<p>Haha...yeah, there's so much a starving student can do in Bel Air...</p>
<p>I agree, but westwood has some cheap eating places and venice is close by which also has cheaper places. I think either choice is fine and actually I would go with who gives me the best aid, BUT all things being equal if you are talking history and econ, the rankings speak for themselves.</p>
<p>OK, I guess I'm going to be a bit of a wet blanket here...</p>
<p>I don't think the rankings matter that much. Let's be fair here: the vast majority of employers don't know much about specific departments. They don't even care. They have a rough idea of where each school falls in a generalized pecking order, but it's unlikely that any employer is going to be super excited that you took a class with THE Professor SUPERDUPER. </p>
<p>Even if a student wishes to go on to academic study later, I don't know that I'm thoroughly convinced that specific department rankings matter, either. UCLA's history department is heads above Brown's and Dartmouth's, yet I think anyone would be hard pressed to argue that UCLA's going to offer an outright better experience than those two fine institutions.</p>
<p>Ultimately, this constant pandering to what's seen as some sort of canonical rankings is really missing the point of picking a university in the first place: to find a place where you'll be happy for four years, thrive as an individual, and maybe pick up a few skills along the way.</p>
<p>Whatever difference there is in ranking between UCLA and USC in any particular department is probably moot for an undergrad, anyway. I've taken classes with supposedly world-class scholars who couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag. I've taken classes with assistant nobodies who taught splendidly.</p>
<p>In the end, go with the school that you believe offers you the best bang for the buck. It's your time and money, not ours or USNWR's.</p>
<p>I went to UCLA back in the good old days when USC sucked. Fast forward a couple of decades and USC has certainly caught up reputation-wise. If you plan on staying in the LA area, and going into business, USC has much better alumni connections. If you were planning on going to grad school, the slightly better academics and stronger faculty at UCLA would be a consideration. But, other than during football season, you can't go wrong at either school.</p>
<p>USC Marshall offers opportunities to specialize in business not available in the UCLA BizEcon program. </p>
<p>USC has a more global focus. One quarter of all Marshall students are international, and there are additional exchange students who chose to study abroad in the US at USC Marshall. In addition, Marshall offers an extraordinary variety of study abroad opportunities to students listed at USC</a> Marshall » Undergraduate Programs » International » International Exchange Program » International Opportunities These include international exchange programs at universities for a semester and programs such as LINC and EXCEL where undergrads can spend Spring Break or another break in a place like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dublin, or Santiago (or many other places) to tour the cities and their businesses. </p>
<p>In addition, the concentrations provided offer unique opportunities to find your passion within business. USC</a> Marshall » Undergraduate Programs » Degrees » Degree Program Senior Concentration
and as was mentioned before, the abbrevaitions for these courses take on the name of the individual department and not BUAD (i.e. FBE or MKT). </p>
<p>At USC, you get to start right away with Business, and as a Freshman, you are assigned to a cohort based on your interests where you can interact with faculty, advisors, and students in a small group supplementing your academic experience with weekend trips to places corresponding with the theme of your cohort.</p>