<p>Hey Pixiedanzer...I am in the same boat, but I chose to post on the USC discussion site, so take a look there for some other opinions. I actually like the responses you have gotten here about UCLA. Choosing between the two schools is not going to be easy!</p>
<p>I got into both USC and UCLA for Poli Sci and between those two I would go to UCLA. The campus is just amazing and I also got invited to apply for the Honors Program - which makes getting the classes you want easier. I can't explain it, but I just think UCLA is a better fit for me. I would check them both out -- I'm sure you will be able to tell.</p>
<p>That's such a tough choice, honestly!</p>
<p>I go to UCLA now. I'm a first year. I was faced with a similar decision, but ultimately it came down to money. USC was close in cost to LA after all the aid and scholarships they offered me, but a financial aid advisor at 'SC told my dad and I that I would lose a lot of my aid once my brother left college in two years.</p>
<p>To today, I wonder if I made the right decision. It bothers me, and it may bother you, whichever way you decide.</p>
<p>Let me give you my take:</p>
<p>'SC students have more school pride, really. That said, there is life beyond football. UCLA's basketball team is on the verge of reaching greatness, and you would likely witness that while you attend LA (as I hopefully will). At USC, there is a lot of wealth, and you'll meet a lot of very wealthy people as well as some poorer ones. Really, I doubt there's much of a middle at 'SC cuz either you've got the money or you've got the financial aid. </p>
<p>At USC, they will wine and dine you if you visit (as long as you pay!)
UCLA's campus is beautiful, but it doesn't do much for me. Depends on the person--girls seem to like it more than guys, oftentimes. 'SC's architecture is a bit older, more east coast feeling.</p>
<p>USC's area IS bad. As much as they will assure you when you visit, you're not gonna roam around there too much. That said, Westwood Village isn't all people hail it as. When you live in the dorms at LA, you're not gonna go to Westwood very often besides for a rare meal and a movie.
However!, living in LA's dorms rocks. The food is amazing. I kid you not, pay our campus a visit and you will understand. I ate at both places, LA one day, 'SC the next, and LA's food definitely is far superior. We've been ranked #1 in the nation before for our dorm food. You will get sick of it, though, cuz it is dorm food, but living on "the hill" (what we call the area where the dorms are) is definitely a great experience that I will miss when I live in my fraternity house next year.</p>
<p>One of the most important differences between USC and UCLA is the educational philosophy. USC is much more career-oriented. It's more like a vocational school. There are trendy majors like journalism and lots of neat communications majors with its own school. There's an undergrad business major which is rare in top universities (except when the business program is very exclusive, like Haas at Berkeley.)
I took a class with the Chancellor, Albert Carnesale last quarter, and he discussed UCLA's philosophy. He wants students to actually concentrate in an area, to "peel an onion, but know there's other vegetables, too." UCLA has the much more traditional majors compared to 'SC. You'll probably end up going to a grad school once you get out of LA, and that's probably a good thing with the increasing value companies put on education.</p>
<p>LA probably has a better reputation nation- and worldwide. 'SC is getting better, but it's still thought of as a rich boy private school, and in some aspects it is. UCLA is more established in the research world. (I think we get more research money than almost any other school in the nation.)</p>
<p>Finally, UCLA is HARD. Very few people that go here say that school is easy. The quarter system is killer, and you will be forced to learn a lot or fail. </p>
<p>The quarter system is, in some ways, better than 'SC's semester system. You can take more classes, and if you're stuck with a class you really hate, you'll be done with it in 10 weeks. Additionally, for all those H.S. seniors that need to make a lot of money this summer, you will have nearly a 4 month vacation because LA doesn't start until the beginning of October.</p>
<p>I hope this helps, it was a tough decision for me, and, as I said, I still second-guess myself. Ultimately, though, LA is still rated higher than 'SC. We don't have all the money that 'SC does, so not everything in your life will be coated in luxury, but LA knows it is a top university, and Chancellor Carnesale realizes certain things need to be done to make sure that LA keeps its competitive edge over privates, like 'SC, that have a huge flow of money.</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful, the people are pretty friendly, the education is top-notch, and the university is known worldwide. </p>
<p>A final note: I had an 'SC alum write a letter of recommendation for me when I applied there. I was surprised that it was not written very well. Granted, he was a music major at 'SC, but after going through two quarters at LA, I can't imagine someone getting away with poor writing. LA, in my opinion, makes you very well rounded; you will learn to write well, and you will be held to the highest standards academically.</p>
