Marshall or Viterbi?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>I'm applying to USC but I don't know which major to put down on the Common App: it's either 1) Business Administration or 2) Computer Science.</p>

<p>Here are my reasons for my choices:</p>

<p>1.) Business Administration (Cinematic Arts minor)</p>

<pre><code> I WANT to major in this because:
Marshall is a pretty renowned school for business, and I'm particularly interested in entertainment-business field. They offer a special joint program between Marshall and School of Cinematic Arts called Business Cinematic Arts. It's quite competitive (accepts 50 people) and is different from normal Major in Business and Minor in Cinematic Arts in that it offers an internship in the entertainment industry. (Internship related to film are usually only offered to students in the School of CA.) This looks like a great opportunity, and I wouldn't want to miss it if it really is. Also, I heard the connection in Marshall is good. I think connection is important in deciding where you end up, if it is not everything.

I'M NOT SURE because:
The thing is, I don't know why I want to study business. I did say I was interested in the business side of entertainment industry, but if someone were to ask me, "Why do you want to study that?" I probably couldn't answer. I mean, what do you study in business? I guess some business stuff (e.g. accounting) might be useful in the future but......will this studying this major be fun? Also, the BCA is seems quite competitive; and honestly I probably wouldn't take business alone without that special minor in CA.
(BUT the BCA program is only open to incoming freshmen.)
</code></pre>

<p>2.) Computer Science (General) </p>

<pre><code> I WANT to major in this because:
I'm taking a course called "Intro to Computer Science" and it's my FAVORITE subject. I just can't wait for the teacher to stop talking and start coding my own program. Programming can get frustrating at times, but it's so fun in the sense that it's like a mystery game; you are given clues and you try whatever you think that will get you to the answer. I'm thinking I should seriously consider CS as a possible major, and even a career.
Viterbi has a special program called Progressive Degree Program(only for BS in CS). It allows you to start your Masters studies in your senior year, and I would get my Masters degree faster than usual. HOWEVER, there's the problem of whether I would be accepted into this program or not. (This program is designed for exceptional students.) Or it might be that I want to pursue a Masters in a different major, in a different college, or simply not pursue further degree.

I'M NOT SURE because:

When I realized that computers and programming might be my thing, my initial reaction was, "Oh man." I thought anything related to computers would be the last thing I would choose to major in. Although I'm not tech-savvy or anything, I was good with computers when I was young (I guess everyone is nowadays). My dad's work is IT related, so I guess that had some influence on me. But I hate staring into computer screens for a long time. I also hate sedentary life style (e.g. SCHOOL <---it's not fun to sit around listening to boring lectures). I know this major might get me into big corporations, but I don't think that's what I want. (I know it's hard to get into them, but that's what many people in CS work towards.)

Although I really enjoy my Intro to CS class, it could just be because it's not that challenging. Yes, programming can get pretty complicated and complex at times, but I might like this class simply because it's (relatively) easy.

Same with business, what exactly do I learn in Computer Science? Also, do I need an extensive background in programming? Since I would assume that all the other kids applying to CS would have longer programming experience, would I be at a disadvantage? (Right now I only know basic Python)
</code></pre>

<p>(Supposing that if I were to get into USC)
Do you think I should apply to Marshall /BCA first (since it is only open to freshmen) and then see if I like it or not and if not, switch to Viterbi?
However Marshall and Viterbi are both competitive schools; no one could guarantee that I would get into either if I chose to change majors.
Considering that USC asks for academic interests and asks you to tie it with your major choice, I would have much more to write about with CS. But if I wanted to do something film-business related, I would have to choose Business.</p>

<hr>

<p>(sorry for sounding so wishy-washy but this might be a decision of my life)
So my question is:</p>

<p>Which one should I put down as my first choice? And which one as a second choice?</p>

2

<p>I don’t know your background, so just from reading your post…</p>

<p>I think this is the BCA program you’re looking at. <a href=“Home - USC Marshall”>Home - USC Marshall;
I don’t know if you’ll find studying business fun, but in general business majors study less than engineering majors. So if you want to have more free time, business is your better chance. Having the minor will take more time, but I know someone who did BCA and he had more free time than me (I was CS). However, I wouldn’t pick a major based on this factor.</p>

<p>With the perspective that your major in college largely dictates your future career (at least for sake of discussion) I’m not clear on why you would major in business. The only end goal I see you address is doing “something film-business related”. Do you know what future careers you could have? Do you want to have those jobs?</p>

<p>The end goal for Computer Science is more clear, you will work with software, and you already know you like it. As a career it’s expected to have high demand and high pay for at least the next decade. Business jobs can have high pay, but I don’t know what the demand is. Having good connections, which you’ll get at USC, will help. When it comes to the entertainment industry, I’ve heard it can be hard to get a good job without connections or really working your way up from the bottom. And because there’s so many wanting to get in, the pay is generally lower than CS or Business.</p>

