Make Me Want USC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>It's April so a lot of seniors are stressing out over where they are going to choose to go to school. My situation is no different!</p>

<p>I live on the East Coast and have ALWAYS wanted to move to California. I got into USC, but I also got into a few good schools on the East Coast (Johns Hopkins being my best option). Everything just points me back to Hopkins despite the fact I WANT to go to USC very badly.</p>

<p>So my question is: why should I go to USC over Hopkins? Please give me a reason!</p>

<p>*I am going to be premed
*My financial aid ended up making USC about $10,000/year more than Hopkins</p>

<p>Thank you so much for reading this and helping me out!</p>

2

<p>AdriaO,
Do you mean it will cost $10,000 more per year to enroll at SC?</p>

3

<p>Yes :frowning: </p>

<p>Although I am applying to scholarships, the financial aid package for USC ended up being approx. 10,000 more than JHU per year. </p>

<p>Also it would be expensive for travel expenses and such, as JHU is about 30 minutes away and USC is 6 hours via plane. :(</p>

4

<p>I just want to be careful how I am presenting myself. I know everything I’m saying is pointing in the direction of JHU, but like in my heart (cheesey, I know) I feel like I would be happier at USC.</p>

5

<p>It will be very hard for me to pass up JHU if I were in your situation.</p>

6

<p>Pre-med? As much as I love USC with all my heart and can totally relate to the cheesy feelings you have, I think you should go to Johns Hopkins.</p>

7

<p>same here. JH is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and as excited as i am to go to usc, i think you should choose JH (based on finances alone)</p>

<p>if possible you should visit both campuses during their school hours and see how you “fit” and then make your decision</p>

8

<p>Finances should be your first concern. Personally I would not go to JH for undergraduate. I too am pre-med and JH has a better program, but you have to sacrifice a lot more. My friends that go there say it is sooo cutthroat and there is no social life there. Both schools offer plenty of opportunities, but it is how you utilize them. When I visited SC, I met one of the most respected professors at the school. I was proactive and started talking to him about everything. I briefly explained why I want to go into medicine and he truly admired my passion and even said that he will help me along the way and that he has connections to med school. That basically sealed the deal for me and I am probably going to SC over CAL (which also is very prominent in pre-med). If school spirit and the social atmosphere is important, I strongly suggest leaning towards SC.</p>

9

<p>Adria0! I am in the same sitaution as you. I’m deciding between Hopkins & USC for premed! Part of me wants to go to USC but the other part knows that Hopkins is a great school. :frowning:
[Except my tuition at Hopkins is cheaper but I’m nowhere near the east coast so traveling to&from USC would be way cheaper. :frowning: so financially the two schools even out.]</p>

<p>and I heard Hopkins was super serious academically but I talked to a friend who is going there and she said that it’s really not as “cutthroat” as everyone says it is and there is definitely a social life there if you want one. Some students just choose not to be as social; however, she did admit that if you went to Hopkins, you had to be willing to study. After hearing all about what Hopkins is like in reality, I have absolutely no clue where I’m going now. :(</p>

10

<p>Keep in mind that there’s always grad school & career opportunities later in the future at the West Coast. And JOHNS HOPKINS! That’s all I have to say.</p>

<p>But I totally understand your feelings about wanting to go to USC.
But also, would you rather be greatly in debt with loans after graduating after 4 years?
(Those $10,000 will end up to be mostly in loans, I’m assuming?)</p>

11

<p>Wow glad to see that someone is in thes same boat as me, Sara. </p>

<p>I guess it’s just the change of scenery that I’m wanting. Hopkins is like 45 minutes away from my house. For some reason I feel like USC would be like a different world for me, an adventure if you will.</p>

12

<p>If you’re still looking for reasons to to to USC and can’t think of any yourself… maybe it’s not the right place for you? =/</p>

13

<p>Change of environment, outside of the colleges, should definitely be a factor. East coast is nice, but we offer beach, mountains, desert, urban/suburban, Knotts/Disneyland, Hollywood, LA, Lakers/Clippers, and USC football. Probably missing a bunch.</p>

<p>Sorry to make your decision harder, haha. Good luck choosing.</p>

14

<p>The best reason to go to USC is that it’s not 45 minutes away from home! As a parent speaking, I will say that college is more than an academic experience - far more, in fact. USC would give you an unforgetable experience socially and culturally. I don’t know enough about JH so will refrain from commenting on the academics, but I suggest you look into med school acceptance rates from both schools, grade trends, etc.</p>