USC Trustee vs. Northwestern

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I apologize for writing such a long post, but I'm in a bit of a pickle and I would really appreciate some advice from all you knowledgeable CCers. In the fall, I'll be a freshman majoring in print journalism and sociology, but I'm having a hard time choosing between Northwestern (Medill) and USC (Annenberg). </p>

<p>My top choice has always been Northwestern - apart from its prestige and reputation, the school is located close to a great city, Medill's journalism program is stellar, and I think graduating from NU will open the door to numerous opportunities on the East Coast (which is where I envision myself living in the future). Besides the undesirable weather and the stereotypes/issues that I hear about occasionally (NU is full of nerds who don't have fun, dichotomy between North and South Campus, no school spirit, dating scene is lamentable - a lot of problems, but I figure it's the same way at most colleges), there's not much I don't like about Northwestern.</p>

<p>However, I found out today that I've been named a USC Trustee Scholar, which awards me full tuition at USC. To be blunt, I applied to USC as a safety school and I probably wouldn't have considered attending had I not been given the scholarship. But, with so much money on the line, it would be foolish to simply turn down such an impressive offer without giving it careful thought. As for the school itself, I like LA, but am definitely an East Coast girl (I know the Midwest isn't technically "east", but it's more "east" than Cali is). I do believe that Annenberg - and USC in general - is on the rise, but I don't feel it possesses the same established sense of academia that can be attributed to NU. However, I did have a very good impression of USC when I visited, and I do believe that I would receive a quality education at Annenberg if I were to attend.</p>

<p>I care a great deal about social scene/nightlife too: I'm not particularly interested in Greek life (it seems to be prevalent in both NU and USC, but I don't think not being part of the Greek system will detract too much from my college experience), but as you can probably tell from my username, I like to party and have fun. I like the idea of being able to go to parties most days of the week if I'm in the mood, but also being able to find a quiet place to study whenever I need to. Lots of good dining options in the surrounding area and a solid sports scene are always welcome. </p>

<p>So, to all you wonderful people who are still here after reading all of that, I guess what I'm asking is...
Why should I choose USC? How is USC a better choice than Northwestern? How do you think USC would cater specifically to my personality and interests?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance. Any help is greatly, greatly appreciated.</p>

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<p>I lurk both the NU and USC forums so I saw both of your threads, but I’ll post my advice here.</p>

<p>I applied to both NU and USC; waitlisted at the former but accepted to the latter. I’m far off on the other side of the globe so I’ve never had the chance to visit either campus. I’m sure someone else could offer you better advice. Like you, I am in a similar situation where I can attend McGill/UToronto basically for free (as a Canadian citizen) but would have to fork out $58000 a year for USC.</p>

<p>Obviously, the most important factor is cost; if your parents can afford it and are happy to pay for it, I think the perks of the NU Medill name are worth it. </p>

<p>Secondly, if you’re looking to study at a post-graduate level, I don’t think your undergrad education should be so heavily weighted, and so I think that in this situation, USC would be a better choice. </p>

<p>I agree with you that Annenberg doesn’t quite carry the same oomph as Medill, but, as I’m sure you know, at USC, you are already in an environment that is very fitting for your field (Los Angeles). </p>

<p>About your concerns regarding the social scene, I think both schools will cater to whatever type of person you are. Both schools have thousands of undergrads, so every stereotype you can imagine will be there. USC has the “party school” reputation, but of course we all know that you don’t have to party to fit in at USC. Sports are prevalent at both universities. I have no idea about dining.</p>

<p>All in all, both are great choices and I would have a difficult choice if I were in your position. Assuming that you have to pay full tuition for NU, I personally think USC is a better choice, but since I have no real experience at either university, don’t take my advice too seriously.</p>

<p>Either way, good luck with your decision.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the input, zdmw93. I don’t know what to do… My heart says NU, but my brain says USC is definitely the better choice financially. Even though my parents have been saving up for me, I’ve still got two younger siblings and their futures to think about. </p>

<p>I haven’t received my financial offer from NU yet due to late submission of documents, but I can’t imagine them giving me anything near the amount that USC is.</p>

<p>Has there ever been success in appealing for some sort of scholarship this late in the game? My parents are thinking about informing NU of my USC scholarship and inquiring if Northwestern could offer more aid for me to attend. My parents claim that if NU could offer even 1/4 of what USC is offering, I can go.</p>

