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So save your breath on the USC-is-safe rhetoric. Nobody is saying USC is in the worst of ghettos, but if you've seen BOTH places, there would be little doubt to which you'd prefer to send your 17-year-old Indiana-raised son. And stop playing the race card.
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<p>The USC area has a crime rate 1/3 that of UCLA's campus. If the campus is safer than the Westwood neighborhood that borders Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, it seems like it would be a very safe area, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Didn't think we directed the criticism to you:)</p>
<p>So how far from home, or what kind of environment do you think good for a "17-year-old Indiana-raised son"? A little isolated town as West Lafayette? How much confidence do you need to send your son away?</p>
<p>I was not exactly promoting spending 3 times to go to USC. In the end the decision is their family's, and what we can do and should do is just give out our honest opinion and knowlegde without false fact. I think you did it, but others may not.</p>
<p>"the USC area has a crime rate 1/3 that of UCLA's campus"</p>
<p>It is hard for me to believe this, but I did see more homeless people there (and Santa Monica) than near USC. Maybe most of homeless people gone to skid row.</p>
<p>I read that figure in a Daily Trojan article. </p>
<p>It's also on USC's website:
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USC's crime rate is lower than that of most other large research universities located in or near major cities.--Latest available figures show USC's overall crime rate to be lower than that of Stanford or UCLA, and less than half the crime rate of the nation as a whole.
<p>MomofChris, if your son go to law/biz/med school, you may definitely have to pay yourselves. But I don't know many people pay from their pockets to go to grad schools. Either the school pays your tutition and stipend for you to get a Ph.D, or your company pays you to earn a Masters. I actually believe Sam Lee's story except for his conclusion since in most of engineering school those kinds of students mean large chunck of income for the school. USC does this a lot to try to keep financial health and brew relations with local companies. Sam's story tells only one thing: he helped in a student academic misconduct (maybe he is the smarter one in addition?), and has nothing with curriculum rigorous or not. Some of private universities can not afford to give up this income. USC may be in such a hard place between financial reality and being super competitive. I have many friends earned their MBAs the same way from some very prestigous schools, including Chicago.</p>
<p>Where do I begin?
1. The difference between being 2000 miles or 200 miles (and given the size of Indiana, it's probably less than 200) from home? Well, for one, the guy could go home for holidays and the occasional weekend without paying hundreds in airfare. His parents could visit him whenever they want.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What's the relevance of the safety of UCLA? The choice is between USC and Purdue.</p></li>
<li><p>$26,000 more per year (plus thousands in airfare) would be tough to justify even if it were CalTech the guy was thinking of. But $26,000 more per year for USC??</p></li>
<li><p>Plenty of people pay at least part of their way through grad school. And even if he doesn't pay for grad school, I'm guessing this self-described "frugal" lady could find a use for an extra $104,000 (pay off the mortgage, buy a car, pay for another kid to go to college, etc.).</p></li>
<li><p>Every Big-10 campus is a vibrant place with students from all over the country and the world. So it's not some hick town with one stoplight like you probably think it is.</p></li>
<li><p>Even if the neighborhood around the USC campus is 100% safe, the guy is surely going to venture outside of that specific area. And don't tell me that the general area is safer than W. Lafayette...I've been to BOTH places.</p></li>
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And don't tell me that the general area is safer than W. Lafayette...I've been to BOTH places.
