<p>Hello, I'm trying to decide which school I should attend in the fall. I hope this isn't a stupid question, but I received the Trustee full-tuition scholarship from USC but I also was admitted to UC Berkeley. I'm an out-of-state student, so the tuition costs of Berkeley are pretty high but not as high as at some private schools (though that may change soon...haha). Anyways, I'm under the impression now that it would be stupid to pass up this USC scholarship, but at the same time, Berkeley has such a prestigious name that I'm not so sure. What would you do in this situation?</p>
<p>Major: International Relations/French</p>
<p>(PS Financially speaking, my family doesn't need the scholarship aid, but obviously anything that helps is great.)</p>
<p>Well, in terms of “prestige” I would say that USC and Berkeley are both so high on the list that it doesn’t even matter which one you pick because they’re both awesome. For undergraduate studies, though, I’d pick USC. Don’t get me wrong, Berkeley is an amazing school, but I think most of its name/prestige comes from its graduate school.</p>
<p>USC is giving you a full-tuition scholarship. Berkley’s tuition, on the other hand, is really pricey. I know you said you don’t really need the scholarship aid, but keep in mind that the UCs are experiencing some pretty bad economic problems at the moment and tuition (especially for OOS students) is going to go up a lot. And a lot of students are having trouble completing their gen eds/major requirements because of the class sizes/budget cuts. I think USC would be the safer choice for an OOS student.</p>
<p>USC for sure! Unless of course you prefer one campus to the other, or your major is significantly better at one college. Berkeley may be higher in the rankings, but prestige hardly matters between two schools that are so greatly esteemed in their own respect. USC is about the same tier as UCLA, and there are many people who pass up Cal for LA.</p>
<p>First, here are no “stupid” questions. My daughter was also awarded the Trustee Scholarship, and great offers from other schools as well. As a parent, I’ll tell you what I told her…this has to be your choice, and the best advise I can give, assuming you have visited both schools, is to go where you…in your gut, feel the most comfortable…the happiest. Obviously, you’ve got what it takes to do well intellectually at many schools, but feeling good about your everyday environment and those you are around, will help you “bloom where you’re planted”…first and formost. My daughter turned-down a major east coast school because it “just didn’t feel right”…USC did, in every way. Good luck with your choice!</p>
<p>Put this way, with a Trustee Scholarship you will be spending about $15000 a year on USC. At Berkeley you will be spending about $40000+ a year. Berkeley has budget problems and large class sizes etc. In the USNWR rankings (if you believe in it), USC is just a little behind UCB.</p>
<p>If you like USC, I cannot see the point in spending about $25000 a year extra from no real benefit. Go with USC</p>
<p>If I were you I’d pick USC!! UCLA has always been my dream school, & I was accepted to both USC and UCLA (rejected from Cal though), and lately have been having trouble making up my mind! I think this post I saw by Sequoia is influencing me:
Some of my daughter’s reasons two years ago:</p>
<p>Besides the Trustee scholarship which in itself was a huge draw,</p>
<p>The TO honours program, one of the best in the country
The opportunity to partake in research very early on (she started in fall of freshman year)
USC’s policy of encouraging multi disciplinary study…the ability of double majoring or adding minors to the major.
The ease of changing majors if desired
Professors’ availability, and the fact that most classes are taught by profs
Small class size in general
Excellent guidance and advisement if necessary
Very diverse student population with a high percentage of internationals
Internships, job placement
Ease of partaking in study abroad.
Lack of bureaucracy
And school spirit, nice campus, friendly staff </p>
<p>AS the parent of a graduating Trustee scholar, who was accepted at many higher ranked colleges, including Ivy’s, I wondered recently if S had any regrets picking USC, so I asked him if the scholarship was a big factor in his decision. “Nope” came the reply. He chose USC for many other reasons, and the T scholarship was a nice bonus.<br>
Pick USC and you won’t be sorry!</p>
<p>Just thought I’d mention that he refused to apply to any of the UC’s[ we are instate] inpart because they are were just TOO big and he had no interest in having to fight to get the classes he wanted, which IS a problem at UCB.</p>
<p>go to USC, UC Berkeley is only famous for their graduate school, its a terrible undergraduate school because a quarter of their students have a 1700 SAT score or less
at USC you would get a lot more attention and Berkeley professors pay more attention to their grad students, who didn’t go to Cal in the first place. A lot of students who went to CAl for undergrad ended up at Santa Cruz, Davis or even state for grad! Also, USC’s reputation is improving</p>
<p>just thought I would copy this response to another poster trying to choose between various options, including UCB and USC</p>
<p>"I’m a Berkeley alum, and I would recommend taking Berkeley off your list. I don’t think an undergrad education there is worth around $50,000. Yes, Berkeley has an incredible reputation, but that reputation derives largely from its graduate programs. For an in-state student, it’s a different story, at least until they raise the tuition another 30%.</p>
<p>I can only speak to California programs, but the scholarship to USC is worth considering, imo. The school of engineering there is relatively strong, and students have great support. But more important is the enormous, massively committed alumni network of that school. Graduates receive a lot of help landing that first job, or so I’ve heard. "</p>
