<p>First off, I do realize I'm in an incredible position with both choices. Which is why I am so confused and desperate enough to start a thread. Any feedback is greatly appreciated :)</p>
<p>Before attending Explore USC for the Presidential Interview in March, I was set on Stanford. But after experiencing the beauty of the campus, the warmth of the students and Viterbi professors, the school spirit (Fight On! - does it ever get annoying?), the surprise appearance of the SC marching band, Fleur Towers - to name a few - I became torn between the two.</p>
<p>I am interested in the Computer Science and Business Administration program at SC. But Stanford has one of the best - if not the best - Computer Science departments in the country. And if I decide CS is not for me, Stanford has top-ranked departments across the board. </p>
<p>I have only made a brief visit to the Stanford campus - I will make a full visit during Admit Weekend, but by then I will have very, very little time to make a decision. The cost of attendance for both is about the same.</p>
<p>I am fairly sure that if I made this post in the Stanford forums, they would say Stanford hands down because of rankings, etc. So I'm posting here hoping for a more convincing argument. Because despite my experience at SC, I am still leaning slightly towards Stanford. Stanford feels like the opportunity of a lifetime.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Any comments or opinions? :D</p>
<p>I have to agree that Stanford is just too big to pass up especially since the cost would be about the same. Someday in the not too distant future USC will likely share the prestige of a Stanford degree, but I don’t think we are there quite yet.</p>
<p>I was in the same position as you were and chose USC. It was the best decision for me and I do not regret it one bit. I think you can be happy at either place, and I know it’s hard to turn down Stanford. I just recommend to go with your gut.</p>
<p>Three years ago my son was also making this choice: USC film school with Trustee scholarship vs. Stanford with not much financial aid and student loans (now Stanford has replaced student loans with grant money). It was a difficult decision but after consulting with some people in the film industry that we knew (ironically they had gone to Stanford undergrad), my son chose Stanford. He loves Stanford and has been very happy. His major has nothing to do with film, although that is still his intended career. So that is one anecdote. Congratulations on your opportunities.</p>
<p>Unless you really dislike Stanford for some reason, I - much as I love USC! - am going to have to say Stanford. Ultimately your decision, of course! But I will add that the honesty people have shown in their replies here is a wonderful testament to USC.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can go wrong here. I personally think Stanford is one of the best universities in the country, and going there is certainly a wonderful opportunity.</p>
<p>id go with stanford too, mainly because of the prestige, and as many ppl have already said, its too big an opportunity to pass up! but yea both would be awesome…</p>
<p>aberdeen, I would have advised a student to choose Stanford hands down last year before I really had a chance to see what USC offers students and, more to your situation, what USC has to offer Trustee scholars who take advantage of their excellent TO Honors program and all the other wonderful programs on campus. You should have no doubt that USC will give you a phenomenal college experience with plenty of challenges, extraordinary professors who care about students, small classes, personal advisement, research opportunities, career advantages and connections, among a group of committed stellar students, and all on a gorgeous, laid-back, sunny, friendly campus that makes college about more than grades and competition. It’s stimulating and fun. The amount of rigor, of course, will vary by major and school, but Viterbi is excellent and TO, as mentioned above, will introduce you to an intellectual group of students among whom to find friends like yourself. There is great diversity at USC, but not simply in ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. The various colleges bring diverse students as USC’s excellent Music School and Film School and Theatre School among others bring first-class talent to campus, while Marshall and Viterbi bring different interests, and so on. And all these students, whether marching band guys or Annenberg future broadcasters or football fans or the next George Lucas or all those pretty sorority girls all seem to bond into family. I don’t know how they do it, but there is a great feeling of inclusion and unity on that campus.</p>
<p>All that said, how can you go wrong with a school like Stanford? If you prefer living in the Bay area, love the feel of Palo Alto (a great upscale type town), and don’t mind a more spread out campus, you have a wonderful choice there. The prestige factor is mega, and Stanford’s name will mean more (at least right now!) nationally–so if you intend to work or live on the east coast or midwest, Stanford will sound more impressive in general. I don’t have the insider view of Stanford, so I can’t give you input on that end–so you will have to judge for yourself when you visit.</p>
