<p>So i got into both and grants are pretty much paying for everything. I can;t decide which one to go to. I am probably going into medicine but i am still exploring my options.</p>
<p>What are the pro's and con's of each of these schools? </p>
<p>Where would you go and why?</p>
<p>go to UCLA. Nicer campus :D</p>
<p>First off, please, please do a search. This topic has been posted quite a few times. To start you off, I'll copy and paste what I wrote in another thread.</p>
<p>Admissions:
-Acceptance rates are virtually identical
-UCLA has slightly higher average GPA
-USC has slightly higher average SAT</p>
<p>Student Body:
-USC is significantly more diverse, unless you are Asian in which case UCLA would be preferable
-UCLA has more students from middle class families
-USC has more students from poor families but also more students from rich families</p>
<p>Sports:
-Both have great sports traditions, with UCLA particularly excelling in basketball and USC particularly excelling in football.</p>
<p>Academics:
UCLA as a school has a little more prestige due to its historical excellence. USC is the "new kid on the block" and its prestige is rising rapidly, but not quite to the level of UCLA. The inherent nature of prestige is that it has lag time, so there would be a better comparison 5 years from now.</p>
<p>Programs:
-USC has a highly ranked undergrad business program. UCLA does not have an undergrad business program but instead has an biz-econ major.
-USC has somewhat of a weakness in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and UCLA excels in this area.
-Both UCLA and USC have good engineering programs. However, UCLA has more of a sink-or-swim approach to educating whereas you will get more attention/support at USC.
-USC's film school is probably the best in the U.S. UCLA's Film School is good, but not to the level of USC.</p>
<p>Location:
Westwood > The area around USC.</p>
<p>Campus:
Both have very nice campuses, and it comes down the the style you prefer. UCLA is more majestic/monumental while USC is more charming/cozy.</p>
<p>Alumni Relations</p>
<p>The Trojan Family is no Joke. While I'm sure UCLA's network is strong, the school isn't particularly known for this.</p>
<p>I mentioned this earlier, but UCLA has more of a sink-or-swim mentality where you have to assert yourself a lot more in getting attention for TA's/Professor's. Some do well when they are an anonymous person in a lecture hall, others do better in smaller, more intimate classes. Also, UCLA is a public school and thus there will a lot more bureaucratic red tape. USC is more nimble in this regard. In addition, the school spirit at USC is tremendously strong. UCLA has spirit, but not to the level of USC.</p>
<p>I would pick USC. Their both just as good but USC is a more smaller school feel but yet has all the commodities of a big state school (school spirit, greek life, etc). Also USC has imo a way better alumni network. if u are doing business, USC has one of the best undergrad business schools.</p>
<p>This is not gonna be pretty...</p>
<p>^ nope...no, it won't be lol.</p>
<p>i was accepted to USC and UCLA. ended up at USC because of the greater number, diversity, and flexibility in their academic programs. that and the student body definitely seems much more well rounded than that at UCLA. </p>
<p>not to use engineering again, but they're easy to compare since they do tend to be a more "uniform" group of students compared to other majors...i have a telling comparison that painted a vivid picture. at an engineering open house at UCLA, during a Q&A session with a professor and current students, one guy asked "Do engineers go to the beach?" the panel talked amongst themselves for a while until one spoke up and said "Basically, if you're going to be an engineer, don't plan on going to the beach" and the lecture hall burst with laughter. at a USC engineering open house, there was a similar situation (Q&A with students and professor) and the question was "Do engineers have fun?" and the response was that "We're not like comm majors [:p], but we know how to have fun." involving my college experience, no truer words have been spoken...USC isn't cutthroat competitive, so all students, including engineers, aren't always killing themselves to squeeze a few extra points...it definitely gives you a little breathing room and lets you have fun more. and even in typically competitive or "weeder" courses at other schools, the overwhelming sense is that of student cooperation instead of competition.</p>
