<p>I was accepted into both USC and Wharton. I know that as far as ranking goes, Wharton is technically higher than USC, but I am interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Also, I am from Los Angeles, so USC is only about 30 minutes away. For those of you at USC who also came from LA, do you feel like you've had a "true" college experience even though you were so close to home?</p>
<p>No matter how much I love USC if I were you I'd definitely go with Wharton, hands down!</p>
<p>Haha, I'm actually so conflicted. I think the reason I'm seriously considering USC is the fact that I'm a big acting fanatic as well, and the ability to go to a school that is 20 minutes away from Hollywood is great. And there is a lot of networking at USC, which is really good if I were to pursue business in the entertainment industry. Also, I received a scholarship that would really alleviate financial stresses.</p>
<p>That said, Wharton has an AMAZING business program, and it's really hard to turn that down. And I think I might benefit from being far away from home.</p>
<p>Yeah, that was my rant.</p>
<p>Go with USC. Really, with so few undergrad business programs around, the rankings barely matter, and moreover, Wharton's strength is finance. USC Marshall beats Wharton in entertainment easily.</p>
<p>In entertaintment, USC probably excels beyond Wharton. However, in terms of undergraduate business, there is no school better than Wharton.</p>
<p>wharton, by all means. unless money is an issue. but wharton will open plenty doors, even in ent. biz</p>
<p>Go to USC - undergrad. Wharton - grad.</p>
<p>Or the other way around.</p>
<p>cacjr, that doesn't really answer the question. For entertainment, I would probably choose USC.</p>
<p>Do you guys think it is true that there are more entertainment opportunities at USC, or enough to rival the ranking of Wharton? I know it's very connected, but are there significantly more entertainment-related recruiters and is the networking or "Trojan Family" really as strong as it's hyped up to be?</p>
<p>I just want to make sure that I'm well-informed when making my decision. The truth is that I'm leaning towards USC right now, but I want to be educated as possible...</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I would assume that being located in Los Angeles, the film-industry capital of the world, USC would probably have better/stronger connections. Also, many prominent directors (George Lucas comes to mind) are USC alumnis. I have no knowledge of Wharton's entertainment programs but I would presume that USC's are not far behind, if in that position.</p>
<p>please don't pass up Wharton. Wharton will set you up for any opportunity that will arise in ANY industry.</p>
<p>^ Not necessarily true. Just because it is an Ivy and very highly ranked, doesn't mean it is specialized in every field. USC has close ties with Hollywood (business/film) and therefore, is able to perform just as well as Wharton in that respect.</p>
<p>but wharton is wharton. just a fact.</p>
<p>Wharton is amazing at turning out i-bankers. It's a machine. But I'd still put Marshall up over it for entertainment industry jobs.</p>
<p>^ Precisely what I was thinking. It's just a matter of location/industry placement. Specialization is different for all colleges.</p>
<p>I'd go to Wharton for undergrad and then USC for grad school. If you do well at Wharton you'll have a very very good shot at getting into USC for grad school and then you can focus more entertainment buisness. (so you'll get wharton on your diploma for undergrad and then you can make connections when you are older and ready to go into the work force!) Plus, undergrad buisness at USC has a curve and its really tough to get top grades (which could make it hard to go to Wharton for grad). However, either one is an awesome choice. I just think Wharton is pretty hard to pass up. If you would feel more comfortable staying close to home though, than pick USC. And about the acting, you can always pursue that during grad school (and you'll only be like 21/22 so you'll have plenty of time!) Good luck with whatever you chose! Congrats on your awesome choices!</p>
<p>I'd go to Wharton just for the name. When you graduate, if you are really set on being in the entertainment industry, you're probably gonna move back to LA or New York in which it at that point you will be able get an entry level job with a business degree from either school. Once you graduate, you are going to be at the bottom of the ladder until you make connections and establish yourself. But perhaps you have already started making connections because you are in LA. The entertainment world is all about who you know, not what you know, so I think that what's even more important than the school you go to, is what you do outside of school- networking, interning, acting, side projects, etc.</p>
<p>Who knows 4-5 years from now you might want to be an engineer or something...people switch majors all the time. I thought I wanted to be in the music industry, went to USC, now doing economics...don't know where I'm going with it- finance or something, prob end up being a tv/ film composer in the end- it's the only thing I seem to be good at... If I were you, I'd go to Wharton- it's got the name, and the life experiences you will have living on your own away from home will be the biggest learning experience.</p>