<p>Hi, everyone! I'm a current CC student, who is hoping to transfer to either school (I'm still a bit on the fence) for the Fall 2010 term. I've researched both schools extensively, and will be visiting both campuses soon to get a feel for each school. However, one thing that I can't (necessarily) gain through visiting is student insight on the school. So I would love if someone could tell me WHY they chose USC, and why they like (or dislike) it. My deciding factor isn't based on neighborhood or sports, but if that's what influenced you, then tell me! I just really want to see what people who go there actually have to say about it, and how they feel about it. I've also heard (from a few different sources) that I may find it hard to fit in because I don't fit the USC "stereotype" (I'm a black and hispanic female who will only be 17 when I transfer in as a junior, and I'm a bit shy). Is there any truth to this? And if it helps, I'm a sociology major. I'll greatly appreciate ANY insight! Thank you!</p>
<p>Unless you get a lot of financial aid I would go to UCLA. I love USC, a lot. But the cost of tuition is something I didn’t take into account in my hasty transfer to USC. If I could do it all over again I would have gone to UCLA and saved myself a lot of money. And for those who will be upset with me saying this. . . . I had a 4.0 GPA and a long list of EC’s when I transferred and still didn’t get any sort of scholarship or financial aid. </p>
<p>Like I said, I love the school, I bleed cardinal and gold. But when it comes down to the tuition I don’t think it’s worth the price tag and my student loans.</p>
<p>UCLA is cheaper, in a much much safer neighborhood, consistently higher ranked as far as academic programs, and has a very beautiful campus (although USC’s campus is stunning as well).</p>
<p>Since I attended both schools, although a LONG time ago, I’ll give my perspective. UCLA has had severe budget cuts. This makes large classes larger, fewer (I imagine) TAs, and fewer classes to choose from. I graduated from UCLA and never saw a counselor…I just figured it out myself.</p>
<p>Job placement: UCLA really doesn’t have an active (except I imagine for engineering and the like) job placement center. I can say the USC does, if you avail yourself of their services. One of my kids graduated and looked for two weeks in a very competitive field. Had three interviews…two job offers…and got her job the day the stock market crashed. Trojan network is amazing. The company that hired her was thrilled that she went to SC, even though her bosses didn’t…they knew she knew her stuff.</p>
<p>I don’t think that race will play a role in either school. This is Los Angeles which is very multi ethnic, racial, and cultural.</p>
<p>Cost is certainly a factor. That I can’t comment on, only you can know your finances.</p>
<p>If money is not a decisive factor (be it because lots of financial aid, or because you have the financial means), I’d say choose USC. I personally think that the education is you get is just better. You’d be surprised at how small the classes are, yet how readily available they are. In fact, take a look. [USC</a> Schedule of Classes: Select a Term](<a href=“http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/]USC”>http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/)</p>
<p>@Solomonm: Yeah, I’m not really sure where I stand on the finance issue. For obvious reasons, I’ll need a bunch of financial aid (single parent home, father is deceased, mother recently got laid off), so I’m hoping I’ll get not only a good FA package from the school, but can get some outside scholarships as well. </p>
<p>I’m also a bit worried about money indirectly, that I won’t be able to participate in campus activities. I’ve only heard horror stories about how the campus is FULL of rich kids (maybe not so far as to pull the whole “University of Spoiled Children” thing, but sill a bit intense.) So I’m worried that my different financial class, so to speak, would cause an issue or social rift if I went there.</p>
<p>And on top of that, I LOVE the area around UCLA. It’s absolutely amazing.</p>
<p>@grey: Wow that’s a pretty impressive list of classes, especially considering I want to go on to law school. Stupid question, but are the law classes listed there for their actual law school or are they undergrad pre-law classes?</p>
<p>why go to USC over UCLA?
