<p>Hey everyone! I’ve been reading these forums for a long time, but I’ve finally decided to join so that I can get some help with a difficult decision.</p>
<p>I’ve been accepted to both the Ohio State University and the University of Southern California and am having trouble deciding where to go. On the one hand, OSU would cost about $27,000 whereas USC would cost about $35,000 (including room and board and scholarships for both, and OOS for both). I have visited OSU and I loved the campus, the honors program, city, and general friendliness of the people. I have not been able to go to LA to visit USC, but I have applied to the Freshman Science Honors Program and the school in general is ranked much higher than OSU. I plan on double majoring in biology and Spanish (being pre-med), but in all honesty I am not 100% sure of any of my future plans.</p>
<p>*Note that weather/location/sports is not really a factor since I consider both to be fine for me with regards to those subjects.</p>
<p>Please give me your input and help me figure out what I should do. Thanks!</p>
<p>Go to Ohio State. I’m not just saying that because I’m partial, either. It’s cheaper, and if you want to go to med school you should go to the cheapest school you can. Plus, it sounds like you really liked Ohio State whereas you’ve never been to USC. If I were you I would choose OSU, personally.</p>
<p>It’s The Ohio State University hands down imho. Granted USC is also a great (private) school, it is a much smaller institution in terms of campus size and overall operation. At TOSU, we have the best facility in the country when it comes to state-of-the-art Thompson Main Library, best student Gymnasium at RPAC, best spanking new Student Union, the $1.2 billion expansion of OSU Medical Center, as well as way more undergrad majors and prestigious graduate departments than USC. In addition to the most experienced and respected College President in the country - Gordon Gee, the school is also currently undergoing the $300 million dormitory renovations and the transformational Campus Master Plan by Sasaki Associates. Last but not least, when it comes to the reknown faculties:</p>
<p>Another thing to consider with both OSU and USC is the potential of each school to continue to rise in price. If your scholarships are fixed for both schools, USC might end up costing you a lot more in the long run because most private schools tend to raise their tuition/fees/housing costs more frequently than do public schools.
Also, location should be a huge deciding factor for you. Your school’s network will be strongest in its regional area. Do you see yourself wanting to stay in So Cal after college or the Mid West(of course this is assuming you seek employment instead of graduate school upon finishing undergrad)?</p>
<p>Lastly, if you’re really torn between each school, you should invest a couple of hundred of bucks and fly out to LA to vist USC. Those hundred bucks could save you thousands.</p>
<p>The one thing I am curious about is if you have other school options. What is your state flagship? What other schools did you apply to? After scholarships, do you have a cheaper alternative to these two schools? I’m not sure if you’re family is financially well off that you won’t be getting into debt, or adjusting your parent’s lifestyle, but I think getting into debt, $27K a year for OSU, is A LOT of money. That’s over 100K for all four years, and if you plan on taking out loans for that you can expect your payments to be over 700 month for decades to come. $700 a month out of your future salary will be a huge burden.</p>
<p>@liek0806: I do have less expensive, in-state options, however I’m not interested in them. My parents are willing to cover the cost of each of these schools, but USC would be more difficult.</p>
<p>Don’t go to USC without having visited it, first.</p>
<p>If you’re seriously considering it, you need to visit… if it’s too expensive or difficult to visit, maybe that’s a sign that going there is too much of a hardship. (How will you afford to visit home for the holidays?) You need to add travel costs to the overall costs of attendance, and also that LA is significantly more expensive than Columbus. </p>
<p>I’ll also note that most people change their majors at some point, and you probably will, too. So don’t base your college choice on a single program.</p>
<p>Not telling you which one to attend, just some things to consider.</p>
<p>You need to visit USC! The best time is the accepted student events, but even a weekend visit is better than none. Make the investment in time and money and do it. Your college experience is too important to make that decision site-unseen.</p>