<p>Chicago is one of the great academic institutions in this country and while USC has improved its academic reputation and caliber exponentially in the past several decades, it is not in the same league.</p>
<p>If you can afford Chicago, go there without a doubt. Otherwise, USC is a perfectly fine choice and sounds like a great deal from a financial standpoint.</p>
<p>HenryJohnson:</p>
<p>Your son didn’t apply to NYU, Columbia, Cornell?</p>
<p>Drax12:</p>
<p>No, He did not apply to NYU, Columbia, Cornell. He likes a school near a big city with REAL NICE CAMPUS although we encouraged him to apply.</p>
<p>Fordham is not the same league as Chicago or USC – so take out Fordham.</p>
<p>USC is full of quirky intellectuals; preppies; conservatives; rick kids; public school graduates; valley-types; liberals; internationals; below poverty level students; Californians; fraternity and sorority members; out of staters; and just about everything else you can think of. Plus many of these groups overlap. It has a very diverse student body. Whatever you are or want to be you’ll find it at USC. Besides, the weather is so much better. And, as a footnote to nothing, my son’s allergies seem to be less problematic in LA than in the DC area where he grew up.</p>
<p>USC for the money; the school; and the other stuff.</p>
<p>Go to USC for undergrad
Go to UChicago for grad school</p>
<p>Get the best of both worlds</p>
<p>I personally would not want to go to UChicago for undergrad. While the school is well respected, that place seems so boring and too intellectual. Go there for grad school, not undergrad.</p>
<p>Can you help me better understand the financial comparison:</p>
<p>Is it:</p>
<p>USC: Room and Board, Books, Travel, Personals ($18k) - $8k award = $10k per year?
Chicago: $18k Tuition + $16k Room/Board/Traverl/Personals = $32k per year?
Fordham: $16k Room/Board/Traverl/Personals per year?</p>
<p>Studious –</p>
<p>MenloparkMom is simply pulling for the home team. What else would one expect? Cut her some “mom-slack”.</p>
<p>Though you stated you had no idea, the fact is that you are correct – USC goes into heavy Party mode starting at about 4pm on Thursdays, and goes full blast through Sat. night – VERY late on Saturday (or rather well into the morning Sunday) in Football season. There are very few classes offered on Fridays. This partying is mostly centered around the Greek houses, and excursions therefrom. If a person is not so inclined, then they simply don’t go Greek.</p>
<p>DunninLA:</p>
<p>Here are the numbers each year:</p>
<p>USC: Full Tuition + $8k
Chicago: $18K total
Fordham: Full Tuition</p>
<p>The numbers in item #29 are all scholarships each year, not the amount we have to pay.</p>
<p>Fordham needs to get out of this conversation - </p>
<p>“I’m fairly certain Chicago is considered the better school.”</p>
<p>U of Chicago is FAR SUPERIOR to USC - BUT you have full tuition plus 8K (I imagine towards housing?) </p>
<p>and Chicago is coming in at 32K plus in terms of cost?</p>
<p>If money is NOT an issue - go to Chicago - if it is - USC</p>
<p>Is the academic superiority of University of Chicago over that of USC really worth $32,000x4=$128,000 over four years?</p>
<p>^ I thought you said it was $18k/year. For someone who doesn’t like USC and prefers Chicago’s environment, $18k/year is sort of reasonable…if you can afford that out of pocket and not take out loans.</p>
<p>$128k total is a big difference.</p>
<p>Yes, the $18k/year is the scholarship from Chicago. The total difference between USC and Chicago is $128k in four years.</p>
<p>Why are we still discussing this? Do you have the extra $128k, and if no do you consider that any undergrad school is worth $128k debt?</p>
<p>I see that you mention business as a possible undergrad choice, so he does know that CHI doesn’t offer that, right? He’d do Econ?</p>
<p>It would have been clearer if you also stated each school COA, as you see the way you listed ended up confusing many.</p>
<p>When is your visit?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You’re joking right especially since Chicago may not have his major and USC’s Marshall School is pretty good? And, btw, in some academic areas USC is far and away superior to Chicago.</p>
<p>We will be visiting USC over the weekend of April 22-23, in line with the admitted students on campus reception on Saturday, April 23.</p>
<p>Any advice regarding the campus visit to USC?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>USC without a doubt!</p>
<p>Have fun! I love Chicago to the death, but $128k is a lot of money.</p>
<p>I must say, though, all the arguments to the effect of “UChicago doesn’t have a business major” are misleading. In high finance, management consulting, etc., it doesn’t matter what major you did in college, so long as you have the technical chops and the soft skills. I know a Near Eastern Languages major who’s working at BCG, really. :)</p>
<p>For business, USC wins. Throw in full tution, USC wins big. I personally know one MBA from UChicago that is not employed as a business person, he had to resort to his engineering undergraduate(MCGill). so I’m not sure the prestige of UChicago makes any difference in business that is.</p>