<p>Hi, so I'm planning on majoring in IR at either Oxy or USC, and i don't know which school would be a better fit. What makes Oxy stand out, do students feel claustrophobic at such a smaller school, and what makes IR at Oxy so unique? Oxy does seem more academic than USC, but USC also has major connections, which might be important if I do IR? I might also end up doing something business related, and Oxy doesn't have any business programs, right? I received around the same amount of merit scholarship from both schools, so money isn't a factor.</p>
<p>Thanks muchos!</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I was thinking about applying to USC as well, but I decided that I liked other schools better because the large (HUGE) size of USC means little-no individual attention and huge classes. Though a lot of people haven’t heard of Occidental College, graduate schools and employers definitely know that it’s a good school (hate to pull out the Obama card, but…). I think if you want to go into the sciences, USC would be great as it is a research university. However, you seem to be drawn to IR like me 
(if we go to Oxy I may be in your classes!), and Oxy appears to have a great IR program, with the possibility of a UN internship and broad range of study abroad programs and whatnot.
Either way you go, it’s all about what you make of it; these are simply my opinions. You’ll be in a great school in LA either way, so you’ll probably be able to make plenty of connections no matter what :)</p>
<p>I’m still trying to decide between Oxy and Scripps College in Claremont, but I think I’m leaning towards Oxy. I’m going to visit them both in a few weeks, so hopefully that will help finalize my decision. Good luck finalizing yours! :)</p>
<p>Just a side note- Oxy is definitely stronger in science than USC. Although USC is its own research university, they do not provide too many opportunities for undergrad research. Also, Oxy students are able to utilize Cal Tech for classes not offered at Oxy.</p>