I was recently admitted to Boston College and USC. I plan on majoring in International Relations for both of the schools. California is considerably farther than Boston College from me and I personally prefer the amazing college atmosphere that BC has and I have many friends there. But, it is impossible for me to ignore the incredible honor it is to be accepted by USC, and everything I have heard about it is amazing.
Any advice?
If you prefer both the vibe and location at BC, then bu all means go there. Both BC and USC can get you wherever you want to go in life. Don’t discount fit/gut feeling as part of the equation.
“incredible honor” might not necessarily make you happy or lead to a better outcome than BC. If you like BC and want to stay in Boston, go there.
Look at the IR department of each of the two and see if USC offers something that you really want that BC doesn’t. Otherwise, go to BC.
It is definitely an honor. Biggest differences:
USC is a bit larger school and it is much more difficult to get In
USC also has smaller class sizes with a 9:1 student-teacher ratio.
And it’s California! Beautiful climate. You may want to visit the campus.
Look up USC facts and figures on their website for more info.
USC is slightly more difficult to get into, but this doesn’t necessarily make it a better school. Especially if you want to stay in New England after graduation, BC will hold just as much prestige (if not more) than USC in the eyes of employers. Good luck with your decision!
Student teacher ratio does not necessarily translate into smaller classes because at some research universities professors don’t teach as many classes because they are spending more time researching and advising grad students.
USC has a questionable reputation when it comes to self-reported data for US News rankings
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/08/usc
USC has 11.5% of their classes with over 50 students
BC has 6.5% of their classes with over 50 students
In terms of size USC is quite a bit larger and skewed more towards grad students
USC 43,404 (14,330 undergrads)
BC 18,800 (9,796 undergrads)
In terms of test scores, the schools are indistinguishable
25th and 75th percentile ACT scores are identical at 30 and 33
Average SATs are 2064 for USC and 2054 BC
Forbes ranks BC #22 and USC #65
Make your decision based on the specifics of the programs/respective environments that you are interested in.
It sounds like you believe USC >>>> BC by calling it an “incredible honor” even though you seem to like BC better. I think both schools are peer schools with very similar stats. I’d consider BC and USC to be pretty similar schools just on opposite coasts. How strong is each school for your major and what are each school’s pros and cons for you?
If you’d feel more comfortable at BC, go there.
Did you have a chance to visit USC?