I’m still stuck between USC and Upenn and was hoping for any insight.
Intended Major: Economics in Upenn CAS and Business in USC Marshall
Cost: USC–free tuition (USC Stamp Scholarship); Upenn–would have to pay full (affordable but still a hit on financials)
career: maybe Wall street for the first 2 years but I’m not tooo keen on it. I feel like I’d rather work for a big tech company
USC Pros: free tuition + 20k stipend, heard atmosphere is more chill/collaborative, can probably do better here academically
Upenn Pros: ivy league name opens doors to opportunities, close to home (I live in NJ), many upperclassmen friends going here, possibility of transferring into Wharton if I decide to
I’ve visited and like them both, probably Upenn more just because it feels more like home, but USC might give me a better quality of life next 4 years.
USC Marshall is not even in the same universe as Wharton. However, one would have to know more about your family’s financials to choose full pay at Penn over free tuition at USC. Would your family be able to afford grad school, law school, MBA or other degree down the road if paying full at Penn? If your goal is to move back to the East Coast and work there, Penn is going to open up more doors than USC in most cases. Agree that USC would be more fun, relaxing and less stress, but is that the purpose of your undergrad education? If UPenn feels more like home, follow your gut.
My son’s friend is in the exact same position & he is going to USC. He lives just across the bridge from Penn so he would like to go away and he is planning on grad school anyway.
STAMPS is an incredible honor and looks great on a resume - it is USC’s (and many schools) highest honor and best scholarship, and they only give 5 of them! Wow, congratulations. You are talking about 300K being given to you, unless you are just utterly wealthy that has to mean something.
Do you want to experience a different part of the country for these four years, does that excite you? You mention wanting to go to tech versus wall street, in which case USC has incredible connections in that arena. How easy is it to transfer to Wharton? Did you talk to folks at USC about the Stamps and what it means? I know my S spends time in NYC with many other USC grads who work there - and a lot of them on Wall Street, there is even a bar owned by USC alum where they gather, so it’s not like USC isn’t known everywhere. And a Stamps designation is pretty awesome.
Tick tock. Frankly, if you are even asking yourself this question, maybe you should go to UPenn. Most people that get Stamps from a school don’t have to ponder it, so maybe that is telling you something. What an opportunity and decision, good luck to you! Let us know where you choose.
@“general acreed” No doubt STAMPS is an incredible honor but so is getting into U Penn which was something like 9% admission rate this year. If you have an opportunity to attend Wharton business school and your plan is to work in finance or business on the East Coast after the next four years, AND your family can afford Penn, it is not a no brainer to take the STAMPS at USC. Definitely take some time and ponder your options, they are two great ones. On Wall Street, I’ll take a Wharton degree over Marshall business school all day long. If you are interested to work in Southern California after graduation for a while or into international business in Asia, it’s worth considering USC.
@Nomorelurker@simba OP didn’t get into Wharton. Econ is an a and s major. I still might agree with most of you all. But the scholarship and preferred school at USC would sway me. And I went there.
And please people don’t say transfer to Wharton. That doesn’t happen at penn and even taking Wharton classes is next to impossible. Or at least it used to be.
@privatebanker I advised Penn for Wall Street work less because of Wharton, and more because it’s logistically easier to get a job in New York if you’re nearby. Plus, the Penn name, even without Wharton, will count for something on Wall Street.
USC (I’m an alum, too) isn’t really a school that focuses on investment banking. West coast schools are more about tech businesses than Wall Street.
Oh. Ok. Gotcha. You’re definitely correct for Wharton. Perhaps for a top Econ grad. Top Marshall grad had more juice than run of the mill Econ student for the three year banking programs
For what it’s worth, a lot of people do transfer into Wharton. The GPA threshold isn’t that high. And anyone can take Wharton classes. Lots of kids from the college take classes such as MKTG101 and FNCE100.
And it’s a two year banking stint, which many kids from the college choose to pursue. If it’s not too big of a burden on your family then come to Penn.
@privatebanker you didn’t attend Penn/Wharton undergrad. The MBA program is a completely different experience.
Good info. Thanks! Years ago. You couldn’t take classes at Wharton other than the 100 level. And I’m surprised at the ease of internal transfer. I wouldn’t ever bother to apply to Wharton. Why take the chance. Interesting to know.
I concur with @CADREAMIN . Based on your post… USC seems like the clear answer. But as you have not reached that same conclusion, Penn may instead be the right decision for you. Penn is an amazing school. My girls ruled it out after visiting… but that was mainly due to its location and not Penn itself. They really disliked Philly & are both at USC now. But as you live in NJ and actually like Penn/Philly, maybe staying close to home… and closer to NYC… is the answer.
@“general acreed” , the area around USC is marginal despite all the security. There is a reason for all the security and it does help in the perimeter, but it’s certainly no better than the area around Penn that Wwward refers to. There is no clear answer. Penn and USC are both great schools.
I didn’t read @wwward reference the area around UPenn, he said they didn’t like the location which could be the city itself, the east coast or the weather or many different things. Philly couldn’t be more different than LA. Just like a state school totally differs from an elite private school, people make choices based on affordability, location, or other personal needs/preferences. OP is fortunate and apparently not restricted by money, so can’t go wrong with either USC or UPenn.
Doing something new and getting away from the same area and people may be really good for OP. Or they could stay in the same place, where they are comfortable and puts them near NYC, both good choices, good luck OP.
@blueskies2day, from the USC Location thread here on CC, @WWWard wrote on March 26th- “Well, I personally went to JHU (and had crime issues, so did friends) and would not even consider it or places like Penn for my daughters”. Apparently, he was not referring to “the weather”.