<p>Okay, so after very dismal admission results I am down to my state school the University of Washington and USC. While most of my friends are going to UW and although UW seems like a good option, I didn't even make it into the honors program there. USC on the other hand seems like a good change of environment for me, although it will cost an average of 8000 dollars more than UW per year. My major will be in either business or engineering, and USC seems to have a slight, though not significant, advantage in those fields. I am also kinda worried that UW without the honors program would be too easy for me (2300 SAT, 3.94 GPA). But is USC worth the extra 30k? So yea, I'm at a crossroads here. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>$8k a year isn't a huge difference. When most people talk about their in-state schools being cheaper, there's usually a much larger difference - usually about a $15k difference. Because the costs aren't extremely different in your case, I don't think it will matter much in the long run which school you choose (financially speaking).</p>
<p>That said, your heart seems to being saying USC. So go there. Getting away from home is always a nice plus. :)</p>
<p>If the money is not TOO huge of an issue, go for USC. Experience something new. LA is a truly unique environment and will give you so much perspective. USC is a bit more intellectual (especially if you didn't get into honors at UW) and the name recognition is stellar, especially on the West Coast. My brother went there and graduated with an engineering degree, he currently holds a really good job straight out of school...even though he currently lives in Chicago, so I suppose the name recognition is good all over the nation. Plus, how can you resist Trojan football?! Fight on =D</p>
<p>Yeah, I definitely think you'll like USC more than UW.</p>