So I’m still waiting on a few decisions but chances are this is going to end up being the main choice I’ll have to make. I was accepted to UChicago EA, and I just received notice from USC that I’ve received the Trustee scholarship (a full tuition-only scholarship that lasts for four years).
Basically, I’ve received enough FA from Chicago that it’ll work out to 40k a year for me. USC is making me pay for room/board only, so that works out to 15k a year. The difference between Chicago and USC will work out to 100k over four years.
Things I have to consider:
Reputation/Job Placement--so I'm pretty sure I want to go into either Finance or Management Consulting right out of college. I think I might pursue an MBA, but I'd like to work a few years before going into that. As a result, job placement is definitely a factor I'm considering. Empirically speaking, Chicago is obviously more well-renowned, in both the Midwest as well as on both coasts. USC is well-known on the west coast, but lacks significantly in reputation on the east coast. After college, I see myself work in either the Bay Area or NYC, so I guess this is something worth considering. That being said, I'll come out of USC as a Trustee Scholar and I'll also have participated in some of their special business programs designed only for scholarship kids.
Academics--obviously the Core dominates academics at U of C, and it's something that attracted me to UChicago. But now that I'm learning more about it, I'm worried that it will take up a lot of my time at college, and I won't be able to focus on economics/business. If I went to Chicago, since there's no Business major I'd be studying Econ and hopefully doing UCIB. Sorry if I sound uninformed or anything, but can anybody tell me what they think about how studying Business is at U of C/the pros and cons of the Core? At USC, I'd be studying pure business administration, with very few "distribution requirements".
Social Environment--so I'm definitely looking for an active social life in college, and I can see myself occasionally (once every one or two weeks) partying, but not to the extent of state school frat kids. I know USC offers that kind of lifestyle, but it seems rather exclusive to members of fraternities; in other words, it'd be much harder for me to party if I wasn't in a frat. I might or might join one, but could somebody describe what the party life at U of C is? What are the frats like? Sorry if this seems shallow, but it's also something I'm considering.
Campus in General--I'll be honest, USC is beautiful and you really cannot beat Southern California weather. But their facilities leave something to be desired. Chicago, on the other hand, has both historic dorms and modern dorms. I'd probably stay in either South or North if I went to Chicago, and there's probably no comparable dorm that's as nice (facility-wise) as South/North. I've never been to U of C (just visited USC though), although I'm going for the overnight on April 7/8. How do you guys find facilities there generally? Do you feel like the university needs to invest some major money in renovations? How is the food in the dining halls?
Sorry for the length of this post but ANY insight whatsoever, whether directly related to my points or not, would be seriously appreciated. It’s hard to figure out whether UChicago is worth $100k extra, but any help is welcome. Thank you in advance!
I would ask, what kind of intellectual experience do you most value? Chicago privileges the “life of the mind,” knowledge for knowledge’s sake, and the well-rounded intellectual, hence the core curriculum. If you were thinking about becoming a professional academic, it would be ideal. If your goals are more pragmatically focused on business/finance and the private sector, as yours seem to be, perhaps USC might be the better choice.
As a Trustee Scholar, you will have special opportunities that the average student would not.
I think that both locations would offer outstanding opportunities for internships and job placement.
USC is well known on the east coast and is becoming ever more prestigious.
You have two wonderful options in front of you - congrats!
One thing to consider for the future: USC has a wonderful alumni network all over the US; there are alumni clubs everywhere and they seem very willing to help other graduates to find jobs and settle outside SoCal. Also, USC alumni are extremely proud of their alma mater.
@ComputerAge Mostly from people I know who have studied or taught at U Chicago and students who have gone to or considered USC. Have been to the Chicago campus a few times, have not visited USC.
DS was in the same situation as you are [albeit it was 10 yrs ago when Chicago did not offer generous FA as it does now] He always thought he was a “U Chicago” type - not so much into the partying, more serious, but we could not pass up saving all that money, and knew the “prestige” of being a Trustee scholar would take him far and he might need the $$ for Grad school, as you will. Plus Chicago did not have a strong reputation in his particular area of interest, and the mentor he had done outside research with did not think Chicago was as good a place for him to study as USC.
