<p>In a college search, often the best way to distinguish schools is to find out what isn't good about them. Schools and students are quick to share what they love about their schools and with USC it's abundantly clear: prestige, sports, sun, social life etc the list goes on and on. But what I'm curious about is what people really dislike about USC. Alumni and current students are especially valuable!</p>
<p>I've heard USC accused of being "run like a business" and not having that great of academics, not prestige mind you, but the actual classroom experience. I'm not claiming these are true, I'm just stirring up a little controversy to get the discussion rolling!</p>
<p>If L.A. is not for you, you might have trouble at USC. USC is wonderful if you’re fine/ambivalent about L.A., or if you love it, but if you hate L.A., it can be problematic.</p>
<p>I’m in the camp that’s ambivalent about L.A., and I honestly couldn’t be happier to attend USC. I absolutely adore it! I suppose I’ve drunk the Trojan Kool-Aid or whatever, but I love it!</p>
<p>My D is full pay with no scholarships so I’d have to say PRICE! She got $ offers from lesser schools but wants to be a Trojan! They do have great merit scholarships for the select few and apparently do a decent job with financial aid for the less fortunate - maybe that’s why the tuition is so high for the rest of us?</p>
<p>I’m not sure that focusing on a school’s weaknesses is the most effective way to decide whether that school is a good fit. For example, if I disliked the inaccessibility of professors at Michigan but it offered a stellar swimming program, and I wanted to learn how to coach swimming, would the inaccessibility outweigh the benefits?</p>
<p>Instead, let’s compare schools you are interested in attending. Let’s choose, by way of example, USC, BC, Michigan, Miami and Washington.</p>
<p>Michigan and UW are fine public schools but they have very large GE classes, much larger than Miami, BC or USC. On the other hand, each boasts stellar athletics and grad programs. Miami is the least prestigious or academic of the group but located in beautiful Coral Gables. And it has a large Cuban American student body.</p>
<p>BC is a solid up and coming school and Boston is a great college town. The students, like those at USC, are very well rounded. The student body, however, is not diverse and is composed mainly of Irish Americans. BC is more similar to ND than USC. </p>
<p>You can’t go wrong with any of these schools but you should go where you will be most comfortable and where you can achieve your overall academic objectives.</p>
<p>For us as parents, the price is a huge issue, especially if you’re full pay, which we are for D. It is even expensive if you are fortunate enough to get a significant merit award, which S received. That said, it was a very good school for both kids, which is why they both ended up attending.</p>
<p>Another bad thing is that so many people have such strong feelings about it, including fears about the safety of the area. It is in the middle of a big city, and in spite of good campus security, there are unfortunately things outside of the university’s control like homelessness and some crime like all big cities and campuses.</p>
<p>It does have great schools and is a great place for kids who fit the campus. Our kids loved the weather. Honestly, though, I think you are shortchanging yourself by worrying about the negatives instead of trying to figure out what U is best for YOUR interests.</p>
so I’d have to say PRICE! She got $ offers from lesser schools but wants to be a Trojan! They do have great merit scholarships for the select few and apparently do a decent job with financial aid for the less fortunate - maybe that’s why the tuition is so high for the rest of us?</p>