University of Southern California or St. Olaf?

College Search & Selection
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Hi, I was accepted into both schools and was wondering which I should enroll in. I received similar financial aid packages from both schools. St. Olaf is in Minnesota.

I could play on St. Olaf’s Division III tennis team and possibly on USC’s tournament team for club tennis. Do you think one is better than the other? I’d prefer hearing from people who were a part of either on this topic.

If I went to St. Olaf, I would likely major in nursing. I heard from a lot of people that I should shoot for something higher, like a doctor. After all (not to brag but I’ve to state my facts) I got a near full ride to USC. What are your thoughts on this?

If I went to USC, I would likely major in graphic design or psychology with an emphasis in pre-med. Is it worth pursuing a degree in digital arts at USC? I know art careers don’t have the best stability and that living in LA and CA in general can be very expensive, but I heard USC is an excellent design school.

Lastly, I’m VERY introverted and usually quite serious. I don’t like school dances and spend a lot of time alone. Will I find the parties and campus life of USC appealing? I’m honestly excited about seeing why USC is one of the top schools for partying, but was wondering if I’ll find out this kind of thing isn’t to my liking the same way I’ve in high school.

Also, if I went to USC, which is more rigorous academically than St. Olaf and offers more internships, would that open more opportunities for me? When I graduate I don’t want to just hold a steady job, I want to do something with more purpose like running my own business or starting a nonprofit.

Please feel free to add any additional info you think will help. Thank you!

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Does cost matter? Or is the same for both schools?

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Unbelievably different schools. Can you go to accepted student visits at both?

You sound confused about major, though. Do you want to go to med school? Or start a business or non profit? If you want to start some kind of business, I’d suggest you take some business classes. You need to learn about marketing, accounting, a bit of business law, etc. You can’t take those at St Olaf.

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I gave up the offer to play D3 tennis to attend Ucla. Haven’t regretted it one bit!

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“If I went to St. Olaf, I would likely major in nursing.”
“If I went to USC, I would likely major in graphic design or psychology with an emphasis in pre-med.”

This is confusing. What do you actually want to be - nurse or a graphic designer? (or a doctor?)

As for the schools themselves, I can’t think of two more polar opposites than a large research university located in the middle of Los Angeles, California that has a party culture and a rabid college sports vibe and a small liberal arts college located out in Northfield, Minnesota that has a significant religious vibe.

Assuming you can attend either school without going into big debt, which one of those two descriptions better fits what you are looking for? If one of the schools will saddle you with big debt, I’d be looking pretty hard at the other one.

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Do both cost the same? Environment, major, vibe everything’s so different - have you spent time in campus, attended classes?
Is cost similar at both?
Are you instate at either one ( to facilitate med school). What if med school wasn’t there which one would out like best?

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It is of course for you to decide what is best for you. These are very, very different environments. From your OP, I’d be inclined to think that St. Olaf’s would be the best fit. USC is has a very affluent student body, and a social one, with access to all that LA has to offer, including clubs etc. St. Olaf is in a small Upper Midwest town (Northfield). It will be much more small town, middle America. I’d imagine it would be a better for fit for a mildly social introvert, as you describe yourself.

USC has more programs, so that’s perhaps an advantage, as you are (quite normally and healthily) still exploring your interests.

So choose where you want to live and learn and meet people for the next four years. I think you have some good advice here. Good luck!

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I have to pay roughly same amount of money for both schools.

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That’s the thing, I’m not sure what to major in yet. USC has more majors so it’s probably better for me in that aspect.

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I visited St. Olaf already and will be visiting USC for their Admitted Students Day Program in a few weeks.

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Very different schools. One is a small liberal arts college in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul with a “globally engaged community nourished by Lutheran tradition” and midwest winters. The other is a large, vibrant research university in downtown Los Angeles with a strong sports/Greek culture, lots of school spirit that is strong in pretty much all academic areas and the arts and has a very Californian vibe.