USC has plenty of kids who like to party who are not in Frats, but it is not a “party school” by any means[ but it is definitely not as serious as Chicago.
True story- he just was not sure he made the right choice so he transferred to Chicago his Soph year, but found that he was so miserable and quickly returned to USC , and was very happy to do have done so. He is now at Caltech for his Phd in Geophysics.
YOU can go anywhere with a degree from USC, especially with "Trustee Scholar "at the top of your CV.
There are plenty of really smart great kids at Birkhant, so I hope you had put in a housing deposit in Feb for that building. I think you will love your time at USC, and will also be grateful that your parents dont have to shell out much $$ for your UG education.
That was a BIG relief for BOTH us and our son!
I can imagine situations in which this would be a tough decision, but this isn’t one of them. Go to USC! Chicago is going to be considerably more expensive, more difficult, and less relevant to what you want to do than USC will be.
Our S1 is a current sophomore at Chicago who passed up several lucrative scholarship offers, including a full tuition scholarship, to attend UChicago. His full scholarship school wasn’t quite as highly ranked as USC, but an excellent school nonetheless. At UChicago, the only money he received was a $2k per year National Merit Scholarship, so the delta was quite large. We are currently going through a similar dilemma with S2 who has been awarded a Trustees scholarship at USC and is considering other schools that are full pay.
S1, who is a double econ/public policy major is very happy with his choice, but I will say that the academics are very challenging. The econ degree requires a lot of advanced math. The math courses have been a drag on his GPA, but I think the worst is behind him and he was very happy to get an A- in math this quarter. He applied to but did not get into UCIB (much to his disappointment), so there is some level of competitiveness involved. The econ degree won’t give you the practical business courses you would get at Marshall, but S1 says you can take a limited number of Booth courses. The education at UChicago is outstanding and the professors and intellectual students S1 has been exposed to are incredible. He is the perfect UChicago type of kid – loves to talk about world affairs, politics, public policy, and business and he finds kindred spirits all around him. My husband and I are amazed at his level of knowledge and his ability to converse intelligently on almost any topic. The house system is another special feature of UChicago in that it gives students and instant community. S1 knew no one and within days had many friends. He will be getting an apartment next semester with kids from his house. He loves the city of Chicago and hopes to work there this summer. We don’t regret our choice at all, but knowing what I know now, I might have encouraged him to apply to USC where he would have been guaranteed at least a 1/2 scholarship for NMF.
S2 is a different kind of kid and for him, if given a choice between UChicago and USC Trustee, USC Trustee would win. The things that made Chicago worth the money for S1 aren’t as important or relevant to S2. When we visited USC, we were so impressed by the campus, the programs and opportunities offered at Marshall. The kids seemed so much more relaxed and happy than at many of the schools we visited. The sunny, 80 degree weather both days we were there might have helped. The $200,000 plus we would save will pay for graduate school and that is a huge benefit. S2 is waiting for a few more acceptances, but honestly, I could see him being happy and very fulfilled at USC so I’m not so sure the schools he is waiting to hear from would be a better experience. Instead of having to compete in a pressure-cooker, intense atmosphere he might find some of the top schools, at USC he starts off with a small cohort in GLP and a trip to China to look forward to. And the Thematic Option is something that is of great interest to him because of his varied interests.
I really think it comes down to where you think you will be happier. Both schools can provide excellent opportunities. Good luck with your decision!
Onething people don’t pay attention to is that attending a school with a full named scholarship stays on your resume for the rest of your life. This should be taken into account when making decisions. There will always be people who are impressed by the fact that someone went to an elite college with a full scholarship.
If you were a not business major, I would recommended Chicago even at the higher cost. It is just a great school. However, Business and Film are the two areas that are strongest at USC, and giving up a full scholarship in one of USC’s strongest areas makes no sense.
Have you looked at USC World Bachelors in Business? It seems like a great program.