USC or Swat?

<p>I posted this in the College Search and Selection Forum and was advised to post it here so here goes: I'm a full-pay international student and I've been accepted into both USC (CLAS) and Swarthmore but USC has given me their International Dean's Scholarship (1/4 tuition). That makes USC around $8000 cheaper than Swarthmore per year. Now I don't know which one to pick! </p>

<p>On one hand; Swat is a better school (in my opinion), with smaller classes and where I might be able to get a better (although more rigourous education) and I like Swat more than USC. On the other hand, USC is cheaper and has better weather and (if this is a pro) has more Asian students (I'm Asian). I don't know where I might fit in better socially. Except I'm a bit of a nerd and not a sports fan so probably Swat. </p>

<p>We can afford both schools but I wonder what would be the wiser decision, especially since I might want to go on to do an MBA (either in the US or elsewhere). So do you think Swat is worth the extra ~$8000 per year?</p>

<p>btw my major is undecided</p>

<p>I mean only you can judge how much that money will be worth. 24k is a decent amount of money but for me personally, the education i’m getting here at swat is worth it. that’s not to say that you’re not going to get a good education at usc (which i, admittedly know little about apart from its film school and video game-related offerings) but there is something to be said for the type of education and experience that swat offers. usc does have a great undergrad business program (iirc) but that’s not to say that swat won’t give you an education that will help you in the business world and get an MBA in the future. another thing you should consider is name recognition – a lot of people don’t know what Swarthmore “is”. but i always logic-ed that that was counterbalanced by the fact that i’m going to grad school.</p>

<p>the way i see it, if you have a specific program you want to study, you should go to the school that’s best in that program. if you’re unsure as to what you want to study, you should consider the institution that’s going to afford you the greatest amount of flexibility and strong offerings in whatever general field(s) you might want to pursue. that’s how i approached it.</p>

<p>swat is socially low-key. not cliquey at all imo. people are chill, cool… good stuff. self-professedly nerdy, as you are, but in the sense that (as i’m sure you’ve seen repeatedly) the learning here is ridic. people are really into what they’re doing. i don’t even know how to quantify it but in terms of getting an education and academics swarthmore leaves very little to be desired (imo). the education may be more rigorous by your standards (i don’t have any way to compare to other schools), but swat provides so many resources to its students, from the overly helpful professors, classmates, tutors, help sessions, WAs… there’s plenty to help you out.</p>

<p>this is pretty much just a mishmash of thoughts for you to consider.</p>

<p>this all being said, i think swat is hands-down the better choice. but i tried to play devil’s advocate… although i did so rather badly…</p>

<p>Thanks liminal. I applied to both undecided for the liberal arts college. USC might have better name recognition after undergrad but I’m going to grad school. But before I do an MBA (if I decide to do so) I’m going to need a job…don’t know if Swat is well recognized outside the US, even by graduate schools.</p>

<p>Swat is recognized by those in the know internationally (grad schools, professional schools, etc.). Would only recommend USC more highly if you A) want a large student body or B) want to go into the film/entertainment industry.</p>

<p>Thank you! Any more advice?</p>

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<p>It could be if you wanted to go into academia in certain fields. It almost certainly would not be if you had to take on any debt, which it sounds like you do not, so that’s not a consideration. I don’t know which one would be more widely recognized for jobs outside the United States (and I doubt anyone here knows the answer to that). If you were going straight into business school, USC would probably be the best choice, all things considered. Given everything you’ve said, it does not seem like there is anything about you and your undergraduate goals that weighs significantly in favor of one or the other.</p>

<p>AE, what do you mean straight into business school? Do you mean doing an MBA straight after a BA? I thought that wasn’t possible in the US. And I think you are right…there are pluses and minuses for both making it really hard to decide.</p>

<p>The top US MBA programs really want to see a few years of work experience. So if you plan on attending such a program the job you have after college is at least as important as your undergraduate school. USC has a great alumni network in Southern California, but not such a great reputation nationally. Swarthmore has a great reputation in academia, but not so much in the business world. This doesn’t mean people don’t get good jobs in the business world, just that it is not so much the mainstream career direction. Although it may be fruitless to plan so far ahead, in my view your best course might be to attend Swarthmore, major in something quantitative, get a job with a management consulting firm (some Swatties do go that route), then go to a top US business school after 2-3 years. Of course you may find you end up majoring in Art History and wanting to be a curator. YMMV</p>