<p>USC better location?!?!? I almost spilled my entire coffe when I read that. LA is a ****-hole and USC sits in the ghetto.</p>
<p>i agree they are almost equal…I am just wondering why USC is thought of as more prestigious?</p>
<p>I think you are full of beans Pierre. You are an expert on every college on this board and have over 2,300 posts. Come on man. </p>
<p>To the OP, I wonder why you are still “picking” colleges well past the May 1 deadline to notify them you are coming? We were admitted off of a wait list at either college?</p>
<p>i got in for transfer. i also got into brandeis and some others. i will be a sophomore next year. so “endlessrecession” are you saying pierre is full of beans because u dont think usc is better? because i like both a lot… your thoughts?</p>
<p>“full of beans” = full of excitement lol (found that out from online dictionary haha)</p>
<p>any more thoughts…???</p>
<p>anyone? your insight is very helpful!</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>It seems like size and location are the big differences. Which do you like best? That is probably where you will do the best. Both USC and Wake seem to meet all of your other criteria.</p>
<p>Congratulations and good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>i honestly have no preference in terms of size, location, etc… in fact, i am from california and have a ton of friends going to USC already. for this reason i am thinking Wake Forest to take the road less traveled, but if USC is clearly much better than I may reconsider. It seems to me that both schools are very good, and are equals in many ways… your thoughts?</p>
<p>I’m a Wake alum and not an expert on USC, but my guess would be that the campus dynamics at USC may be more similar to a large state university - significant degree of anonymity, somewhat of an exodus on non-football weekends, a greater sense of belonging o a subunit of the university than to the huge institution as a whole, etc. Wake is basically a larger-than-average LAC with D-I sports and a business school - big sense of community, seeing the same people again and again, perhaps not knowing everyone but knowing of most fellow students (or at least, knowing others who know them). And the Wake campus is a gated community rather than an urban enclave. They’re two very different campus climates. BTW, as a Californian at Wake, you’d be a hot commodity. A lot of Wake students would covet West Coast friends! :)</p>
<p>Let’s see Los Angeles or Winston-Salem? Los Angeles or Winston-Salem? Los Angeles or Winston-Salem? Incredibly different places in just about every way you could imagine. Schools are quite different too. </p>
<p>I know both places. My son spent several summers at the North Carolina School of the Arts in W-S (and I went to school at Chapel Hill) and then went on to USC. To me USC is the obvious choice. It may not be for you.</p>
<p>dubcongress:</p>
<p>I just think Pierre, who is going to college in the fall and is a high school student, needs to focus on himself and where he is going. His ubiquitous comments, though well intentioned, on just about every college on this board are really just his personal opinion and nothing more, or he relies on Princeton Review (which speaks for itself as superficial). </p>
<p>Knowing something about a school from personal experience or from anecdotal reports from friends and family is more valuable. Though anyone’s (including mine) opinion, is just that. Ultimately picking a college is about choice…personal choice, and what fits best for you financially, socially, geographically, academically etc.</p>
<p>I have two extended family who went to USC. My spouse went to school in the greater LA area (no comment because it might influence your decision, but it was a very prestigious school). I am very familiar with Wake Forest in more ways than you could imagine and have a great admiration for the school, its mission and how it goes about higher education, including an immense admiration I have for their athletic director and coaches, who are people of unquestioned integrity, ambitious competition but never at the expense of the individual, the program or the school’s reputation.</p>
<p>Both schools are very evenly matched academically, including both the undergraduate and graduate business schools. I don’t give a hoot about USNWR. Not one twit.</p>
<p>Nor the rankings obsessed people here who incessantly attempt to prove their point with minutiae about SAT scores, peer assessments etc. </p>