<p>but definitely the biggest thing i gave up in going to USC was Westwood and that "majestic" (as mentioned above) UCLA campus. it's definitely beautiful and it would seem as though the leisure options wouldn't exhaust as fast...but i couldn't choose on that alone.</p>
<p>honestly, i could have gone to either school and i probably would have been very happy. but i had my own reasons for ending up where i am now, and i can say that i'm more than happy with my choice.</p>
<p>Is the out of state tuition which is a few thousand less than USC for UCLA worth it? UCLA is better geared for sciences; I want to specialize in biology and grow up to be writing about medical issues/corresponding medicine.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I also want to do some sort of English/Writing. If I like to double major, then USC is the way to go b/c they encourage double majoring (Renaissance scholars). And I don't want to burn myself out like the way I did during high school.</p>
<p>Ahh what should I do? Here are my options at each school:
UCLA: Bio major, English minor OR English major w/ pre-med
USC: English and Bio major OR English major & natural sciences minor</p>
<p>I want to consider medical school. If I get crap grades at UCLA since it's more rigorous, then I don't have luck.</p>
<p>DOES ANYONE KNOW ANY OUT OF STATE STUDENTS WHO CHOSE UCLA OVER USC?????</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies!</p>
<p>Oh and I actually did a search and read alot of topics about the two schools, I was just asking to see if I could get a little more information. Never hurts to ask :)</p>
<p>collegeconf17,</p>
<p>Do you have any idea now: UCLA or USC? I have the feeling that UCLA is more science/premed/econ and USC is more business/film and double major.</p>
<p>I still dunno, but I like the student body better at UCLA. May 1st is coming up too fast!!</p>
<p>Oh yes, dorms and campus. UCLA's dorms are a lot nicer since the oldest is like 10 yrs old! USC's dorms are old as in about 20 yrs old and a little crummy. USC's campus is smaller and enclosed while UCLA's is spread out.</p>
<p>Hey dawritingmachine I actually heard the USC housing was better than UCLA's, i have no first had experience though. If i goto UCLA i would commute anyway.</p>
<p>After my research I also get the sense that premed would be pretty similar in these two places. Might be wrong..</p>
<p>Everyone where I live believes that UCLA is significantly better than USC. At my school, almost everyone got into USC, while a great deal fewer got into UCLA. </p>
<p>That said, choose the school you feel most comfortable with. You have to live there for 4 years, and you want to enjoy it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Everyone where I live believes that UCLA is significantly better than USC. At my school, almost everyone got into USC, while a great deal fewer got into UCLA.</p>
<p>That said, choose the school you feel most comfortable with. You have to live there for 4 years, and you want to enjoy
[/quote]
though statistically they're almost exactly the same (i believe both are at 27%). my experience has been the opposite...i was one of the few that got into USC while almost everyone i knew got in to USC. also, if prestige and rankings matter (which they shouldn't so much when comparing these schools) USC's are on the rise though admittedly starting lower than UCLA's in the past. i don't even think this will be much of an issue of debate in the coming years.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Oh yes, dorms and campus. UCLA's dorms are a lot nicer since the oldest is like 10 yrs old! USC's dorms are old as in about 20 yrs old and a little crummy. USC's campus is smaller and enclosed while UCLA's is spread out.
