<p>Appreciate input on the embarrassingly wonderful dilemma facing my family. Interested in aerospace engineering from East Coast. Besides cost and weather any major differences to consider? Will visit both again before deciding
I know the trustee scholarship is meant to attract Ivy acceptees; any who made this decision before care to comment on their decision making process and how it has turned out at USC?></p>
<p>Chosing Trustee over Harvard
1.Money is HUGE. We get no financial aid at Harvard. To most families, 240K is overwhelming. As a physician, I don’t recommend debt–been there–no fun.
2.Son plans to attend Grad school. Will have to put up big numbers even at Harvard. If you attend grad school, you are only as good as your last school…If you take Trustee, you can use money your parents have saved and use it for grad school or maybe a downpayment on a condo.
3. Social. We are not a “prestigious” family, didn’t go to northeast prep school, so…won’t be a legacy to an eating club or legacy to anything. Son thought Harvard, while exciting, wasnt as open and he wouldn’t fit in as well.(he was there for 3 days and at USC for 3 days). He would love to attend grad school there.
4. Sports. Son is HUGE sports fan. Wants to have a team to support for life
5. Weather. Son is triathlete/swimmer…tough to do at Harvard
6. International/Most diversity. Son thought USC was more interesting/diverse.</p>
<p>Harvard is still number ONE nationally…USC is top 25 and “up and coming” but is not Harvard. However, you should choose the school where you feel you will “fit” best and be happiest. Happy students make successful students–in general.(Ok…I guess the guy on the roof enjoying relations with his GF may have been temporarily happy but won’t be successful…)</p>
<p>Best of luck! Congrats!!! Studies show that the best predictor of success at this point in your career is what schools you get into…not neccessarily where you attend school.:))</p>
<p>You should consider which school you’d feel more comfortable at and which school would cater to your needs better. I don’t know about Harvard’s aerospace program. but I’ve heard great things about USC’s program. </p>
<p>I had several friends who were aerospace majors and they loved it. Another great thing the program allows students to do is to get their masters and bachelors degrees concurrently. My cousin’s boyfriend was in my year at USC and did this program – he finished in 4 years and one semester and came out with a job offer from the US Government immediately before graduation. I always thought the ability to do the dual degree program was pretty neat. </p>
<p>Depends on if Harvard offers that and if that would be something you’d be interested in. (Since it can be done in 4 years, I’m guessing your USC scholarship would essentially give you two degrees for the price of one? Something to look into, for sure.)</p>
<p>I’m an aerospace engineering major at USC. What’s great about USC is the connections the program has with the aerospace industry, which is heavily centralized in southern california. As far as my college search went, harvard wasn’t even on my list to consider. Harvard is definitely not #1 in aerospace engineering - MIT is. Followed by Georgia Tech.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask me questions you’ve got about the program, I’d be happy to answer them.</p>
<p>Patskid, congratulations on your acceptances! It certainly sounds like your college search turned out well. </p>
<p>I didn’t apply to Harvard; I never visited Harvard; and I never even thought about Harvard. So my input here is only good from the perspective of a Trustee scholar at USC. I went to a small, private high school, where most of my friends ended up going to an Ivy-league school. I chose to take the full tuition scholarship at USC, and can say that I’m not disappointed with that decision. </p>
<p>USC is a really wonderful institution, and I think that I would just emphasize to you that this is a very exciting time to be here. USC is really on the rise, and you can see this in President Nikias’s mission here: to make USC an undisputed, preeminent university. We’ve been receiving huge donations over the past couple of years, including a $200 million donation to the USC College just a couple of weeks ago, and there are whispers that USC is preparing to kick off a massive fundraising campaign. There’s also a great deal of construction going on, including the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, the new Student Health center, a new Athletic Center, etc. And this construction continues off campus, where a whole slue of apartment complexes are opening, and USC is preparing to begin construction on an enormous new University Village, also equipped with a great deal of student housing. </p>
<p>So I think that this is an exciting moment in USC’s history where we are seeing an enormous amount of refinement and expansion, as everyone makes the push for USC to be a world-class institution. And as a student, I can tell you that’s very exciting to be a part of.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your decision!</p>
<p>I am currently a senior majoring in aerospace engineering, and I agree with Hawkwings that one of the great things about the Viterbi School of Engineering is its location in Los Angeles. USC’s location in the heart of the aerospace industry was something that I did not consider strongly as a high school senior, but I now believe that a lot of the engineering opportunities that I have had have resulted from being an aerospace engineering student in LA. The city and the surrounding Southern California area have a large population of engineering and technology companies across a variety of industries. I have had numerous opportunities at USC to meet and network with recruiters and full-time employees from companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Jet Propulsion Lab, and SpaceX. In fact, I took a semester-long spacecraft propulsion class that is taught by a full-time employee at Lockheed Martin. As an aerospace engineer at USC, you get to learn from and network with a lot of aero-engineers on a regular basis because of USC’s geographic position in LA.</p>
<p>I think USC and Viterbi really helped me gain both engineering co-ops/internships that I have had. During my junior year, I spent nine months as a co-op with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I worked at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (astronaut spacewalk training facility with full-scale mockups of the ISS) as well as in the propulsion systems group during my time at JSC. This summer, I will be working as a propulsion design intern at SpaceX in Los Angeles (I’m hoping to work on some version of the Falcon 9 rocket). The Viterbi Career Services office hosts several career fairs throughout the year, and I was able to talk to recruiters from both NASA and SpaceX at previous career fairs.</p>
