<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 and 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 has smaller classes and is said to be more rigourous. On the other hand, USC is cheaper and has better weather and has more Asian students (I'm Asian). I don't know where I might fit in better socially.</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>Some facts about me:
I'm an Asian from a hot Asian country; I'm a nerd; not much of a party-er nor a sports fan.</p>
<p>In your case it is difficult to give advice as your choices are completely differenct. It is the traditional pros and cons of a research university and a liberal arts college. Both have strengths.</p>
<p>For a large university SC does have a small faculty student ratio or 1/9. Introductory classes will be larger, but they usually involve small discussion or labs. If you change your major a university will offer more choices.</p>
<p>USC has the Thematic Option which is a challenging honors program. There are posts about that on this board. It would certainly be of interest to you. At SC you will find a diverse student body from all over the world. There are 600 organizations. Not all students are sports fans. Due to the top notch cinema, theatre and music schools you will find classmates who are talented, creative and accomplished. Since you are a Dean’s Scholar you may reside in the honors dorm where there are many students who share your academic goals</p>
<p>Will you have the opportunity to visit the two colleges? Sometimes students know right away if it is a good fit.</p>
<p>SC has many videos on YouTube. View some of those about the academic choices available.</p>
<p>Graduate schools will be looking at your grades, scores and outside accomplishments. </p>
<p>Congratulations on the International Dean’s Scholarship!</p>
<p>I’m actually in the same boat as you. I’ve been accepted to both and I’m now deciding where I want to go. In all honesty and no one is going to deny it, Swarthmore will provide you with a better education handds down. Since you want to do business Marshall will provide you with a solid buisiness foundation, but looking at the course schedule, you won’t have that many electives. However, at Swarthmore, you’re free and encouraged to explore everything. If you were going for a general liberal arts education, then Swarthmore would be better, but since you want to study business, it’s really a toss up. It all comes down to your personal preference (size of school, location, etc.) and don’t worry too much about the money because as you said, it’s not that big of a deal. You’ll earn it back quickly. Good luck!</p>
<p>I know friends where one sister went to Swat and the other SC the year later. So, you can certainly get a good education at both. USC has more diversity in terms of classes, and the student body. I believe they have the most international students of any US institution. However, Swat has cross registration with Bryn Mawr, Haverford and UPenn - which are also options. </p>
<p>That said, I think the biggest difference is size. Where do you see yourself fitting in on the class size and school size spectrum? If you can handle both, that certainly doesn’t make the decision easier (and that’s probably a good thing-being flexible), but there might be some facets you prefer on one side or the other.</p>
<p>Also, it seems like the food at Swat isn’t good from what I hear. I don’t know how much it matters to you, but I do like to have tasty food available. (Though there are some good restaurants right around Swat of course, but LA still wins on variety of food.)</p>
<p>Of course, my choice would be USC. The weather is much better in LA, USC has a top business school (Marshall), there are many choices of majors and minors at USC, and it is less expensive with your scholarship. You might want to look at the international student housing at USC if that is important to you. </p>
<p>I think the main deciding factor would be do I want a smaller school (Swarthmore) or a medium-larger school (USC)?</p>
<p>Thank you for all your helpful comments! To be clear, I have been accepted to the college of liberal arts and sciences, and not to Marshall. I am still as undecided as ever. But I heard that if you are in the CLAS in USC, you can take a minor in another school, is that okay? Also, how pre-professional is USC? I’m totally undecided about my major (not a very decisive person, as you can tell) and since USC has so many schools, I’ve heard it is pretty preprofessional. Do a lot of people come in undecided? Ahh soo confused…</p>