<p>Academic-wise, that is. I was wondering if people in states such as NY view USC as a top university in comparison to UCLA or UC Berkeley. Here in SoCal, we probably get a mixed response. But the majority would probably say UCLA, in general, is academically superior to USC. What do people out of state think? I'm particularly interested in Marshall's (Business school) reputation. </p>
<p>And why isn't USC in the Top universities section on this site?</p>
<p>In northern california (technically not a different state but sure feels like it), USC is not as highly respected as UCLA or Berkeley but it is still viewed as a darn good school. There is a HUGE alumni presence in the bay area though if you ever consider working in San Francisco or the Silicon Valley.</p>
<p>I’ll bite. </p>
<p>Most of the people around here think it’s one of California’s public U’s. And, since it’s got “Southern” in it’s name, the presumption is that it must not be “good enough” for flagship status. All we see of it, really, is athletics. </p>
<p>Sorry. :o</p>
<p>ETA: Please don’t flame me. <em>I</em> know the truth. I’m just conveying the perception of others. Don’t shoot the messenger. Thanks.</p>
<p>Even many people in SoCal don’t seem to know the truth. Just today, this girl said she got into USC already, and this guy was like, “Isn’t that really easy to get into?” and the girl was like, “No, it’s really hard…” and the guy was like, “Really? I thought it was like…just a little bit better than San Diego State or something.” </p>
<p>o_o</p>
<p>DougBetsy, you would be surprised at how many high school seniors in California think USC is part of the UC system! On the general UC forum every year there are students asking why they can’t find USC on the UC application.</p>
<p>It doesn’t even make sense for them to think USC is part of the UC system when it doesn’t even have the initials “UC” together in it…Where do people come up with this stuff? :p</p>
<p>I have to admit that I never heard of USC until I started watching football several years ago when my son started playing football. When my son started researching for college last year, I was surprised at what I learned about USC. And I have lived in CA forever (at least it seems forever).</p>
<p>Between my relatives, friends, coworkers, I must have met/heard of all UCs, most Cal States, and lots of privates, but some how USC never came up.</p>
<p>I have never been known as a USC fan; however, researching options has uncovered some interesting facts… The USC we knew 20 years ago (with the 70 percent acceptance rate), is no more. Their mean SAT scores are HIGHER than both UCLA and Cal! Their acceptance rate is down to 21 percent. We accompanied D to the Discover USC program in the fall, and were very (very) impressed by the caliber of the faculty that spoke, the beauty of the campus, and the enthusiasm of the students (not just those giving the tours, but random students that we spoke with in the dining hall). Friends, USC has more than arrived.</p>
<p>Lately, a few in the know have been calling USC the “University of Stolen Colleagues.” Why? It’s because USC set aside a huge pot of money to go after the best and brightest professors. Case in point for the math department, where my H works. About 3 years ago, they hired away a husband and wife pair of mathematicians from Northwestern, the Friedlanders. The husband of the pair was recently elected the president of the American Mathematical Society. </p>
<p>My H has worked at USC since 1986 and saw USC make great strides. It’s not clear that in 1986, if we had a child, whether we would have suggested USC as an option (notwithstanding the huge tuition remission benefit.) Today, we do have a child who’s a senior and he most definitely applied to USC (among other schools.)</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot to mention…on the east coast USC = The University of South Carolina. And when alum talk about it they make a point of distinguishing it as THE USC. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>@lakerforever24 - Usc has an active alumni group in NYC. In fact I think there is actually a designated USC bar in nyc a friend of mine pointed out to me when I was there the other week. Marshall has a program for students interested in working in new york where you take a trip there to meet alumnus and network with businesses.</p>
<p>On an unrelated note, I mentioned I had applied to USC to a friend of mine in Jakarta(who recently moved there from Geneva) and she said “that famous university in Los Angeles?”. No idea if she was referring to academics or something else though.</p>
<p>She was probably thinking about UCLA :)</p>
<p>Seriously though</p>
<p>Haha no I asked the same thing and she was thinking of usc, not ucla. I think usc does some heavy marketing internationally for them to be able to pull all those international students in.</p>
<p>USC does have a pretty big alumni pool internationally and in many states, including HI. Actually, S had a friend whose 1st choice was USC but unfortunately he was NOT accepted there (but was accepted at UPenn & Boston U). Many of the kids I know at USC are happy with the generous merit awards, as well as proximity to HI & warm weather.</p>
<p>I’m sure you are just relaying comments you heard, but I just don’t buy USC not being recognized nationally or even internationally as a top notch school. The Princeton Review conducted a national survey of students and parents that indicated USC was considered 1 of its top 10 “dream schools.” USC also has the highest enrollment of International students in the country - clearly it has an international presence. And MarinaOne is correct - the freshmen scores at USC are higher than both UCLA and UCB, and are closing in on Stanford - so apparently very talented students know about USC. </p>
<p>With the exception of the Ivies (and Stanford) most other schools reputations, including UCLA, were built on their athletic programs. Unless you read academic journals all day long, you won’t normally hear or read about UCLA or most other schools in the main stream media unless its a story about its basketball or Football team (however, USC apparently was ranked in the top 20 universities nationally in terms of faculty citations). </p>
<p>Personally as a professional working in New York, USC (Southern California version 
is recognized and highly respected in my circles.</p>
<p>Worrying about people who don’t know USC is like worrying about people who don’t know the earth is round. The people that need to know know, or make the small amount of effort to find out. Example, anyone from Maryland who is considering West Coast schools will sort them out pretty quick.</p>
<p>Is it true the reason why USC is not in the list of top universities on CC is because one of the CC honchos is an admissions officer at Cal?</p>
<p>In my world (which I’m guessing is the same as HImom’s) I get a few different responses when I mention USC.
<p>Generally people like it, and I haven’t directly heard of anyone who thought it was a UC. But when I’m looking at lists of schools, I do often think “University of California…” says USC when it doesn’t, but that’s just a skimming issue. =P</p>
<p>I’m personally a fan of the weather. Cooler than here, but not too cold. I used to want somewhere REALLY cold (I want to see snow fall), but it’s not as important anymore.</p>
<p>dt123:
No, the top universities is based on the U.S. News and World Report rankings:
[National</a> Universities Rankings - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings]National”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings)
It’s the top 25, and USC is #26, so that’s why it’s not listed.</p>
<p>agabara-</p>
<p>Your response would be valid EXCEPT two of the universities ( University of Michigan and UNC Chapel Hill) are listed on the CC top Universities and are BOTH ranked BELOW USC (27th and 28th)- so this list does not accurately reflect U.S. News and World Reports rankings! I believe that dt123’s assessment may be more valid- a particular individuals personal interpretation of a ranking (greatly infuenced by the past IMO).</p>
<p>It is not unusual for those not familiar with a school to confuse it with another, ask all those Penn students people assume attend Penn State, or U of Chicago students people think attend UIC (U of I at Chicago). Both of those are considered pretty good schools, so I would not be too concerned about the occasional mix-up. Grad schools, professional schools, and employers recognize USC’s quality.</p>