My son was accepted into the Marshall School of Business and chose that over his acceptances at UCLA for Business Economics and at Berkeley for Economics. We are in-state and do not get any aid, but he really loved the USC campus and whole vibe and it was always his #1 choice. UCLA was his backup. After hearing from his friends who go to the UCs this year having no in person classes for a month due to the strike, no help in getting internships, classes with 1000+ students etc., he is very happy he decided to go to USC. So I think a lot of it depends on whether you can afford the higher tuition.
15 Likes
I had two get into UCLA & UCB engineering (and USC). And another in a liberal arts major and a USC athlete (no brainer, USC all the way on that one). Lots of kids, lots of money on college, so we were really looking, it wasn’t just a USC or bust approach at that time (except for the athlete). UCLA is gorgeous and a great school, no question. UCB has an amazing reputation, (although not a fan of the campus), but for us, it all came down to a few key factors that pushed us to USC:
- We like private education. Did public schools up to high school then went private. So we learned the difference there and liked what we paid for.
- Being able to change majors (nearly impossible at some publics) and the ease to double major and/or add a minor. One of mine changed majors 5 times (yes 5 times, her advisor knew her well). But it wasn’t till that 5th one that I got the call with tears of joy, knowing she was now in the right major (and now works in said industry). My biggest fear was for any of mine to spend 4 years in a college (and that we were paying for) and stuck in a major they didn’t really want to be in. Two double majored and one did major and minor. Not everyone goes to college knowing what they want to be. I wanted them to be able to explore and if they found a passion, be able to go for it.
- The Trojan family network thing - it is real. Connections matter when they get out. I just wasn’t that familiar with grads from some of the other schools actually helping each other out. They didn’t have that family helping family feel that went beyond the four years. Every one of mine uses and has very close Trojan connections that have been amazing from watching a game together with alum they just met when across the country or getting a job and everything in between.
- California is crowded and fighting for resources is a daily struggle, didn’t want my kids having to do that in college (getting classes, lunch, opportunities with profs, etc).
- We found the cost wasn’t as big a difference when factoring in being assured you can graduate in 4 years (versus paying for more for another year at UC) and bonus of getting 2 majors or major/minor, which can be done (when well planned for) at USC.
- And last one, sounds dumb (and helicopter parent kind of thing) but it was big for us at the time, including my student. Room mate selection was random at UCLA, meaning my studious engineer could be placed with two, let’s call it “more party type” major students (no judgement just different). And having to leave room to study seemed a pain. USC had great room mate matching (worked fantastic) and limit 2 to a room in most dorm situations.
But gosh oh golly, both are great educations and experiences, we just wanted the bit more flexibility that we felt we could get at USC, and believed it was worth paying for. It was. And I do still enjoy getting the fight on sign when traveling somewhere in the world or driving on some interstate when we have something USC visible on us or the car. Little bonus. 
15 Likes
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I totally get it now.
1 Like
For being an instate CA resident, it is a $180K difference, so I think budget is important, especially with your prior comments. But our experience with USC has been phenomenal. Smaller classes, ease of getting quality recommendations with professors she has gotten to know outside the classroom (kid #1 seeking med school recs), and research opportunities have been amazing.
3 Likes
Nope would def go to a top UC if given the chance- cost isn’t the main factor, it’s mainly because I’ve just always dreamed of going to a UC
3 Likes
My daughter is applying to USC from the Midwest. We have no legacy connection to USC. I believe USC should completely shut down the whole legacy consideration for the overall good of the institution. It feels wrong. SAT/ACT should be required (except for the arts majors). For instance, MIT and Purdue studies show these scores along with high school gpa/rigor correlate to better success at their respective universities. The deciding factors should be their overall strength of the student’s application/essays/ECs/recos.
3 Likes
Ivy league schools, Stanford, UChicago, and many top private schools look heavily into legacy. I like legacy consideration. I feel SAT/ACT should be required. UCs do not consider SAT because they claim that some rich parents pay money to get the higher test score for their kids. I don’t know who came up with that lame excuse. I suspect the real reason is that they want to discourage acceptance to certain group of students who traditionally do well in SAT. Many schools outside of UC are SAT optional now. I am pretty sure students who did good in SAT would submit their scores. Others would obviously choose to hide them.
As an alumna, I can totally tell you USC won’t shut down their legacy consideration, although they’ve downplayed it significantly in the last 10 years or so. Part of being a Trojan is the life-long and world-wide connection and “family.”
1 Like
oops didn’t mean direct reply here!
1 Like
I love the spirit, not to mention the money, that the legacy tradition brings. The heart and dedication of the Trojan family was built from legacy and it is part of the culture there, making USC what it is. We did not have legacy when mine applied, but after attending many events at USC over the years, I see the magic and contribution legacy families bring. They loooove USC and they will always give back to USC. Generally speaking, they don’t just drop their kids off, never to be heard from by USC again; they back the school. Many have spent generations giving to USC whether big or small amounts of money and/or time and dedication - it’s all giving. And I know other students benefit from things derived from all their contributions.
