameras? I visited once in around 2005 and I failed to see the changes you are talking about. Building new buildings does not make an area safer. Accepting more students so a greater proportion of students live off-campus does not make it safer. Building a wider fence would make it safer. The OP can choose which advice to take or not to take, but I would visit and take a walk outside campus at midnight before I made a choice.
I’m a Trojan so I’m highly biased. I attended in the late 80s and my friends and I having been season ticket holders to SC football for years. The neighborhood has changed, for the better. If you are sitting on a full ride to USC, you have a golden ticket that many would die for. The Trojan family is real and our passion for our school and helping fellow alum is legendary.
I live on the east coast and I’ll admit that a lot of people get USC confused with “the other USC” down south. But once they hear that it’s the University of Southern California, they are impressed. I can’t speak about Rice. I would reference each school’s 4 and 6 year graduation rates, the size of the endowment, the freshmen retention rate, as well as Forbes and US News rankings. I don’t know about Rice but USC is viewed favorably.
Finally, schools like Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, Notre Dame, and USC, to name a few, are both strong academically and have legendary sports programs that unite the student body and alumni. Don’t take this point for granted. I was on a cruise with my family a few years ago and was wearing my USC cap. An older passenger saw my hat and his first question was, “who was the quarterback when you went there?” Our school was the common currency that bonded two strangers debarking a port somewhere in the Caribbean. It was a cool moment.
Best of luck.
To everyone asking, yes the gap between Duke and Georgetown is not actually that big. My parents gave me the Duke numbers while assuming I would RA sophomore-senior year (one of our friends does), and they could cover at least 5 semesters. Duke would be 57k/yr while Georgetown is currently 63k/year (this is just room and board). My parents aren’t being very direct with how much loans that would equal (they just say “we’ll manage”).
@mom2and I have no idea. I stopped researching Georgetown after I got the COA. I know that I will be in a better position to get work with “just” a bachelors if it is from Georgetown. They do have five year BSFS/MSFS avaibile though, and I think they would keep your undergraduate price for the fifth year. It’s something I can look into but if my parents are actually considering this as a real option they really should have told before April 29. I like to research and like… now I’m pressed for time.
Regarding USC’s campus, I think it’s safe-ish. Safe as any other urban campus anyway. They have police for like a 5 mile radius patrolling corners and the area immediately around it is full of students and luxury housing. A little on the way side is a working class Hispanic neighborhood. I didn’t go around a lot when I was there but I mean I didn’t see anything too sketchy. My mom said she was surprised by the safety. As someone pointed out, I can probably now afford to live in one of the more up-scale apartments if I feel I need it.
@menloparkmom @redpoodles Honestly I am just so confused now. The money is a big draw and there are nice programs at USC. I think my parents are offering the other more expensive options to give an illusion of choice but really want me to go to Rice. I see it’s pros – at least it will break even with my college fund and has the Baker Institute which is a pretty good public policy think tank that has close ties with the school and it’s close to home. Rice does not have anymore of a name than USC but I guess it’s big enough in Texas and educated people my parents know think it’s good. At the same time, I like the opportunities provided by USC’s large liveliness (though they really should not expand undergrad pop anymore). A USC prof emailed me (was contacted to talk to me via Admissions Office) yesterday basically telling me to come and it was very personal and nice. I emailed him back asking more about programs and grad school/job placement and hopefully he will reply with something I can tell my parents! If they make me go to Rice I will be okay but I just won’t feel there was any real reason to.
“Regarding USC’s campus, I think it’s safe-ish. Safe as any other urban campus anyway”
Georgetown is an urban campus, and I will let my kids apply there … I have said enough to clear my conscience, though, so good luck, whichever you choose.
@wherezwallace Rice and USC have comparable graduation an retention rates, although Rice has an edge in endowment and USNWR rankings and is way ahead on the Forbes rankings (wow didn’t know Forbes was so different from USNWR).
@Daddio3 Look at the crime statistics. They have dropped precipitously since 1991 because of the armed security and cameras. To say USC is more dangerous than other urban colleges is grossly misleading.
@peppermintgum Yes, it’s a very difficult decision, but that’s only because you have so many amazing options! As a proud USC alumna, I think going to LA would be a fine choice. It’s a vibrant campus and city. I think the fact that it’s a large school is good in that there are so many clubs, organizations, sports, groups to join. I joined the Trojan Marching Band, and had 200 friends before classes started. I also met life long friends in my residence hall. I felt challenged through Thematic Option, and was even inspired to take a second major, Classics.
That being said, again, you have 4 amazing schools to choose from. Try not to stress too much because you really can’t go wrong.
@trojanchick99, here is my only response – an article from 2013: “USC Mislabels Sexual Assault To Keep Crime Numbers Low, Clery Complaint Says”. You should just let it go and we will agree to disagree.
Ya know, there are rapes that have happened in the last few years at Stanford, and I dont see alums going online on CC to try and dissuade newly accepted students from going there…
You went to USC in the bad old days- a long, long time ago. Sorry it was not a good experience for you but why dont you let it go?
sheesh… 8-|
The LA Times. Yeah, but Stanford isn’t covering them up like USC and Occidental. And they are covering them up so the other crimes combined with them don’t add up to the overall crime stats being bad.
I posted it for me, as well as for the OP – because I won’t sit by while people post that it is all better now. But I have said enough, which is why I posted already that I have let it go, so quit calling me out if you want the discussion to stop. I have more …
DS lived north of campus his sophomore year and east of campus, in the “sketchy” area his last 2 years along with 6 other students in one house. Never had a problem. But there WILL be more new campus housing built by the time you are a Jr, so yeah, you could live in very nice USC owned apts all 4 years if you like.
“people post that it is all better now”
NO ONE said it is ALL better now. We all said it has IMPROVED. Is it perfect? no.
there is a difference between “all better” and the following…
“The neighborhood has changed, for the better”
“Look at the crime statistics. They have dropped precipitously since 1991 because of the armed security and cameras.”
" that must be a long time ago. The area has improved. For my daughter who was there 2008-2012, nothing was stolen from her. No laptop, no bike, no car, no break in. I kind of expected something from what I’ve read online but zip."
I’m done with this topic…