<p>Well, I was wondering if anybody was still battling over which university to attend...</p>
<p>I just turned in my enrollment fee + form so I'm set... Here I come USC! YAY</p>
<p>I've been battling over University of Oklahoma and University of Southern California thanks to the cost of USC... (OU would be basically free for me) But i chose academics and arts over money. But like somebody said, I actually like small-medium sized towns over big towns so LA might be hard for me to adjust to.</p>
<p>Well, I guess its better than me going to NYU or something (i didn't get in but) NYU was my number one going into the whole process and I was worried that I would have to live in NYC. Ech.</p>
<p>So anyone still battling over which university?</p>
<p>I was, but the other universities are making my choice easer all the time.</p>
<p>Saint Louis University is over 2x as expensive as USC
Embry-Riddle Prescott: 2x
Auburn can't even offer me housing
Ohio State: almost 2x
and as for UIUC, over 5x as expensive as USC</p>
<p>Still waiting on BU and Purdue, and if I made it off of Cornell or Stanford's wait lists I'd take it, but USC, one of my top choices anyway, is looking better all the time.</p>
<p>ah
you're still waiting on BU? because you might be able to check your admisisons decision through the internet (if you have a login). </p>
<p>i've narrowed it down to USC, and UC Davis . if USC finishes process the fin aid app and gives me a good package, i'll go there. otherwise, it's off to davis.
i also got into uc santa cruz, nyu, pitzer, ithaca, and boston U</p>
Are you planning to major in aerospace engineering? Cuz you don't want to go to Embry-Riddle for engineering, it's not even a good program. I'd only recommend Embry-Riddle if you want to be a pilot, and that's it.</p>
<p>Our daughter's narrowed it down to two choices and is agonizing between Redlands and USC. They are quite different in some ways and she likes things about both -- the small "family" atmosphere at Redlands, where a professor regularly holds an 8:00 a.m. class in the Commons, and the wide variety of classes at USC. She has more money from Redlands but the aid package from USC was reasonably good, though she'll have to incur more student loan debt going to USC than she would at Redlands.</p>
<p>She really likes the idea of small classes, a strength at Redlands -- on our USC tour we heard about one Intro to International Relations course at USC that has 200 students. Is that unusual? We're told the average is 26. </p>
<p>The variety of classes at USC would be great as she's interested in so many things (history, literature, poli sci, journalism, theater) and really isn't sure, at 17, what she wants to do with her life. Perhaps it would be easier to find a career direction at a school where she can try more things out?</p>
<p>One weakness at Redlands when I was there was job placement. I had a great senior year internship but then was pretty much totally on my own to find a job somewhere after graduation (not easy if you're a history major who doesn't want to teach <grin>). I'm not sure that aspect has really changed. Does USC really do as great a job as we hear setting up internships, job interviews, etc.? Does the USC "Trojan Family networking" and/or Career Center really help pay off in a job search? Any anecdotal experience would be appreciated! The idea that attending USC might possibly make it easier to find a good job is a selling point for USC.</grin></p>
<p>bmanbs2,
i assume you mean financial aid stuff. they probably want tax forms, property ownership info, investment info, etc
i had the same problem with USC constantly asking for more financial information. call the office of financial aid, find out exactly what they want, and fax it to them (fax is the fastest way to get the docs to them).
hang in there...</p>
<p>Up until this week, I had been planning on attending University of Illinois UC instead of USC because it's tuition was half that of USC's (with my scholarship), and it has one of the best engineering programs in the nation. After seeing the campus of USC and reading about the different programs they offer, I have decided to go to USC instead. I want to end up in Los Angeles because I think I would have more job opportunities, and based off of what I have heard, USC graduates don't have a difficult time finding a job in LA.</p>
<p>bmanbs2: My friend goes to Embry Riddle: Prescott, and he says there's nothing to do because it's in the middle of nowhere. He also says that there are a lot of "hicks," but maybe that's because he comes from a predominantly Latino and Asian community.</p>
<p>I'm still deciding between USC and Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>Lindsay2259, I got my fin aid letters from USC and UIUC, and when you include paying loans, UIUC would cost me FIVE TIMES USC, so that made the decision easy for me. I didnt get a Presidential scholarhip or anything like that either</p>
<p>USC virutually gave me NO money and caused me to pick UCSB over it. However, I would not mind attending USC for grad school, once I work up my account balance that is! Good luck with everyone attending!</p>
<p>PBK mom - I saw you read my thread on the Explore visit. Thanks for your comments.</p>
<p>I can understand the dilemma your D faces. I would suggest you or she call the career office and ask hard questions there. Put them on the spot, and get their take on it. </p>
<p>I will add that one of the comments I overheard while we parents were sitting around waiting for our kids to re-join us (they went to a students only thing) was this exact question. One parent asked the others in the area if they knew anything about the Trojan network, and whether it was just a marketing line. One of the dads said (sounding almost surprised) that it was just "expected" that one Trojan would give preference to another Trojan. "It's just the way it is here."</p>
<p>However, I would suggest that any leg up that would give your D would only apply where there are Trojans. I live on the East Coast, so I'm pretty sure it's not much help out here. If there is any possibility your D may end up in the Midwest or East, she might want to disregard the Trojan network, real or not.</p>
<p>One last comment regarding class size. My D doesn't care about the size of the classes, so we didn't focus on that. But our tour guide mentioned the average class size was around 25. Then she mentioned that the most popular programs - and she specifically mentioned the intro classes for cinema and international relations - have big classes in order to allow everone to get a class in those disciplines, not just the people who are majoring in it. I figured she mentioned that since at some schools certain classes are huge because they're required. But at USC certain classes are huge because a lot of students want to take them.</p>
<p>But if your D really doesn't want to ever take a large class like that, Redlands might be more up her alley. </p>
<p>One last comment: If she loves Redlands, but intellectually recognizes that USC perhaps has more to offer, she should probably go to Redlands. When you're faced with a freshman year away from home, breadth of courses doesn't chase away the loneliness. She should go where her gut tells her. If her gut is divided, that's a different story !</p>
<p>I really wish you the very best of luck. I'll be watching for the decision.</p>
<p>USC was my reach and top choice at the same time. It was a no-brainer for me.....I could not have let the opportunity pass under any circumstances.....I just sent my enrollment and housing on wednesday.....and I don't even know if I am off my chosen major's waitlist!</p>
<p>my chosen major is Writing for Screen and Television in CNTV, I will know by May 2nd if there is a spot for me or not.......<em>crossing my fingers</em></p>