<p>Adding on to HImom’s post, our son had a terrific Marshall mentor (who happened to have floor seats at Lakers games), many internship opportunities and, ultimately, a great career job offer (accepted in fall). At the end of the day, that 's the goal, no?</p>
<p>@aMacMom: Yes I did get invited to the GLP program. They don’t really state how much more it costs for the program… Do you happen to know?</p>
<p>And let’s get the safer campus discussion out of here please? In my eyes, UCLA has the nicer surrounding area but their actual campuses are just as nice. Bottom line is that the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder… I’m not going to choose one or the other based on the beauty of the campus or the safety strengths/weaknesses.</p>
<p>Back in Spring '10 it was $2450 to go abroad w/ GLP. There were need-based scholarships available to offset the cost. If I remember correctly, you can take the classes and opt out of the abroad commitment if it is beyond your budget… but most everyone went and it was a trip of a lifetime.</p>
<p>Lol the Bruins who follow us USC Trojans like doting coeds
are pathetic caricatures of themselves. they refuse to concede that more crimes are committed on the UCLA campus than at USC. the Clery Act is a federal statute that requires all universities to report crime statistics. It is no secret that UCLA is far more dangerous than USC, on a per capita basis. the article I posted speaks for itself, and nothing tak or other Bruins post changes that fact. again, do your independent research and reach your own conclusions. but check out the Clery statistics before doing so. simply because one school is in a nicer area does not mean it is safer.</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T989 using CC</p>
<p>Here are the Clery stats for the years 2011, 2010, and 2009 (on-campus only):</p>
<p>UCLA:</p>
<p>aggravated assault: 4, 2, 9
burglaries: 118, 125, 111
forcible sex offenses: 8, 21, 11
robberies: 2, 2, 5</p>
<p><a href=“http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1000958[/url]”>http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1000958</a> </p>
<p>USC:</p>
<p>aggravated assault: 1, 5, 1
burglaries: 50, 34, 22
forcible sex offenses: 7, 5, 9
robberies: 5, 3, 1</p>
<p><a href=“http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/annual-statistics[/url]”>http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/annual-statistics</a> </p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T989 using CC</p>
<p>Alright this is starting to get annoying… I’m done hearing about crime stats.</p>
<p>I honestly wouldn’t worry that much about crime stats either way because the underlying problem/advantage/distinction that both USC and UCLA have is that they are urban schools, meaning that they both have the pluses and minuses that come from being in a major city rather than in the middle of a cornfield. Another kid on here was asking about the differences between the comp sci programs at USC and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and while UIUC has a fantastic (top 5) CS program, it’s also in the middle of a cornfield. That means that you won’t have the safety issue that you have at any urban school, but you also don’t have all of the opportunities for internships and guest speakers who are world leaders in their fields available all the time to speak in your classes.</p>
<p>With all of the above in mind, frankly, in looking back at your original post, I think you’d be a much better cultural fit for USC than anything else. USC on the whole is a very pre-professional and business-minded school to begin with, so if you’re coming in as a business/econ major headed to business/law school for grad school, then you’ll fit in much better at USC than you ever would at UCLA. If you wanted a generic liberal arts degree or were gunning for a Ph.D. in economics rather than a JD or an MBA then that would be a different story. One of my two best friends from undergrad actually was a Marshall undergrad (I was in the film school) who then got his JD at UCLA. He was admitted to NYU for law school as well, but wanted to stay out here and at that point the UCs hadn’t yet inflated their JD/MD/MBA tuitions up to private school levels.</p>
<p>The other point I’d mention is that while both schools are roughly equivalent on the undergraduate level nowadays, one fantastic advantage you’d have coming in is that as a trustee/presidential scholar you’ll have access to clubs and networking events that are available only to students who get those scholarships and UCLA doesn’t seem to be offering you anything equivalent.</p>
<p>USC seems like a better fit for you from what I can see, and I <em>don’t</em> say that to everyone - really.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Really, there’s no reason to walk around in fear on either campus.</p>
