<p>I was just admitted to Cornell and USC. Thing is, I'm finding it pretty hard to decide which one to attend.</p>
<p>I'm going to study Computer Science, and I am really interested in Game Design and game development in general, I think that's where my career is going to.</p>
<p>Right now I am leaning more towards USC for this reasons:</p>
<p>-warmer weather (I don't enjoy cold >.<)
-great game design program (ranked #1)
-Los Angeles, home of a lot of great game developer companies
-I like the fact that people from USC seem to love it</p>
<p>but I am also considering Cornell because:</p>
<p>-it's an ivy league
-it has more prestige
-it seems to have a stronger CS program
-I think people @ Cornell would be more of my type than people @ USC</p>
<p>In my opinion the first 2 arguments for Cornell are kind of irrelevant, USC does have a strong CS program too and I am sure I'd still find people of my type at USC.</p>
<p>I would be happy if you could try to convince me to go to USC, Cornell or just give your opinion on the subject</p>
<p>I know that no doubt you’ll be happy at USC. When I was asking people about Cornell last year on here, they said the location isn’t the best (snowy and isolated). They’re both expensive and would probably offer the same amount of aid, Cornell probably not. I’m going to USC, so I’m biased I would say Trojans all the way b/c I’m from CA and it would be my choice in a situation like yours since going to NY wouldn’t be a plausible option. Fight on! x)</p>
<p>Cornell’s general computer science program is higher ranked than USC’s, but the Ivy League schools get ranked at the top of everything just because they are Ivies. I’m sure the the program has great quality, but no one is better at game design than USC. If that is the specialized field you are looking into, you should definitely attend USC. You will also have so many more alumni connections and internships in game design in LA.</p>
<p>Also, Cornell is not that prestigious. In fact, it is sort of the joke of the Ivy League. When compared to the other Ivies, it’s acceptance rate, median test scores, etc. don’t even come close. It has an admittance rate of 18%, putting it on a level with schools like Johns Hopkins, WUSTL, and even USC, which admitted around 18% this year as well. Presitge shouldn’t really be a factor here. USC is a great school with a good reputation. Also, I have visited Cornell. I didn’t like the atmosphere at all. It has the same “We’re the best” attitude of the other Ivies except it’s clearly not as good.</p>
Ummmm. No. The Ivies get ranked at the top because unlike USC, they have strong faculty and resources in nearly every department they offer. USC has managed to use its location and wealth to lure students, but it still lags most elite universities significantly in terms of academic strength.</p>
<p>A low acceptance rate and a few token Nobel laureates hired to look good impress nobody except kids who don’t know better. USC is probably better for game design since film and the arts are where it shines, but Cornell is overall a much better university.</p>
<p>Nice try. My father attended both Harvard and Princeton and can attest that both his educational quality and social experience was better at Carnegie Mellon. They are overrated and only have the prestige they do because of their endless connections. Sure, going to an Ivy WILL get you a fantastic job. That doesn’t mean your education is any better. And Cornell is at the bottom of the Ivies, and hardly anyone (including employers) consider it to be in a class with any of the other Ivies.</p>
<p>as a CS student at USC, i will say its very good. tons of my classmates are getting jobs at large companies (google, microsoft, etc.) or are getting into large/prestigious grad schools. there is a lot of great research going on here and we have great faculty, its just that it takes time to build a reputation. We even build the first quantum computer chip recently and it was done collaboratively with CS, EE, and physics faculty. Also, many CS/EE students are beating other large colleges in areas of CS like robotics, AI, etc. i say its a toss up between the two. They are both great and you will do well after you graduate from both. However i would like to say that the CS program at USC is tough, tougher than many others. It requires at least 6-7 math classes (3 are disguised as CS or EE classes) and there is a lot of theory involved, so a lot of people tend to drop out of it since its difficult and they expect more of a software engineering type of education. good luck with your choice. you’re lucky to have these options, like i said, no matter where you go you are going to get a great education.</p>
<p>momof2happyboys, many of my S1’s friends are seniors in the CompSci (Games) major. They have multiple job offers. So many are now making their very tough decisions where they would like to be (EA, Riot Games, Microsoft Games, Activision, etc etc) it is truly possible that they will all have great (not just any) jobs before graduation. </p>
<p>I even predict that in just a few more years, it may get near impossible to be admitted to the program.</p>
<p>@madbean, thanks a lot!
My family heard a lot of great things about this CS/Game program from the department or USC’s blog, so your inside info is really important to us for decision making.</p>
I would say Trojans all the way b/c I’m from CA and it would be my choice in a situation like yours since going to NY wouldn’t be a plausible option. Fight on! x)</p>