<p>I was accepted to all three schools for a major in Economics, however I cannot decide between them. Removing costs from the equation, which school would be the best choice?</p>
<p>Berkeley is more prestigious, but at the UNDERGRAD level, they are all pretty close... visit and see which campus culture you feel is a better fit. You can't go wrong... great choices.</p>
<p>But, if you are a California resident and did not get significant financial aid or merit scholarships from USC, then you should definitely cross it off your list.
There is NO point paying a lot more for USC when Berkeley and UCLA are much cheaper and arguably better overall.</p>
<p>i agree, if SC didn't give u significant FA if money is any kind of an issue, going into any debt for USC is ridiculous when u have UCLA and UC Berk which are arguably better or on par.</p>
<p>I would take Berkeley too, but with the caveat that Economics is an impacted major at Berkeley, meaning that, depending on how well you do in your Econ prereq work, you may not be allowed to declare the major and will thus be stuck majoring in something you don't really want to major in. I believe that at UCLA or USC, there is no problem with impactment in Econ, such that anybody who wants the major can get into it.</p>
<p>sakky,
I would be surprised that econ wouldn't also be impacted at UCLA as well...
but I have no idea... is there a website for prospective students to check on whether a given major is impacted at a given campus?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I believe that at UCLA or USC, there is no problem with impactment in Econ, such that anybody who wants the major can get into it.
[/quote]
Not exactly, at least at ucla. See <a href="http://www.econ.ucla.edu/undergrad/%5B/url%5D">http://www.econ.ucla.edu/undergrad/</a> for the requirements for the major.</p>
<p>Obviously every school is going to have requirements for a major. Are they to just hand out degrees?</p>
<p>Anyways, Berkeley econ is not only the best of the three, but it's even considered a "hot" school for econ in terms of the research being done there. Probably not something what will impact you directly, but it's still good to know that those in the know would look highly upon your Berk econ degree as that department garners quite a bit of respect.</p>
<p>You're not following the discussion. By "requirements for the major" both sakky and I mean the requirements to be accepted into the major. At ucla you are not automatically allowed to be an econ major just by saying you want to be an econ major. The link will make it clear when/if you read it.</p>
<p>Yeah, themegastud, what mikemac said.</p>
<p>Here is the relevant information for Berkeley.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that at Berkeley, and apparently also for UCLA, there are students who go to these schools intending to major in Economics, complete the prereqs, apply to get into the major, and are denied, and so now have to major in something else.</p>
<p>so tell me, if ur a cali resident, why should one go to USC over UCLA or UC Berk, like i don't understand....</p>
<p>Well, obviously, if you are getting a substantial aid package from USC such that the costs are the same, then it becomes a matter of personal fit. Heck, it might be the case that USC might actually end up costing you LESS than the UC's once financial aid is calculated, as private schools tend to be unusually generous when it comes to financial aid. Also, if you're rich, then you probably don't care about saving money through in-state tuition, so then it also becomes a matter of personal fit. And then there are some unusual circumstances. For example, I know a guy who got offered a full-ride swimming scholarship to USC, but not from UCLA or Berkeley. That's pretty hard to turn down. </p>
<p>However, if these conditions don't apply to you, I'd probably take Berkeley or UCLA over USC.</p>
<p>Financial incentives aside, I think one could make a pretty good case for USC over either of the other state schools. </p>
<p>The average SAT scores for USCs entering class are higher than those for both UCLA and Berkeley. My sense is that Berkeleys academic reputation is still higher than USCs, but Berkeley has been on the decline for some time now, while USC is on the rise. UCLA and USC are rather comparable academically. But USC seems to offer a greater sense of cohesiveness, in the form of the Trojan Family.</p>
<p>Also, USC is nearly 50 percent out-of-state, with a sizeable group of international students, whereas UCLA and Berkeley are both over 90 percent in-state students, so in that sense, USC offers a more cosmopolitan and diverse environment. </p>
<p>I think theres also something to be said for the stability that comes with a private, heavily-endowed institution; its not at the mercy of state legislators. A state financial crunch doesnt translate into a decrease in the quality of your education (a reassuring fact when you live in a state that is in perpetual financial crisis). And I think that its becoming increasingly evident that public universities are unable to financially keep up with private institutions a fact which seems to bode well for USC in the future. </p>
<p>I dont want this to turn into any sort of debate. I think that different schools fit different people differently. My purpose is merely to point out some of the features of USC that could make it a better fit for some people.</p>
<p>usc computes their sat scores quite differently than uc's. hence why they have a higher sat average. with no financial aid, i cant think of a single reason, not prestige, location, or program, to choose usc over ucla or berkeley. this and that about the "trojan family" and more out of state students is not a realistic reason to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars more for a less prestigious education, and a lower ranked department.</p>
<p>'SC fans just love to broadcast the SAT statistic, which any AP Stat student would tell you is apples to oranges since the UC's only report one sitting. According to USC's website (which may exclude special admits, such as athletes -- we just don't know), their matriculant SAT range is 1290-1430. Cal's is 1220-1450. The UC's also give a big tip to low income kids, who typically score lower. In any event, plenty of smart kids at either school. Cal is in the top tier in econ. UCLA's biz-econ program is highly regarded, but also impacted. 'SC's Marshall undergrad biz school is excellent.</p>
<p>Stressed is correct -- visit if you can and try to perceive yourself at a school for the next four years.</p>
<p>I went to USC, music major switched to business, switched to economics. I dropped out to figure out what I wanted to do, now at CCC hoping to transfer to Berkeley or UCLA for economics or possibly math/statistics(still not completley decided). Anyways, if it is a concern that you are trying to get into economics department at USC, it is not a problem. There is not a huge demand for the major because everybody does business undergrad. I mean everybody. They churn them out at USC. If you want a smaller type of intimate economics department USC might be for you...</p>
<p>However, be warned that USC does not put a high priority on their economics department. That is not to say it is bad- especially at the undergrad level- but it is a very small department compared to UC Berkeley Economics or UCLA Economics. I would say that bizecon at UCLA is probably comparable to Business Administration at USC because there is no Business major at UCLA, so everybody does Bizecon. I have visited all three departments and Berkeley just seems to have way more professors in Economics than USC or UCLA. But, it also is a highly demanded major so upper division classes might not be that small, but b/c Berkeley has Business I bet it takes a lot of people out of the equation. As for USC, Upper division Econ classes were pretty much capped at 40 for like Intermediate Micro/macro, and electives frequently had like less than 20. </p>
<p>Oh yeah, "all costs aside"- USC has raised tuition every year and is continuing to raise by like 6% a year, so beware.... </p>
<p>If your going as a freshman, you also might want to factor in that you, and everybody else, will probably switch majors. I did. Like 3 times. So you might as well go to the school with the most reputable departments in everything, just in case you switch= Berkeley. Either way, I think any of those three schools are comparable academically, like stressed4college pointed out. However, many people think that you are smarter if you go to a school which US News reports higher on a stupid list. So, you might as well go to the highest on the list so people will think you are smarter.</p>
<p>In my own case, if admitted, I'm gonna go to Berkeley for economics. It's cheaper for Cali residents, it's not in LA, it's more "prestigious" , it's a bigger department, and it's not in the ghetto, well not entirely. Anways, good luck!</p>