Hi everyone! I’m a high school senior from Vancouver Canada who is admitted to USC (Law. History, and Culture major) and UCLA (pre-business economics major). I’m having a rly hard time deciding where to go, especially since the locations and rankings are so similar. I’m on a pre-law track, so the one-on-one pre-law advising program at USC and the smaller class sizes really attracts me. However, I’m also attracted to UCLA’s academic reputation as well as friends there. (Something on the side, is the stereotype that USC is party school for rich kids true? Financing for university wouldn’t be a huge concern for me but I won’t want to be somewhere where materialistic things and family backgrounds count for a lot.) Pleaseee give me some suggestions as the decision deadline is coming up in 4 days
“is the stereotype that USC is party school for rich kids true?”
NO. that stereotype is outdated and from the 80’s.
THIS article gives you a more accurate picture of the USC of today, where over 20% of students are Pell grant recipients.
Hi @jessica12345! First of all, I think your choice should depend on WHAT you want to do in your life. I have a hard time seeing how a pre-business economics major at UCLA is useful if you want to go into the law field. What you have at USC seems more relevant to your interest if your interest is indeed something related to law.
As for the their locations, UCLA is in a far better neighborhood than USC. They both are in Los Angeles, but Los Angeles is a very big city. USC is located in not a very good nor safe neighborhood. The area outside USC is not at all safe. But if you’re ON campus, then you’re safe. You should only go off campus if you have to in the mornings and NOT be wandering outside campus late.
Both universities have big and small classes, but I think I would have to give it to USC on this one as I think it has slightly smaller class sizes relative to UCLA.
Both compete with each other, but they both are the same in terms of reputation purely based on facts. IMO through, I would say USC has a slight advantage.
As for the stereotype that USC is a party school for rich kids, imo kinda true. USC is doing a lot of good stuff as the NY Times article points out. The rich kids thing is kinda true though. Nearly everyone where I live says it. But party school, yes but not more or less than other schools. However, this whole stereotype does not really have an impact. People on campus generally seem to be very open and friendly and caring towards everyone. And generally, people on campus are damn smart. I’ve always felt that USC has a slightly more intellectual aura.
Another factor to be considering is the networking. USC is known for its great alumni network and help with job/internship opportunities.
On a personal note, I got admitted to USC. I’ve narrowed it down to USC and 1 other college. I’m still deciding, but hope to see you at USC if I go there. #FightOn!
Good luck and congrats for being admitted!!!
Thank you very much!! This article and your comments helped me a lot, especially since I didn’t hv the general ideas about the two schools as an international student
Hi @WizardEagle
thank you so much for giving such detailed advice!! As I observed the graduate vs undergrad population at UCLA and USC I saw that USC had a significantly larger percentage of grad students. Do you think that this means the schools puts more concentration on graduate education? Or does it mean that undergrads receive more individual attention?
And also plz let me know if you decide on USC!! What’s the other college that you’re considering and what majors?
USC has a larger # of grad students because it offers more programs for grad students than UCLA.
USC UG’s receive as much attention and support as they want to receive, and they dont have to worry about potential funding cuts because of financial problems with the state of Calif, if and when they might arise.
" The area outside USC is not at all safe. "
this is BS.
The 6 block area north of campus is filled with USC student housing and is within the USC Security patrol area. It is as safe as being on campus
Areas east of campus are spotty.
@menloparkmom USC is a school for rich kids who like to party. I know a couple of people whose parents donated money to get a guaranteed transfer or acceptance even with a sub 3.0 gpa. Yes, it doesn’t not apply to all people but some decent number of students did pay their way into USC.
Yes, UCLA does have a better reputation in my opinion due to the fact that people don’t pay their way in, but it’s up to you whether or not you would want to pay more and have more attention at USC or be with your friends and enjoy UCLA’s prestige. If it were up to me, I would go to the UC school over USC.
Btw the area outside of USC is safe. However, if you drive 5 minutes, you’ll will end up in the ghettos.
It sounds like it is too late for you, but applicants in the future who are in your position should definitely visit the two schools before making a decision. For most, the decision will be pretty clear after visiting, as the schools are in very different locations in the city and have student bodies that are different from a demographic standpoint. For CA residents particular, the costs of attendance are also different.
