<p>Would it be wiser to attend USC on a half-tuition scholarship ($18,000 per year scholarship) or attend Stanford with no financial aid? I'm an undeclared major, but probably will major in the social sciences, and I also plan to go to graduate school.</p>
<p>Does your family make less than $100k/year?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8314377%5B/url%5D">http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8314377</a></p>
<p>No. My dad's an attorney, so I don't think I qualify for their need-based aid.</p>
<p>Would you be happier at USC or Stanford?</p>
<p>It's a tough decision to make, not sure what my daughter would do either.</p>
<p>Well, can you pay for the extra money for Stanford? I mean, will it be a big burden?</p>
<p>You need to visit both and see which you like more. Then weigh that against how much it will cost you.</p>
<p>I would still be able to attend college if I had to pay the extra money for Stanford, but of course the USC scholarship savings would be helpful.</p>
<p>Would an undergraduate degree from Stanford be worth giving up the USC money?</p>
<p>Stanford. USC doesn't have as great of undergrad programs as Stanford. That alone means you should get a better education. And based upon how much money ur Dad made, u should be able to get some sort of reduction, unless it is over $200,000. But if it was that high, then u could probably pay it...</p>
<p>Ok. Speaking as a USC parent [S is a Trustee scholar] whose hubby is a Stanford alum, and as someone who has lived next to Stanford for 30 years, there are a few additional issues here, besides $$. Stanford has stronger Liberal Arts/ Social sciences programs than USC, and has a larger percentage of really, really smart students. Stanford guarantees 4 years of housing for undergrads- USC only guarantees 2 years. The "feel" of USC is different from Stanford. USC has a rather small campus for the # of students, and relatively little "open space" to hang out on. Many students go off campus on weekends into LA. At Stanford on the weekends, the campus is always alive with thousands of students playing intramural sports, jogging, biking, all over the huge campus.
I think in many places the degree from Stanford may open more doors for you, simply because it is harder to get into than USC in the first place.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Further comments would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I'm gonna go with Stanford...they are so well rounded in social sciences, liberal arts, engineering, you name it. But this is close, since you wanna go to grad school... you might consider the offer by USC to save money for that. But it depends on what kind of grad school you want. If its an MBA, I would go with Stanford, because you wont be getting that until a couple of years after undergrad. But if you wanna do grad school right after undergrad...the extra money might be helpful.</p>
<p>What kind of graduate school? MBA, Law, Medical, Phd? Where do you want to work after you graduate? No Cal or So Cal. If you are not from California, Stanford has more prestige if you are from the East Coast. I know someone who is a lawyer but can't afford USC tuition(comfortably) and does not qualify for financial aid.</p>
<p>I would choose Stanford. Aid is part of choosing a college, but its reputation and programs put Stanford over the top.</p>
<p>More likely than not, law school. </p>
<p>And while I think we'll be able to afford Stanford, the USC savings would be helpful, especially since I have another sister currently in college.</p>
<p>If you can get into Stanford you really should go there. Graduating from a top 5 school opens doors unlike all others. In my opinion, you owe it to yourself to go to the best. After all that's why you studied so hard in the first place?</p>
<p>I heard law school cares about GPA/LSAT.
Here is what I would do for law school, I would pick Stanford because in this profession they are extremely picky especially to get into top law firm. USC and Stanford both has very strong alumni network. I think you should be able to get good grades at Stanford as long as you stay away from engineering/computer science.</p>
<p>Here are some numbers to ponder:
4 years of undergraduate + 3 years of law school = 7 years of at least $50K = $350K.
Double that for your sister so total education expense for your family is about $700K. </p>
<p>Also the age of the working parents should also taking into account, ie are they near retirement.</p>
<p>Glad I didn't get in to Stanford so I didn't have to make this decision :-)</p>