<p>You will do well at either school. I congratulate you on your admissions. I am not you, don’t know what makes you tick, and what gets you going emotionally or in your head or deep down in your gut. Only you can decide that. Sometimes, we just get to the end of the diving board and have to make the dive into the water and see what happens. Either way, you can’t go wrong. I see tremendous value in the degree from either school. Both have stellar connections. USC is a bigger school in an urban environment. That may or may not appeal to you or being closer to home with friends. Wake is a small school in a city under 200,000 population, in a country club setting which is yuppy city and a very special place.</p>
<p>You won’t hurt my feelings either way, though I lean to Wake because I prefer the smaller setting. But that is me, not you.</p>
<p>Maybe you live in a small California town already. Maybe you like LA. Maybe you prefer the weather there. Maybe USC’s incredulous sports complex and teams beckons you. But maybe you prefer to be in a new environment, meeting new people, be surrounded by people who will know you personally and care about you personally. Maybe being far away from home is what you want and need for personal growth. Maybe you want to work on the East Coast, NYC, or will fall in love with the South. </p>
<p>Rankings are not everything. In fact they are worthless, because at the end of the day its what you do while in college (how well you succeed) and what you do after you graduate that counts (not just how much you make, but what kind of person you are as you grow and develop your career.) </p>
<p>I would pick Wake over a lot of higher ranking schools for reasons specific to Wake. As we say in the South, “they are good people.” And Wake Forest graduates are good people. The President of the School is the former longtime provost at Notre Dame. He is a gem. </p>
<p>That is all I can tell you. But if you pick USC and stay home, I can understand that and applaud you and wish you the very best.</p>
<p>the other thing to consider is internships. LA and the Trojan Family will be much more amenable to job offers. W-S is in pretty bad shape economically, with a lot of empty warehouses downtown. If you exclude the hospitals, Wake itself, government, and banking jobs (which are in deep financial trouble), there aren’t a lot of other large employers in the 'hood. I would dispute “yuppie city.”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wsbusinessinc.com/whoshere/employers.html[/url]”>http://www.wsbusinessinc.com/whoshere/employers.html</a></p>
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<p>I would have to dispute that. Wake is located very close to the Raleigh-Durham area, which was ranked this year as the #1 place in the country to do business and also as the fastest growing metro area in the country. Wake is also close to Research Triangle Park, which has a multitude of employers who offer high-paying, high-tech jobs in the fastest growing part of the country.</p>
<p>As a business student, more than many other majors, the personal connections you make with other students, faculty, and people in the workplace, are going to be huge factors for your continued success. Make sure you consider this when making your decision.</p>
<p>Wake has enormous connections on WallStreet, in Charlotte, Raleigh Durham, Richmond, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago and the midwest. Not just from alumni either. From businesses that value Wake Graduates. So the “internship/job offer” argument is about even, if you ask me.</p>
<p>Wake has good connections in DC and in Government as well. Its no coincidence they have had two presidential debates, a vice presidential debate and the President has visited several times. </p>
<p>Wake is a small school but not small in stature. So you know.</p>
<p>And I have to chuckle at TSDad, though he is certainly allowed to have his opinion. He is a Chapel Hill man. There is not much love lost between Carolina families and Wake families. Its a huge rivalry. Consider the source. (School of the Arts is a good conservatory, but its part of UNC and has nothing whatever to do with Wake Forest and its in a completely different part of town.)</p>
<p>I have nothing against USC, mind you. Again, its all about personal choice…YOUR choice.</p>
<p>i agree they are both good schools… what do u think about both schools alumni network? USC is a much larger school but I’m sure Wake alumni are strong as well? ALSO, how will Wake’s making submitting test scores optional affect their ranking/prestige in the future. Are both schools on a positive upward trajectory? Do both schools have a chance to make it into the top 25? Any opinions?</p>
<p>thoughts…? it really helps and is greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Both alumni networks are extremely strong in their own backyards, SoCal and the southeast. But, I doubt that neither carry much weight in Chicago or New York City, for example.</p>
<p>Re: rankings, we call can speculate. But for either school to move up, someone has to move down (relatively). It would be hard to fathom either jumping over others ahead.</p>