<p>USC and ND were my two "reach schools" when I originally applied. I thought I'd be lucky to get into just one of them, but somehow I got into both and received excellent finaid packages from both.
There are definite advantages and disadvantages to both schools. Since I live on the east coast, if I went to USC I probably would not be able to afford to come home more than once during the school year, whereas ND is within a day's driving distance. I'm also hoping to live on the east coast after graduation, and ND has a better name and holds more prestige here than USC does. However, I really fell in love with USC when I visited. I love the diversity and the idea of being in a big city and everybody I met was so friendly and welcoming.
Ultimately, it comes down to this: I feel like Notre Dame would probably be the better choice in the long run, but I think I would enjoy my time at USC more.
Thoughts?</p>
<p>Very few cultural/lifestyle similarities between USC and ND. Most people who aren’t football recruits don’t have a hard time picking either way. Maybe you need to step back and think about what you really want out of undergrad.</p>
<p>USC of course. Living in the rural midwest, people tend to think of Notre Dame as a school that proves academic achievement. Son goes to a HS that shares this notion. Therefore, although he had no intention to enroll in ND, he applied EA to prove that he was accepted among his peers, which he did. After turning ND down, then he narrowed his choices between USC trustee and Ivy. This is a different mentality than elsewhere in the country. I was initially against the notion of applying to ND to turn it down just for the point of doing it, but heck, being a Trojan parent, why not? Fight on!</p>
<p>They are very different schools. Agreed with the user above me. You should ask yourself where you want to be after undergrad. If you want to come to the West coast and live here, USC will do wonders for you, especially in Southern California. If you want to live in the Midwest, Notre Dame will be good for you. On the east coast, neither ND nor USC have a great reputation over there. The people there will just think of them as “football schools.”</p>
<p>If you want to stay in the East Coast, I suggest you choose an East Coast school to attend…like Syracuse, Bowdoin, Boston U, Boston College, NYU, Dartmouth, etc.</p>
<p>Also, both USC and ND are big football schools, so I hope you’re into that.</p>
<p>Sometimes you can help narrow down your choice by looking at the particular major (s) you are planning or might want in the future. Both are great choices, but very different cultures.</p>
<p>At SC you will find…</p>
<p>A huge number of possible majors
Smaller faculty student ratio than ND
Religious diversity
Ethnic diversity
Location in a cosmopolitan center with access to theatres, concerts, art galleries, museums, exhibits, arboretums, ballet, symphony and opera performances
Dorm choices include co-ed dorms
Emphasis on interdisciplinary study
Interaction with students from over 100 countries
Study abroad programs in 33 countries with a choice of 62 options
Access to internships as Los Angeles is a center for entertainment, aerospace, technology, finance and pharmaceuticals
Weather allows outdoor activities all year
Beaches, Disneyland, Knotts, Greek Theatre, Universal Studios, Griffith Park Observatory, Autry National Center, etc.
Gifted and creative students in theatre, fine arts, music and cinema add to campus vibrancy
Large number of National Merit Scholars
Restaurants and eating choices on campus
Visions & Voices
Global outlook, especially to the Pacific Rim
New metro system gives city access
Alumni organizations around the world and major cities in the U.S.
Major sports venues
Job Placement Center
USC Keck School of Medicine
Brand new student center</p>
<p>GG, do you just copy and paste this stuff from a USC brochure or something?</p>
<p>A huge number of possible majors
-Big deal, so does Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Smaller faculty student ratio than ND
-Depends on your major buddy. Bio major? You’ll always have big classes. Art major? You’ll have small classes.</p>
<p>Religious diversity
-In case you didn’t know, Notre Dame isn’t exactly a “Catholics only” school anymore. Welcome to the 21st century.</p>
<p>Ethnic diversity
-Is this the 1950s? Notre Dame has ethnic diversity, what the heck…</p>
<p>Location in a cosmopolitan center with access to theatres, concerts, art galleries, museums, exhibits, arboretums, ballet, symphony and opera performances
-Alright, I’ll give you this one.</p>
<p>Dorm choices include co-ed dorms
-Dorm choices? Joke? BTW, it’s not so much a dorm choice, it’s more like you rank your dorms and they try to accommodate. Oh and Notre Dame (and every other college out there) has this too.</p>
<p>Emphasis on interdisciplinary study
-Dude, every college says this.</p>
<p>Interaction with students from over 100 countries
-Again, I’ll give you this one.</p>
<p>Study abroad programs in 33 countries with a choice of 62 options
-Yes…and so does every other college in the USA.</p>
<p>Access to internships as Los Angeles is a center for entertainment, aerospace, technology, finance and pharmaceuticals
-Replace Los Angeles with Indianapolis, Chicago, etc.</p>
<p>Weather allows outdoor activities all year
-You win here.</p>
<p>Beaches, Disneyland, Knotts, Greek Theatre, Universal Studios, Griffith Park Observatory, Autry National Center, etc.
