First off, I feel extremely lucky to have to choose between two such great institutions, but I ultimately don’t know what to do!
Important to note that USC will be about 20k more expensive, my parents are going to be covering all costs but I don’t want to be too much of a burden on them. I’ll take out federal loans every year regardless of which institution.
What I’m looking for: a school with great academics (I need nerd culture), small class sizes w/ attentive professors, collaborative rather than competitive student body, and a strong sense of community. Also really want a beautiful campus, but that’s significantly less important lol. Small class sizes are probably the most important to me.
USC is a better school, no doubt, but I’m worried about party culture and Greek life, and it’s also more expensive. It has a super great alumni network, but idk how important that is? Co-ops at Northeastern are pretty sweet though, I just worry that there’s not that sense of school community because people are leaving campus all the time. Also, Boston has way better public transportation than LA, but idk if that should factor much into my decision lol. I’m def a northeast kinda girl, but I’m sure I’ll warm up to LA if necessary. I got into the honors college at both, but at NEU I got into this combined Bachelors/Masters 5 year program. I’m atm planning to go to law school, but if I end up changing my mind I know I’d be going to some type of grad school, so finishing in 5 years would be nice. But at the same time, I know that grad school prestige matters a whole lot more than undergrad, so I might not even take advantage of the 5 years and do my masters somewhere else. Also, would USC be harder to manage my GPA at? Law school, lol. Please help me out!
I also have received a full tuition+some at my state school and full tuition at Lewis and Clark. This would allow me to graduate debt free, but I don’t think taking on 20k in debt is unreasonable, and my parents have assured me that they would be able to handle the other costs of either NEU or USC. But again, I obviously don’t want to have to spend the money if USC/NEU wouldn’t be worth it. Regardless of money, I’d still like help choosing between USC and NEU!
I’ll jump in here since no one has responded. Sounds like the east coast is calling you.
How much money did you get from USC and Northeastern?
And what is your state school you gout full tuition + from?
Remember that USC has an incredible school spirit. My son says it’s a major part of making college life fun, and he’s not in a fraternity. I’ve joined him for three football games so far, plus spent a good amount of time on campus. It’s true. There’s much to be said for being a Trojan.