<p>I recently got into all three universities and I am trying to choose which one to attend next year.
My intended major would be Economics. </p>
<p>At USC, I received a full tuition scholarship which UChicago would be around 45K per year after financial aid.
Should I go to the school that would be almost free, but has a meh Econ program (according to rankings) or is UChicago the better option because of its stronger economics program? Is UChicago worth 45K per year? </p>
<p>Do companies recruit Econ majors often at USC? What are the classes at USC like?</p>
<p>It makes more sense to talk about out-of-pocket net costs for 4 years to you & your family. Do you qualify for FAid at either school? What is your NET cost for each U x 4 years? As a future economist, you should have no problem calculating this and comparing the NET cost for each of those Us.</p>
<p>If you are thinking of econ, do you plan to go to grad school when you complete your BA? It’s pretty tough to get a job with that major without an advanced degree, generally. If you are considering grad school, you may wish to keep your total debt/cost for undergrad as low as possible, so you will have more options relating to grad school and job choice.</p>
<p>@HImom, I have already calculated the costs. USC would be about 40K total whereas UChicago would be 200K. I am hoping to go on to Law School or get my PHd. However, I haven’t heard much about USC’s Economics Department, while UChicago consistently ranks highly. Do people respect an Econ. degree from USC?</p>
<p>I would much prefer a $40K loan over a $200K loan for undergrad. Also, how will you even get $200K? That’s way more than a student could borrow. If you plan to go to law or grad school, I’d strongly advise you to keep undergrad costs to a minimum. I think the importance of ranking for undergrad degrees is WAY overstated, especially if you plan to go to grad school.</p>
<p>One of our friend’s had a D who went to UCR or UCI for undergrad, with a Regent’s full tuition scholarship. She got a degree in some science field and was courted by the TOP THREE science programs (in her particular field) in the nation for a funded PhD program! They flew her to their campuses to see the research they were doing and interview her. The undergrad school she attended was NOT particularly highly ranked for her field. She ultimately went to Cornell and is getting her PhD this spring. Folks will see the Cornell PhD, not her UC undergrad degree.</p>
<p>Also, they don’t rank undergrad Econ degrees. They rank Econ PhD programs which are most entirely based on faculty research quality. Chicago does have stronger Econ professors that have put out more respected research than USC. Part of this is legacy. Past success continues to attract the top Econ researchers to Chicago. </p>
<p>The rankings have little to do with undergraduate teaching. </p>
<ol>
<li>your family annual income is seven figures or more
and</li>
<li>you value a less social, rigorous academic environment</li>
</ol>
<p>USC is fun
UoC is the place where fun goes to die</p>
<p>Seriously, for most people, and particularly for one who considers economics important, the 160k cannot be ignored. Go to USC, get a more valuable undergraduate business degree, and then go to grad school.
Others have turned down HPYS to attend USC on full tuition scholarship</p>
<p>As UCBChemEGrad notes, the rankings you are looking at are for GRADUATE programs. Undergrad programs are the same at all schools. All from the same textbooks. </p>
<p>It would be crazy to pay an additional $160,000 because of a mistaken belief that UNDERGRAD econ at Chicago is better than at USC. Of course, there may be other reasons to favor Chicago. </p>
<p>If you plan to go to grad school in econ, and may end up taking GRADUATE level classes as an UNDERGRAD, then there may be advantages to going to a school with a higher ranked GRAD program. If your goal is to go to law school, then the GRAD ranking is irrelevant.</p>
<p>The reason that Chicago has a highly ranked GRAD program is because of the research done there. Unless you are a superstar UNDERGRAD econ major, you will never come in contact with any of that research.</p>
<p>The other bonus about USC is that since you are being highly courted by them, you MAY be able to do research in their econ department as an undergrad, which will be excellent for your experience and resume. Try asking both Us econ departments about research opportunities for undergrads, as well as for you in particular.</p>
<p>If you are looking to go into consulting or investment banking, then UChicago is the best choice, BUT you will have to do well in a very competitive environment (not cut throat, though). The major firms vigorously recruit there. S1’s GF was one of those who were recruited. If grad school is the goal or other employment, then USC is a good choice, particularly for $160k.</p>