<p>Your comment about Berkeley is true - they have lived off a little endowment, but this is not to say they have lived off little funding. Berkeley is a huge user of funded/sponsored research, be it from the government or private companies. USC, especially in the engineering arena, is going after more funded research opportunities than ever.</p>
<p>Regarding the UT comment, that's true. I don't know why UT isn't more of a research powerhouse as the rest of its stats would seem to suggest. However, this still doesn't detract from the importance of a school's endowment, nor financial standing in general. Recall that before the last decade or so, NYU was largely a commuter school. Through careful fiscal management, they built up funds and bought their way into the top 50. Even now they're still known for getting into bidding wars for Ivy-League professors.</p>
<p>The best news is that USC is already ahead of NYU. Imagine where USC's money could take it.</p>
<p>Ari, to mention a professor, the first who comes to mind is Jane Goodall, professor of anthropology.</p>
<p>in the academic sense, which school better prepares you to go off to medical school? which school has the better pre-med/science program and statistics of students getting into medical school?</p>
<p>isnt this probably not a good place for the poster to start a thread like this? i mean, you'll probably get a one sided answer on a USC board, as you will also get one such one on the UCLA board.....only poor UCLAri was here to have a differing viewpoint and people were a bit crappy to him, at least at first.</p>
<p>anyhow there is no answer to such a question anymore......just a discussion and string of back and forth thoughts, hopefully said thoughts were beneficial to the poster but i think a solid yes or no answer is not suppliable without someone else swiftly arguing against it.</p>
<p>I would personally hope that USC has good grad school placement, especially on the east coast, and judging by the time i apply, it probably will.</p>
<p>My experience with East Coast placement, by the way, is that the schools that most regularly place students in graduate programs (just based on browsing CVs of PhD candidates) are: Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Claremont Colleges (Pomona is strong in particular, if I recall), and USC to a slightly slightly lesser extent.</p>
<p>However, based on what I can remember off the top of my head, all West Coast schools are particularly underrepresented in the Ivy League. Why? How many people leave California to go live in Boston/New York/DC? Not many.</p>
<p>Again, this is a fairly non-scientific posit on my part.</p>
<p>well underrepresented for that reason is a good thing, it means those who WOULD leave CA to go to the east coast would stand out right? i didnt mean placement numbers, but more placement power....unless those mean the same thing.</p>
<p>but anyhow, it's good to know USC's one of the best for placement, and why wouldnt it? especially if you're in a top 10 program, i would presume it's hard not to look appealing as well as different.</p>
<p>In terms of placement power, I'd say the sheer giants are the aforementioned schools. Then again, I've seen Cal Staters at Ivies for grad, so what do us top 50 people know?</p>
<p>I think that what keeps UCLA and USC grads from going to PhD programs in larger numbers is the general attitudes and goals of the student bodies. I've met a gajillion Cal grads who want PhDs. I've met maybe a dozen UCLA grads who want one. UCLA undergrads, in my experience, are just lookin' for that professional degree to make a bazillion dollars and retire at 55. Cal grads are the nerds.</p>
<p>USC grads are professional types in my experience as well. Now, of course, some will argue that I'm making a blanket statement, or even worse, stereotyping. Yes, I am. I'm building a model based on the evidence, and so far the evidence supports my model. :p</p>
<p>well i meant grad in terms of masters degrees as well.</p>
<p>and again placement power based on motivation to apply doesnt seem bad either, the less people who look like you the better i guess, as i'll be considering applying to grad school soon.</p>
<p>"UCLA undergrads, in my experience, are just lookin' for that professional degree to make a bazillion dollars and retire at 55."</p>
<p>Haha, really Ari? I always admired UCLA for it's collegiate and academic post-grad student body as opposed to USC's student body's almost blanket professional aims. Though being a finance student, I must say I'm someone most guilty of that.</p>
<p>Well, remember that I'm a poli sci major, so my experience is based on a gajillion pre-laws and pre-MBAs who just want to go be rich and powerful.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it must be taken into account that my sample is not random and not good science...</p>
<p>This is about occidental.
A record-breaking number of applications for the seventh consecutive year has moved Occidental Colleges admit rate to a new low and made it possible to offer admission to one of the most impressive group of students in recent memory.</p>
<p>Some 5,120 students submitted applications to Occidental, up 6 percent over last years record tally and 175 percent from eight years ago.
