<p>"How many schools offer great academics, championship sports teams, undying school spirit, one of the strongest alumni networks, diversity, huge endowment that keeps the school moving forward, and did I mention perfect weather year round? Very few schools. It's a GREAT time to be a Trojan!"</p>
<p>no doubt, fight on</p>
<p>UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford</p>
<p>to claim it an elite in academics, largely due to the broadth and depth of its research and graduate schools. Undergraduate academics is overrated, where student quality sets schools apart.</p>
<p>As you pointed there are flaws in studentsreview, the flaws could flow in different directions for different types of school, and it is more so as to when and how you choose to use the data . To lumping private schools with public schools is one of many. Other things to consider, when you look at those happys or unhappys, may be the amount of tuition students paid, the aspiration of the whole student body, the sample space, etc. Anyway I regard USC clearly above the school you mentioned, as most people will.</p>
<p>CotoDeCasa, do you mind starting another thread to make your points across. I am all for pumping up UCs, but it is not appropriate to put it here, and you make yourself irrelvant.</p>
<p>
[quote]
UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Please tell me you're not serious.</p>
<p>Wait. USC is an elite academic institution?</p>
<p>"UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford"</p>
<p>"Please tell me you're not serious."</p>
<p>ya, its hard to take someone serious when they cant spell the name of their own neighborhood correctly.</p>
<p>Too much time on your hands? Are you enjoying aggravating the young people?</p>
<p>tsdad</p>
<p>You are aggravating the situation right now.</p>
<p>TheDad's post regarding UCSB:</p>
<p>
[quote]
UCSB is no Stanford but UCSB <em>is</em> one of the more underrated colleges, mostly due to its [mostly deserved] party school reputation. As a datum, UCSB is a member of the AAU...you don't apply, you get selected. UC is an anomaly in that it has either four or five members (can't remember about Davis) and most states have one, if any, public institutions. There are only somewhere around 100 AAU members to begin with.</p>
<p>Given its relatively modest selectivity, UCSB is a bargain academically...but you have to be willing to work to take advantage of that.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>TheDad's post regarding USC:</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's at least a member of the AAU, which isn't chopped liver</p>
<p>where the weight of the SC experience is for far too many people for whom academics is an afterthought. SC is a great school for four years of having a good time. You may and can make something of yourself academically while doing it. But you won't be working in an environment of dominated by peers doing likewise
[/quote]
</p>
<p>UCSB is being held down by it's party reputation, but USC is what it is evidenced by it's party reputation (or school spirit). UCSB students are one step from academic enlightenment, while USC students face an uphill battle. As a datum, UCSB was selected to be a part of the exclusive AAU, while USC is at least a member of the AAU. </p>
<p>Where are the UCSB is "no worse than...." comments? You're talking about a school that is "party central" in CA, a school that has the acronym "University of Casual Sex and Beer", a school that hosts such big parties that people from as far north as Berkeley and as far down south as SD come to their annual bashes, yet where are the "academics as an afterthought" comments? </p>
<p>How anyone can defend TheDad is beyond me...</p>
<p>CdC, the funding issues are largely irrelevant to the day to day experiences of an undergrad, at least in the short term.</p>
<p>Alwaysthere, I can mostly live with what you're saying but I'll still maintain that the on-campus ambience/priorities are much more similar to Arizona, Colorado than to Chicago, Georgetown, Amherst. If you read spontaneous recs of USC, academics are virtually <em>never</em> mentioned first; the same is not true of these latter schools. </p>
<p>Tsdad, well, it's the slowest time of year for my main biz and I was stuck on a couple of points on some fiction I was working on, plus I spent half the day waiting for a plumber, so I was on CC more than usual. One does what one can. From your post, I infer that maybe I could be aggravating some adults to balance things out...do you think I should? I make it a point never to go into the USC threads on the forum...it's only when preposterous claims are made out here in the broader board that I will sometimes let myself get sucked in.</p>
<p>Okidoki: True. :)</p>
<p>Afterhours, you are niftily trying to change the terms of the debate. No one is claiming that UCSB is among the ranks of the elite insitutions, which was what was posited here about USC. UCSB is seen mainly as a party school and it's certainly more than that, which is where the "underrated" comes from. Certainly, for majors such as Physics or Economics, I would recommend UCSB over USC in an instant, just as I would rec USC for Film, Theater, and Music over UCSB. I need no defense; indeed, I find it amusing that you and your cohorts have managed to provide me with quotes needed to sustain my points. I suggest that you don't go out for the Debate team.</p>
<p>Flop on!</p>
<p>I find it a bit immature that a father of considerable age will sit on a forum for teenagers and bash a college with pages upon pages of ranting (not to mention personal attacks).</p>
<p>You don't like USC, we get it. Let them like USC if they want to.</p>
<p>"Alwaysthere, I can mostly live with what you're saying but I'll still maintain that the on-campus ambience/priorities are much more similar to Arizona, Colorado than to Chicago, Georgetown, Amherst"</p>
<p>i'd have to agree, but so are ucla, berkeley, emory, uva, duke, and vandy. maybe it's more of a weather thing, and not so much quality of academics- the on-campus ambience, that is.</p>