<p>I was considering some other schools in addition to USC that have very reputable engineering programs. I think I would have gained a solid engineering education at any one. I believe that USC’s location in Southern California was able to provide me with the best experience and the most opportunities as an aerospace engineer. Furthermore, USC Viterbi places a great emphasis on pursuing study in fields in addition to engineering. I have had several study-abroad experiences in Asia while a student at USC. My time abroad, combined with my engineering work experiences in the aerospace field, have really made my time as a USC student memorable. I think it would have been more difficult for me to gain elsewhere the breadth of experiences that I have had.</p>
<p>Hope this provides some insight into the USC aerospace program. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me at: <a href=“mailto:viterbi.student@usc.edu”>viterbi.student@usc.edu</a>. In addition, I wrote a short blog post about the reasons why I chose aerospace at : [Aerospace</a> Engineering in My Own Words | Pat’s Blog](<a href=“http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/pat/2011/02/28/aerospace-engineering-in-my-own-words]Aerospace”>http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/pat/2011/02/28/aerospace-engineering-in-my-own-words). Some of my other engineering friends have been blogging about Viterbi on this site also.</p>
<ul>
<li>Pat</li>
</ul>
<p>Pat
thanks for your insight - very encouraging and it led us to all the viterbi student blogs which were very exciting. USC/Viterbi certainly seems like an incredibly stimulating place to get an undergraduate engineering degree!
our daughter is visiting brown today/tomorrow and harvard on the weekend. we will be back out for the usc open house easter sat. and go with my daughter’s gut feeling.
we have heard from at least 2 other families going through the same wonderfully difficult decision so i’d say usc is certainly attracting some great kids!</p>
<p>All above true…etc, etc. and not to bring the level too low, but…</p>
<p>Women of USC vs Women of Harvard…Duhh! Even hardcore career focused students need to have fun, oh and with flip flops and 75 degrees…</p>
<p>I recently was accepted to Wharton at UPenn and am a presidential scholar at USC. As of yesterday im going to USC</p>
<p>I decided because Marshall, although not as good as Wharton, has a great program with tons of opportunities (and this goes for most programs at USC) and id be able to have the ultimate college experience, something i would’ve never got at Penn.
I just got back from Penn yesterday, so this is my impression of it. Also, its the social ivy, so Harvard will be a thousand times worse in all these terms. </p>
<p>They study alot and are constantly struggling to do well. They have “parties” but they are lame because none of the students there seemed to have attended a party before they got there. Sports suck.period. School spirit isn’t all that great. They are proud to attend, but nothing like USC. Theyre all slightly socially awkward, yet theyre all really friendly- i heard this is not the case at harvard. The city is nothing like LA (but you have boston, so than i suppose its comparable). Its cold.</p>
<p>From what alot of them told me, parties barely exist at harvard and everyones kind of stuck up and unfriendly. </p>
<p>USC has incredible spirit. Athletics are huge. The campus (and dorms) are mostly gorgeous to me. LA is a vibrant city. The weather is perfect. The kids are diverse and all over the place. Its not possible, not to find people exactly like you. The students, teachers, staff are all extremely willing to help. Parties are outrageous, and yet you still get a top notch education. </p>
<p>I just decided to go somewhere where I would be happy. But honestly, you need to just visit both and you’ll know which is best for you . I met tons of kids who absolutely LOVED Penn, but Do NOT get stuck on the name value of a college. I almost did that, and I’m nearly positive that if I had gone by that, the next four years of my life would be absolutely miserable. </p>
<p>It all depends on you.</p>
<p>Nana9311 - GREAT news!!! Congratulations on all your wonderful choices, and I am very pleased to hear you chose USC!</p>
<p>Harvard is one of the great educational institutions in the United States. It offers an excellent education, an incredible library, stellar faculty and a outstanding reputation. However, it is not for everyone. SC is not for the best fit for everyone. </p>
<p>Each student and family should weigh the pros and cons of each choice, including financial support, and decide which is the best individual fit now and for the future.</p>
<p>“From what alot of them told me, parties barely exist at harvard and everyones kind of stuck up and unfriendly.”</p>
<p>This is a stereotype that people who have no personal experience perpetrate in order to make themselves feel better. My D and I have met Harvard students, employees, recent admittees, and parents of recent admittees, and they have all been kind, friendly and extremely interesting to talk to.</p>
<p>“USC trustee vs Harvard”</p>
<p>My D has almost the same dilemma. She has been accepted to Viterbi with a Trustee Scholarship and an invitation to the honors engineering program. She and I visited the school for the Trustee interview and fell in love with it. It was very nice. The people were very nice. Well beyond our expectations.</p>
<p>However, she has also been accepted to Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, etc… Which one will she choose? As of now, I cannot say, but it will be based mainly upon how she feels when she walks on to the campus, the interaction she has with the other kids and the professors. And, of course, what courses/ majors are offered there. You should choose based on those things as well. USC is on her short list because she thought it was great. If she decides to go there, it will be because USC is a great school and was a great “fit” for her. However, if she decides to go elsewhere, USC will still be a great school, just not *her *school.</p>
<p>Does Harvard even have an aerospace program?</p>
<p>No - Harvard’s Engineering program is a recent focus for the school - even just recently naming it a “School”. Our daughter is attending there admitted students weekend this SAt-Mon which will be a big decider I think - she will find out more…</p>
<p>@dignified1 - I’m so glad to hear of someone else in the same situation! Our daughter fell in love with USC (somewhat surprising!) during her trip to LA for the scholarship interviews. My wife did as well (which I was surprised me as she is our oldest and she would be in college 3000 miles away). The thing I am amazed at is the number of contacts USC/Viterbi has made to our D, and yesterday receiving the offer of Engineering Honors program was a real plus!</p>
<p>We are considering it so strongly that my D is taking ME to the Open House Easter Sat so I can see for myself…I’d like to keep $ out of it but it is a huge amount of (after tax) money.
