USC Trustee, UC Regents, JHU or Brown?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>My choices:</p>

<p>1) USC: Free tuition!
2) UC's: Regents Scholarship (5500 for UCLA, 1000 for UCB)
3) Johns Hopkins: virtually no financial aid
4) Brown: virtually no financial aid</p>

<p>I have no clue which to pick! I really would rather not go to USC or a UC, but I would also be plagued with guilt for making my parents pay almost $50,000 per year for JHU or Brown when I could be taking advantage of the wonderful Trustee Scholarship at USC or the lower tuition of the UC's.</p>

<p>Any advice?</p>

2

<p>USC! College is what you make it. So save the money and shoot to the top of the class.</p>

<p>It also depends on your major.</p>

3

<p>I'm going to be pre-med, and probably have a biology-related major.</p>

4

<p>Go to USC dude. ^_^</p>

5

<p>Good problem to have. If my D had a choice between free USC and rack-rate Brown, my wife would pay the rack rate at Brown, but only because she is obsessed with Brown. Nobody here can give you an answer, but here are some things to consider:</p>

<p>Unless you are paying in-state tuition at UCLA, the choice between UCLA and USC is clear. There is nothing UCLA can give you that USC cannot that is worth $120k+. Each school has it strengths and weaknesses, but in the end the investment is not worth it, unless you have some very, very specific program of study in mind that only one offers or us much better than at the other place., e.g., film at USC. I would argue that the same line of thought applies applies to CAL. If you are in-state, it is close enough to be a toss-up, and probably not too big a burden for your parents, so go where you think you will be happier without feeling guilty. Most of us parents think that we owe it to our kids to put their happiness above not so reasonable amounts of discomfort, and will gladly pay significant sums to see that happen.</p>

<p>Then comes the sticky part. JHU's medical program is one of the best in the country, and their pre-med stuff is supposedly top notch. Brown is Ivy, with all the baggage that comes with that designation.</p>

<p>How much of a financial burden are Brown and JHU for your parents? Are they happy to bear that burden in the name of "prestige", i.e., is your mother as crazy as my wife? :D You really have to answer the money question first and foremost, before you move ahead. $200k is a ton of money for 99% of the country, not to be spent without careful consideration.</p>

<p>Once you are past finances, you have to be honest with yourself about the specific reason to want to go to Brown or JHU --- major, career goal, etc. It may be helpful to read this article, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/10/10/051010crat_atlarge%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/10/10/051010crat_atlarge&lt;/a> , particularly page 3. The current intent to be pre-med would weigh to an extent in favor of JHU, but you should check what percentage of USC pre-meds get accepted to medical school to get an overall sense whether there are significant differences in the programs. Last but not least, how sure are you about the pre-med thing? Will you want to switch to philosophy in 6 months?</p>

<p>You will do well anywhere you choose to go, good luck with the decision. It is important that in the end both you and your parents are at peace with whatever the choice is, at least to an extent.</p>

6

<p>^wow! Thanks for the advice! I printed out the article and will read it before I go to bed. My parents definitely prefer the USC-free-tuition or UC-Regents (I'm in-state) route for me, but I really love JHU. I would say that I am about 98% sure about a career in medicine, so I guess my next step will be to find out how successful graduates of each of these colleges are on getting into med school.</p>

<p>Any idea on how to obtain those statistics?</p>

7

<p>Just something to consider... if you are sure about medical school, realize that you will be competing with the best of the best at JHU. Grades are very important when you apply to medical school. Plus, free money is hard to turn down. USC is a great school; go to USC.</p>

8

<p>I'd pick USC. Save the moolah for med school.</p>

9

<p>In-state, I might pick UCLA. If you had been OOS, I would have said USC no question.</p>

10

<p>Wow, tough decision. From what I hear, GPA is pretty important for med school (school doesn't matter as much) but I sense that JHU is probably the closest to the exception.
How sure are you about pre-med? Because the great part about USC is that you will get a well-rounded education and the option to explore and possibly change your mind in the future without feeling guilty.
If I were you it'd come down to USC and JHU (not a fan of the vastness of the UCs because although USC has just as many students, I don't feel like I'm in herd of cattle which is exacty what I feel anytime I walk onto a UC campus [save UCSC]. And I'd pick USC because in the end, med school, where you intern, and where you do your fellowship matter more than where you did your undergrad UNLESS you know of specific programs at JHU which you feel will give you an educational advantage (maybe better research opportunities etc...not too familiar with this part of JHU)</p>

11

<p>^ I tend to agree with sunnydaysee. I don't think I would choose UCLA/B given the highly competitive nature of the premeds, the possibility of difficullty in enrolling in the classes you need as well as a higher likelihood that you may graduate in 5 years. GPA also is crucial, and the curving at the UCs may be difficult to deal with (though I'm not sure to what extent USC's classes do this)
I don't think you could go wrong with either USC or JHU (other than that very important cost consideration). Being a Trustee at USC will also more likely give you advantages for securing research possibilities if this interests you. Consider also whether you have a preference for the quarter or semester system.</p>

12

<p>I would take USC. Small classes are very important. Before you take JHU, visit and be sure you are comfortable with the surrounding neighborhood. Save your money for med school unless you are from a very wealthy family.</p>

13

<p>I'm not suggesting you should go where you don't want to go, but do keep in mind of the big picture. From what I heard a typical medical school cost ranges from $65K to -$95K. Even state school like the UCs charge $10K+ on top of the regular tuition for professional school.</p>

14

<p>Do you guys have an opinion of someone in the same position whose a pre-law poli sci kinda guy having to choose between USC Trustee, UCLA, and CMC?</p>

15

<p>Pick USC. How can you go wrong with a great education from a great school and free tuition! Think long term. My son also won the trustee.</p>

16

<p>My kids have gone to various schools, from rabidly competitive top private schools, to more modestly competitive friendly private schools, and there is something to be said for being the big fish in a pond of less-obsessive happy fish.</p>

<p>LOL. What's with this lame analogy? Anyway, in addition to the huge savings (which means med school tuition will be available) and the glow from knowing a great university wants to pay you to come and study there, how can you beat the prestige (Trustee scholars are held in highest esteem at USC) as well as the great vibe of the campus? And USC has excellent teachers and classes (make sure to do your research so you sign up for the ones you'd most like) and you can do Thematic Option or science honors to hang with the more academic crowd if you choose.</p>

<p>Since you are asking on the USC forum, I hope you are expecting a little (!) pro-USC bias. :)</p>

17

<p>I was in the same position as you-- received Regets to UCLA/UCB, USC, and virtually no financial aid for JHU. Guess which one I ended up going to? Thats right, USC. I realized after visiting all 4 schools that prestige is not everything. In fact, JHU is notorious for grade deflation-- which can easily end your dreams of going to med school if you don't be careful. At JHU, they have something called the "Hopkins 500" which means that those 500 people all know each other because thats roughly how many that are willing to go out at party. At USC, YOU get to choose when you want to party and not the other way around. </p>

<p>Besides, I am willing to bet you that you will get a little bit more "free" time to do whatever you want at USC as compared to JHU. Since you live in CA, I'm guessing you will have a car by the time you are a junior (or even sooner) and once you do and turn 21, you have so many places to discover and you can always go home if you get home sick.</p>