USC vs. Duke for CS/Econ/idk

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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Hey guys! I am here at because, like many others, I need all the advice I can get for my college decision. So I was admitted to Duke and USC (with a half tuition scholarship) and waitlisted from Penn/Northwestern/Dartmouth (although Penn is the only one I’m gonna try to get off of and in any case, the chances are extremely low) so it’s basically down to these two and I’m having a lot of trouble with how to decide here.

First things first, although I have half tuition at USC (which makes it a decent bit cheaper) I happen to come from fortunate family circumstances and money does not have to be a factor in my decision (I’d almost certainly get no finaid at Duke). I’m mentioning the scholarship because that could affect life on campus and whatnot (looks good on a resume or whatever, idk)

Major: It’s complicated. For USC, I was admitted as CS-business and at Duke, I’m undecided. I think maybe I’m interested in working in Silicon Valley but maybe on the business side of things instead of pure tech? Econ was my favorite class in high school and Duke makes it easy to double major so I think I’d do CS and Econ there (which I like more than CS-“business”, since taking classes like accounting sounds kinda dull tbh) and I like the idea that if I decide to radically switch things up and go into a field that isn’t CS, like polisci or whatever, then I’d still be pretty secure at Duke and maybe less so at USC??

Pros/cons based on my very limited impressions of the two:

USC

  • LA is amazing
  • scholarship so cheaper and maybe I stand out among others on campus when competing for jobs?
  • football/school spirit/lots of social life
  • potentially more CS industry connections
  • CS-Business is one major, so it’s an already defined program
  • apparently can have a fake/cliquey vibe, especially in the Greek system (I plan on rushing at both)
  • scholarship means I might be a “nerd” there instead of fitting in? not sure
  • gets a bad rep as the university of spoiled children because of a high percent of 1%ers and legacy kids?

Duke

  • better school overall/more “prestige” for what it’s worth
  • more non-CS opportunities if I want to do anything else
  • basketball/school spirit/lots of social life
  • lots of interdisciplinary options and overall more flexible academics
  • overall more diverse/interesting? student body
  • location is eh, much less to do than LA
  • some recent concerns about social hierarchy?

If you have any more info or can clarify any of the points above, I would really appreciate it!

Either way, both of these schools are great and both fit a lot of what I wanted. If I get into Penn off the waitlist, my impression is that it’s essentially Duke - some school spirit + Philadelphia/NYC, which a trade that I’d be willing to make, if that helps explain my values? Thank you so much for reading my wall of text and giving me input!!!

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I’ll throw my $.02 out there for what it’s worth. Disclaimer – I am a Duke alum & my husband is a Duke (UG)/USC (grad) alum. My H was pretty depressed to be at USC’s cement campus after 4 bucolic years in the Gothic Ivory Tower of Duke. Living on campus (albeit grad apts) was pretty disgusting (roaches! drive-bys!) & South Central is NOT a nice neighborhood & makes blue-collar Durham (off Duke’s East Campus) look like a country club. However, the UG experience is likely to be different as I assume you’ll be in dorms at USC. Last time I was there (a few months ago touring with my son) the campus was alive & bustling & seemed more academic/energized than I remember. My kid really liked it! Student spirit for football is awesome (& was the saving grace for my sports crazed hubby). However, if you are not from LA, be warned – the traffic is nightmarish & it takes forever (by car or bus) to get anywhere. The metro is ok, but not like in NYC/DC. The weather is a plus, though.

Duke is more “traditional” in the sense that it has a large, isolated campus (well 3 campuses – East, West & Central, but they are all connected). Freshman at Duke are now housed on East Campus – the former women’s college – about 1.5 miles from West, which is where most academic life occurs (as well as sports – Cameron & Wally Wade are on West). This newish (new since I went there in the late 80s) freshman “college” is really a great & transformative experience. New dorms have been built & a beautiful new rec ctr/student gym has been built – it builds a sense of community among all freshman. Most students migrate to West (dorms) or Central campus (apts) soph-senior year, with some seniors renting houses in Durham. Because a large majority of students live on campus, there is a vibrant social & academic life 24/7 at Duke. Friday afternoons, the campus is teeming with people on the quad, just hanging out. My impression of USC is that more students live off campus than at Duke & many come from SoCal & head elsewhere on the weekends (unless football).

Another big difference is the size of the school – USC is roughly 3x the UG size of Duke. USC has 19,000 UG & Duke has 6500. This is quite a difference when you are talking class size, knowing a bulk of your fellow students, getting to know faculty. The quieter pace of life at Duke also leads to more interaction with faculty as many of them live in the residence halls (in apts contained therein), and Durham is a small place (relatively speaking) & so you run in to faculty around town, at Durham Bulls game, in the supermarket, at a soccer game, etc.

One other generalization I will make is that USC has one of the BEST alumni networks in the country (if not world). You will get doors (jobs) opened for you from other USC alums that you may otherwise not get. However, Duke has a stronger academic rep & if you are going into grad school, a Duke degree will carry a LOT of weight.

Lastly, you need to pick the school that is the best fit for you. Even though I am biased towards Duke, I realize that it’s not for everyone & that USC is a great choice, as well. If you want the hustle & bustle of urban life in the sun --> USC. If you want a beautiful, residential, campus set in a forest next to a mid-size city (& 8 miles from the ultimate college town, Chapel Hill), pick Duke.