Is USC a top university?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

Curious as to why USC isn’t listed on CC as a “top university” when it is tied @ #25 in the US News rankings, plus ranked above schools that are on that list, for what it’s worth.

Not only that omission, but seems to be the general thought in parent and kids circles that it’s a great school, just not at the level of others. I loved the campus when we visited with my D last year, plus some of its programs, especially in film, are considered very prestigious. To our surprise, D didn’t jump for joy when the packet arrived in the mail yesterday, just commented that the folder was really nice but wouldn’t consider attending.

Could it be an old perception of the university based on past rankings? USC has climbed in rankings/prestige over the last 10 years, but perhaps not enough to change minds about it?

Thoughts?

2

Yes, we’re up there, but, more importantly, we’re getting better in the long run:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2009/12/13/the-decade-s-hottest-schools.html#slide1

3

"Could it be an old perception of the university based on past rankings? "
BIngo! its the blatant bias of CC’s owners who continue to refuse to revise the list.

4

I don’t believe there’s a bias but this really is a blog platform and not a ranking. Also, USC has only been in the top 25 for the past five years, so we need to sustain or improve our position. Of course, it could also be a simple matter of limited internal IT resources.

5

@menloparkmom has the top colleges list ever changed? If not, I suspect it has more to do with CC’s poor website design and the company’s inability to update its data presentation easily. Too bad that such a helpful site is so horrendously designed.

6

For a lot of people it is considered a cool school, but not a top tier school, that image will take a long time to change.

7

I consistently get the same reaction that I have never been fond of when I say my S goes there. I find people are more impressed that we can afford it than they are with the school.

8

The list has NOT changed one bit in the past 11 years DESPITE multiple direct communications with the Powers that be at CC. And it has nothing to do with the website design- it reflects a conscious decision by the owners of CC.
Pure unadulterated bias based on what USC USED to be like 20+ years ago- thats all it is.

9

If they were business savvy, they would sell advertising based on schools that drive comments. From what I’ve observed, the traffic to this page is very high as compared to most of the other colleges.