<p>To address some of your CS concerns:

  • There’s no way around staring at a computer screen for a long time if you do CS, but it’s not so bad when you’re focused on doing something.
  • A sedentary life style is more about what you do when you’re not programming. Go out with friends and go on hikes on the weekend or whatever floats your boat.
  • Many CS majors want to go to Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. but many also get involved with or create startups. There’s a whole spectrum of jobs and work environments available to CS grads. </p>

<p>If you’re worried you like CS because you find your Intro to CS class easy, then you should get ahead and try your own more complicated program. Talk to your teacher. I promise that if you major in CS you will have plenty of challenges, which are really good learning opportunities.</p>

<p>Regarding the Progressive Degree Program, it’s actually available for all flavors of CS: CS, CSBA, CSGM, and CECS. It’s also available for most other engineering majors and many majors outside of Viterbi. I did the PDP program and thought it was great to get my masters in less time. PDP for CS accepts almost everyone who applies as long as you meet the requirements, such as having a 3.0+ GPA (you definitely want that no matter what). You could decide in your junior year if you want to pursue that or not.</p>

<p>You could start Business (Cinematic Arts) and if you don’t like it transfer to CS, but then it might take more than 4 years to get your bachelors. Have you looked into CSBA (<a href=“B.S. Program - USC Viterbi | Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science”>Academic Advisement - USC Viterbi | Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science) with a minor in SCA (full list: <a href=“https://catalogue.usc.edu/schools/cinema/minors/”>https://catalogue.usc.edu/schools/cinema/minors/&lt;/a&gt;) ?</p>

<p>I think you should take these more as points of consideration rather than direct advice because I did CS (Games) and lean that way. Hopefully someone can provide a more business leaning perspective. @SCHedgie‌ was around last year and very helpful. I will say the way you describe CS as being fun and you can’t wait to start coding is how I still find it years later. I feel very fortunate to love my job.</p>

3

<p>To answer some of your questions about CS, like what you learn the cs.usc.edu link above, this <a href=“http://viterbi.usc.edu/assets/179/91192.pdf”>http://viterbi.usc.edu/assets/179/91192.pdf&lt;/a&gt; and this <a href=“USC has once again Revamped Computer Science Curriculum - #14 by psydent - University of Southern California - College Confidential Forums”>USC has once again Revamped Computer Science Curriculum - #14 by psydent - University of Southern California - College Confidential Forums; may be helpful.</p>

<p>More than half of entering CS majors have little to no real programming experience, so you’d be in a good position.</p>

4

<p>@psydent Thanks for your advice. After doing some research, I decided to apply for CS. </p>

<p>But is it possible to pursue a minor while majoring in CS(general)? The curriculum seems pretty fixed and no room for much electives. For example, Cinematic Arts minor takes up about 20 credits; even if I were to skip some GE classes with AP credits, how could I possibly squeeze in the minor classes? (based on this <a href=“http://viterbi.usc.edu/assets/179/91192.pdf”>http://viterbi.usc.edu/assets/179/91192.pdf&lt;/a&gt;) </p>

<p>And would it be crazy to apply for Thematic Options (with CS since they are both intense)? I want to skip them because I’ve heard not so good things about writing classes and GE classes. What GE classes did you take and how were they(as in class size, workload)?</p>

5

<p>There’s a BACS program you might wan to look into!</p>

6

<p>Glad I could help. It’s a big decision, definitely think it over.</p>

<p>It’s possible to pursue a minor, but you’d need to work out a plan with your counselor. To graduate in 4 years you might have to take some summer semesters or heavy semesters (18, 19, 20 units), but after freshman year it’s doable. Consider staying an extra semester or getting your masters through PDP. Once you’re at USC, you’ll want to stay longer than 4 years anyway.</p>

<p>People in TO generally seem to only have a little bit more time strain because they’re generally bright students and more interested in it than general GEs. CS and TO should be fine if you’re motivated to do really well.</p>

<p>GE classes are what they are. The best you can do is take ones you’re interested in and then it’s not so bad. Three I’ll mention:
ANTH 263 “Exploring Culture Through Film” is about human society and structure, like tribes. Wasn’t too interested in it but it involved documentaries and is <em>really</em> easy.
EXSC 205 “The Science of Human Performance” is about biology and kinesiology (one lecture on Krebs Cycle is ‘smallest’ we went). Gave a good overview of a lot, and I was really interested. It’s also pretty easy to do well as long as you try. There’s also a cool lab component where you can figure out your energy output levels and stuff.
PHIL 137 “Social Ethics for Earthlings and Others” is about ethical systems and sci-fi. For example, we watched Minority Report in class and had to examine things (privacy, crime, power, etc.). I was really interested in this too, but it was harder than the other GEs.</p>