Hi everyone! I have gotten to the point where I have received decisions from everywhere I have applied, and have to start thinking about making a decision. My top two at this point are the University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina. Cost for both are very similar for me, so that will not play a role in my decision at this point. I am planning on majoring in something related to business. At South Carolina, I really like the international business program. For Michigan, I have applied to Ross. I am having trouble picking between the two schools. Michigan is instate for me and I live about 20 minutes away, and I do not like that it is that close to home. I do recognize, however, that it is a terrific school. I fell in love with South Carolina’s campus and the idea of attending when I visited, but I do know that it is not ranked as highly as Michigan overall (but it does have a great business program). I am having a tough time coming to a conclusion (I know I have plenty of time), but I would appreciate the thoughts of others on this. Thanks!
South Carolina is actually rated #1 in the country for International business. Here’s the order:
University of South Carolina. Columbia, SC. …
University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. …
New York University. New York, NY. …
Georgetown University. Washington, DC. …
University of California–Berkeley. Berkeley, CA. …
University of Southern California. Los Angeles, CA. …
Florida International University. Miami, FL. …
Fordham University.
@kmmord I know USC is top for international business, however I do not know for sure that that is what I would study, but I am very interested. Umich BBA program is top rated and the job prospects coming out of there are amazing.
Tough decision indeed. As a parent, I’m all about best fit. I have very successful friends who went to all different types of schools. Some of the most successful went to what most would consider “lesser”, non-competitive schools. Your success will be most determined, in my opinion and from my experience, by who you are, not where you go. Have you visited USC yet? Spent any time in the South? I’ve been to both and both are great college towns but have very different vibes. My daughter goes to boarding school in PA and cannot wait to be in a warmer climate with more conservative, preppy kids than she has there. Both have big football, but there is something to be said for the SEC and that whole experience. I would personally want to be further away from home than 20 minutes, but that is very personal. Have you factored in the cost of coming home for holidays and breaks? That could be a consideration. Is it comforting being at a school where you may know more kids going in, meet friends-of-friends and have a lot of other MI students (you’d be the slight majority)? Or would you rather be someplace that is primarily kids from a different state? What is your GUT telling you? That is what you should listen to. A lot of people will tell you that Michigan is higher ranked (which it is) and more selective (of course), but that does not guarantee more success. Where do you see yourself working/living after school? If you plan to stay in the midwest, you may have more networking opportunities if you are a Wolverine. You are very fortunate to have your acceptances–USC is the ONLY one my daughter has gotten back so far and she did all EA!!!
@g8rmomk8ans Thanks! I am aware that Michigan’s overall reputation is better. Both of my parents went to Umich, my sister is there now, and I live about 20 minutes away from campus so I have grown up with it. During my college search, I have been completely against Michigan because I have really wanted to get away and do something different than my family. I found USC when looking at international business as they have the top school for that major. I have visited USC and loved it. Another big draw to the school was the scholarships, and I have received instate tuition at least as of now. I feel as though I will have regrets either way. USC has been my top school for the last year and a half. I love the campus, the city, the IB major, and the school spirit. That being said, I feel as though I will regret not attending Umich because of the rankings and job opportunities that can come from it. Ann Arbor is also a very cool place, but it’s close to home for me and I want to branch out.
You are probably correct in that you will have regrets either way. Is your family being supportive for both schools? If you do choose USC, you could always go to Michigan (or anywhere you choose at that point) for grad school. As I said, I do not feel that your ultimate success will be determined by which school you choose–just your overall experience will differ. If you love USC and it’s been your top choice the last year and a half, that may be your answer. Have you done a list of pros and cons for each? Sometimes writing it down can help. I feel for you–when I was your age, I was deciding between my in-state school (Florida) and Michigan, believe it or not. Both had fantastic architecture programs, but UMich offered me no money and Florida was dirt cheap for me, so that made the decision pretty easy. What I did NOT like was that every single person I met almost without exception was from Florida, which would not be the case for you at either of your schools. I was also two hours from school as opposed to 20 minutes, so I felt like I was more “away”. Staying so close to my hometown would have been a deal-breaker for me, so 2 hours was the closest school I applied to.
My youngest son has not heard back from our in state schools yet, but may find himself facing a similar choice. Choosing a school is such a personal decision. My best friends son is at Michigan State on a full ride, and turned down UVA Honors. My oldest son talked about going to VA Tech for years, but fell in love with USC. where you go as an undergrad really does not dictate your future. You do. It sounds cliche, but it is so true. Name does open some doors, but only some. I have a niece who keeps kicking herself for not attending UVA and instead attending another state school. She said she is embarrassed every time she sails where she went. I can’t imagine how that feels. A bunch of 20 somethings out of school are going to ask where you attended, you need to have school pride.