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<p>I've been to both places too. Why in heavens name would anyone want to spend four years in West Lafayette (love those midwestern winters) when they could spend four years in LA?</p>
<p>This may come as a shock to you, but not everybody in the world is in love with L.A. I've been there many times, and find it ugly, crowded, & rude. You'd be amazed at how many students from Southern California pay big bucks to go to college in the Midwest and Northeast, where there is plenty of snow. Even movie stars seem to get the hell out of there to live elsewhere these days.</p>
<p>Obviously, you don't fit in LA. You may as well stay in your little town and quit your job as a tour guide 'cauz you may not be good enough for the job:) </p>
<p>Not saying everyone should love LA, but using a bit of college time to find out what kind of the life you want other than your hometown's is not bad choice by any means. Being venturous, being curious, and being open-minded is what being young. </p>
<p>Being in LA is safe if you want it safe. I truly don't understand how do your people from little town think we survive every single day, and night, at LA. LA's charm needs you spending time to find. And it took me several years until I move to other place to know that. </p>
<p>I am not amazed at how many students from Southern California go to college in the midwest and northeast, that's what people should do. But I am amazed at how you can not see many students go to college in Southern California from midwest and northeast. Isn't it funny?</p>
<p>While West Laf is not my idea of a rocking college town, being a Purdue Engineer has some cachet and a very large and widely distributed alumni base. I'd save the $$$ and go to PU for UG. You can always live in California later, well except for the crazy housing costs and taxes.</p>
<p>Have you also taken in the account that the rent in LA would be a lot more than West Laffayette? I don't know about the area near USC but the rent for 1-bd apt in LA is around $1000 in many areas (and more in popular/hipper areas such as west LA, west hollywood..etc). Also, eating out..etc would be more. If he's gonna live off campus, he's probably gonna need a car. Gas and car insurance here are also more (just filled my tank this morning and it's $2.99 for regular!). LA has great weather and restaurants...etc but they all come with price. Think about all the "miscellaneous" things because they can all add up to significant amount.</p>
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I'd save the $$$ and go to PU for UG. You can always live in California later
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<p>The money saved would actually be enough to pay for a 1-yr master program (tuition+room&board) at Stanford and an Infiniti (or whatever one of the hot models out there in the future) upon graduation as a grad gift to yourself. ;)</p>
<p>I'm from Northwest Indiana, myself, and the two best schools in Indiana for engineering, by far are Purdue and Rose-Hulman. It would almost be prudent to send him to Rose Hulman over USC, as Rose-Hulman students grad placement is pretty good (Send a lot of kids to MIT, etc..) Purdue would suffice.</p>
<p>Sam Lee,
We have considered the additional living costs of being in LA. USC can not guarantee housing for 4 years, so I have looked at how expensive off campus housing is. The apts. are twice what they would be at Purdue. The cost of living in a dorm is about 25% higher at USC over Purdue.</p>
<p>tourguide,
We have considered transportation costs. An advance purchase Chicago to LA fare usually is around $300. A round trip to Purdue would cost about 8 gallons of gas. Obviously, we could visit more often.</p>
<p>alwaysthere,
Right now hs is a pain with classes filled with busy work. He has taken a few classes at a local university and enjoyed them much more than what he's required to take in high school.</p>
<p>tourguide,
The traffic in LA scares me to death! Driving in Chicago seems like a breeze after trying to drive in LA. I agree that Big 10 campuses are vibrant places. They are not small schools stuck in a one stop light town. I also agree that I do have other places I can spend the money if my son decides not to go to grad school, or ends up with some kind of compensation to help pay for it. The extra $104,000 will keep me from ending up living in the streets when I retire someday! Or as Sam Lee suggested, I can buy a car when my son graduates - maybe it can even be for me!</p>
<p>Momofchris: It shows that you are a very caring mother just to have started this thread. If all goes well, your son will have a great degree, and you'll be financially ok. He'll be 21 and will have the rest of his life to explore other cities and broaden his horizons.</p>
<p>Thank you to all that posted. I am surprised by how many responses I received. I am leaning towards Purdue, my son likes USC more. I think what I am going to do is offer him $100,000 towards his education. If he goes to Purdue, he will only spend half of that. If he goes to USC and can graduate in 3 years, he will use every cent (assuming that USC does kick his scholarship up to 1/2 when he is named national merit finalist in a year). My son will have a lot of AP credit so it is possible. If he goes to Purdue and graduates in 3 years, there will be $60,000 left over for grad school. I am taking him down to Purdue this week to get another look at it. Hopefully he will decide on Purdue. I think USC (and other private schools) are for the rich and the poor. It is a real stretch for the middle class.</p>
<p>OP- my daughter, with active and vocal foot-dragging from me, has decided to take a very generous scholarship to a top 50 LAC over Yale (and others). She explained her decision like this , " Dad it seems you are worried about what I'll miss at Yale and that I'll be angry I chose Rhodes in 4 years. I'm thinking longer term, 10 years down the road ,when I'm ready to start my career (in medical research or as a surgeon). I'm thinking that I may want to work in the public health sector or do Doctor's Without Border's. I can't do that with a mountain of debt, and if I start my practice without doing that I may never go back to it." </p>
<p>So, my daughter would tell your son to turn the binoculars around. He's looking through the wrong end. Good luck.</p>