<p>P.S. You become a number at 'SC, too! It's inevitable! You'll find your niche, though, at LA. You can join a fraternity or sorority and have a close group of friends. Also, there's a number of cultural/ethnic clubs that are EXTREMELY active on campus. Plus there's a few politically-oriented groups including Bruin Dems and Bruin Republicans, though they're a bit too extreme (read: blindly passionate) for me. Also, the Office of Residential Life, which runs your dorm life the first year, is quite good. Your RA or PA (Programming Assistant) will provide your floor/hall/building with things to do, and you'll become good friends with at least some people on your floor.</p>
<p>Best wishes with your decision!</p>
<p>lkrfan77, wonderful comparison...</p>
<p>Very well said.</p>
<p>I am a recently converted foolball fan therefore getting to know a lot of Trojans. Also one of my family member just graduated from USC so I think I know reasonably well about USC. The new generation of Trojans are really smart, and well educated, but some old alums as you mentioned, are subpar comparing to Bruins. Even USC's current students think so:)</p>
<p>I make a living by doing research. And the community recognizes what USC achieves this recent 8~10 years. lkrfan77 also got a good point as USC is career-oriented. Their undergraduates get employed better after graduation. However students there also have an option to go to grad schools. Some went to really top ones. At UCLA, some are forced to go to grad school, or professional school. Not a bad thing though if you like it. Anyway, UCLA is strong at hardcore science displines, so it is good to go ahead to do a Ph.D. </p>
<p>If you want to find an analogy in ivies, USC is UPENN, and UCLA is Cornell, except that here UCLA is a better school reputation-wise. </p>
<p>Be careful about what Carnesale said. A lot of bruins really dislike something he did.</p>
<p>oo..what is that? i'm really curious to know. I was channel surfing the other day, and there was some person on TV and "UCLA Chancellor" was on the screen: Carnesdale was on CSPAN. he was just basically talking about what his job description is to a bunch of high school juniors, and his goals for UCLA. </p>
<p>but what did he do???!</p>
<p>Nothing substantial, most hearsay. He is a good guy, but there are always people complaining for what you did. </p>
<p>I was just reminding that being critical of your administration is a healthy mentality, and don't beleive what you heard until you see it. Especially about the educational philosophy part in lkrfan77's post, I don't think so. It is easier to do a double major or minor at USC, which is much better than "peel an onion, but know there's other vegetables, too". Knowing other vegetables is different from being able to eat it, or at least without some more years of schooling.</p>
<p>I took a quarter-long seminar class with Carnesale. He comes off as a genuine guy, and he has quite the credentials as an academic. He worked on the SALT treaties with Russia back in the '70s--yes, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties that you read about in AP U.S. History. He's a nuclear scientist, by education, but got into public policy and was the Dean of the JFK Public Policy School at Harvard before coming to LA.</p>
<p>He's done good things for the campus, and some of what you've heard may be with regard to the worker union negotiation going on at LA. In reality, though, the UCs control that, not him directly. </p>
<p>His point with the whole onion metaphor was that the point of a major is to actually <em>focus</em> on something, not just have a broad knowledge of lots of things. Sure, making your own major/minor at 'SC is kind of cool, but honestly, all they're doing is giving you a certificate because you took a few classes. There's a difference between taking classes and actually majoring in something and completing all the requirements to have a specific knowledge of that subject.</p>
<p>Another bad thing you may have heard about Carnesale deals with UC fees. In common media/public tradition, he got attacked for saying that the regents should DISCUSS raising fees for the UCs. He was not advocating it. His realization is that in order to compete with private schools, especially with the current funding cuts by the state, that the UCs may have to raise fees. Instead of nudging them up every year a little bit, he said that considering raising fees substantially and using the extra money, in part, to offer more financial aid should be considered.</p>
<p>I'm not bowing down to him, though. It's always good to question leadership and never trust the big man. But in the end, he wants to continue UCLA's success and he is a great guy.</p>
<p>i don't see how it's difficult to double major or minor at UCLA. how is it easier to do so at USC?</p>
<p>lkrfan77, i was the walk-in to carnesale's seminar hoping to get in even though i couldnt sign up for it, but the class was capped so they kicked me out. LOL. you probably don't remember me, i was just there on the first day</p>
<p>I think I do...Asian male, I believe?</p>
<p>Send me an IM on AIM, same sn as my username here.</p>