<p>usc is a great school. the alum connections, name, academics, sports, and life there, i've been hearing, are all awesome. anyways, this is just in my opinion, you're going to get a good education anywhere you go. Just as long as the learning environment is good and classes are small enough. That's just one of my problems with public universities like ucla and unc, the class sizes are just too big. thats just my take, and why im only applying to private schools and lac's. you usually get what you pay for.</p>
<p>USC ROCKS
take it from me....im a californian girl from a quiet and teeny suburb in the bay area. I get uncomfortable when Im in Oakland past 6 lol but I loved USC when I visited. Yes, dangerous, high crime area, but when youre on campus, you would never know your in Watts. Beautiful red brick buildings, awsome school spirit, good size ( 14,000 ), outstanding academics.....i like it better than UCLA personally. plus, its the home of this years heisman winner :)</p>
<p>Omg, I Just Found Out I Got Straight A's First Semester In Usc.</p>
<p>badabing75, USC is not in Watts. Watts is about 6 miles or so south. USC is not even in South Central. It is in Central Los Angeles. Maybe you were joking though. :)</p>
<p>Then take it for granted. </p>
<p>You remind me of some of my buddies in college. They were really critical of our school, and turned out the most passionate and successful one. You kind represent the transition of usc student body, who take academics more serious than before, and want more out of your education. Just do whatever you can to make your college education a better experience for you!</p>
<p>or atleast now it will be easier to transfer. werent you going to elaborate on something?</p>
<p>Congrats auscguy. </p>
<p>Ha, I wish my grades from freshman year lasted. I worked much harder than I did last year, and I'm getting worse grades.</p>
<p>It gonna be a long post.</p>
<p>-TheDad, I mean, WTF, "flop on." I mean, you can say bad things in term of education quality in USC. But basically from your post you are just degrading USC students. I wonder that if you are really "a dad," or just a teenager trying to play a dad.
-alwaysthere
yeah, I worked ridiclously hard for it
-MrTroganMan
I am thinking about being a Bruin. just kidding. But I gonna apply for some scholarship. I want that M.S. degree so bad. BTW, I am not econ major. I am of the same major as $teve $ample.
-uschicka
thanks, that's very nice of you. :)</p>
<p>Well, if I am to talk about the "quality" of undergrad educaton in U$C, I would say it is pretty bad for at least freshman and soph yr and from what I see.</p>
<p>I vividly remember the day that I turned in the check of 16k. Just a normal day in summer, I drove to USC. I couldn't find a parking space. I ended up parking at UV and walked to the 2nd floor of cafe84. Meh, that's gone, 16k, that's lots of $. I felt so guilty, seeing the receipt, 16k. I felt really bad.
But at the same time, I felt excited. Imagining having a "supposely good" education (I was at a very bad high school), studying with smart students and have a new life. </p>
<p>Well, things turn out not exactly as I expected. Social part of my college life is pretty good. But on the academic part, I have a lot bad things to say. </p>
<p>Imagining it is the first couple days of school---</p>
<p>I walked into my first class, chem105a, seeing the auditorium(SGM123) is filled by approx. 200 ppl. I was a bit late. Sitting on the backrow, I could barely see what on the blackboard. Meh, I am paying 16k. And a class with 200 students.
The next class, math, I couldn't understand what my professor was speaking. He is a Russian, can't really speak English. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with him. Just that wht the hack USC made to to teach. He should just be some sort of research faculty. </p>
<p>Second day, first class, GE1, again it is in a large auditorium(differectly one, SGM124), again, 200 ppl. The prof basically just read her notes and stood at podium. There was no sense of interaction. Moreover, later she said that our grades are given by T.A. as well as our exams and papers are graded by them, and if we got any questions, just ask your T.A.. I was really shocked. So the prof just reading the note? Come on, i tis what I get for 16k?</p>
<p>Although I will have writing class next semester, I am told by my friend taht the class is handled by grad student. When I first heard, I thought my friend is kidding. But after asking more ppl. Damn, the class really taught by grad students, who get their tuition cost reduced by teaching us. I mean, aren't we suppose to be taught by "professors" why the hack ----grad students teaching writing class---------. And gave us grades, of course. </p>
<p>The next class is the only class I like, class of my major, the prof is really awesome. The class size is about 60. The prof really cares about us and try to learn our names during office hr. It is the only class that I feel worth the $. However, the T.A. doesn't speak english very well. But he is a good guy. </p>
<p>Again as I said, I was at a very bad high school. I really hoped that I would get a decent quality of education in college. I know that the class size will be much smaller in my junior and senior, but rught now, for what USC can offer to me so far, I mean, USC basically rips me off, so bad. Meh, 16k, I still feel bad on spending that much $. And did I ask too much?to be taught by professor for writing class, having porfessor grading my paper, exam, and to be taught in a smaller class size.</p>
<p>true, i think i would might feel the same way. but im desensitized to mediocre education, going to state school and all. i paid all my expenses through work 1st yr and loans/scholarship 2nd yr. my parents thought i shoud pay for eductaion myself. what a bust, i should of gone to community college. </p>
<p>but soon you will see that 32k/yr will make up in different ways. trust me, buddy. a 4.0 shows you are very serious about studying. whcih is good. i was like that; my fisrt and secodn yrs, i was sooo focused and not b/c i wanted to transfer, b/ci didnt have anything else. at the end of the quarter, i felt empty. even with good grades.</p>