<p>my major is psychology with pre-med emphasis. which would you choose?</p>
<p>Personally, UCSD. I visited USC a few times and just didn't like the environment/campus life.</p>
<p>just curious, oyama, what was it about the environment that you didn't like?</p>
<p>If you are in-state UCSD will very likely be a better buy from the the financial standpoint.</p>
<p>UCSD for the better sciences and the better tuition. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>UCSD has better academics, costs less, is in a more attractive location, and has a more positive reputation than USC. For almost any major, it isn't even a close comparison. Go to UCSD, hands down.</p>
<p>Follow your nose, wherever it goes.</p>
<p>"For almost any major, it isn't even a close comparison"</p>
<p>Oh really "veritas" scholar? Please, enlighten me as to just how many majors UCSD beats USC in. For every 1 science major you name, I could name 3 majors in other disciplines where USC is more prestigious, hands down.</p>
<p>"Costs Less"</p>
<p>Really, do you happen to know woeisme's financial situation, in depth? According to the Princeton Review, UCSD only needs 50% of freshman who have demonstrated financial need. USC meets 100%. Depending on his/her financial situation, and not even facotring in merit based aid (of which USC doles our FAR more of), USC may be cheaper.</p>
<p>"Is in a more attractive location"</p>
<p>True. Though USC's campus is more attractive.</p>
<p>"And has a more positive reputation"</p>
<p>If you're speaking of academic circles, then it depends what discipline. Let's not forget that on the whole USC is ranked higher than UCSD -- and for good reason. It has far more stringent admissions standards, and its student body is simply statistically more qualified. These are quantitative, objective facts that cannot be argued. In many cases, such as SAT score (1239 v. 1370) and # of National Merit Scholars, comparing the two institutions is a joke. In fact, USC enrolls twice the number of National Merit Scholars than UCLA does -- and while I don't know the exact number, I think we can all surmise that given UCLA's rize and prestige, likely enrolls far more than UCSD. In terms of departmental rankings, USC on the whole leads. </p>
<p>If you're speaking of college/high school students, it depends on who you ask. Often, students who know about USC see it as a well-balanced, well-rounded "work hard/play hard" type institution. Or, those unfamiliar think it's a school for rich kids. UCSD on the other hand seems to, just about universally, have a reputation of a nerdy place with no social life.</p>
<p>have to throw in my hat with themegastud</p>
<p>
[quote]
In fact, USC enrolls twice the number of National Merit Scholars than UCLA does
[/quote]
We all know that USC throws lots of money at students with high SATs. So USC having more NMS's has no weight whatsoever. There is nothing wrong with this, it's just the fact that they are a private university, as opposed to a public U (UCLA), and they have the money to spend.</p>
<p>On to the topic...
The two schools are very similar in prestige/academics, though I'd give the slight edge to USC. Choose the environment you like better, and the financial package that is the most attractive.</p>
<p>"and they have the money to spend."</p>
<p>Exactly - and they spend it on obtaining more qualified (from a numbers stance, at least - whether NMSs are brighter than others is another argument entirely) students; thus, on average, a more qualified student body. A disparity in resources doesn't mean the comparison cannot be made. Harvard also has more resources than UCLA/UCSD. Does this mean we're barred from saying Harvard is better? </p>
<p>Actually, the mere fact that USC is so replete with financial resources is yet another advantage is has over UCSD.</p>
<h1>of national merit scholars is not that big of an indicator of a school's prestige. I think the University of Oklahoma has the most (I may be wrong about this). That's all you need to know.</h1>
<p>I never said it was an indicator of prestige; rather, I said it was one (of many) metrics that support the statement that USC has an overall higher quality student body. THAT contributes to prestige.</p>
<p>Ucsd........</p>
<p>"For every 1 science major you name, I could name 3 majors in other disciplines where USC is more prestigious, hands down."</p>
<p>UCSD has more top ten and top twenty programs than USC overall. however, these two schools match up quite evenly. it really should come down to which school you like better and feel more comfertable at. for pre-med, id choose UCSD. but go where you feel most comfertable.</p>
<p>"In many cases, such as SAT score (1239 v. 1370)"</p>
<p>That is simply not the case. ucsd average admit sat is 1306 (<a href="http://universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/selecting/camp_profiles/camp_profiles_ucsd.html)%5B/url%5D">http://universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/selecting/camp_profiles/camp_profiles_ucsd.html)</a>. ucsd also uses single sitting method, while usc inflates their numbers using multiple sitting scores. that is not commparing apples to apples. usc's average admit is somewhere around a 1350 or 1360 using multiple sitting scoring. in reality the two sat scores are very very similar, especially if you adjust for the difference between single and multiple sitting scores. both schools gpa average is just above a 4.0 as well, also very very similar.</p>
<p>"In terms of departmental rankings, USC on the whole leads. "</p>
<p>not true, if you count the number of highly ranked programs for ucsd and usc, you will see ucsd has more top ten and top twenty ranked programs than usc. both schools have their strengths however in specific areas.</p>
<p>"Let's not forget that on the whole USC is ranked higher than UCSD"</p>
<p>what, by two spots? they switch places all the time, in the early 2000's ucsd was rated slightly higher by us news. two spots is not exactly a large difference, especially not 30 vs 32. further, almost every other repuatable large national or international ranking has ucsd significantly higher than usc (times higher (europe), top 500 world ranking (asia), ect).</p>
<p>definitely UCSD.</p>
<p>Go to USC. You will have a complete college experience and receive a great education. It's a wonderful school. You won't regret going there.</p>
<p>wow thanks everyone. a lot of what you guys said was really helpful. i just sent in my SIR for UCSD, but only after tearing myself apart trying to pick between the two... anyway, thanks for the help!</p>
<p>woe- </p>
<p>which SD college did u get into?</p>
<p>i got into muir</p>