<p>It depends on the career you train for. There is no way my daughter will be rich (wealthy) making a living as an Occupational Therapist. Perhaps “rich” in other ways, but not in a monetary sense. Comfortable, maybe. But even that depends on where she ends up living. For the amount of money it would take to get her OT degree at USC, it’s really not worth what she’ll be earning in the end. Sure, there are plenty of majors (colleges within USC) that will train students to work in a field where they will end up very well off. But, then Cal Poly can do that for engineer and architectural majors for half the price.</p>
<p>**QUOTE:</p>
<p>“If you want to be smart go to UCLA, if you want to be rich go to USC.”</p>
<p>I would have to agree with that assesment. **</p>
<p>Maybe I don’t know enough about UCLA, but do they have something resembling Thematic Option or the science honors program or the BA/MD program? I am also wondering about whether there is equivalent ease for completing minors or double majors, some might see as contributing to a student’s intellectual vitality.</p>
<p>It’s more like if you want to get lost in overcrowded classrooms go to UCLA, if you want to be personally challenged by your professors go to USC</p>
<p>Interesting perspective on the UC system from a UCLA graduate…</p>
<p>The University of California built its reputation in the 60 and 70’s based on its focus on research. It recruited top research oriented faculty and built top notch graduate programs. Undergraduate education was never the focus of the UC system - this was reserved for the Cal State system, however, the reputation built over the years in the research arena spilled over to the undergraduate program. The assumption being that there was a trickle down effect where high profile faculty working in cutting edge fields would provide a rich environment for undergraduates. This never happened. The “publish or perish” model prevalent at the UC"s prevented faculty from spending time with undergraduates. For many years, most undergraduate classes were taught by graduate students. Now large lectures are taught by faculty (though the high profile faculty remain in their research labs tucked away from undergraduates), and smaller labs are taught by graduate assistants like myself.</p>
<p>As rankings began to make their appearance, a major factor in the ranking was the schools reputation. In academic circles, the UC’s were enjoying a very high rating due to its history in the research arena (though this has slipped over the years), which helped in the perceived value of the undergraduate programs (again the assumption that the top research and graduate programs trickled down to the undergraduate programs). This perception drove record numbers of California students to apply to the UC’s, while at-the same time, the UC system began reducing the total number of slots for in state students. These factors coupled with a record high number of college bound students created a misleadingly high selectivity ratio - further enhancing the perception of the UC system as an “elite school system.”</p>
<p>The hard reality is that the UC’s provide a very modest and un-spectacular undergraduate education. The essential elements that create an environment for true transformational education - personal attention by top notch faculty, intense - extended focus on subject areas, mentor based - hands on - personal research and investigation are not possible across the majority of the student body.</p>
<p>I just graduated this last May from the Marshall School of Business at USC with a concentration in corporate finance. Although I have lived in Los Angeles my entire life, I would love to work in either Hong Kong or Shanghai. I can speak both Mandarin and the Shanghai dialect fluently; furthermore, I can also read and write Chinese. </p>
<p>I am passionate about the sports entertainment business (primarily the NBA) so ideally, I would love to work for a sports marketing/branding firm. I know there’s not a huge market for that in Asia but there are many companies such as IMG with office locations in Hong Kong. </p>
<p>My question is actually two fold, and I would really appreciate it if someone with genuine insight could answer.</p>
<p>1) I’ve heard that the USC degree is looked pretty favorably upon in Asia especially in Hong Kong. But from an employer perspective, is it more like a “Wow, pretty good school!” or a “HOLY ****! Let’s interview him ASAP!”</p>
<p>2) What would be your best advice in trying to land a job in HK or Shanghai? I’ve been applying to countless jobs in the Los Angeles area and to say the least, the process has been futile and rather demoralizing. How’s the job search process in HK/Shanghai? Is it ALL done online like it is in Los Angeles, or do employers in Asia welcome and seriouslly consider resume drops and knocking on doors?</p>
<p>Thank you for your time, and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>USC is a state school, nothing more, nothing less (UCLA & Berkely too.) Though it might have lots of regional credibility, in the end it is still a state school.</p>
<p>Im not saying that any of this is either good or bad, however people in all 50 states view their local regional state schools as really awesome and above average places of academia… every one of these 100’s of schools is a special unique snowflake, just like all of the others.</p>
<p>When BowTieFratty writes “state school”, does he mean a public university? Or does he mean a school whose prestige is largely limited to the state in which it’s located?</p>
<p>Even die-hard USC fans will agree the latter is absolutely false with respect to Berkeley.</p>
<p>All of the prestigious ‘public schools’ are part of a system of other public schools (UT-Austin; UNC-CH, Michigan, etc.), except for maybe UVA. In front of Berkeley (which you spelled wrong) is UC. Hence, it’s full name is UC Berkeley, same thing with UCLA. Additionally, even though UVA isn’t part of a system, it says The University of Virginia; ‘Southern California’ isn’t a state in the US, so it wouldn’t be a public school anyway.</p>