first off - the majority of the most POWERFUL ppl in SOCAL are USC alumus
second off - attention, attention, attention; small vs. large environment
third - good alumnus connections: ppl want USC graduates</p>
<p>and in additon- its sink or swim at UCLA; theres billions of students so youre not too special and although UCLA is cheaper; you wont much more than 2K as gift money since it is a PUBLIC SCHOOL with BUDGET CUTS</p>
<p>if youre single parent, mom laid off etc etc etc
USC willl give you the money; especially if youre a good applicant [why do you think they have such a strong alumnus?] & USC is trying to be a bit more diverse so the Uni of spoiled children thing is fading.</p>
<p>USC all the WAY!</p>
<p>actually if you live outside of California then UCLA is very expensive as well and you are less likely to get any aid from UCLA versus USC.</p>
<p>My son at USC has met a lot students from very modest backgrounds who are there on almost full need grants. USC gives an awful lot of aid to low income students.</p>
<p>Last I looked something like 50% of students pay full price so I guess 50% of student body is pretty wealthy while another large chunk pays very little. If anything USC is missing a large group of students from the middle class who get squeezed.</p>
<p>That university of spoiled children thing, throw it out your head.</p>
<p>I’m not rich, at all. In fact, only due to the fact that I can make money out of nothing do I never have to worry my parents for money. Regardless, three or four of my best friends are loaded. They never stated it or bragged, but it became apparent as I got to know them: mentions of houses in Martha’s Vineyard/Park City, owning marinas, ranches, etc. </p>
<p>Unless you have some inferiority complex you can get along with these people just fine, in fact, I get along with alot of my closest friends who have money more than some of my friends I was raised with. You’d be surprised how much better your group of friends works and moves when no one has to worry about money issues, and at no point have I or one of my friends been short money and we not spot him. </p>
<p>I don’t know why people hate people with affluence so much. They have money, be HAPPY for them, stop hating (not directed at you OP, just a general statement) and if you are really that upset, do like me and make your own money. Sure there probably are snooty people on campus, but I can legitimately say I probably have as much if not more rich friends (paying full tuition from Europe, HK, Australia, etc) than friends on my socioeconomic status and many times I’M the one spotting them. Ironically enough this usually results in some of my more affluent friends being a little bit more naive, and a lot of times they seem to be chiding themselves for not being more street smart (one of my best friends actually told me he was jealous that I’ve gotten jacked or nearly jumped before…wild).</p>
<p>that’s my little rant on people hating the rich, from a broke kid :p.</p>
<p>Now, why USC? Well first off, check at the thread USC is the kind of university where…</p>
<p>Also, if money IS an issue and your not a CA resident, USC is likely to give you far more aid. The budget deficit in CA is going to affect the UC system for the next 2-4 years (ironically our entire undergrad tenure), resulting in less classes, larger classes, less aid, and increased pressure to graduate students early. Although we have 38k people, besides the two classes I deliberately chose with around 100 people (general eds I didn’t wanna have to go to EVERY week), I don’t think I’ve had a class larger than around 20 -25 people, with the average for my French, Russian Literature, IR discussions and Chinese literature classes averaging around 10-15 people. </p>
<p>The alumni network? Let me put it like this. I went to get a job this summer in Bergen County, New Jersey at a library. I’m talking to my interviewer and one of her coworkers approaches, asks me where I go to school. The older lady returns and upon finding out I went to SC gets ecstatic tells me she went to SC for grad school and now runs this place while being retired. Got offered the job less than 15 minutes after leaving.</p>
<p>The people, however, is what makes the Trojan Family a place you want to be. A typical day for me last year was waking up, messing with my Asian - Australian roommate out of boredom, cruising down the hall to my Greek friend’s room for breakfast, having French class with ten other people collectively from around 3 or four other continents, returning to the dorms to watch my friend from Utah work on his car to race in nationals, or possibly watching my RA practice violin for when he was going to play in Milan. Yes, Milan, like out of the country Milan.</p>
<p>To be honest, this is just the Troy in me speaking, but why WOULD you go to UCLA? I love when they visit our school, especially when a friend has a UCLA friend herre. We have a video of a UCLA girl going nuts about how awesome our school was after being here for a day.</p>
<p>Last time I went near Westwood it was for a hotdog. Think about that :).</p>
<p>i’m curious. how do you “make money out of nothing?” hustling? street pharmacist?</p>
<p>Okay, all that stuff about spoiled rich kids – yes, we do have our share of spoiled brats (hey come on, we let in Spencer Pratt of all people!), but then so does UCLA. Many of my friends were not rich at all. I myself went to USC on a scholarship, and so did my best friend there. And most of my friends had a load of financial aid – nobody I personally knew was rich enough to go to USC without some sort of aid. </p>
<p>Why did I like USC? Well, I really like the enclosed campus. I’ve been on the UCLA campus a few times, and it’s a lot more spread out, it seems like (been a while since I’ve visited, so maybe I’m remembering wrong). I liked that USC was so contained – it didn’t take that long to get from one end of the campus to the other which was useful when I had classes on opposite sides of campus. Of course a lot of people actually like bigger campuses, so this all depends on the individual person. </p>