<p>Seeing these flame wars go on about USCvUCLA makes me giggle. USC pride is a force to be reckoned with, similar to a cult so if you like that go to USC. No-one goes to USC for quality of education everyone knows it, it’s just for alumni network; so if you plan on ending with undergrad go USC. UCLA if you plan on graduate school they offer you better quality education for a better price overall. Also USC food is horrible. UCLA food is amazing. ~ This is an unbiased opinion as I’m a HS senior who was accepted to both USC and UCLA for 2013 Fall who has friends from both schools and did his research before applying.</p>
<p>Hakuex, your post is wrong in multiple ways and on multiple levels. Let’s see how much time I can waste deconstructing your trite thoughts:</p>
<p>1) USC/UCLA makes you giggle:</p>
<p>a) You have two major schools in close proximity. They’re rivals in everything and angular in different ways. See Harvard/Yale, Berkeley/Stanford, Utah/BYU, Texas/Texas A&M, Florida/Florida State/Miami, etc.</p>
<p>b) Giggling is for kids.</p>
<p>2) USC pride is a force to be reckoned with.</p>
<p>Most schools, especially good schools, have a good degree of school pride.</p>
<p>3) Similar to a cult.</p>
<p>Umm, no, because you might notice that there are plenty of USC folks out there who don’t drink the Kool-Aid and claim that their school is all things to all people. No school is.</p>
<p>4) No one goes to USC for quality of education.</p>
<p>a) I went to USC for its globally top-ranked (#1 in the world) film school. Countless other programs at the university all rank in the top 5-10 in their fields.</p>
<p>b) People don’t voluntarily uproot themselves and move across the country / world if the education is lacking. The education is the first consideration and everything else is a distant second.</p>
<p>5) It’s just for the alumni network.</p>
<p>a) No, but it’s a good selling point. A lot of top schools, especially private ones, have tight alumni networks. A lot of public schools, even the good ones, DON’T have tight alumni networks, because people go there by default (closest decent school that accepted me) rather than because of an active choice.</p>
<p>b) No, but it’s a secondary consideration. Why spend that level of money on something that doesn’t have a good long term return beyond classes?</p>
<p>6) USC = undergrad only</p>
<p>a) No, actually, the university aligns its education with the expectation that EVERY student will go to graduate school, and possibly multiple times.</p>
<p>b) In several cases, the university’s graduate programs in certain fields are better than the undergraduate ones.</p>
<p>7) UCLA if you plan on grad school</p>
<p>a) No, UCLA if you want a good education, are in state (not very good out of state), and they have a good program in your field.</p>
<p>b) Plenty of Bruins stop at undergrad.</p>
<p>8) UCLA = better quality education</p>
<p>a) What metrics?</p>
<p>b) USC = smaller classes, GEs taught by full faculty, students often work on research alongside professors as freshmen.</p>
<p>c) USC = laughably more geographic diversity along with comparable/competitive ethnic and socioeconomic diversity.</p>
<p>d) USC = no catastrophic budget cuts every year!</p>
<p>9) UCLA = better price overall</p>
<p>a) Bull. ****. You are clearly a provincial California kid (see above about UCLA’s lack of geographic diversity) if you think that UCLA has a better sticker price. I was out of state and USC was MUCH cheaper, and also offers merit aid to compete for top students.</p>
<p>b) USC offers tons of financial aid and merit aid, and as with so many other top private schools, it’s often cheaper to go there after aid and scholarships than it would be to pay the sticker price to a state school.</p>
<p>10) Food</p>
<p>a) That’s a horrible reason to choose ANY school.</p>
<p>b) Plenty of off-campus options.</p>
<p>c) Opinions on food are about as subjective possible.</p>
<p>11) “This is an unbiased opinion.”</p>
<p>You clearly haven’t been to college yet as the terms “unbiased” and “opinion” are contradictory.</p>
<p>12) “I’m a HS senior who was accepted to both USC and UCLA.”</p>
<p>I’m a USC grad who was accepted to both USC and UCLA. I was also out of state (i.e. MUCH higher standards).</p>
<p>13) Who has friends from both schools.</p>
<p>I have plenty of friends from both schools, have worked at both schools, have former students I’ve worked with at both schools, have friends of mine who’ve taught at both schools, and know high-ranking faculty and staff at both schools.</p>
<p>14) “And did his research before applying.”</p>
<p>That answer should be self-evident.</p>
<p>Fine. I’ll be truthful. I only applied to USC for the school colors and yes, food is important to me. And once again the USC cult is scary your username speaks for itself. By the way Harvard > Yale and Stanford > Berkley; don’t care for the rest. Also giggling is fun, should try it sometimes. It might even remove your wrinkle lines. Childish enough for you? Waste more time responding to this please.</p>