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<p>More people know USC than they do Northwestern, to be honest. And a free education at USC is in your favor; if you want to go to grad school, no one school will be favored over another – and no one will judge you or brand you “stupid” for attending USC. The way things are going, I bet USC will soon outrank Northwestern.</p>

<p>Annenberg is highly respected, especially in the journalism field. The job placement and internship opportunities in LA for journalism outweigh any opportunities in Chicago. If, when you are finished with your UG and want to move to NYC, you may be able to find a job through Annenberg connections as so many ASCJ alumni live and work in NYC and across the East Coast. (I say “may” only because journalism is an unstable industry right now!)</p>

<p>You can’t argue with the alumni loyalty and jobs connections USC will give you. Two of my good friends who recently graduated Northwestern are unemployed and looking for work – in fact, one just moved to LA because he knows his odds are better out here, but he has mentioned competing for internships with USC students!</p>

<p>Obviously I’m biased, but I don’t see what’s so awesome about Northwestern anyway.</p>

<p><a href=“NU%20is%20full%20of%20nerds%20who%20don’t%20have%20fun,%20dichotomy%20between%20North%20and%20South%20Campus,%20no%20school%20spirit,%20dating%20scene%20is%20lamentable%20-%20a%20lot%20of%20problems,%20but%20I%20figure%20it’s%20the%20same%20way%20at%20most%20colleges”>quote</a>

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<p>I wouldn’t say USC is like this at all. There are “nerds,” but they’re not the majority. In fact, there is no social majority at USC. Campus/school spirit is unreasonably high, lots of fun/attractive people…</p>

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<p>I don’t know about NU, but USC does give you this flexibility to be social and outgoing while remaining academically successful and dedicated to your schoolwork. USC isn’t a “party school;” it’s a bad reputation that’s sticking around from the 1990s. </p>

<p>If you like sports, how can you beat the USC football team and the hubbub surrounding football season?</p>

<p>Also – LA is such a foodie town! I highly doubt that in Chicago you can get AUTHENTIC Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Armenian, Persian, Ethiopian, Jewish (not to mention, the best Mexican food outside of Mexico) within the city limits.</p>

<p>Like I said, I’m biased – but it looks like USC has everything you want in a college without the price that NU would force on you. Entering a dying/evolving field like journalism, why take the financial gamble anyway? (Plus, snow and wind? Or sunshine most of the year?)</p>

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<p>Bacc,</p>

<p>Were you aware Wallis Annenberg just gave SC $50 million dollars to build a new state of the art complex for the Annenberg School? The Foundation gave an additional $5 million for scholarships.</p>

<p>Go to Wikipedia and read the list of USC alumni. It is impressive. </p>

<p>Dr. Nikias has announced to the faculty a major fundraising initiative will begin in September. So far SC has raised this fiscal year over $400 million. All these funds will keep SC moving forward.</p>

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Zelda Fitzgeral,
Looks like you know quite a few unemployed. Do you also know two from Berkeley, two from Duke, and two from Harvard that are currently unemployed? :rolleyes:</p>

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I hope you don’t imply USC is more prestigious. Let’s get real. The top-15 schools don’t give out hundreds of full/half-tuition scholarships to attract admits. That said, I would advise the OP to take the money; the difference is not sigificant to justify the cost.</p>

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<p>lol well we probably wont outrank northwestern anytime soon but next year… cal… please</p>

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<p>I went to a school in the Bay Area known for sending students to really prestigious schools, and I know all the students who ended up going to the better schools personally because we were all in AP/honors classes and ECs together. I actually do know some Berkley kids without jobs, but a lot have jobs and most are in grad/law school; no one went to Harvard and only one kid went to Duke and I don’t talk to him.</p>

<p>I know it seems sketchy…but yeah, comes with the HS territory.</p>

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<p>

Uhh, if you consider uneducated sports fans an important sector of the population, then yeah, more people know of USC than Northwestern because they watch college football on Saturdays. However, if we’re talking about people who matter (grad schools, recruiters for top companies, etc.), then NU dominates USC.

