A very nice problem to have! If your LL is from HYPC it would be a bit harder, but for any of the others I’d go west in a heartbeat. If your interest is engineering, that would make USC even more attractive.
I would only add that you might want to think worst-case…what if your parents suddenly need that money for something else catastrophic? How would you pay for school then? What could you do with half the ivy tuition and a USC degree?
As so many have said, it rather depends on your career plans. Did you apply to USC with the expectation of aid and/or a particular advantage? Ditto for the ivy – I am with Miami–250K is just ridiculous for a UG education, regardless of who is paying that amount.
Do you have any thoughts of where you might want to live after graduation? If it the west coast, USC might provide more opportunities in that geography.
If you’re undecided in your major, I would have a hard time paying $250K for my kid. But that’s me…
A lot of really great (and fairly consistent) advice above. The only major/job area I can think of where attending one of the Ivies might have an edge is if you are even considering Wall Street and related jobs, where the reality remains that there is a lot of inbreeding. Sure, there are lots of people from other schools as well, including USC. But on a “per capita basis”, if you will, the Ivies dominate.
Outside of that, I concur with the sentiment of go where it fits best, with a bias towards USC since you indicated that in fact the family is not wealthy and this is saved money. And unlike the one member’s suggestion, I wouldn’t give it to charity, but instead keep it invested and growing so that you maintain the greatest flexibility possible.
You are just starting undergrad. Who knows what you will find and decide once you take some classes. Law school might become a possibility after all. Or you might decide on a business career and, after working for a couple of years, want to try for a Harvard MBA or something similar. Should either of those things happen, or anything similar, you will be very happy you have over $300,000 in savings, most likely by then. Or whatever substantive amount it turns out to be.
Or let’s say you do simply enter the work force after graduation. Do you realize how much more flexibility that kind of money gives you to do what you really want to do with your career instead of sometimes having to take a high paying job you won’t be as happy at? Or let’s be more optimistic. You get a job you love and it pays pretty well. Still, now you want to get a home, or a more reliable car, or… I think you get my point that, IMO with the exception for the Wall Street path noted, the significant advantage lies more in the mid-6 figures in the bank than any prestige that goes with an Ivy, no matter the Ivy. Especially because, as others have said, it isn’t like you are talking Whatsamatta U. USC is one of the top schools in the world, and is widely recognized as such.
Having a daughter who is now successful after graduation from Tulane, where she attended on a full tuition scholarship instead of choosing a couple of Ivies she could have attended, I speak from experience. Her savings for college were not the kind of numbers you are talking about, but they were significant and they are still in the investment account earning away. It grew a lot for her in those 4 years at Tulane instead of in Harvard’s endowment.
One could argue that it’s especially wise to attend an Ivy if one is undecided and will thus use the brand rather than a major to find a job. 
I would take the money and go to USC, unless the Ivy was Dartmouth and my favorite color was green.
I think you have the right idea. Wait and see what other offers you get. What other schools did you apply to?
From a financial returns perspective, your incremental lifetime earnings from an ivy are probably not going to be more than $250k, unless we are talking wall street here. But this is not entirely a money-driven rational decision. A Porsche is probably not a rational purchase, but people part with a large sum of money for it.
My kid got a full scholarship to USC and chose the Ivy instead. Yes we are full pay. The opportunities and people you meet at an Ivy are amazing are worth every penny spent on it and some. USC while a very good school is in a high crime area. It also has a reputation of being where the UCLA rejects from socal go. It is a great place to go if you want to work in the film industry or be a California lawyer or party with kids from Beverly Hills. Its nickname is university of second choice! What was the Ivy you got into? And yes we live in Cal. I have been surprised how many doors an Ivy can open.
That is not true @proudparent26 My kid who was accepted to MIT, Caltech, Cornell and UCB so far will take USC over any UC. She is in love with USC after Explore weekend and it is very high on her list. The area outside of USC is not Brentwood, but many others have the same problem, including Yale.
@proudparent26: that was true 30 years ago.Now,USC is a Top 25 university.
But yes it’s not Ivy/Stanford/MIT level.
The area where USC’s located is irrelevant, since 1° security’s very good and 2° students spend most of their time on campus.
I mean, yes, the “Ivy brand” can open some doors but USC isn’t exactly a slouch in that area, especially if you want to make a career on the West Coast.
What will your parents do with the $250K if they don’t have to spend it on college? Will they give it to you for grad school, for a house, for a car, for savings? Because I’d personally rather go to USC and get $250K (or even $100K) towards my first house or in my savings account than go to an Ivy and have $0.
But if the choice is USC or Ivy and it makes no difference because the money is only for college, then just pick what you like. I’d still lean towards USC, though, because that would relieve a financial burden on my family.
I thought it was University of Spoiled Children. Regardless, I know a few Ivy League grads, and they do not seem to be any more successful because of their degree. My opinion would be that Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Wharton might be worth the premium depending on the kid and the major, but the rest of the schools are not, Dartmouth and green notwithstanding.
Thanks for everyone’s input. USC definitely isn’t as much of a fit, but the money remains a strong incentive. Hopefully admitted days at the ivy will make my decision clearer
It is all about major. I do not think too many employers will get excited hiring engineering graduate from Yale. The brand is not transferable if the major is undeveloped.
Because Columbia, Penn and Yale are in Pleasantville. And it isn’t like you tend to wander too far from College Hill at Brown, although Providence is way better than it was 20 years ago.
I just have to disagree that for most jobs the Ivy title makes a difference, outside of regional bias and, as I said, Wall Street. My D has not seen it at all, she knows she was selected in competition with Ivy graduates for her job with the Department of State. And clearly many people in all federal administrations are Ivy grads. Obviously highly anecdotal. As is the fact that in my long career of hiring many people, I have never given preference to the school the person attended. I have hired my share of Princeton/Dartmouth/etc. grads, as well as a number from Centre and Wofford and Oklahoma State and yes, even one from USC. I have hired three from Tulane, because as an alum I did indeed post positions with the alumni and placement offices there. It got many an interview, only three got jobs. Competition is a tough reality.
Like getting admission to the best medical schools and law schools, I am convinced that Ivy people are always at the top of job success because they were indeed more capable to begin with, on the whole. But as has been shown, an Ivy capable person that graduates elsewhere is statistically as likely to end up at same high level of success as the Ivy grad.
- You are undecided, but what subjects are you interested in? Humanities, history, math, science, English, nursing, business?
- Can you share which Ivy?
- What activities are you interested in outside of class?
- Do you like to be in class with peers or do you prefer to be one of the smarter kids in class? (I have one of each).
- Do you plan to be very involved outside of class?
The more info you can share, the more posters can give you thoughts to consider.
P.S. The comments about a fight have nothing to do with you. It is just that many posters have strong opinions about this issue.
Have you seen West Philly?
Check out the Tommy Cam at USC.
http://web-app.usc.edu/tommycam/
It’s Spring Break this week, so not much action.