The Final Three: USC, Oregon, Maryland

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hey guys, I'm new here and I could really use some help deciding which makes most sense for me. I'm a rising junior so I'm not actually deciding now nor have I applied or been accepted anywhere. With that said, here's some information about me and my preferences:</p>

<p>3.9 unweighted GPA. Numerous (dozens) of honors classes and about 8 AP classes by the time I graduate. Most likely 4 years varsity tennis (three at #1), 2 years varsity golf, and two years varsity track. Will have around 270-300 Student Service Hours.</p>

<p>I'm a huge sports fan so I want a Division One school if possible. I love warm weather and would rather have a campus feel as opposed to a city feel if that makes sense. I was also hoping for nicer dorms rooms but that is not a necessity. I'm looking to double major in two different types of business: Sports and Accounting (have not completely decided the latter) with a possible minor in journalism. I know the sports business world is tough but that is what I really want to take a shot at first and then have the other one or two majors/minors to fall back on if I fail.</p>

<p>So here are some questions I have that I hope you guys can answer:</p>

<p>1) I've done some research on Warsaw (Oregon sports business program) and that seems to be a top notch program. Does anyone have any experience with it (getting jobs out of college, quality of learning, etc) or know anything more specific about it? Any details would be greatly appreciated. I think Oregon is the place to go for sports business because of Nike and the major sports teams around there. Is that the case? </p>

<p>2) What is the rest of Oregon's business school like? What about their journalism school?</p>

<p>3) What is the weather in Eugene, Oregon like? Could anyone compare it to weather in Maryland?</p>

<p>4) I know USC has a great business school overall but what about their sports business and journalism schools?</p>

<p>5) Does Maryland have a sports business program? I didn't see one on their website.</p>

<p>6) Which of these three are the easiest to get into and which give out the most scholarship money?</p>

<p>7) Is there a such thing as a "standard" business degree if I'm not really sure what type of business I'm interested in most?</p>

<p>8) Which of these three colleges do you think would fit me best?</p>

<p>9) What other colleges should I consider?</p>

<p>10) Would it make more sense to major in only one business undergrad along with possibly a journalism minor and then go to graduate sports business school? If so, what colleges should I consider for grad school?</p>

<p>11) What are the dorms like at UMD, Oregon, and USC?</p>

<p>I'm from Maryland so UMD is my instate "safety school" but I will probably apply to a few more that I will definitely get in to. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.</p>

<p>OrangeSuspenders</p>

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<p>University of Oregon in Eugene is a nice campus. I lived in Eugene for 3 years. HOWEVER, you say you like warm weather. It rains all the time in Eugene, and I mean all the time. CHeck the weather pages for averages by month. It is cold and damp. I am originally from AZ so it was tough going from warm dry weather to rainy and damp.</p>

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<p>When does it rain most? The entire year? I hate rain but its not like we have perfect weather in MD and I have survived this far :)</p>

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<p>I think that Pennsylvania and Maryland have pretty similar weather and I would say that Eugene is definitely warmer!! My daughter loves Eugene and does not mind the rain at all…it isn’t as dreary as it is when it rains here (according to her) and it does not interfere in her life.</p>

<p>The dorms are ranked pretty low in some guides but we did not think they were that bad. She was very comfortable in her room and the food is very good. I think that 90% of upperclassmen live off campus anyway so it might not be a huge factor in your decision.</p>

<p>The campus is beautiful and people are very nice!!</p>

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<p>"I think that Pennsylvania and Maryland have pretty similar weather and I would say that Eugene is definitely warmer!! My daughter loves Eugene and does not mind the rain at all…it isn’t as dreary as it is when it rains here (according to her) and it does not interfere in her life.</p>

<p>The dorms are ranked pretty low in some guides but we did not think they were that bad. She was very comfortable in her room and the food is very good. I think that 90% of upperclassmen live off campus anyway so it might not be a huge factor in your decision.</p>

<p>The campus is beautiful and people are very nice!!"</p>

<p>Yea it can get pretty ugly when it rains in MD. Thanks for the response. My cousin goes to WuStl where the dorms are among the best in the nation, and she had a “suite” I guess you could call it. It was like 4 decent sized rooms with a common area and their own bathroom. Is there anything like that at Oregon or is it all your standard dorm rooms?</p>

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<p>Go with USC. It’s a significantly better school than the other two, and fulfills more of what you’re looking for.</p>

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<p>I agree that USC is the best overall school but I could really use some information based on the questions I asked above. Wouldn’t it be smarter to go to a college that is top notch at what you want to do as opposed to top notch overall?</p>

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<p>USC has no sports business program. What you may find is you might change you mind about your major once you get to college. That is why attending a college with many opportunities to major in different areas is a plus. That said, USC does encourage students to double major or do a major and a minor, so this scenario would work well there-</p>

<p>major in only one business undergrad along with possibly a journalism minor"</p>

<p>I can’t help you with the graduate sports business program. I seem to remember that many of the best sports agents are lawyers by training.</p>

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<p>“USC has no sports business program”</p>

<p>Does this not count? [USC</a> Marshall Sports Business Institute](<a href=“Home - USC Marshall”>Home - USC Marshall)</p>

<p>I could really use some more answers to some of those questions if people have any</p>

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<p>U Oregon has an excellent business program but is lacking in most other areas.</p>

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<p>The link says that the Marshall Sports Biz institute uses MBA students, so I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get involved.</p>

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<p>“U Oregon has an excellent business program but is lacking in most other areas.”</p>

