<p>My current major is EE but I will doubling MATH or ECON.</p>
<p>My concern is whether USC is in the same tier as Michigan and Vanderbilt. And most people at L.A. kind of prefer UCLA rather than USC.</p>
<p>Regarding the academics, everyone knows USCs old handle: The University of Spoiled Children and "The University of Second Choice". </p>
<p>USC has a strong engineering program and business program ut it is weak in math, physics and econ. And I am afraid that the university emphasis on grad school more than undergrads.</p>
<p>What gives you the impression that USC focuses more on grad school? If anything, the feeling here on campus is that USC devotes too much attention to its undergrads and not enough to its grad students.</p>
<p>Old assumptions about USC are not true anymore. LA is split between the two schools, and you will find people who prefer one and people who prefer the other.</p>
<p>USC is pretty much in the “almost there” tier of schools, basically great schools that are not HYPSM. There has been tremendous growth and improvement in the past two decades and it doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon.</p>
<p>Also: the CC staff has said that they will not change the list of “CC Top Universities”.</p>
<p>someone told me that USC is party school?? and it is too big for a private college?
I do not like pot or drinking. Is there any sustance-free residential hall?</p>
<p>All 3 of the schools on your list can be considered to be “party schools” to some extent. I don’t think USC is more of a party school than the others.</p>
<p>USC is well-respected in Calif for engineering…you don’t have to worry about that.</p>
<p>Are you thinking that USC is more “grad school” because it has a lot of grad students? I think that’s because USC has used technology that allows engineers to get their grad degrees by taking the courses right at their jobs so they don’t have to come to the campus…and their employers are paying the costs. </p>
<p>USC hasn’t been the U of Spoiled Children for a long time. At a time when admissions was rather easy, it may have earned that handle. However, admissions has gotten quite competitive. I know one student with very good stats that was admitted this spring to UCLA, but was rejected from USC. </p>
<p>*but it is weak in math, physics and econ. *</p>
<p>What is your evidence that it is “weak” in those subjects? Are you assuming that because it may not be highly ranked in those subjects that it is “weak”? It doesn’t really work that way. Just because a school isn’t ranked in a subject does NOT mean that it is “weak” in those areas.</p>
<p>That said, how is the affordability for each school? That can make a difference.</p>
<p>I am at a foreign college and my professor is a Purdue alumnus. I am Chinese.</p>
<p>When I registered that screenname, I decided to pursue a PhD at Purdue since it was strong in nano devices at that time. But I changed my mind. That is why I showed up here.</p>
<p>I am a junior now at a top 10 university in China with a 3.66 GPA and I have not visited both school yet.</p>
<p>If we are talking about undergraduate here, you should be aware that many universities will not admit students with advanced standing above the junior level.</p>
<p>Good catch Blue, EE if this decision is for undergraduate transfer then you need to check the policies. As for some of your other concerns, all three of your schools could be considered party schools. That said, none of these schools mandate that you smoke pot or drink alcohol. If you wish to live substance free you will find like-minded students at all three colleges.</p>
<p>As for rankings I think you’ll find most people ignore them unless it serves their purposes or massages their egos. The college confidential list is different from the USNWR list which is different from Bloomberg, Forbes etc. If you obsess on only choosing colleges from a particular list then you will be saddled with an ever fluctuating set of choices.</p>
<p>All of your schools have their own particular reputations. USC is the University of Spoiled Children, Vanderbilt is a bastion of southern, white conservatism and Michigan is home to East Coast liberals. What’s interesting is that all these opinions attack the population that attends not the quality of the education they receive. When you step back from it, they all sound more like petty jealousies than insight. While parts of these reputations may have been true at one time or another what is true now is that all three of these schools provide excellent top tier educations. Assuming you still qualify as a transfer candidate, any one of these schools will do an excellent job preparing you for your engineering career.</p>
<p>USC is now one of the most diverse universities in the country with major need based aid, minority representation and 1st generation college students. “Spoiled children,” as has already been argued, is long inappropriate. </p>
<p>I’d put all three schools on a somewhat even academic level, but Michigan’s offerings in engineering and the physical sciences/math will be strongest. While there’s plenty of partying going on at all three, the size of Michigan would probably work to the advantage of someone looking for a more studious niche. All three are great choices. Probably see Mich as a better fit for you.</p>
<p>First we definitely need to clear up when you are planning on attending these schools. Transferring in this late is not going to be easy or fun no matter where you decide to go to school. And are you planning on continuing on to grad school in the US?</p>
<p>EEatPurdue, I think all three have a similar transfer acceptance rate:</p>
<p>Michigan: 41%
USC: Historically in the 35%-50% range
Vanderbilt: 41%</p>
<p>Below are the common data sets of Michigan and Vanderbilt. USC does not publish a common data set for some odd reason. Refer to section D for transfer admissions data:</p>
<p>Warblersrule, the link only shows the number who enrolled, not the numbers that applied and was admitted. At any rate, my transfer acceptance rate for USC is historic. It may have changed in the last year or two. But Vanderbilt does not have a lower acceptance rate than Michigan for transfer students. </p>
<p>I am always amazed at how universities in Califirnia have such huge transfer classes. Transfer students at schools such as Cal, UCLA and USC make up 40%-60% of the undergraduate student body. At most elite universities outside California, transfer students make up less than 20% of the undergraduate student body.</p>