Occidental now receives more applications than three-quarters of U.S. News & World Reports top 50 liberal arts colleges, as reported in last years rankings. With just 430 spaces available this fall, Occidental received almost 12 applications for every opening in its Class of 2009.</p>
<p>Occidental once was referred to as a hidden gem, but clearly thats no longer the case, said Vince Cuseo, dean of admission. What were experiencing is not the result of any major changes at Occidental. Instead, I think what were seeing is a growing recognition of the enduring value of an Occidental education.</p>
<p>Two-thirds of students admitted to Occidental ranked in the top 10 percent of their class. The median SAT score is 1340, up from 1310 last year. Admitted students represent 45 states and 30 countries; international students (including those with dual citizenships) account for 5.4 percent of the total.</p>
<p>Of those domestic students who self-identified, 43 percent are students of color; 23 percent are from underrepresented groups (African-Americans, Latino/as, and Native Americans.) Counting those who did not identify their background, students of color make up 35 percent of the group, with 19 percent from underrepresented groups. Forty-two percent of admitted students are men.</p>
<p>why is this guy posting comments that have nothing to do with the topics? oxypomona can't u advertise for occidental somewhere else, or just mass mail ur ads like they normally do</p>
<p>UCLAri: Can you give some specific examples of USC's reputation in D.C.? I go to USC now and am trying to decide whether to transfer to the College of William and Mary or stay here. I am a political science major and I want to work in politics/govt in D.C. after college. Thanks!</p>
<p>Well, USC is seen as a good school, there's no doubt about it. But, whether by accident or some heinous design, it is still not seen on par with Cal, Stanford, UCLA, and Cal Tech. </p>
<p>I'll give an example from work. I was at a luncheon at CSIS, an elite think tank, when I spoke with a fellow. I asked, "How is UCLA's reputation." He responded, "Good, but I recommend any school out here for grad." "Oh, okay. How about USC?" "The Nixon school? [he laughed]. It's good, but I still think UCLA has a leg up out here."</p>
<p>Granted, out here the names are of course the Ivies, GTown, and JHU among others. If you want to work in government, I recommend Georgetown quite a bit, just because of its locale.</p>
<p>But look, everyone starts off at the bottom of the ladder out here in DC. EVERYONE. Every Joe Bruin, Tommy Trojan, Bulldog, John Harvard, and Hoya are just scrambling for their piece of pie. That's life in Washington. Again, the best thing I can recommend- Grad school out here. It makes a WORLD of difference.</p>
<p>so your example is sort of isolated to just the schools's poltical science programs though? Especially seeing as for me personally USC was the only school you just mentioned that has an undergraduate business program......i think.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the difference between the two schools is quite clear. I think that you can get to the same places in terms of post-college success by going to either one. But it is hard to deny the benefits of the family atmoshpere that exists at USC. People take care of each other. Because the school is so much smaller than UCLA, there is a "stick together" mentality. There is the victory sign that all Trojans show to each other to show solidarity. And the fact that they have achieved the level of success they have without the taxpayers' money is amazing (leaving out government grants). But I have a slight ounce of bias in my body. I honestly don't see the appeal of UCLA. But I respect UCLA because some of my friends go there. I hate Cal more because they stand for everything that is wrong with America (i.e. communism).</p>
<p>haha actually i reember one of my "older' relatives say something to that effect (may have even inferred that about all of CA or specifically CAL), of course it's nonsense, it's just funny that i've heard that somewhere else before.</p>
<p>i just noticed in your post that your discussion with your person was specifically about the poly sci schools ("about UCLA having a leg up over usc's "Nixon school"). You're also sort of making it clear that this example is specifically isolated to washington? or at least it seems that way.</p>
<p>Anyway i still find it curious if you still meant otherwise, because as an Undergraduate Business major it does seem odd, because to study what i'm studying of the schools you mentioned i beleive USC was the only one that has it, so it would be difficult to not say major doesnt matter in this case (i guess unless you're in washington specifically, assumuming you meant thats just how it is in washington).</p>
<p>(Trojans, don't kill me. I know this is horribly biased, slanted, and poor writing. It gives you a hint of what went on though.)</p>
<p>Anyway, about your major...to put it lightly, it doesn't really matter what you study. The difference between the business BA and the business econ BA are so unimportant to people everywhere. Now, that's not to say that tapping into your network isn't a fantastic opportunity (that's why studying as an undergrad at the B-schools is great), but really now, the major is less important than the internships and later work experience. </p>
<p>But yeah, I meant Washington only. Out here, it's all about the master's and who you know. Your school name is fairly unimportant.</p>