USC vs. UC-Irvine

Graduate School
1

<p>I have been accepted into both USC and UCI, my top two choices for grad school. To start, while I would like to go to USC, UCI is looking better by the day. Let me explain:</p>

<p>USC has the top program in my field in the U.S. and is ranked around #23-24 overall among all research universities in the nation. Its general acceptance rate of applicants is around 23%. I like USC honestly because of the brand, reputation and its location in L.A. The campus has something of a "hallowed hall"/traditional feel to it, which I like.</p>

<p>UCI still is in top 15 for my program. As a university altogether, it has recently been ranked the 12th-highest public research university in the nation, or around #45 overall. It is now the 3rd-most competitive UC in terms of admissions. I like UCI because it has gone from nothing to something great in such a short time. UCI people also seem friendlier and more down to Earth than USC types.</p>

<p>So, while USC has the upper edge in perception, UCI is still pretty damn good. One can't go wrong with either (even though rankings aren't always everything).</p>

<p>I want USC a little more than UCI. HOWEVER...USC offered a sizable chunk of admits to my program 50%-100% tuition scholarships. I was offered NOTHING. I would go into $40k-50k more debt to earn a master's degree from USC than UCI.</p>

<p>Sure, the "Trojan family" might be great in California, but is it really worth the borderline insult (as I see it) of knowing that I'll have a huge debt load while many of my classmates will have a much smaller debt load?! For this reason ALONE, I'm now reeeeally leaning toward UCI.</p>

<p>What are your thoughts?</p>

2

<p>Based on finances it seems UCI would be the better choice, that is a lot of debt to drag you down later in life.</p>

3

<p>I think you already know the best decision here but hope to get validation. </p>

<p>However, you didn’t give us anything to work with since we cannot know the area of your interest unless you tell us more.</p>

4

<p>In graduate school, that “hallowed hall” feeling doesn’t really matter. It’s not undergrad; you’re there to get your work done.</p>

<p>Don’t worry about the comparison of yourself to other students; do not take graduate admissions or funding personally. Far more important is that USC will cost you $40-50K more than UCI when, from my understanding, USC doesn’t seem to have a huge advantage over UCI. Follow the money.</p>

5

<p>I believe at the graduate level, USC is not that strong. I would personally go to UCI hands down.</p>

6

<p>USC is better reputed and more selective at the undergraduate level, this is true. Much of its endowment goes toward UNDERgraduate scholarships and grants for students from lower income families. With the #4 highest alumni giving rate in the U.S., USC has used many of its gifts to diversify its student body socioeconomically and socioculturally, as well as bring in some of the best researchers in the world.</p>

<p>My field of study will be urban planning. And USC is still #1 in the U.S. in quality (according to Planetizen.com, which ranks planning schools). What’s more, I wasn’t offered admission into Berkeley and UCLA, even though they’re ranked more highly (but then they still weren’t on the top of my list of schools, so there…)</p>

<p>The research opportunities with professors and community leadership would be strong at both universities, but even more so at USC. However, USC will potentially be more competitive, even though the professors and employees seem to be willing to provide some great tools for students to succeed. That said, UCI has some great, well-credentialed researchers and I’m pretty sure the general student population will still be very intelligent yet not as competitive, which would make for a more positive social component.</p>

<p>Nationally, however, the UCs collectively are more known for their graduate programs than USC is individually. UCI is striving like crazy to become a top tier UC like Berkeley and UCLA–and I think it’s well on its way! But, USC is much better known outside of California (and the U.S.) than UCI. Then again, Sam Walton went to the University of Missouri and practically took over the world, so it really boils down to what one DOES with their degree.</p>

<p>Ultimately, I need to contact some professors at both schools, discuss research interests and make a last-ditch effort to secure some funding. But, yeah, I would probably like either university, but I would have a little more peace of mind at UCI.</p>

<p>I discussed this with a buddy of mine who went to a small liberal arts college as an undergrad. $80k in debt remaining (or $130k after interest). His advice was to make sure the program I pursue is unequivocally the right fit for me and my career.</p>

7

<p>Follow-up:</p>

<p>Looks like I’ll be going to UC-Irvine.</p>

<p>And there it is.</p>

<p>I came to my senses. USC is just out of my price range. I’ll have a lot of debt as it is from UC-Irvine, but it will be a hell of a lot more manageable to pay off than USC.</p>

<p>Truth be told, I really do like UCI. I was hoping more for USC more or less because of the name.</p>