<p>Most people will urge you to take Stanford (an excellent choice!), but I suggest you keep an open mind to see what feels like the best fit for you.</p>
<p>Wow, this is great! I didn’t expect so many responses so quickly. Like what I quoted above, thank you so much for your honesty. You guys are fantastic! </p>
<p>Yes, I’ve also thought about internships in the Bay Area and Stanford’s connections to Silicon Valley. In addition, Stanford’s fin aid program has been amazingly generous. This has been reassuring for me…I just wanted to make sure the Stanford name wasn’t clouding my judgment. </p>
<p>Now all that’s left is to fully visit Stanford’s campus and make sure I don’t absolutely hate it or something. I’ll try and keep an open mind, madbean!</p>
<p>My D faces the similar situation, but MIT instead of stanford. Now we received finaid packages from both MIT and USC. D got trustee from SCA of USC, but not much aid from MIT. We need to pay about $25000/yr for MIT. Is it really worth over $100K for MIT degree? We’ll visit MIT next week. We indeed face a tough decision.</p>
<p>aberdeen, you have a much easier decision becuase money is the same. you should go to Stanford.</p>
<p>I saw your post and could not resist responding. First of all, congratulations on your admission to both Standford and USC (and congrats on the Trustee Scholarship!).</p>
<p>I am a senior studying civil/environmental engineering at the University of Southern California and am not here to try and sway you to choose USC (although I am a little biased! haha) but I just wanted to offer you my personal experience. </p>
<p>As a high school senior, I applied to 19 schools (excessive I know) and narrowed it down to 4: USC, Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Penn State’s Honors Program. Being an east coaster, I didn’t know much about SC, but I visited and as corny as it sounds, I walked on campus and felt like I belonged. The way I felt at USC compared to Cornell or Johns Hopkins made my decision easy and 4 years later I still have absolutely no regrets turning those prestigious schools down. Ultimately USC was where I felt the most comfortable and thought I would get the most well rounded experience- academically and socially. But it is different for everyone. </p>
<p>My advice would be to ignore the name and just go with your gut. You will know what school is right for you and I don’t think you can go wrong with either USC or Stanford- college is all about what you make of it- what you get involved in, the people you meet, etc and a lot less about the name of your school. I am sure you will have great experiences in both places- different but both great- and will do well no matter which way you decide.</p>
<p>If you have any further questions about life at USC, I really recommend you check out the Viterbi website- there is an entire section devoted to seeing what life as a student at USC is all about and you can check out student bios, get involved in chats and email students to ask them specific questions (I’m on there! My Twitter feed is Alindy). If you visited campus I am sure you met some of these engineering students.[USC</a> - Viterbi School of Engineering - Viterbi Student Ambassadors](<a href=“http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/vsa/]USC”>http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/vsa/)</p>
<p>Anyway- good luck and enjoy your senior year! Have fun at prom!</p>
<p>Wow, everyone’s giving you so much input, I feel sort of lame for writing such a short message, but anyway;</p>
<p>If you have qualms about the Stanford campus, lol, don’t worry about that at all! I lived on the Stanford campus for a while, and it’s just incredible… The people are amazing, the buildings are gorgeous and incredibly well-kept, the weather is incredibly temperate; never too hot and never too cold… Also not to mention that the surrounding area is, well, lush. Oh yea and if you’re into golf, the Stanford golf course is world class, and admission for students is just $20. 0_o .</p>
<p>so yea… don’t turn down stanford in favor of usc, lol. No doubt you’d be happy at usc, but like you said, Stanford is sort of once in a lifetime, you know?</p>
<p>Ha ha all right then, apparently I must be slightly brain-damaged if I turn down Stanford ;)</p>
<p>But um seriously, thanks again. Especially for all the personal anecdotes, they’re fun to read! My gut tells me Stanford so that’s always an excellent sign. I’m just waiting for Admit Weekend to seal the deal for me. But from what I saw in the short visit I made to Stanford, like caliScio said, it was gorgeous. Crazy nice.</p>
<p>I was just really impressed with my visit to SC and all it had to offer that I was like… woah, wait a minute. But upon closer inspection and advice, I’m 95% sure it will be Stanford </p>
<p>Can’t say 100% - my parents favor the University of Maryland because it will be basically free, but I really don’t wanna go there. It’s my home state school and everyone from my high school and their sister will be attending, y’know?</p>
<p>But I’ll take a look at the ambassador site, Viterbi, thanks!</p>
<p>Good luck to you, jack1232! You have a much tougher decision, I agree.</p>
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