<p>Are we talking overall or just sports business?</p>

<p>“The link says that the Marshall Sports Biz institute uses MBA students, so I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get involved.”</p>

<p>Thats embarrassing haha. I saw people on other threads talking about USC as being a decent sports management school so I just assumed they had a program for it.</p>

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<p>'The Sports Business Institute’s mission is to serve as both a source and resource for industry participants and stakeholders and, in the process, enable them to address and resolve industry challenges."
This is for those who are already professionals in the sports industry business.</p>

<p>Suggestion: take the time to read about a link that you post.</p>

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<p>Already noted my embarrassment above. I’m sorry but I didn’t think people took things so seriously here. Just trying to get the information I need to make an educated decision and if you have no interest in helping in a nice way, then feel free not to respond.</p>

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<p>Apart from Stanford, USC and Maryland (also my instate safety) were my top choices because of scholarship money received.</p>

<p>I’ll talk about dorms.</p>

<p>At College Park, dorms seem to vary in appeal. On the official dorm tour, they showed us the better dorms, pretty nice. They were cramped (like all the Maryland dorms I’ve see), but the buildings were fairly new-looking. I’ve stayed on campus for basketball camp - those dorms were kinda shabby… old, I heard reports of cockroaches, plain, rickety elevators (haha), nothing special. I did an academic overnight program as well - they were suite-styled Honors dorms… they were nicer, nothing special, more private bathrooms, but more spacious obviously.</p>

<p>At USC, I went for a scholarship interview, but I didn’t see other dorms. I only saw the suite I stayed in at Fleur Towers, and I really liked the rooms there, especially when compared to College Park. Really nice bathrooms, nice view. Dinner at EVK was another story… not impressive. Sorry I don’t have more information about USC.</p>

<p>For a business degree, I would lean towards USC, however I don’t know anything about Oregon. What I didn’t like about Maryland is how you seem to be locked into a school once you chose one. Especially if you decide to transfer to one of those restricted schools (business, engineering, etc.). Keep that in mind if you’re not sure about your major.</p>

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<p>First of all, congrats on getting into Stanford. That was my top school as well a year or two ago before I learned that they had a nothing business program. </p>

<p>I’ve heard the same about Maryland dorms from my buddies. Typical dorms for a large school; small concrete cubes. Thats good to hear about USC, though. I feel like I will have a much better college experience if I’m more comfortable where I am living.</p>

<p>For a standard business degree, I completely agree with you that USC is the way to go. However, if I think there is even a small chance that I will go into sports business, Warsaw at Oregon seems to be the best option. I just want to make sure that the other business degree I would get there would hold some value as well.</p>

<p>I did not know that about Maryland’s strictness about sticking to one school. My sister has already switched majors 3 times so being stuck at Maryland would really scare me.</p>

<p>I really appreciate the input. Thanks again.</p>

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<p>Overall. I know absolutely nothing about sports business in particular.</p>

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<p>I asked my daughter and she said her dorm was actually nicer than many others. She said some are very small. There is a dorm off campus that is very nice but more expensive so if you feel that it is important to you, you could consider that one. (Barnhart)</p>

<p>Also, in response to your original post - there is some merit money to be had at Oregon but not tons. You will pay OOS cost and be lucky to get some break in tuition. Not sure about need based aid as we did not apply.</p>

<p>The whole “vibe” of USC versus UO is very different so you may want to decide what environment suits you better as well. I think that being happy where you are is as important as the “ranking” or prestige factor. </p>

<p>It can be difficult to decide what you want in a school, but it is good that you are asking the questions and trying to work it out before you get too far in the process…good luck in your search!</p>

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<p>"Overall. I know absolutely nothing about sports business in particular. "</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>"I asked my daughter and she said her dorm was actually nicer than many others. She said some are very small. There is a dorm off campus that is very nice but more expensive so if you feel that it is important to you, you could consider that one. (Barnhart)</p>

<p>Also, in response to your original post - there is some merit money to be had at Oregon but not tons. You will pay OOS cost and be lucky to get some break in tuition. Not sure about need based aid as we did not apply.</p>

<p>The whole “vibe” of USC versus UO is very different so you may want to decide what environment suits you better as well. I think that being happy where you are is as important as the “ranking” or prestige factor.</p>

<p>It can be difficult to decide what you want in a school, but it is good that you are asking the questions and trying to work it out before you get too far in the process…good luck in your search!"</p>

<p>Thanks a lot. I wouldn’t qualify for need based and I don’t NEED the scholarship money but I think everyone agrees that the cheaper it is, the better. My parents would love me more that way too :)</p>

<p>I’ve heard that UO’s vibe is more relaxed and “normal” (meaning less people trying to be what they are not) whereas USC is more preppy and kids trying to fit in. I’m going to take visits to any school I am seriously considering so that should help me decide what fits me best.</p>

<p>School decisions are very tough, but I guess I should focus on applying and getting in as well! Not trying to be a hassle here, but is there any chance you could ask your daughter if she knows anyone in Warsaw or heard anything about it? There does not seem to be many people on here who know much about it. Thanks again!</p>

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<p>I will ask my daughter about Warsaw and post later. </p>

<p>Check the website for scholarship/merit money. They list which are for OOS and amounts just for reference. </p>

<p>I do think a visit would be a good idea if you can swing it. We flew into Seattle and toured a few Washington schools, then drove to Oregon for a few tours, then flew to California for a few. It was a whirlwind week but we enjoyed it and it really helped my daughter decide what she wanted.</p>