If OP’s mom doesn’t like Swat because it isn’t known in the eastern hemisphere, OP should just email her a link to the USNews national LAC ranking. Swat is one of the best colleges in the US. It is generally more highly regarded than either USC or UNC-CH, both of which are fine schools. I think Swat is just on another level for undergrad education.
But beyond that, which is my opinion – certainly the academic vibe is different to the extent that one could rightly justify the choice based on years of anecdotal evidence of Swat’s academic rigor/culture, rather than the less concrete perception of prestige/quality.
Just like we can’t assume mom is concerned about income, we can’t assume mom cares about prestige. OP needs to come back and let us know her mom’s concerns. Additionally, what factors does mom feel OP is not mature enough to consider.
Hello everyone. I am back with some updates after visiting USC and UCB over the last past weekend. I realized that on this thread, people rarely mentioned UCB and the debate was mostly between Swat and USC, but I actually liked UCB a lot. I used to have an impression of the school being very competitive and overwhelming large class sizes, but speaking to current students and shadowing my friend who goes there for an entire day changed my opinions.
I do find the school to be an ideal place in terms of location, school spirit, variety of resources etc, but the biggest issue is I’m still pretty worried about not being able to receive individualized attention as I desired.
Lastly, I will explain my feelings for USC more in-depth. Going to the Explore USC made me grow an appreciation for the way the administration takes care of the students and their families. We were offered free lunch and a handful of other wonderful programmes. I can say that I had a great time observing the student population there, but I didn’t sense the same “purposeful efforts” I saw in Cal students. This is by no mean a disrespect to the school or the students who attend there. I also wantedto point out that LA is not as glorified as I have imagined. Sure it is one of the biggest cities in the country, but I feel like my previous expectation for an urban experience is fairly misconstrued.
Thanks for the update!
I don’t think anyone can say UCB (or UCs in general, except perhaps CCS and UCM) provides personalized/individual attention. There are many reasons to attend UCB or USC but “individualized attention” isn’t one of them.
I can see why the combination of intensity and activism at UCB appealed to you
I can see why you might feel that way about Los Angeles. and certainly in the area right around USC.
“LA” is a collection of places and experiences as there is no common center from one person to another. for some, LA means Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Malibu, Venice, beach life…for others, it means hanging out in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills or Melrose…some folks hate that there’s no true urban center or urban neighborhoods the way you have in New York or Boston, etc. Some folks love the diversity of experiences and personalities and great weather.
I ended up choosing USC because I actually prioritized the social scene factor! I visited the Swat campus at the end of April and realized as much as I would love the academics there I would feel very lonely.
You will find intellectually focused individuals at USC – no problem. And you’ll also have fun. And save money, even if that isn’t important right now. Who knows – someday it might make a difference.