-Yes, LA rocks.</p>
<p>Gifted and creative students in theatre, fine arts, music and cinema add to campus vibrancy
-Yeah and I suppose Notre Dame are all brain dead zombies lacking culture.</p>
<p>Large number of National Merit Scholars
-Who cares? Nobody talks about their SAT scores once they’re in college.</p>
<p>Restaurants and eating choices on campus
-As in dorm food and Carl’s Jr? Pretty sure Notre Dame’s got that covered.</p>
<p>Visions & Voices
-Pretty sure Notre Dame has the exact same program. It’s just called something else</p>
<p>Global outlook, especially to the Pacific Rim
-What does this even mean? lol. OP isn’t going to be traveling to Taiwan or Singapore for business.</p>
<p>New metro system gives city access
-Dude trust me when I say this: LA is a car city. Public transportation is torture here.</p>
<p>Alumni organizations around the world and major cities in the U.S.
-Notre Dame has an alumni association too. And I hear they’re pretty big. Kinda big. Just a bit you know?</p>
<p>Major sports venues
-So does Notre Dame man. So does Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Job Placement Center
-Okay, seriously? Every college has this. It’s called a “Career Center” everywhere else.</p>
<p>USC Keck School of Medicine
-Irrelevant because OP is going to USC for undergrad, not med school.</p>
<p>Brand new student center
-Yay? Pretty sure Notre Dame has new construction going on all the time too.</p>
<p>If you are committed to living and working on the East Coast then Notre Dame will provide a better alumni network when looking for your first job. Whether because of football, movies like “Knute Rockne All-American” or “Rudy”, Notre Dame is very well known nationally and internationally. Notre Dame’s “Subway Alumni” are what the Trojan Family and every school’s alumni association hope to become.</p>
<p>That said, it’s hard to imagine two more different college environments. USC is in the center of a vibrant, major metropolitan area filled with literally countless different educational, cultural, culinary, sporting and entertainment options. South Bend is a semi-rural area where Notre Dame is the only game in town. Chicago is a 95 mile train-ride away.</p>
<p>Diversity. USC is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in America. Despite their best efforts, Notre Dame remains overwhelmingly caucasian (74%) with and additional 10% Hispanic/Latino. This may or may not be a factor for you but there is an undeniable homogeneity to the ND campus. </p>
<p>Finally there is the issue of religion. Notre Dame is unapologetically Catholic; when son2 and I did the tour the very first stop was a 10-minute break at the Grotto (A re-creation of the grotto at Lourdes) so that tour members could pray and/or light a votive. This is a factor that only you can decide on. </p>
<p>Both schools are exceptional. Both will prepare you for the job market regardless of where you want to live and work. The educational experiences will be similar, you need to decide which are the important “other” factors.</p>
<p>In the long run i think ND will be a better option if you plan on staying on the east coast, but if you plan on doing an undergrad, then a post-grad at say an ivy league, and you much prefer campus life at USC, by all means go to usc then transfer for post-grad studies</p>
<p>what major are you planning to pursue? I think that is a crucial factor </p>
<p>Also, i have a friend who chose USC over Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon, so i asked him, “why did you choose USC over a higher-ranked Notre Dame?” and he answered, “what am i gonna do in the middle of indiana, i’d rather take the vast opportunities available in LA”</p>