<p>This week I found out that I had been admitted to both USC and UCSD. Now the question arises which of these is the school that is a better fit for me. I am majoring in cognitive science with a future plan in the medical field (medical school maybe...). Any suggestions either way?</p>
<p>wow i have the SAME exact decision to make! i might be wrong, but when i looked at all the undergrad majors at usc, i noticed that they didn't have cognitive science. and i think ucsd is better in the medical/science fields. but usc looks like soo much fun, and it has a great alumni network that can get you lots of jobs, so i really have no idea how to choose between them</p>
<p>i was in this same predicament and i've decided on usc. im a math/science person, and i know ucsd is generally stronger in those areas, but i just like usc as a school more. smaller classes, diversity, super nice campus, better dorms, amazing services, alumni connection, awesome sports and marching band, and the overall unity of the school was too much for me to pass up.</p>
<p>last year i had to make that decision, too...it came down to the wire for me. i loved USC for the above mentioned reasons, but i didn't think i could afford it. well, when i got USC's financial aid package, i couldn't resist...i chose USC, and i haven't looked back since.</p>
<p>A lot of my friends are in the same predicament. I'm from San Diego. If you're going into bio and med school, UCSD just can't be beat. We are a science city, and you will find tons of opportunities for internship and research and study with the best experts in the field. I love USC, but if I was pre-med, I wouldn't be going there.</p>
<p>I'm pre-med, and I'll probably be going to USC. My major is probably going to be neuroscience, too. You have to go where you can picture yourself too. Weigh the pros and cons of each. USC has amazing sports, school spirit, small classes, personal attention, research opportunities, pretty good dorms, etc. UCSD has really good research opportunities, larger classes, etc. I had a hard time choosing between UCLA, UCSD, and USC. I finally came to the conclusion that I would receive a great education at either of the schools, so I just chose the school where I would have the best experience. Besides, many UC admissions people told me that they don't like to take their own for med schools, anyway. I know someone who's a neurologist and went to USC udnergrad and UCSD med school. He did just fine. And another thing, USC's almuni network can't be beat. :)</p>
<p>You gotta love these questions: "I am accepted at X and Y, which one is better for me". C'mon people, use your head. If you are going to ask someone else to make decisions for you, at least provide information on what is important to you. Ideally, you should know at the time you apply why you are applying there, and your preference order. If you do not, you rolled the dice when you applied, and you are rolling them once again by asking for vague advice here. Or perhaps I should say "you played Russian Roulette" instead of "rolled the dice".</p>
<p>Possible answers:
* Go to USC, because the girls are prettier and the parties are more louder, so you can relax after all that hard studying. Plus, buying weed should be a bit easier :-)
* Go to UCSD because La Jolla is spectacular and you can study on La Jolla Cliffs overlooking the Pacific, which is really relaxing.</p>
<p>Instead of relying on idiotic answers like that, why not do some research? You seem to have a good idea what you will be studying. Go to the web sites of both departments, see how they describe their educational philosophy and curriculum. Compile a list of questions, then call the respective departments, and see how willing/eager they are to answer them. Ask THEM to answer the question "Why X". Note the question - not "Why X instead of Y", no department will give you a straight answer to that. Listen carefully to the answer. If a school cannot explain what their own differentiators are, you do not want to go there. Go to the school that takes the time to pay attention to you and that knows what they stand for.</p>
<p>There is much more to learn in any school than any human being can learn in 4 years, so what you get out of school is largely up to you, so you need to ask yourself who will make your academic life easier.</p>