Couldn’t be more different.

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I don’t live in state for either school. Wouldn’t I be considered in state at say California if I was going to school there for four years in USC?

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No. Actually, both of these are private, so I don’t know why being in-state matters.

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I would think you would have a pretty good idea after accepted student visits. And as @PurpleTitan said, there is no tuition break for either for living in-state. And even if they were public, it is quite difficult to establish residency in another state for tuition purposes if you just moved there to go to college.

Can you afford both for 4 years?

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Being a state resident matters in terms of med school options (if op pursues the premed track). If you’re not a California resident, all California med schools are closed off.
So, it means USC = graphic design / St.Olaf= nursing or premed.
Note that nursing can offer a career path (you can become a nurse practitioner for instance, a NICU nurse… All of which are well regarded, well paid jobs with real responsibilities.)

Graphic design is an entirely different path.
What attracted you to each?

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It sounds like you visited St. Olaf and are hoping you like USC better. Correct?

If so, that’s very perfectly fine. Both have strengths and advantages. I’d love to read your thoughts after you visit USC. See what you think and please post your thoughts, wold love to know them. Have a fun visit!

P.S. That’s true what Myos writes, it’s hard to establish state residency while attending college. States tend to treat OOS college students as only temporarily resident in the state, and still officially resident of their home state. I know someone who had a real challenge with this in VA. They attended undergrad there and worked hard to get state residency for grad school, also in VA. I think, in the end, they had to establish that they had stayed in VA during the summer and worked and paid taxes there, and not lived at all with their family in another state across all three summers of undergrad. But rules vary by state. So you might google to try to find the rules for MN and CA. As noted, it can be an issue for med/grad school.

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Nursing is a stable career amd most of my family is already in the med field. I enjoy doing graphic design, but obviously the job prospects aren’t as great and it wouldn’t really utilize my academic strengths if you know what I mean.

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I know for sure i can afford st. Olaf, and i should be able to afford USC because i was accepted through Questbridge regular decision.

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@kangcharles17: it was such a split between both universities… which did you choose?

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OP,

If you are very interested in nursing, you have your answer! If you are interested in graphic design or are mostly undecided, then choose the school that is best for you as you figure things out. As others have noted, these are two very different schools–and not just in the LAC vs. large university sense. St. Olaf is not a super-religious school, but its Lutheran roots are present and felt. There was a long thread where someone’s D got into St. Olaf via early decision, and there was some discussion of the culture at St. Olaf. Yes, there will be some kids that party, but the campus is semi-dry, if that makes sense. In other words, USC is an academically rigorous school, but there is also big time college football, plenty of sun to soak up, and a wild social scene to explore. St. Olaf will be more intimate, with alcohol/parties playing a lesser role.

So, yeah, two very different schools. I’m a biased LAC fan, so I’ve always admired St. Olaf from a distance, but USC will have its supporters as well. Someone here has a daughter that turned down either Yale or Princeton for USC. Honestly, I know that the college decision process is difficult, but because these schools are so unlike one another, can you really not sense where you best belong?

Oh, and to defend nursing against those who say that you should aim higher, a good nurse (and I mean a nurse who has received a solid education, passed her NCLEX without a hitch, and might possibly even go on for advanced training (additional certification, maybe even a MSN degree) can have the same breadth (not depth, of course) of knowledge as a good doctor. Yes, doctors have more schooling, and, yes, they specialize, and, yes, good doctors should also have an excellent breadth of knowledge. But nursing, though it requires less schooling, has become incredibly competitive, especially at quality four-year colleges and universities. Can you tell that I have friends and family that work in nursing? :slight_smile: . I think that most people know that nurses are not chambermaids who work in a hospital setting, but I have a lot of respect for any healthcare professional who is knowledgable and committed to her/his field. Nurses may not stand on equal ground as doctors (and I would never argue this), but there are a lot of nurses whose breadth of knowledge would blow people’s minds.