<p>I've been accepted at a few different schools and I've narrowed it down to either USC or Wash U, most likely majoring in engineering. I really like both schools and am probably leaning towards USC, but wanted to see what others thought. One of my main problems with Wash U is the stereotype that students are kind of work crazy. I've always done well in school, but I'm not the type to spend a lot of time on my work and Wash U seemed a little too work intensive for me. USC just seemed to have a better balance of things/better overall academic atmosphere. Any opinions on this?</p>
<p>I also posted this on the USC forum, I'm just trying to get a few different perspectives.</p>
<p>Wash U kids are not all work and no play. It might not be as huge of a party school as USC, but they definitely do party.
I don't know the comparison between Engineering.</p>
<p>I am in the same position as ohhello, trying to decide between Wash U and USC for mechanical engineering. Does anyone have some firsthand experience with either one's (or preferably both's) engineering programs? Likes? Dislikes? </p>
<p>Many thanks in advance, and may the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. ;)</p>
<p>USC definitely has the stronger engineering school. Viterbi beats WashU's College of Engineering and Applied Science, hands down, except in biomedical engineering. </p>
<p>but WashU definitely has the "study hard, play hard" attitude. no fear of having little fun there. </p>
<p>i'm glad i don't have to choose between WashU and USC... because WashU accepted me, and USC rejected me.</p>
<p>im in the same position here, either USC or WashU.</p>
<p>From what i've heard USC's engineering's much better than WashU, but then ranking wise WashU's higher. For undergraduate degree, is name more important or the quality of the program?</p>
<p>Wow, I didn't realize so many people were deciding between these two schools. I was also accepted to Wash U and USC.
I would recommend visting Wash U, which I did this weekend. I decided to pick Wash U over USC because I liked the flexiblity and options for double majoring and changing majors that Wash U offered, and I also liked the campus and feel overall. Wash U even arranged for me to meet with engineering professors who talked to me for just under an hour about Wash U engineering on a one on one basis. Wash U has great food and dorms, which is always a plus. I also liked the midwest feel I got from St. Louis and Wash U; everyone was so much nicer than they are where I live.<br>
The rankings were a wash for me because USC is higher ranked than Wash U in engineering, but Wash U is much higher ranked overall. Plus, rankings fluctuate so much over the years that I decided to just use them as a guide, but not as a desicion maker. They're both great schools. Good Luck!</p>
<p>I just came back from visiting USC on Friday. The campus was great, the food was pretty good, and everyone was so friendly. Here's an example: After the regular engineering tour was over and our guide had to go to class, I still had not seen any of the dorms. I stood outside of birnkrant and introduced myself to the first person I saw going in. He easily could have said he was too busy or made some other excuse. Instead, he seemed genuinely excited to meet me, and was happy to show me his dorm room. The room was larger than I expected, and definitely very livable. The doors to all the other rooms in the hallway were open, and students were constantly going in and out of each others rooms. Everyone on the floor was just as cool, and I had a great time with all of them. I could tell that everyone loved to be USC, and there was such a good vibe from all the students. I rank the dorms in the following order: north, birnkrant, new, pardee, and marks. Despite USCs larger size, the average class size is only 26 students for the first year, and it decreases after that. Viterbi is very flexible about changing majors. Everyone admitted to the engineering school is automatically admitted to all the different majors, and switching around majors is encouraged the first few semesters until you are sure what type of engineering you really want to do. In fact, all engineering freshmen take a kind of sampler engineering course, so they can get a feel for what each different concentration entails, which is a very good idea considering that the vast majority of freshmen have never taken any actual engineering courses in high school. It is just as easy to change majors to other schools. Majoring and minoring in disparate fields is also encouraged, and a 10,000 dollar scholarship is offered to these so-called renaissance scholars. One thing that really attracted me to USC was the knowledge that whatever I chose to study would be top-notch. Very few other universities can offer this depth and breadth combined with such a supportive atmosphere in which to take full advantage of all the opportunities. USC has almost a million dollars per engineering faculty member just for undergraduate research. I do not know much about the research prospects at Wash U, so I cannot draw an accurate comparison. Does anyone know more about this? Although US News ranks Wash U higher overall, it is not well known across the board for academics like USC is. Plus, the Trojan Family is not a myth. USC has probably THE strongest alumni association in the country, which is incredibly valuable for finding internships and jobs for the rest of your life. And then theres the football </p>
<p>Like Gandalf said, they are both great schools. If you have anymore questions about USC, feel free to ask me.</p>
<p>Rebbiz - You are correct that Wash U's overall ranking is higher than USC's. On the other hand, USC's engineering program is ranked higher. In my opinion, I think that the quality of the program is more important than name recognition. You have to remember that grad schools know which universities have outstanding (if less well-known) programs, and will admit accordingly. If you want to impress your parents' friends, go to Harvard.</p>