Is it really worth it??

<p>laloooji, I’m not sure why you’d “have to” assume the same off-campus living expenses in different cities. Some cities are more expensive than others, often by quite a bit.</p>

<p>jazz: sorry, I was doing it more as a comparison between UCLA and USC - so just the living expenses in LA</p>

<p>I see. I believe you will find private apartments (not the big institutionalized ones - they are expensive everywhere) to be much cheaper in the USC neighborhood than in Westwood. Just make sure you do your homework before assuming. (And this may even be taken into account in the two schools’ COA estimates - if I recall, UCLA budgets more for living expenses than USC.)</p>

<p>Something else to consider in Westwood other than rent, it’s much easier to spend/go out and eat, etc. in the Villlage. At USC, you kind of need to plan to go out to Hollywood, Downtown, etc.</p>

<p>If you are doing medicine, one important piece that should be part of your decision is to check on placements in med school.</p>

<p>texaspg: Are you referring to placements in med school from USC to USC Med school or in general USC to any med school? Not sure where to get this info…</p>