urgent:Berkeley, Gtown OR USC?!?!

<p>Hey everyone, I really need some help here because I have to make a decision…FAST! (PLz I have less than a week to decide)
So which school do you think is better for a BUSINESS major, not only in terms of academics but also as an overall experience (i.e. QUALITY OF LIFE, connections, recruitment after graduation…)?
This is a really difficult decision so I need all the advice I can get!
So what do you think? Or what would you chose?? HAAS, Marshall or McDonough?!
Or put this way, L.A, Berkeley OR D.C..? (Ok I know u get it...)
Thank you very much! :)</p>

<p>I would go for either Cal or Georgetown. Cal has a better overall program and better connections to the corporate world. Georgetown is not quite as good, but it is well connected.</p>

<p>Depends where you want to live after you graduate?
I think you'd have the most fun/overall experience at USC. Best academic program is CAL. If you're thinking of living in LA USC has the best conections. Back east Georgetown. Bay area CAL.
Tough one.....</p>

<p>also, bein an intl, im not as "up-to-date" as most of you are, so which one is regarded as a more "presitigious" university? CAL or GTOWN?</p>

<p>succubus- I'm in the same exact predicament, and I have decided that it is almost impossible to decide between Georgetown and Cal.</p>

<p>Can anyone help us? :o</p>

<p>Academically, Cal is probably the heavyweight here. However, GTown is a future government employee's dream. </p>

<p>Don't choose a school based on major, because you're likely to up and change it...</p>

<p>Guys, Georgetown and Cal are complete opposites! Cal is liberal. Georgetown is conservative. Cal is a large university. Georgetown is a midsized university. Cal is strong accross all disciplines. Georgetown is is probably more of a liberal arts program. Cal is in California. Georgetown is in DC. I have never heard of a person having trouble deciding between those two schools. They are too different to pose a dilemna!</p>

<p>well Alexandre , it is a really huge dilemma to me... Although I'd rather live in cali, mostly because of the weather factor.. (but that's not a reason for chosing a school at all i guess..). So It is indeed a tough decision to make, for me at least.
I know they're both really good schools (and to make matters more confusing, I really like USC too), but I have never been to any of them yet, I'll be going to the USA in the summer, so I'm relying on my reasearch and this kind of advice..That's why I really need some help.</p>

<p>calidan - Let me know when you decide, feel free to pm me and tell me what your deciding factors are going to be. I'm worried and desperate!</p>

<p>I'm a bit confused here. There are two fabulous business schools on this list, Cal and USC. Does G-Town have some reputation for excellence in undergrad business? I've not heard that before...although G-Town has the king of all foreign service training academies, and gets a load of brilliant people doing MBAs there because of it's position in the capital. But undergrad business? </p>

<p>Looking at Cal and USC, Cal has the highest ranking, with top five ranking in six of the twelve subspecialites that USNews evaluates (Finance, Int'l business, Management, Marketing, Quantitative Analysis, and Real Estate). USC is tops in two (Accounting and Entrepreneurship). G-Town is tops in none, and is tied for the number 29 slot overall.</p>

<p>One thing about these rankings: they are entirely dependent on peer assessment (that means the familiarity of academics with the other schools, not the opinion of the business community), and this can skew things. I would have said that USC is going to give a much better combination of contacts and education than the other two if the student wants to make a life in California. OOS, Cal may be best, except in DC, where G-Town could have fabulous reputation for business that I just don't know about.</p>

<p>This is the wrong forum to get a clear view on prestige, as each school has its partisans - LOL. Good Luck!</p>

<p>Alexandre- it may seem like an unlikely predicament to be in, but since Cal is my (flagship) state school, and Georgetown is just one of my favorite colleges, it has become quite contentious. On the one hand, Cal is cheap and still offers great academics (though not too much in the way of attention/small classes), but on the other hand Georgetown has all the perks that come along with a private school, along with a great reputation, as well as a hefty price tag.</p>

<p>If you're passionate about business and sure, then the decision here should be Cal vs. USC. Georgetown is arguably the best school in ocnsideration... until you throw in the fact that you want to do business.</p>

<p>As for social aspects and quality of life, both will offer a different atmosphere.</p>

<p>Calidan, Cal is not your typical state school. If your parents are filtrhy rich, you can certainly chose Georgetown. But if your parents a middle income, it simply isn't worth it. Cal is at least as good as Georgetown. Megastud, Georgetown is not ranked as high as USC in Business, but top IBs and Consulting firms actively recruit at Georgetown but not at USC.</p>

<p>the first to take off ur list is USC.</p>

<p>I'd drop Georgetown first.......</p>

<p>If money is a consideration I'd do Haas at UCB if not then Gtown all the way!</p>

<p>Time to be a Hoya! -- G-town.</p>

<p>succubus- you are going to get a lot of varying opinions on here. You've gotten pretty much every different type of answer here. Each school has its plusses and minuses. You need to choose which one feels right to you. I really don't think it matters as much which school is the best, if you are just going to be unhappy there for four years. Ignoring all the stats (which really you can do, since all three schools are great, and academically you can't go wrong), which one just seems like the one for you? </p>

<p>USC presents an awesome overall college experience. It has a good reputation in academics, but not as high as the other two, although it is steadily increasing. The b-school has a prestigious reputation, and is probably your second best bet here. </p>

<p>Berkeley probably offers the best b-school experience, and has great overall academics and reputation. Think about if it will offer you the total package that you are looking for. </p>

<p>Georgetown has a good overall academic reputation, but it is not as well-known for business as the other two schools are. </p>

<p>Basically, you need to put aside people's comments driving you toward one or the other, because, obviously, in the end it is your decision, and you are just getting a lot of conflicting answers (and some may be biased- Go USC! :) ). I say go with whichever one feels best to you, because you really can't go wrong.</p>

<p>WHOA Alexandre, top ibanks and consulting firms don't recruit out of USC? The only top ibanks I know of that don't are Lehman Brothers and Lazard. Goldman Sachs, ML, Citigroup (the CEO of Citigroup is a USC grad for heaven's sake!), JP Morgan Chase, Bear Sterns, and Houlihan all do - from making presentations to assigning special recruiters to actively be the liason between fresh USC grads and the companies themselves. I know this because I personally have the business cards for the USC (or Los Angeles area) recruiter for all of the firms mentioned. Consulting-wise, McKinsey visits and Deloitte has a huge presence. In this category I've just never seen BCG.</p>

<p>As I realize that you're a moderator I mean no offense, but making the statement that "top IBs and Consulting firms actively recruit at Georgetown but not at USC" is not only misinformed but completely misleading. Perhaps some of us have a tendency to look at Georgetown and Cal and wonder why USC is being compared amongst the three. However, for the poster's interest, business, USC is amongst peers as hard as that may be to believe. And let's not forget the intangibles such as USC's alumni network.</p>

<p>TMS, I was indeed mistaken. I recall a USC student saying that IBs and MC firms did not recruit at Marshall, but it is obviously not the case. I appologize for the error. However, I would still recommend Cal and Georgetown over USC.</p>

<p>they do not recruit at USC as heavily as other schools, its more of a fall-back. USC is barely touched. my cousin went there, most students had to go out to find work themselves. no one came to them</p>

<p>it IS true, they do not actively recruit at USC, not in the way they do at top-notch programs</p>