Your postgraduate work will be much more important in terms of future opportunities. Do you plan for grad school? If so, I would seriously consider the cost as a primary focus for undergrad. So include the travel costs home in your budget. You may be competitive for additional scholarship money from USC…you won’t find that out for a few months,
Good luck with your decision.
@VAMom23 Thanks! I think I should get a couple thousand more from USC. I plan to drive most of the time (except at Christmas) to USC, so I think including travel costs would still be cheaper with travel included.
USC allows freshmen to have cars. Parking on campus is expensive. There are some lots that are cheaper than others. My son’s suite mates have two cars among them, and keep the cars parked off campus. Capstone is near neighborhoods so it is easier to do that. The HC dorm is on the other side of campus (I think). I would strongly recommend going to one of the admitted student information sessions.
You do what makes you happy…plus it is soooo much warmer in SC:)
While you are super lucky to be able to do UMich at instate rates, if USC is the same, and it ticks more boxes for you…go for it!
@VAMom23 I for sure won’t have a car on campus. My parents won’t let me bring one 12 hours away. I am hoping for either honors or capstone.
@VAMom23, we are in NoVa and my DD applied to UVA only because her counselor really pushed her to. Says she would never go there. Did not apply to ANY other VA schools, and we have such good ones! People think she’s crazy but she just does not want to stay in-state. We are happy with her going anywhere she feels is a good fit. I’d love to have her 2 hours away, but she just wasn’t feeling UVA, didn’t like JMU, and doesn’t feel she’d fit in at Tech. Penn State was a consideration until she went to HS in PA and is now wanting to go further south! Seems like SO many kids from our area end up at USC because, like for my daughter, it just “checks all the boxes”.
@g8trmomk8ans I made sure that my older son, who is now a freshman understood that that there would be a ton of non-VA kids…but that they would mostly be from SC and NC. The dorms emptied Labor Day weekend as kids went home for the long weekend after having just showed up for the first week of classes. My son stayed. I was worried that the kids would clear out on weekends, but it seems that they tend to stay, especially due to the strong football culture. His roommate goes home to visit (less than a mile) but comes back to the dorm to sleep. My son has a nice group of friends. Ironically, my son met a kid In High school his senior year who he found out was also attending USC, and they are now really good friends, and will be rooming together next year off campus.
First, congrats on your choices. My son is a freshman in Capstone at USC so I thought I might share my thoughts on you choice. Michigan is a great school and everyone will always recognize it as such, however, ultimately what you become in life is more dependent on what you do and what you learn rather than where you went to school (particularly since most current college students will likely go on to graduate degrees). We are from New England and my son wanted to experience a different climate and culture and found both at USC. Similar to you, he was accepted to UMass Amherst, our state flagship, Ohio Sate(Honors), Case Western and a number of other schools. USC was the last we visited in Feb 2017 after being a bit underwhelmed at Miami-Oxford. As with you, he was given the “at least in-state tuition” which made it competitive with other options. The offer to join Capstone really sealed it for him and for us.
While the first month was a real challenge for him - getting used to being out of his comfort zone, the growth has been very good for him. The school offers fantastic opportunities, he applied and was accepted into the International Business major in the CIFA cohort. He will spend his junior year studying at the University of Paris - Dauphine. The program requires a double major and he is piecing together a minor in philosophy as well. Our sense is that USC is a school on the rise and the business school is in particular. It’s a blessing to have the choices you have earned. It sounds as though you would like to attend USC but you fell “duty - bound” to attend U Michigan due to its academic ranking and your family’s legacy. You seem like like a very smart, engaged student who will do well wherever you attend school. Best of luck to you as you sort it out.
Oh, here is one more factor to consider…please see this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJHL-hZOqnQ
My daughter was faced with the same decision as you 3 years ago. Not sure about you, but she was not an auto-admit to Ross. She chose South Carolina as she was not willing to take on the risk of not getting into Ross and then being unable to study business. She did take the risk about International Business at USC, but it paid off as she was accepted. Some of her deciding factors were being a Capstone Scholar at USC, the merit scholarship from USC, and she generally liked the campus atmosphere better. Good luck! You can’t make a wrong choice.
I am not sure if you have made your decision yet, but one thing to consider that I don’t think has been mentioned yet is where do you want to live after graduation? It may be worth some research to see where grads go from each school after graduation. If, for example, you have your heart set on living in Chicago after graduation, UM might be the better choice. I’m not saying SC doesn’t have students that are employed in Chicago, I am sure they do, but I would think they would have more grads living in Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh and Richmond. Just a thought.
I have decided to attend the University of South Carolina! Go Gamecocks!
Congratulations!!! It sounds like this is what you’ve really wanted all along. I’m sure it’ll be great for you!