Where are you getting this from? This is ludacris…

ahh finally something that is correct. USC is a great school and there’s no reason why you would be branded ‘stupid’

Yeah, and soon they’ll be above Harvard. Right guys? Right?! RIGHT?!?!?!?!?
USC is never going to pass Northwestern, sorry to say.</p>

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You mean the hubbub about their NCAA violations? Or the fact that they can’t be in the postseason next year either?</p>

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I love LA (I’m from there afterall) but I’m pretty sure Chicago, NYC (and maybe the last city was Boston, but I’m not sure) are considered bastions of culture and are considered to have the best dining experiences in the nation. </p>

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Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. Do scientists take one piece of anecdotal evidence and make farsweeping generalizations to their data and make errant claims from it? No, they don’t.</p>

<p>Seriously the amount of misinformation on this board is absurd. But all things considered, free tuition at SC is nothing to scoff at. However, NU’s Medill is arguably the best program in the nation for Journalism. It’s like comparing Wharton to Marshall. Wharton is in a league of its own…</p>

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<p>Um, the fact that USC and Northwestern really aren’t ranked that much further apart – we’re not talking #2 and #60 here, but #15 and #23 – and that fact that, despite what you said, employers AND any grad school worth its salt DO KNOW USC and DO KNOW it is an extremely difficult school to get into. For journalism, it IS well-respected and it wouldn’t be scoffed at in the least. A school won’t pick someone who went to NU over USC, or vice versa. </p>

<p>Also, with my USC education, I can correctly spell “ludicrous.” Glad to see that UC education is working out for you.</p>

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<p>With or without a postseason, USC fans and students still fill the campus on game day. The culture surrounding the team hasn’t changed. The OP was asking about the environment/school spirit surrounding sports. </p>

<p>I don’t like your attitude. I said it WAS a good school, but it is probably in their best interest to go with the free education since NU and USC aren’t academically different in terms of journalism programs and USC would pay off for her just as much as NU would.</p>

<p>For someone who is not an NU or USC student, you sure did seem to spend an awful lot of time trying to make USC look terrible to the OP.</p>

<p>One of the greatest things about USC is the level of pride the school instills in its students. Considering that a lot of people I know who didn’t go to USC could care less about remaining loyal to their school of choice and just wanted to get in and get out as quickly as possible, that’s a really admirable and great thing for a college to give to its students. I call it the true spirit of USC students and alumni. We love our school, don’t knock us down for that.</p>

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<p>LOL, that’s not true.</p>

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<p>Also not true. Also, who cares about rankings on USNWR anyway? It’s just one arbitrary ranking. Compare that to THE rankings which list USC in the 70s, as opposed to northwestern which is just #40. (or UCLA which is #12 :D)</p>

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<p>i think this is pretty debatable. Chicago is a big city just like LA, so it should provide pretty similar opportunities.</p>

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<p>obviously.</p>

<p>aside from zelda fitgerald’s overzealous posts about how amazing USC is, the point still remains that there is little advantage in choosing northwestern over USC if you’re getting free tuition there. </p>

<p>Yes Northwestern is a way better school than USC (i’m sorry, but it is) but the undergraduate program one goes to plays a pretty small influence in ones opportunities (unless you want to jump directly into the job market, and even still that point’s debatable)</p>

<p>i’m not a journalism major, so i don’t know about the programs, but if i was in your position i’d choose USC. As much as it may lack Northwestern’s prestige, employers know it’s a good school and that’s all that matters. from ranking #25 to like #11 they’re all pretty much in the same league. All of them are top-tier schools. If NU gave you a full scholarship too, there’d be no question to say that you should go there, but since they’re not i’d say go to USC.</p>

<p>EDIT:</p>

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<p>actually, northwestern is ranked #12, not #15 (i assume you’re talking about USNWR)</p>

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<p>The amount of bashing going on in this thread is getting ridiculous. If you do well at either school it will bode well for you in grad school. It might be in your best interest to go to an undergrad school where you will come out debt free, because grad school is what really matters for your job placement. As long as you do amazing at either school (which is likely, seeing as you got into both and got the trustee scholarship), everything will work out fine. Remember, it’s in your hands, not the school’s.</p>

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<p>Sadly, Sharkfin needs to learn how to spell and make a compelling argument.</p>

