<p>I'm having a really tough time deciding between these two! I plan to major in communications and media studies, and was accepted to the communications schools at both universities. My biggest drawback from Northwestern is the cold weather, but I love Chicago. USC has an amazing campus and alumni network, but I'm a little overwhelmed by the size of the student body. I would appreciate any thoughts on either school!</p>
<p>Oh yes, and I'm also curious about the social scenes at both schools. It seems that USC has a pretty crazy party rep, which I'm a little wary of. I'm wondering how true this is.</p>
<p>I don't know much about Northwestern, but I can tell you that for a big school, USC has a great small-school feel... there is a great advisement system, the professors are approachable, and the classes are relatively small. </p>
<p>also, since there are so many people, there is any kind of social scene you could be looking for. you're in the wonderful city of los angeles, and there are plenty of on- and off-campus events you can go to, without ever going to a party. </p>
<p>however, it would be a shame not to. </p>
<p>also, the USC rep has changed drastically in the last 10 years. it's gotten much more academically focused and while there are still a lot of parties & such, the school has shifted and improved a lot.</p>
<p>i go to USC...the student body does consist of about 33,000 total students, but only about half of those are undergrads. albeit 16,000 students is more than twice the size of the undergrad population at NWU, but still smaller than many large state schools. the party scene is prevalent, but not dominant. if you choose not to party, which i can assure many or even most people don't, you won't feel left out. and there are enough cultural opportunities and diverse people that whatever the case, you'll have something to do. </p>
<p>i do a bit of both with everything from partying, writing music/composing scores for my potential band/student films, and going to art shows and concerts. surprisingly i haven't been to the beach much since coming to USC, but i've lived in a California beach city my entire life, so i never felt obligated to haha. though many of my friends like to make frequent trips. even in the winter, there's enough stretches of hot-moderate (70-80s+) weather that let you do so. USC really is unique in the breadth of experiences and opportunities it offers by being dead in the middle of one of the world's largest and most culturally influential cities. granted, it's right in the middle of urban life, and there's some truth to the fact that it's not in the best of neighborhoods, but it's not bad at all.</p>
<p>EDIT: and to address the fact that USC behaves like a small school...that's very true. all students are required to meet with their departmental advisers for 15-30 minutes before scheduling classes for the coming semester, freshman included. the meetings only get longer and more in depth as you continue deeper into your program. also, there's always walk-in advising...in fact, i just went in today to get my adviser to fill out a scholarship application for me. i have had large classes, but the largest was at most 150 people. not really that many people. and all the professors i've had, even if they weren't exactly the most amicable people, still made the effort to ask students for responses during lecture. also, the required general education writing course, Writing 140 (which i'm finishing up in the coming weeks) has at most 20 people in it. it's not taught by a professor, but usually a PhD student, often with a reasonable amount of experience in the field of English and writing. so for a school with 16,000 undergrads, it's pretty good about individual attention.</p>
<p>I went to Northwestern.</p>
<p>Its only drawback is the frigid weather during winter... Academically, it's one of the top 10 or so universities in the U,S,</p>
<p>Socially, it's fun for such a rigorous school.</p>
<p>Northwestern - better school in general, better communication program, better "college town", completely safe area, enough of social life, the only negative is weather.</p>
<p>I like USC...Cali Baby</p>
<p>If you choose to party - there are plenty of opportunities at NU (not to mention Chicago).</p>
<p>I had to choose between these two schools as well.</p>
<p>Unlike you, the small size of Northwestern was a turn off for me, and the weather was a pretty important factor (it's important for me to stay active, like by running, etc.) It also cost more money. In the end, I was ready to pick USC over, well, a school pretty much regarded in the Top 10. </p>
<p>But for you, it seems like NU might be the better fit. The academics will be better, you like the small size, and you like Chicago. You also don't seem too into the "play hard" aspect of USC, which involves (for a sizeable # of people) football games and partying...but remember NU is 40% Greek! That's more than USC. So appearences can be decieving. And on the other hand, USC's famed alumni network is good I'm sure...but better than NU's? They are both probably equally strong.</p>
<p>They both have totally different vibes. If you have the time and money, you should visit...if not, talk to current students, look through a lot of viewbooks, imagine yourself there...what's the better fit? My suggestion is that if you're paying full freight for both schools, it's hard to pass down a school as academically challenging and highly ranked as NU, especially since you seem to like the environment (despite the weather).</p>
<p>Nu! :):):):)</p>