<p>As far as class sizes go – I think I was only in one class where the number of students exceeded 50. Most of my classes were 20 students or fewer. In one class I was one of five students, lol. </p>
<p>Also, as others have mentioned, USC is less likely to be affected by budget cuts, as it is a private university.</p>
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<p>Just so you’re aware of the current crisis regarding student’s financial aid.</p>
<p>Well, because I am an out of state student, USC is actually cheaper for me than UCLA. UCLA tuition for out of state students is about $20,000 extra and I don’t receive the Cal Grate or any state assistance. So, in actuality, depending on your situation, USC may actually be cheaper than UCLA.</p>
<p>As for the whole diversity issue, I am a black and Asian male. As far as I know, USC is a bit more ethnically diverse than UCLA. If I’m wrong, someone please correct me.</p>
<p>ahah its a sterotype at my school that aall the asians go to UCLA xD</p>
<p>about UCLA being spread out
yoou need to schedule youre classes like 45mins apart bc of the campus size
you need a car just to get around campus
USC is more compact</p>
<p>oh and to add - USC takes care of their graduates. yoyu get a tie to wear to interviews thats only for USC graduates [its a tradition] but i always wondered what they give to the girls??</p>
<p>and to be honest, UCLA graduates are a dime a dozen in CALIFORNIA</p>
<p>UCLA has about the diversity of Nebraska, except replace white with Asian. </p>
<p>(Ok maybe not that extreme, but you know what I mean)</p>
<p>Note to Solomom: its not a “financial aid crisis”. Its a few disgruntled students who are unhappy that circumstances such as a sibling graduating or parents making more money over previous years affecting their financial aid. USC has to abide by Federal guidelines for Cal Grants, work study, etc. UCB offered me a $3,500 scholarship – that’s it. USC offered me over $35,000. So the cost of going to USC is quite a bit less. Don’t let a few unhappy people taint the generous financial aid that USC offers most students. They can’t please everyone.</p>
<p>I would like to comment on the financial aid ordeal. I lost some financial aid funding this year, but I appealed then got an additional 8k in grants, 6k more than I received last year. The reason for appealing was that my dad lost 8% of his income due to the UC furloughs. USC financial aid office has been very helpful during this hard time and gave me what I feel was an appropriate amount. Every situation is different and results will vary, but for the most part students are pretty satisfied with their financial aid package. </p>
<p>Because my dad works for the UC system, I have been told that very rarely do UC students get any kind of grants/scholarships and if they do it’s a very miniscule amount. Quite often USC is equal or less than the TOTAL cost of attending a UC.</p>
<p>wait if your dad works for the UC system - dont you get free tuition?</p>
<p>You would think, but no. I believe in 2000, before 9/11, they were debating on giving free tuition to UC admin, staff, and faculty families. However, after 9/11 happened they went through yet again another budget constraint and they decided not to allow it. It’s the reality of public school system, thus why he preferred that I go private for my undergrad.</p>
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<p>I guess you could put it like that. I used to do that type of stuff way before college and I was blessed to leave that type of lifestyle before getting in deep, now it’s all about knowing what people want and helping them get it. In the past two years I’ve sold everything from movies to my services fixes computers, to selling World of Warcraft accounts I raise. Money can be made legally all around you :p.</p>
<p>Just wanted to clarify what I see on this thread as some exaggerations and homer answers.</p>
<p>“second off - attention, attention, attention; small vs. large environment”
-UCLA has 25,000 undergrads and 35,000 students overall. USC has 16,000 undergrads and 33,000 students overall. In neither school will you get the same careful attention as if you went to a small liberal arts college with a student body of less than 2,000 students.</p>
<p>" I don’t think I’ve had a class larger than around 20 -25 people"
-Hmm, keep in mind that lectures and discussions are two very different things. Lectures will tend to be a lot bigger and can have as many as a few hundred students while discussions may be limited to no more than 20. Classes in the humanities will very likely be small, but classes in the sciences, such as chemistry, will be huge. You won’t find 20 people in your organic chemistry class.</p>
<p>“We have a video of a UCLA girl going nuts about how awesome our school was after being here for a day.”
-USC students go to UCLA for parties just as much as UCLA students go to USC for parties. What do you expect, they both are pretty good in terms of Greek Life.</p>
<p>“about UCLA being spread out
yoou need to schedule youre classes like 45mins apart bc of the campus size
you need a car just to get around campus”
-Not true. I’ve had classes at UCLA that have 10 minute breaks between each lecture from opposite sides of campus and I get to class on time just fine by walking. You do not need a car to get around campus.</p>
<p>“and to be honest, UCLA graduates are a dime a dozen in CALIFORNIA”
-The same goes for USC. UCLA and USC graduates are both abundant in Southern California. They’re both the top schools in this region.</p>
<p>“Because my dad works for the UC system, I have been told that very rarely do UC students get any kind of grants/scholarships and if they do it’s a very miniscule amount.”
-Again, not true at all. My EFC is 0 and this year I received $17,500 in university grants/pell grants/cal grants/etc. The other $7,500 I simply borrowed in loans. USC offered a similar package, except it was $42,000 in university grants/pell grants/cal grants/etc. and $8,000 in loans. USC obviously gave me more because tuition is more expensive.</p>