What might bring one to turn down UC Berkeley for USC?

To me the main factors in USC’s favor would be smaller class sizes and more personal attention than at Berkeley. I do think Berkeley is a great place for grad or professional school, but it’s not all that different than other good state flagships for undergrad.

I heard someone once describe Cal following a “self-motivated educational philosophy”, which is a nice way of saying that if you’re a student, you’re pretty much on your own. Some students have no problems with that, while others have a hard time with it.