6 Likes
SAT/ACT are not great indicators of college success. They also heavily favor white students and those from privileged backgrounds. Get rid of them altogether.
4 Likes
I was surprised to hear on this thread that 13% of accepted students were legacy last year at USC. I guess it depends on which side of the fence you sit on. Outside the alumni network, I could see how legacy admissions could hurt USC’s reputation overall. Non-legacy applicants are drawn to the wonderful attributes that have been listed above and want to be part of that. In a highly competitive admissions process, a deferral or ultimate rejection might feel not all together legitimate. Such is life…
2 Likes
I’m not sure how much it hurts, tbh. Stanford and Harvard also favor their legacies by similar rates.
2 Likes
Privileged backgrounds include students who actually spend a lot of time studying for the SAT ? If you are referring to cheating parents in the singer college scandal, shame on those cheaters. But that is not a true representative of many students who work hard to achieve good SAT scores.
8 Likes
The percentage of each new freshman class that have legacy connections (what USC calls SCions) has been consistently and steadily dropping over time. The percentage of SCions enrolling in the class of 2024 was 15%. For the class of 2025, it fell to 13%. It may fall slightly yet again this cycle.
Including transfers into USC from other schools later, legacies have been representing about 20 percent of recent graduating classes. Many SCions are disappointed when not gaining admission applying as a high school senior and resolve to find a way in later. Many legacy applicants not being admitted are offered the Trojan Transfer Plan (TTP - there are other threads dedicated to explaining it well), which allows unsuccessful applicants to USC to attend a different college or university as a freshman and then follow USC guidance on transfer prep work. Those who do it as planned eventually matriculate to USC as a sophomore.
In general, SCions only get a slight preference in the admission process these days. It’s a cruel numbers game for legacy applicants as well. They receive over 10,000 SCion applications each year, and USC only intends to admit circa 8000 in total to achieve a freshman class size of circa 3000. USC could thus fill its entire freshman class more than three times over with just legacy applicants. But clearly USC is not going to do so.
Yesterday, I posted links to the two most recent freshman class profiles. They detail the lengths that USC is undergoing to generate a very diverse and well-rounded freshman class. That includes its effort to augment the number of FirstGen applicants enrolling. That percentage has steadily increased as the percentage of legacy enrollees has declined.
Nothing against the students who work hard. Good for them. But, it’s their privilege that allows them to purchase study materials and classes (and the time) to devote to studying for the test. I’m guilty of this myself.
5 Likes
How dare those parents choose to buy SAT books and send kids to SAT classes to gain unfair advantage ? LOL. There are free SAT books at the library and free SAT tutoring service available if students look hard for it. If they look hard for excuse, of course they would find it too.
11 Likes
Definitely Harvard - my cousin went there and now her two sons are now at Harvard- they are smart but world changers, not sure. Pretty sure the third kid will also go there.
3 Likes
I did it for my kid so I’m part of the problem. A lot of his buddies don’t have the resources, time, transportation etc to do the same. I’m not arguing - just stating a known truth that the tests are a better measure of privilege than of college success. God luck with everything. We all need it.
2 Likes
Agree completely. In the case of my kids, it’s the privilege and luxury of time to study and practice old exams that helped them achieve good scores. I didn’t appreciate this until I started volunteering at my local Boys and Girls Club as a college mentor for first-gen college applicants. I have mentored four so far and all had to take on responsibilities that leave them barely enough time to complete homework let alone study for SAT/ACT. First one had to take care of a disabled father while dealing with the death of her mother junior year, second one was a state-level athlete freshmen year who had to quit all after-school activities when her mother found a job and she had to immediately return home to take care of an infant sister and a first-grade brother before the pandemic and during the pandemic she was constantly interrupted during Zoom class to change and feed the baby. She and her first-grade brother had to negotiate whose turn it was to attend Zoom class since there was only one computer until they got a loaner from school. The third one knew there was no money for college so he charted out his path by already accumulating college credit via community college junior and senior year and working at the same time and by the time he graduated from high school, he only needed one year of community college to be able to transfer to UC Davis. The one I am mentoring this year her father was owed back wages and the company went out of business and declared bankruptcy so most likely she would have to delay college to help out with family since they needed her anyway as she does all the family finances, including tracking and budgeting, filing tax, dealing with medical insurance, etc due to her parents’ limited English and discomfort around computer and technology in general. I don’t envy Admissions Officers’ job to decide who to admit. All four of these first-gen kids’ GPA was between 3.8 and 3.9 and I thought the fourth kid’s essay about her leadership role in her family was brilliant. Lack of a standardized test score should not detract from her application.
11 Likes