<p>Seems to me that there is not enough academic difference between Northwestern and USC to spend so much more money at Northwestern, especially if you plan to then spend more money at grad school. </p>

<p>But, some of the decision should also depend on what kind of school environment you want - sports, size, weather, etc. My child would definitely pick USC, but that is because he wants things (such as big sports, lots of sunshine, etc) that Northwestern doesn’t offer. His desired major of engineering would be great at both schools.</p>

<p>I did not go to either of your choices for college, but I did have to choose between three Ivy League schools in my senior year, back when dinosaurs roamed. Two were almost free to me because of a scholarship, while the third, which was originally my first choice, would have been full-ride for my parents to pay. In the end I chose one of the cheaper options, because I knew my parents were going to have three kids in college at the same time, and my top choice didn’t seem worth that strain on the family, when the other two were good alternatives.</p>

<p>Don’t let the US News rankings determine everything. Consult with your parents, and use your heart and your head to make your own decision.</p>

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<p>I can’t stress this enough, because I find a lot of people equate better school = better opportunities. Just because you decide to attend, say, Columbia doesn’t mean you can skate by on a mediocre GPA and expect to get into every grad school/law school you want.</p>

<p>And beyphy – yes you AREN’T a journalism major so I don’t think you’re in a position to talk about what degrees from what schools will give one better journalism opportunities. USC’s journalism program is stellar, as is NU’s; but, they both emphasize different things in their curriculum. As someone who works in journalism and will be a grad student at Annenberg in the fall, I’d like to think I have some insight on this.</p>

<p>To the OP: Print journalism is a risky business these days, and I think whatever school you pick should have a strong online/digital journalism curriculum and hands-on online experiences available to its students. I don’t know about NU, and you should look into what they offer in that department – but Annenberg is known for having an incredibly notable digital presence and they’ve revamped the curriculum to allow students more experience in the digital world of journalism. Their main digital news outlet, Neon Tommy, has amassed and impressive amount of honors and awards from professional news organizations, such as the LA Press Club.</p>

<p>I do think that a j-school’s digital initiatives should be something you strongly consider, especially since you’d be a print major. I assume you know print is dying and the best way to get a job in journalism these days is to be extremely fluent in online media. I also suggest that, no matter what school you choose, that you consider taking HTML/CSS classes over the summer. The biggest reason why I got my job (I work for a major national news outlet) was because I knew more about coding, social network integration and online practice (in addition to being able to write/edit) than any other people applying for the job. Just a helpful bit of advice…</p>

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<p>USC will likely outrank Northwestern at some point. I totally agree with that assesment. Los Angeles is the most diverse city in the United States and that is extremel important. And I think you will have better internships in L.A. ESPN, Walt Disney, LA Times, NBC are just a few to consider.</p>

<p>I think USC is more hands on and i’m sure they do a better job of preparing you for the digital age. I think USC is also more skills based than Northwestern which offers certain advantages.</p>

<p>I too, am considering USC Annenburg for getting a Master’s Degree in Specialized Journalism. I earned a B.A. in Journalism and Promotional Communication at Cleveland State and I would be more than happy to take USC over Columbia or Missouri.</p>

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<p>Isn’t it funny and telling how Cal and UCLA students repeatedly come over here to steer people away from (or at least bring up as many negatives as possible about ) USC?</p>

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<p>I agree that it is adorable how those UCLA and UCB students hang out over here on the USC forum just a-wishin’ they could be part of USC! Awwww…</p>

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<p>Fight On!!..:rolleyes:</p>

<p>we have to be here to fight the good fight (i.e. stop the dissemination of anti-UC propaganda which is ubiquitous on this board)</p>

<p>It’s ok USC, i’m sure you’ll get your prestige one day :)</p>

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<p>To whoever mentioned USC is ranked in the 70’s, i’d like to know where you got that ranking.</p>

<p>Northwestern as a graduate journalism program is ranked in the top 10 year after year. USC’s graduate journalism programs are ranked in the top 30 each year.</p>

<p>These so called “arbitrary rankings” are what people use to help decide their futures. U.S. News and World Report is a highly trusted source.</p>

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<p>[Journalism</a> Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://www.world-newspapers.com/schools.html]Journalism”>ournalism Graduate Schools | World-Newspapers.com)</p>

<p>These rankings are very accurate.</p>