I met a USC grad at the gym and she said they lived in Newport Beach as an upperclassmen and commuted - is that normal? when do people live off campus? after fresh or soph year?</p>
<p>BTW - she visited Brown for their admitted students program and its out - feels good to eliminate one possibility</p>
<p>patskid,</p>
<p>In a SC brochure it stated 98.1% of freshmen live on campus. Some sophomores move off campus to nearby apartments or Greek houses. </p>
<p>Correction on previous post:</p>
<pre><code> However, it is not the best fit for everyone. SC is not the best fit for everyone.
Students and family should weigh the pros and cons of each choice, including financial support, and decide which is the best individual fit now and for the future.
</code></pre>
<p>“I met a USC grad at the gym and she said they lived in Newport Beach as an upperclassmen and commuted - is that normal? when do people live off campus? after fresh or soph year?”</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter. We may have crossed paths during our trip for the interviews. The housing situation is actually one aspect that my D is not so thrilled with (same issue at Stanford, BTW). I think it is normal for kids to move “off-campus” after their freshman or sophomore year. We were shown apartments that are basically just across the street from the school that some kids rent. There is also a strong greek system with housing. But, there is no restriction on where you live.</p>
<p>For my D, that might actually be the tipping point away from the college. But, it is good that you will see it yourself. And, a full tuition scholarship (to any school) is not something that should be lightly declined!</p>
<p>university housing is guaranteed for your 1st and 2nd years. you can still get university housing for your 3rd and 4th years (they just won’t be the “prime” housing options right next to campus), although by that point many people elect to live in non-university housing.</p>
<p>Our student lived on-campus for freshman and sophomore year, abroad first semster junior year, and is now in a non-USC off-campus apartment for second-semester junior year.</p>
<p>Non-university housing has turned out to be cheaper for us (assuming you choose a quad or more) and is within walking distance to campus (two blocks). Plus, parking was included with daughter’s apartment (not all of them include parking!!!), so we saved the $800 it cost the previous two years to park the car on-campus. She plans to move further off-campus next year (10 miles-ish), so we will be back to the $800 for USC parking, but she is promising to live with 97 other students (in a two-bedroom apartment) to cut costs. (It probably isn’t actually 97 other students… it just sounded like a lot… I heard “6” and “7” mentioned as possibilities… I am not getting involved… she is making all the plans for it AND paying for it herself, so I shall just close my eyes and relax…)</p>
<p>Congratulations to patskid and dignified1’s great students. They have almost too many fantastic options. S1 is a trustee scholar (2012) and I get copies of the emails that come to his USC email acct. Almost daily, his department/School sends some notice of an internship opportunity or competition or research opp or other enriched cool thing he can do. For example, he and several friends were invited to a recruitment day of games by Google. He is not an engineering student but a one of his friends in this group was. (I’ll add proudly that this USC team of 5 finished first in the 1st challenge of the day, ahead of the CalTech team!) Again, just a tiny anecdote. But I cannot overstate the mass of unsung opportunities at USC, especially for those at the top of their departments. </p>
<p>We’ve also found that everyone who attends USC loves this school. It is run so professionally and so kindly. Any project, research, left-field idea is considered and often encouraged. The red tape is kept to a tiny minimum. </p>
<p>Regarding housing, my S1’s friends often live near campus in houses. One group lives in a massive Victorian house–beautiful! S1 moved into the brand new private housing right across the street from campus first semester. He’s in Florence right now doing study abroad. But the housing has not been an issue.</p>
<p>There is no bad choice (only more or less expensive ones!). Best of luck.</p>