[/quote]
from my first hand experience and the experience of the many-aforementioned accepted students, USC's dorms are at the very least bigger than UCLA's. even the older dorms at USC (which i won't lie, can be pretty old) are very well maintained. if you were to compare an "old" USC dorm and an "old" UCLA dorm quality-wise, i'm sure the only difference you'd notice is that you'd have more room to spread out in the USC dorms :D. and something i ALWAYS take for granted that's amazing about every USC dorm and absent in UCLA dorms: the MicroFridge unit! such a huge convenience. it's a microwave set atop a reasonably sized fridge-freezer unit...the whole set-up is about 4 feet tall, so they definitely don't skimp on size.</p>
<p>and, USC's new dorms...incredible. Parkside has suite style dorms, and it's beautiful, with even larger rooms, and and has air conditioning. on top of that add Parkside II which is going to open next year, which will have common rooms in addition to the what Parkside has. also, Webb Tower for sophomores and older has apartments...right on campus, next to the gym, with amazing views (one of the tallest buildings on campus at 15 stories), and was just remodeled last year...again, amazing (i'm living there next year, woo).</p>
<p>i can't say there's NO contest between UCLA and USC dorms, but our dorms are pretty damn good...and i'm living in one of the crappiest freshman dorms on campus, so that's saying a lot :p.</p>
<p>Having slept in dorms at both USC and UCLA, I can confirm that USC's dorms are in fact more spacious. The dorm at UCLA in which I spent the night was a triple, and the room size was still smaller than my double at USC. Admittedly, I only saw that one dorm at UCLA, perhaps other dorms are larger.</p>
<p>and to quote myself...(for the purpose of correction)
to be sure, i meant i was one of the few that got into USC, while almost everyone i knew got into UCLA.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Originally Posted by phobos</p>
<p>to be sure, i meant i was one of the few that got into USC, while almost everyone i knew got into UCLA.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>same here, but not as many people applied to usc</p>
<p>Although UCLA is still slightly better known at the national level, USC is much more of a national university than UCLA. USC's student body is split evenly (50% and 50%) between CA residents and out of state students (or international students). UCLA's students are roughly 95% from CA. </p>
<p>Not sure if that matters to you, but it certainly weighed on my decision.</p>
<p>Ultimate questions: which school would I survive better? which school would I be happier in?</p>
<p>USC seems more easier academically, but UCLA seems to have a student body that fits me more. I'm originally from Cali (but hafta pay out of state tuition if I attend UCLA).</p>
<p>Here's a brief profile:
ETHNICITY: ABC (American Born Chinese)
dream job: medical correspondent/journalist
potential majors/minors: Biology/English
ECs: journalism, creative writing, swimming (not a chance in D1 but can do club)/TRIATHLON, culture clubs
personality: NOT a party person, studious (I overstudy and burn myself out. studying becomes counterproductive sometimes and I hope this won't happen often in college), don't care about boys</p>
<p>Academic:
Taken more than half a dozen APs. Gotten As and Bs on these classes.
High school: competitive public, biggest high school in MN, one of the top public high schools in MN, class of approx 800
Class rank: Top 10% weighted. Unweighted is so horrible that I don't even know. Approx 50/800, i think
Favorite classes: AP Biology, human anatomy, journalism II
Least favorite classes: Honors physics</p>
<p>*If I go to USC all of my electives will be satisfied w/ AP credits (if I get at least a 3 on each of the exams I take this May) DOES THIS MEAN I GRADUATE EARLIER IF I GO TO USC?
*Dunno about UCLA's AP policy. Are they more or less lenient than USCs AP policy?</p>
<p>^dawritingmachine, how many elective credits do we need? Heres what i have earned through AP according to the USC site..</p>
<p>*Name of AP Examination * G. E. Credit *Units Granted * </p>
<p>Biology (Category III) ** Scientific Inquiry **4 sem. units
English (Lang. & Comp.) ** None **4 sem. units
History (United States) ** None **4 sem. units
History (World) ** None *4 sem. units *
**Human Geography None 4 sem. units
Mathematics(calc?) (AB) ** None **4 sem. units </p>
<p>also I will be taking the AP Psych, AP Lit, and AP Gov tests this may</p>
<p>how many elective units AP tests get you out of depends greatly upon you major. for example, most engineers don't have any room in their schedules for electives, while some business majors and quite a few majors in the College tend to have a handful of them.</p>
<p>collegeconf17,
8 passing AP tests (let's assume that I pass all of them this May) would give 8x4= 32 elective credits (if all are 3s). But if there are 4s and 5s involved, dunno how to calculate that. I heard that I could graduate a year earlier if I fulfill all of my elective credits from APs.</p>
<p>Phobos,
I am prolly gonna double major in Biological Sciences and English. Or major in Biological Sciences and minor in English. Can I do that? How would AP credit count towards these specialties?</p>
<p>**Does anyone know UCLA's AP credits? Their website is confusing. Maybe someone can explain their policies to me better.</p>
<p>So, where do you all think I should go based on my profile????? I know that UCLA is more tough to get in, esp for this year's pool. UCLA receives the highest # of apps and I'm out of state. It's amazing that I got in; I never thought I would. UCLA is higher ranked than USC, but USC education is more personalized b/c it is private and smaller...the argument goes on forever!!</p>