Why is USC considered to be so good?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>HI all. I was wondering why is USC considered to be such a good college. I know it has a very low admit rate and all ( 25% I think?) But on the other hand, some of its programs are ranked among the worst in the country. I'm looking at aerospace engineering, which is ranked at #33 in the country by USNWR, yet I also hear that its still a very good program. Why the disparity? </p>

<p>Is USC aerospace engineering really worth the eye-popping tuition? Also, does this low ranking mean that aerospace engineering at Viterbi would be somewhat easier to get into? </p>

<p>I was just wondering. Thanks in advance for all your answers!</p>

2

<p>ok ranked 33 is not bad!!! i dont know what you are smoking. Yes the tuition is high, but many people get some financial aid, so if you make under 80k then it is probably cheaper to go to usc because they will give you probabaly 30k in fin aid. </p>

<p>usc is a great school and i think that you are thinking about the rankings too much. USC has a great reputation and you will get a great eduactiaon</p>

3

<p>Hopefully,
USC has a huge range of majors. Many of these are in the top five or six in the country. The School of Theatre, Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism, Thornton School of Music and Davis School of Gerontology and Marshall School of Business (Undergraduate) are considered top notch. The graduate school of Policy, Planning and Development is ranked 7th by U.S. News. The Cinematic Arts School is ranked by many as the best in the country. </p>

<p>For a large university SC has a fine faculty/student ratio at 1/9. In 2008 the admit rate was 21.9% and in 2009 24%. In 2008 the selectivity rank was 20 in the nation. Alumni giving rank was 7th among national universities.</p>

<p>The campus is immaculate and features courtyards with many fountains, tropical flowering trees and beds of roses. New buildings dot the campus, especially the $100 million dollar cinematic arts complex and the brand new student center with many outdoor dining options.</p>

<p>There is a strong study abroad program. Opportunities for study are not only in Europe, but also in Capetown, Calcos Islands, Dunedin, Cairo and Nanjing, among others.</p>

<p>Alumni are very involved with the students as scholarship donors, mentors, lecturers, scholarship interviewers and sources of internships. The Trojan family is worldwide and loyal. </p>

<p>SC has large numbers of international students. Roughly 20% of the freshmen are under-represented minorities and about 10% are first generation college attendees. The student body is extremely diverse.</p>

<p>At graduation outstanding students are honored in three categories for exceptional academic accomplishments. These are Renaissance Scholars, Discovery Scholars and Global
Scholars.</p>

<p>Combined SAT scores rise each year and now are higher than Michigan, UCLA, Georgia Tech, UNC, UVA, Boston College and NYU. </p>

<p>Highly motivated freshmen may participate in the Thematic Option honors program.</p>

<p>The majority of SC students engage in community service programs. Over 600 campus organizations provide opportunities to pursue special interests such as club sports, music, politics, religion or the arts.</p>

<p>There are videos on YouTube about some of the programs, majors and events at SC. Click on those and you will see there is more to the university than one major in aerospace engineering.</p>

4

<p>There are more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, so I am not sure being ranked #33 in aerospace engineering could be considered quite the worst program… </p>

<p>College tuition is expensive, but USC’s tuition is similar to most other California private universities (most range from $45,000 to $55,000). I am not saying those are reasonable amounts, just stating the fact that that is what a private university in California costs. If cost is a concern for you it would be a good idea to focus on your in-state public universities, schools where you are likely to qualify for significant merit aid, or to begin your studies at a community college.</p>

<p>At USC, approximately 60% of students receive need-based financial aid. USC guarantees to meet 100% of USC-determined need**<em>** for all accepted students (including transfers) who meet all financial aid deadlines. </em>Because USC uses the CSS/Profile to determine need, the amount you are expected to contribute will differ from your FAFSA EFC. The FAFSA EFC is used only to distribute Federal financial aid such as Stafford loans, Perkins loans and Pell grants. Depending on need, students this year reported receiving USC grants ranging from a few thousand dollars to over $40,000.</p>

<p>In addition, approximately 20% of the entering class each year receives merit-based scholarships from USC including over 100 full-tuition (~$40,000/year) Trustee scholarships, more than 250 half-tuition (~$20,000/year) Presidential scholarships, and over 250 half-tuition National Merit Scholar Presidential scholarships (~$21,000/year). To be considered for scholarships, be sure to have your application and all supporting materials in by December 1st, 2010.</p>

<p>It would be a good idea to visit USC and speak to the students in the programs you are interested in - you will get a much better idea if it is the right school for you that way than by looking at rankings.</p>

5

<p>I think it’s the entrepreneurial spirit present on campus. Look at Reggie Bush. He was able to cash in while also managing to maintain his student athlete status. I hear the school is real proud of that. Seriously though, in addition to what’s been said above, they have a great football team. Can’t wait to see what bowl game they get into this year. Oh wait. yeah. . .</p>

6

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<p>Any school that is even ranked by USNWR for grad school in the math/sciences should be good considering in many of those ranking lists they have ~50 schools listed tops. So many of USC’s programs may not be ranked #1 but they tend to be among the best 50 or so in the nation when there are hundreds or thousands of colleges that offer study in that discipline.</p>

7

<p>How is being ranked #33 in the country and example of

.</p>

<p>Methinks another UCLA ■■■■■.</p>

8

<p>Wow! I didn’t expect so many people to answer in just one day! thanks for all your replies guys. </p>

<p>I’m actually going to majo in aerospace engineering, which is why I was asking about that program. I live in Austin, TX and there’s no way my parents are going to fork over money for me to fly to L.A. to see USC, so i’m taking a shot in the complete dark here. I’m really interested in USC because of it’s smart/party school culture and it’s location. (Wouldn’t it be cool to study with geniuses by morning and go watch a movie premire or something by night?) </p>

<p>I only say #33 is bad because ther aer only like 40 colleges that actually teach aerospace engineering (lol), but overall, I think that the rankings might not matter that much then. </p>

<p>BTW: I have only a 3.3 UW/4.2 W GPA in high school because of really ard teachers but in the eyes of USC, would my perfect 5s across 5 AP tests in those subjects prove to them that I still learned stuff, even though my grade might still be pretty bad?</p>

9

<p>sure, 'SC loves test scores, but ACT/SAT are much more important than AP scores.</p>

10

<p>@HopefullyaTrojan
Unless your SAT is phenomenal, your chances are not great. -.-</p>

<p>USC is considered “so good”? It’s the rank #23 university, no more no less. Schools ranked lower than the top 15 are infrequently even discussed on CC (the exception being probably Berkeley and sometimes the other top publics minus UCLA). This is one of the few times people even mentioned USC on the general forums.</p>