<p>Which is the better option academically and in the job market?</p>
<p>They are both really good but i would have to go with Michigan; especially if you want to do business.</p>
<p>i need feedback, please I am having a difficult time deciding. I like them both and need insight to both schools from a difference sources.</p>
<p>I don't know much about USC, but I think of it as rich white kids. that's probably a misconception, but I'm sure there's some truth to it. regardless, michigan is all about diversity, and ann arbor is full of chill, liberal, borderline-hippie people.</p>
<p>as far as academics go, michigan beats USC by only a couple spots in the rankings, but michigan holds international status as one of the best universities around.</p>
<p>USC is in a rough neighborhood, though really, if you just follow common sense, you'll be fine. It's not <em>that</em> bad even if some people make it seem that way. And no, it's not just full of rich kids. It's actually a hard school to get into. Which school is better depends on what you want to study. MIT is a super good school, but you wouldn't want to go there if you want to study Literature. See what I mean?</p>
<p>USC IS actually full of rich white kids, trust me, i live in the area, and have several friends who go there. It's a definite love-hate relationship for most people; either you love the school, or you hate it. It has a huge reputation for kids getting in based on connections; not to say many, many smart kids aren't accepted, but legacies are given an enormous boost. A friend of mine applied a day after the deadline last year with an 1850 SAT, but was accepted bc her dad is a huge donor. The student body is (generally speaking, of course), very stuck-up, earning them the nickname of "the beautiful people," throughout the state. If you ask many people what USC stands for, they will immediately answer with "the University of Spoiled Children!" The school will get you connections after graduation though, and LA is a great city for young job-seekers. I often wonder though why SC focuses more on connections, instead of attaching a real-world mentality to what they teach.</p>
<p>To me, Michigan is a much safer bet. USC is really only known for its academics in CA, and in select areas across the country where more educated people reside. Michigan has a very global approach, however. Case in point: A few weeks ago, upon talking to a friend of mine from New Zealand, I told her I'd been accepted at Mich. She immediately replied with: "wow, isn't that one of the top schools in the states?" Michigan absolutely thrives on diversity; in fact, over 70% of the student body voted to keep affirmative action in the admissions process this year (though it was eventually banned by the state), to maintain the diverse atmosphere. Michigan has over 400,000 living alumni, and one of the most helpful alumni networks in the world. Ann Arbor is much nicer than south-central LA (which IS a rough neighborhood, my friends say they refuse to go many places off campus past 10 pm, bc muggings past that hour are not uncommon; when driving past the campus last 4th of july, there were firecrackers going off on the street corners). However, Michigan is a completely different climate than LA, so be prepared for snow instead of 70 degree yr-round temps.</p>
<p>Overall, you really can't go wrong with either, but I think Michigan will be a much more fulfilling choice, and the fact that the vast majority of their depts. are ranked among the top 10 in the nation solidifies that point. Good luck!</p>
<p>I would go with USC. Isn't their alumni network supposed to be one of the best? USC is not only known in California and surrounding areas.</p>
<p>If your dad is a huge donor to virtually any college in America, you will get in. That's not a very meaningful anecdote.</p>
<p>George W. Bush's rich father got him into Yale with an almost identical SAT score to that one.</p>
<p>bandtenhut: not so much true; comparing the former president to your normal big-donor is pretty different lol. i have a friend who had a 2100 SAT who was rejected from Cornell as a double-legacy, who's dad was also a big-donor. USC places more emphasis on legacies than perhaps any school in the country; a very, very political admissions process, in other words.</p>
<p>jdlex: ask any educated, successful person which school has a better global reputation, and they will without a doubt tell you Michigan. Even in SoCal, many people have no idea that SC is more than "a football school"...it is often overshadowed by UCLA in academics, rightfully or wrongfully so.</p>
<p>George Bush Sr. was not President in 1964. He wasn't even a congressman yet.</p>