“USC is a school for rich kids who like to party.”
USC USED to be a school for rich kids that like to party.
That was a LONG time ago and your information is very much out of date .
Much has changed .
Agree with @reallyok, a visit is all it takes to make this big decision. Tbh, the decision points being brought up here are so insignificant. At this point in the game, if you are still thinking about whether USC is a party school or the neighborhood is bad - you are very behind in the data you should have by now. Those are rookie aspects that should have been flushed out long ago. Yes, kids from wealthy attend but those kids are also from some of the nation’s top industry and political figures - do you think they are concerned with the neighborhood? Of course not, because first, it is a city, not the suburbs, and is supposed to be urban, but if a CVS on a city corner scares you, then don’t go. Second and most importantly, they see the advantages of a private education at one of the elite schools in the country. People aren’t buying their way in to USC any more than any other school, that is silly talk. Remember, a lot of negative you read on cc about a school is posted by students that didn’t get accepted, or can’t afford it, then don’t want anyone else to go there either.
UCLA will be very much like UBC in a different setting, so if you like UBC, you will like UCLA - another big public school. Since USC did not accept over 3,000 students with 99% percentile test scores/gpa’s, you will not see herds of kids walking around with low gpa’s. With an acceptance rate of 16%, there are thousands that would love your spot there.
Kind of funny question to someone from Southern Cal. When you grow up here, you KNOW early on, which school you love and which school is the enemy. It’s hard to imagine applying to both. But, to someone from out of town, their traits could seem similar on paper.
First off… nobody has mentioned FOOTBALL. If you like the game and want to have a blast on Saturdays, then you are a USC type. The stadium is across the street, and everyone goes. It’s insane. UCLA plays 30 miles across town in a lovely stadium where it takes an hour to park. Plus, they just don’t win that much.
SC has a fun upbeat bustling vibe, students are excited and collaborative. I hear from a friend, (sophomore) at UCLA, that it is academically stressful, classmates resist helping each other because they feel too competitive. It’s a very large and quieter atmosphere. There is a social life there, but not as vibrant as SC. There is a family feel at USC, since many generations do try to attend. But, still, you need to have tremendous numbers to get in now. UCLA does not have allegiance to legacies.
USC is more conservative politically, the UC system in general is liberal. There is really a different feel between the campuses. Good education either place. Smart students both. It’s more of a personality match and passion you feel in your heart. Did you visit both?
Surprised you are passing on UBC which is comparable - probably most comparable to UCLA. Anyways, they are very different but both are excellent top tier schools, and rivals. Ideal if you could visit both but sounds like UCLA may be a better fit for you.
“UBC”
That’s funny. Over in another forum I was talking about how UCB never took off as a way to refer to Cal. You had UCLA, UCR, UCSD, UCSB, UCI, etc. And then you had “Cal”. So in the 80’s or 90’s (I can’t remember exactly when) the UC marketing department decided it would start referring to Cal as UCB for the sake of consistency, and it went on a campaign to get the general public to do the same. Hardly anyone was buying into it, and one of the reasons was that people said UCB sounded too much like a bank. At the time, Union Bank of California was very well known as UBC.
I went to grad school at night at USC in the late 80’s. I was neither rich or a party boy, and most of the people I attended with weren’t rich or the partying type, either. At least in my program, most of us were middle-class and as far as I remember, everyone had day jobs.
And the dangers of the neighborhood are greatly exaggerated. If you go a half-mile off campus there are some pretty ghetto-like areas, but you can say the same about Cal, Ohio State, Yale, and dozens of other schools. If you’ve grown up a sheltered fraidy-cat, then UCLA is the school for you.
@simba9 OP being from Vancouver I’m sure she knows my UBC intention but yes here in socal it could very well be the bank!
Thanks for all the advises! I also that UCLA academics are so much harder than USC. Is that true?? And how difficult is it at both schools to double major or minor in something? Also, does anyone know anything about the difficulty in both schools of getting into a top tier law school? Would it be harder at UCLA since, as @Maggpie described, there is a lot of competition?
Double majoring and changing majors very easy at USC, not at UCLA.
Did you visit either school or listen to any of the many online sessions USC offered for those that can’t visit? No offense, but you are asking some pretty fundamental questions 3 days before May 1st.