<p>I have been accepted to the business and plan II honors programs at UT Austin, interviewed for a full ride at USC (Comp lit/Econ), and been accepted to Dartmouth (Comp Lit/Econ) this year. However, I'm really struggling with the decision.</p>
<p>I have a good shot at the full ride at USC, and assuming I do get it, that would be saving a ton of money- both for my parents and for me in loans. UT is in-state tuition and not as inexpensive as USC, but still affordable. My parents are technically able to afford Dartmouth if that's where I'm meant to be, but I would have to do some work-study to offset a little bit of the cost and take out a few loans. </p>
<p>Basically, Dartmouth is academically strongest but most expensive, UT is a close second academically and less expensive but still not the cheapest, and USC would be incredibly affordable (assuming I got the scholarship), but not academically as strong as the other two- at least from what I've heard. It seems like UT would be the obvious balance, BUT I have visited all three and fallen in love with Dartmouth and USC- the campuses, the people, etc. AND I want to live/work in the Northeast or LA after I graduate, so the locations and connections I'll be able to make there are big advantages.</p>
<p>I definitely want to go to grad school, so if Dartmouth will increase my opportunities/ability to get scholarships in that area it would be a big plus, but if I'll have to pay a lot regardless, then I'd probably be better off (financially) saving money at UT or USC.</p>
<p>I know no one can make this decision for me, but I'd appreciate any advice/insight from those familiar with the three schools. Thanks!</p>
<p>You will do fine in any one of them. First, have you visit all and which one do you like the most.
I think a fit is equally important important for you in addition to the money.</p>
<p>On paper, without subjective considerations, I’d choose USC full ride, in my mind it is pretty much on par with UT in business. That is my assessment and I was a business majot.</p>
<p>“Grad school” means PhD program or professional (MD, JD, MBA, etc.) school?</p>
<p>That can affect cost considerations, and possibly academic appropriateness if the schools’ departments in your major differ in how well they prepare pre-PhD students in that major.</p>
<p>In that case, you do want to check on the expectations of literature PhD programs and check the undergraduate literature offerings at each school to see how they stack up with such expectations.</p>
<p>Good MBA programs typically expect post-bachelor’s degree work experience. There are no specific undergraduate requirements to prepare for an MBA program, though college and major can affect your first job at graduation, which can affect your subsequent work experience. Some lines of work, like investment banking and consulting, tend to be more school-prestige-conscious than others.</p>
<p>Any PhD program worth attending should be funded (tuition waiver + living expense stipend, typically in exchange for being a TA, which for literature PhD students may mean teaching frosh college writing courses). Professional schools like MBA, JD, or MD are typically expensive. </p>
<p>By USC I am assuming you mean Southern California, in which case that’s a very strong school academically and I would take a full ride there any day. If you love the campus and the people, and you want to work in LA after graduation, having a full ride there is the best thing since sliced bread and there’s no need to second-guess it.</p>
<p>And no, going to Dartmouth won’t make you significantly more likely to get graduate school scholarships than USC or UT-Austin - that’s more determined by what you do in college than where you go. Good PhD programs in comparative literature fund every student they admit, and I’m pretty sure that the undergrad literature offerings at any of those universities will be sufficient for grad school, given that they’re all major research universities. (What you DO want to check is whether or not they have the language offerings you need. As a comp lit PhD applicant you will need to have mastered one language (in terms of reading ability{ and started on another. Which language(s) they are depends on your research interests, but that’s the general requirement for a competitive application).</p>
<p>Of course, if you don’t get the full scholarship at USC, I would advise UT-Austin. You may as well save the money and UT-Austin is a great school, too. And you can move to the Northeast or LA from Austin if you like - it’s not like UT is an unknown or obscure university; it’s well-known and you can always do a summer internship in LA or in the Northeast. Also, if you want to get a PhD and teach comp lit as a professor, you need to keep your debt down because professors don’t make gobs of money (enough to live a comfortable middle- to upper-middle-class lifestyle, but not gobs).</p>
<p>if you get the merit you’re planning on, then USC by all means. if not, UT, as I think I’ve told you before, should serve you very well and has a great library.</p>
<p>Assuming you’ve already run net price calculators on all of these universities and know what you’re going to pay, I agree with the others that a full-ride at USC seems like the obvious choice. I don’t think Texas has as much of an edge over USC as some people might make it seem. And USC is very well respected in Los Angeles making it a great place to go to if you want to live in LA after graduation. If you don’t get the full ride to USC, then Texas might be the better choice, depending on how much financial aid USC gives you.</p>
<p>USC (South California) is highly respected so if you get a full ride there, it’d be totally worth it - you won’t have better opportunities at Dartmouth. The difference being if you want smaller classes, snow, and your social life to be Greek, Dartmouth is better, but academically they’re both really, really strong and for Comp Lit USC may even have an edge due to the number of classes offered that relate to that major.
USC is at least as respected as UT if not more so (depends on fields, but for undergrad education I’d give an edge to USC -ythen again, a lot of schools get an edge over UT for undergrad ed.)
If USC is South Carolina Honors vs. UT Plan II, it changes things a bit so you’d have to go with your “gut”. South Carolina Honors is an awesome program, but so is Plan II. It’d all depend on your feelings, which one you liked best.
BTW, I would try to find a job on campus regardless, if only to help your parents a little and to get some work experience for your resume. </p>
<p>@MYOS1634 @beyphey thank you for your advice- it’s very helpful. USC (Southern Cali) is definitely stronger than UT all around, but the combination of plan II and business honors at UT is academically superior the thematic honors at USC from everything I have heard- plus I would be studying business at one of the best business schools in the country, and I prefer business to Econ. However, like you mentioned, USC is undoubtedly a great school, and I know I could be happy at either.</p>
<p>Did you compete for a “full tuition” scholarship at USC (tuition covered) or a “full ride” (tuition, room, board, books)?</p>
<p>"And no, going to Dartmouth won’t make you significantly more likely to get graduate school scholarships than USC or UT-Austin - that’s more determined by what you do in college than where you go. "</p>
<p>this is very true. Grad schools aren’t going to care whether you went to D, USC or UT. </p>
<p>The question is especially difficult to answer since you do not yet know your career goals. However, if you did know that you wanted to work in the financial markets then I would suggest paying the extra money for Dartmouth. As a previous poster mentioned, investment banks and other high paying employers are often focused on the prestige of their candidate’s undergrad diploma. Dartmouth is more prestigious to many East Coasters in these fields. The benefits (extra compensation from high paying employers) of the Dartmouth degree could far outweigh the costs in this scenario.</p>
I wouldn’t say it’s highly respected. It became more competitive by offering merit scholarships to high stats students, like all colleges who give merit scholarships.</p>
<p>When I was applying for college, it is widely known that if you show up with a HS diploma and a full tuition check, you will get accepted. Many well-heeled international students did just that.</p>
<p>@cbreeze That was many years ago. Things have changed. USC is just as good as UCLA and many people see them as peers. I’d argue that it’s better than UTexas and this gap will only get bigger in my opinion. </p>