<p>Is above video a commercial for the plastic red cups? Ya, just validated what OP’s student saw at Explore USC - they will see this video and head straight to Yale, and so would a lot of academic focused kids. “We are pretty and we can drink cause we are sooooo cooool.” While I appreciate the effort making a video, it’s a pretty shallow look at USC.</p>
<p>I think your student will have unlimited opportunities at USC because the school is really set up to help these exact high-achievers soar. After all, they bring in about 600 Pres/Trustee/Deans from an already excellent pool of admits. Most have been following a competitive track in HS and continue to work hard and set high goals. </p>
<p>We have found USC’s Schools and Dornsife are particularly proactive in helping top students apply for fellowships, get mentor professors involved with those striving for research and many other boosts. These are not reserved for merit scholars–as there are many highly gifted students at USC who were not lucky in the merit draw but are, nonetheless, rising fast and care about their future plans.</p>
<p>My older son was a trustee scholar and we saw many of his friends who came in as academic superstars achieve tremendous results. One was selected for a funded post-grad neuroscience program in London, another won a NASA grant and is currently at a top grad school, and on and on. </p>
<p>Throughout the year, almost on a weekly basis, students doing well get emails inviting them to info sessions on Fulbright et al preparation, special seminars, Ambassador programs, leadership training, internship opportunities and more. These are not reserved for the incoming merit winners, I should point out. Every USC student has access to much of these benefits, and for USC student who are among the top academic achievers there, there are even more special invitations based on their work. </p>
<p>Please pm me if you have specific questions, but I do think motivated students really achieve top honors at any university. Our experience with two kids at USC is the school truly supports those with the highest goals.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>You think students at Stanford and Yale don’t drink and spend all their time in academic pursuits? LOL</p>
<p>oh, i have no doubt yale and stanford students drink. they just don’t wear daisy dukes prancing around campus before going to watch their beloved bulldogs take on the crimson tides… lol…</p>
<p><a href=“http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/112109_H-Y_fball_04.jpg[/url]”>http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/112109_H-Y_fball_04.jpg</a></p>
![http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/112109_H-Y_fball_04.jpg[/url]](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/112109_H-Y_fball_04.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>Ha! I stand corrected. USC students are still sexier…lol</p>
<p>For my S, the video of a bunch of students focused on beer before a football game is the exact stereotype of USC that causes concern. Luckily, the beer video led to this Global USC video which is the type of message my son wants.</p>
<p>[Global</a> USC - YouTube](<a href=“Global USC - YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0VhsSNT2-0)</p>
<p>At USC, you will find all types of students. My DS is not a partner and he has had no problem connecting with a group of friends that chose to have fun sans alcohol.</p>
<p>At EVERY college, you will find all kids of students. DS was really surprised and turned off by the Frat row party atmosphere at STANFORD, when he visited a couple of HS friends there. And plenty of STANFORD students drink at their football games too, believe me.
Hubby is an alum and we see it at every game.</p>
<p>Of course there is partying at every school. My point was it is an unfortunate video to be posted on a thread where OP expressed concern over the un-academic atmosphere at USC. I will say per the red cup video, everyone at USC appears quite beautiful and good looking! Very socal like. There are brilliant people at every top school, wish OP luck in finding the right home for his S.</p>
<p>OP,
you should read this article in todays NYT’s.Its all about the decision your family is trying
the following paragraph is one you should pay special attention to:</p>
<p>“In two much-discussed studies about the value of a degree from an elite college — one with people who graduated in the 1970s and the other with more recent graduates - equally smart students had about the same earnings whether or not they went to top-tier colleges. The big difference, their studies found, came from minority and low-income students who went to top-tier colleges:They did better later on.”</p>
<p><a href=“Measuring College Prestige vs. Price - The New York Times”>Measuring College Prestige vs. Price - The New York Times;
<p>Thank you for the link. This article discusses the exact dilemma we now facing as a family in the middle group.</p>
<p>you may also want to read comments from other parents on this topic on a thread I started the on the parents forum.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1494688-worth-pay-elite-college-when-offered-merit-elsewhere.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1494688-worth-pay-elite-college-when-offered-merit-elsewhere.html</a></p>
<p>Exactly one year ago I was faced with going to SC as a Presidential Scholar with some additional dept. and univ. scholarships or going to Duke, Northwestern, UVA, Vanderbilt, Wash U/St. Louis w/ no aid. My family was in the same boat as you – made too much for fin aid, but not enough to where we wouldn’t have to tighten the belt. My mom was hung up on the Duke name (she’s originally from the east coast), but told me she wanted me to go where I wanted to go, so I wouldn’t blame her if I didn’t like it. LOL! Fast forward one year later and I couldn’t be HAPPIER! I have enjoyed the work-hard/play-hard mentality and it has given me the balance I need. I am engineering and I can ensure you we go to class, lab, and the library, but we also have a life outside of academics. I live in New/North (didn’t want to live in an exclusive scholarship dorm like Birnkrant, but friends love it there, too) and I have found the mix of people to be enlightening. Not one student I know wants to transfer and we pinch ourselves to make sure this bliss is real. On my worst days when I’ve been programming for hours, I walk in this sunshine and see happy students. Trust me: there are plenty of brainiacs at SC, but there are also a lot of real 18 to 22 year-olds and yes, some of those have been known to have fun as a college student. I am really thankful I didn’t get $$ to go to those other schools because I might have missed out on the best year of my life! Fight On!!</p>
<p>texascoed - Do you see any students that aren’t happy at USC? What kind of students would not be a good fit for USC, socially?</p>
<p>JoliCoeur-- I have not seen any unhappy students at USC except for maybe during finals! HA! I am not saying unhappy students don’t exist, but I think misery loves company, so maybe the miserable people stick together and don’t pour their unhappy hearts. My vantage point is as a freshman engineering major who lives in the “social” dorm and is in a sorority. Many engineering majors are not Greek, but they don’t resent me for it and thinks it’s cool that that is what I do when I’m not at Viterbi. Many Greeks are not engineering majors, but likewise don’t judge me based on my major. Maybe I see life in a vacuum, but I think students who aren’t a good fit at USC are students who prefer homogenous environments, snow, dark skies and small towns.</p>
<p>“Maybe I see life in a vacuum, but I think students who aren’t a good fit at USC are students who prefer homogenous environments, snow, dark skies and small towns.”</p>
<p>^Haha! That, minus the homogenous part, is actually the exact description of Dartmouth (and Princeton, to an extent) that originally made it more appealing to me than my other choices 
That’s why I’m hesitant to join the USC community. But thank you for your perspective on Greek life. I was afraid that it would be a divisive issue on campus.</p>
<p>JoliCoeur-- if you’re looking for a small town, LA is not it. If you’re looking for snow, SoCal is not it. Mammoth is about 300 miles away. Maybe Dartmouth is the better fit for you. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do fine – there isn’t a bad choice here – just some more expensive ones 
Just to clarify – I’m not sure why everyone makes a big deal about the Greek v. GDI community. People pledge, then de-pledge and still remain friends with everyone in the house. I like the camaraderie and the beautiful house to hang out in (and live in next year!), but some people don’t care about it. I actually think Greeks and GDIs coexist and co-mingle better at SC than a lot of other schools. I’ve heard the private social club scene at some Ivies is more exclusive.</p>
<p>So mmdad1965, it is May 1st, what did you decide?</p>
<p>I am guessing Yale. Hope you are happy whatever decision you made.</p>
<p>I’m curious as well… What did you guys decide on?</p>