<p>I am stuck! I have to choose between Notre Dame or USC....anyone have any thoughts?</p>
<p>Tough call... Two schools with great tradition. A few differentiating factors:</p>
<p>Weather - There's nothing like a crisp fall day, the brilliant color of turning leaves, the aroma of a hundred sizzling tailgate grills, and the pennants fluttering at the House that Rockne Built... or a pleasant spring morning, with flowers bursting forth, and ducks paddling around the lake in the middle of ND's beautiful campus. Unfortunately, what occurs in between is a South Bend winter. :( The edge on this one has to go to USC (unless you are big on changing seasons).</p>
<p>School Spirit - both USC and ND have great spirit, but very few schools seem to form the "bond" between student and university like ND. This is evidenced by ND having perhaps the most committed alumni of any school. Evidence includes the very high percentage who contribute (always among the top 2 or 3) and strong Domer networking. Edge - ND.</p>
<p>College Town - neither USC nor ND are in a traditional college town. The environments are quite different, though, and your preference may help your choice.</p>
<p>Reputation - Both schools are well known. ND is ranked somewhat higher, but I certainly wouldn't base a decision on a few places in an arbitrary ranking scheme. Notre Dame has somewhat better name recognition on a national basis, although depending on your field of study USC might have an edge (e.g., communications). Regional differences exist, too, in the density of alumni and potential networking opportunities.</p>
<p>Have you visited both schools? Program differences may guide your choice, too, if you have decided on a course of study. Good luck, there's no way you can go wrong with these two.</p>
<p>Don't forget the Catholic thing. It could be an important consideration.</p>
<p>"The Catholic Thing"...jeez, you make us sound like Moonies!</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>I want some opinions on this too, I am in the same boat. These are my top two schools, USC w/ the Trustee.</p>
<p>I think that Rudy was a short dude that sucked at football. </p>
<p>I also think that I would never want to live anywhere in Indiana, because, well, aside from the Dakotas I can think of very few more boring places.</p>
<p>I also think that California is expensive.</p>
<p>I also think that USC's networking is just as strong as Notre Dame's and if you ever want to end up anywhere on the West or Southwest, that USC is stronger by far.</p>
<p>I also think USC students could give the drunk Irishman sterotype a run for its money (and I can say that because I am Irish!)</p>
<p>And lastly, I think that anyone who would consider turning down a trustee scholarship for anything other than an ivy is absolutely crazy and should go to ND. We don't need ya.</p>
<p>Do you want to be in rural Indiana or southern California-- with access to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica (and other beaches)... Los Angeles is just a cool place to be. You could always take road trips to San Fran or San Diego.... Las Vegas is four/five hours from around LA.</p>
<p>The actual location of USC (south-central LA) is actually not that bad-- it's definitely overhyped in terms of a "danger" quotient. Being in California is cool. Being in Southern California and at USC is very, very cool. </p>
<p>ND is such a great school, but you can't overlook the location. If you want to go around in sandals and shorts and visit the beach, go to 'SC. If you want to don your snow gear and brave Indiana winters for months... have fun at ND.</p>
<p>Yeah, thanks guys, I've visited both schools, I'm irish myself, but that obviously has no part in my decision.</p>
<p>One thing tha tgives USC an edge is that I was accepted to the Business school, and I could minor in Music Industry, which is top at USC....</p>