<p>Oh and good job for noticing my contradiction, terribly nice of you. It was a cardinal sin on my part :x</p>
<p>Seattle, my sources come from the Clery Act. Obviously, you really are ignorant about the articles that you have been reading. </p>
<p>“UCLA PD collects statistical information from Campus Security Authorities (CSA) and local municipal police departments including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, Pasadena Police Department, Santa Monica Police Department, Culver City Police Department, and San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department.”</p>
<p>Obviously, the data you provided comes from crime reports coming from 7 police departments for UCLA ranging from San Bernandino to Pasadena. Do you understand how big that region is, Seattle? Then it obviously makes sense that there are more burglaries reported when we cover FOR PASADENA, CULVER CITY, SAN BERNANDINO, and SANTA MONICA. The fact that you use the Clery data to support your claims is foolish and pure ignorance. If you use direct sources that I have used, then it is clear that crimes on the USC campus are far more numerous than the ones on UCLA. Simply because USC cannot even afford to have a PD like UCLA does and the fact that USC does not have a PD that supports/helps the surrounding community of Los Angeles like UCLA does. </p>
<p>I believe I have exposed your ignorance (seeing how you constantly ignore the fact that the article/Clery data/FBI statistics is false), and you really have no counter to the claim that USC is more dangerous than UCLA. Everyone on this forum knows that UCLA is safer, and you are the only idiot who stubbornly believes otherwise.</p>
<p>lol ignore seattle, he is just trolling with his useless usc degree i guess?</p>
<p>lets predict how much usc will drop in rank…already dropped one last year</p>
<p>Any more thoughts?</p>
<p>If you have any real intention of going into corporate finance or accounting, Marshall is the way to go. USC has an actual undergrad B school. UCLA doesn’t. The Trojan alumni network is also better.</p>
<p>Hey Tak,</p>
<p>I am relying upon UCLA published Clery statistics from the UCLA website. Why don’t you read it, lol?</p>
<p>While you’re at it, please tell everyone about the infamous rape trail on the UCLA campus:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.femmagazine.com/2012/02/15/ucla-memes-and-rape-culture/[/url]”>http://www.femmagazine.com/2012/02/15/ucla-memes-and-rape-culture/</a> </p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T989 using CC</p>
<p>“Westwood is actually a choice destination for most of the South Central gang members.”</p>
<p>I lol’ed so hard.</p>
<p>On the physical campus itself, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that UCLA has the safer claim. UCLA’s sprawling public setting doesn’t feel much different from the surrounding city. Anyone is welcome to walk on campus, and from what I’ve seen from visits there, plenty of non-students - many of whom are homeless and/or have no business being there - take advantage. </p>
<p>On the SC campus however, you aren’t even allowed to step foot after 9pm unless you are a student, staff member, or alum. Beyond safety, this bolsters the school’s sense of exclusivity and Trojan identity. </p>
<p>The fact that a majority of ug UCLA students commute (while the vast majority of Trojans remain on or adjacent to campus), also lends to to USC feeling safer. On nights and weekends, UCLA is well known for being a ghost town while Troy remains vibrant. </p>
<p>Even at 4am in the morning, you’ll see plenty of USC students around campus - many going in and out of Leavey. @ UCLA you definitely don’t. I’m pretty positive that UCLA doesn’t even have library open to students 24/7.</p>
<p>So now that this thread is (kinda sorta) back on track, I’d like to add to what I said before about making the same decision 4 years ago. The gap in cost between USC & UCLA was, for us, greater than what you’re looking at now. In retrospect, it was well worth it. Just the professional/cultural/social opportunities at USC beyond the classroom have been nothing short of amazing. Mentors, abroad trips, internships, case study competitions … and then there’s coveted upper division electives where – for example – the students screen a yet-to-be-released big-time movie followed by a Q&A session with its equally big-time director/lead actor.</p>
<p>I haven’t looked at what your corresponding thread in the UCLA forum has to say, and can’t speak to the opportunities there. Both great schools. Congrats. Go where you feel most at home take advantage of every aspect of your university experience.</p>