Which school USC/UCSB/UCDavis

[irvinehomeowner]

"College life" can also have bad connotations.

As much as you want your kids to have independence, sometimes their "friends" and the environment are less conducive to academic achievement as you would like it to be.

 

[sonoma]

For certain majors USC is better. USC Accounting > Stanford Accounting (not sure if stanford even has an acctng degree actually)

People good with numbers would not go to USC unless it's on daddy's dime

You sure about that?  Last time I checked I'm still paying for my USC grad school studies and not my parents. 

The last time I checked, I didn't have any student loans to pay off.

 

[qwerty]

So - do we have a luxury to be in the company of a genius stanford grad who got a full ride? Thanks for letting us be in your presence.

 

[sonoma]

The alumni is great if you are white and join a Fraternity.  More added cost IMO.  Why not just work hard in school and go to Cal or UCLA?  Let your brains get you to places, not the $100k+ education to buy you some friends.

Spoken like a person who didnt go to USC. I was not in a frat and the alumni network has benefited me.  In the real world, working hard is no guarantee you will go places. Sometimes who you know (or the school they went to) helps.  Life is not fair, working hard does not guarantee anything. Im sure you will give me an example, maybe even yourself, of how hard work paid off to get you places. Good for you. There isnt always a pot of gold waiting at the end of the rainbow for all the hard workers. in the corporate world its all about who you know and how much they like you.

Key word is SOMETIMES.  Do you really want to pay so much money for that uncertainty?  If you like USC, then I am happy for you.  I hope that you all your kids go to that school.  I just hope you start saving your $$$.  Chances are if you live in Irvine, your kids may not qualify for financial aid.

 

[sonoma]

So - do we have a luxury to be in the company of a genius stanford grad who got a full ride? Thanks for letting us be in your presence.

Geez, I guess they didn't teach you how to read at USC.  I never said I went to Stanford. 

 

[qwerty]

So - do we have a luxury to be in the company of a genius stanford grad who got a full ride? Thanks for letting us be in your presence.

Geez, I guess they didn't teach you how to read at USC.  I never said I went to Stanford. 

Apparently they didnt teach you what the "?" means. I was asking.

 

[usctrojancpa]

For certain majors USC is better. USC Accounting > Stanford Accounting (not sure if stanford even has an acctng degree actually)

People good with numbers would not go to USC unless it's on daddy's dime

You sure about that?  Last time I checked I'm still paying for my USC grad school studies and not my parents. 

The last time I checked, I didn't have any student loans to pay off.

Then you are very fortunate, I had to pay my own way for both my undergrad and graduate studies.  I don't have any student loans left from my UCLA undergrad days.  Grad school is a whole different ball game.  The tuition costs for the MBA programs between UCLA, USC, and UCI were all within $2k-$4/yr.  I got accepted to all 3 and determined that the best fit for me was USC.  To be honest, it was the best money I ever spent and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Not only did my compensation increase 60%+ from my pre-MBA days to my post-MBA days, but I had some great experiences and met some great people who I can call my good friends today.  And yes, the USC alumni network has been invaluable to me...I wouldn't be where I am today without it. 

 

[sonoma]

So - do we have a luxury to be in the company of a genius stanford grad who got a full ride? Thanks for letting us be in your presence.

Geez, I guess they didn't teach you how to read at USC.  I never said I went to Stanford. 

Apparently they didnt teach you what the "?" means. I was asking.

That is pretty much a rhetorical question if you put "Thanks for letting us be in your presence." at the end.

 

[sonoma]

For certain majors USC is better. USC Accounting > Stanford Accounting (not sure if stanford even has an acctng degree actually)

People good with numbers would not go to USC unless it's on daddy's dime

You sure about that?  Last time I checked I'm still paying for my USC grad school studies and not my parents. 

The last time I checked, I didn't have any student loans to pay off.

Then you are very fortunate, I had to pay my own way for both my undergrad and graduate studies.  I don't have any student loans left from my UCLA undergrad days.  Grad school is a whole different ball game.  The tuition costs for the MBA programs between UCLA, USC, and UCI were all within $2k-$4/yr.  I got accepted to all 3 and determined that the best fit for me was USC.  To be honest, it was the best money I ever spent and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Not only did my compensation increase 60%+ from my pre-MBA days to my post-MBA days, but I had some great experiences and met some great people who I can call my good friends today.  And yes, the USC alumni network has been invaluable to me...I wouldn't be where I am today without it.

I am glad that USC worked out for you.  My question is how do you know things wouldn't have worked out better for you at UCLA?

 

[venkat]

IMHO, USC or not - relationships matter!

"Making friends as life moves on" is very important pillar for growth (other pillars being smart and hardwork).

So whichever college, to be successful every student needs to focus on all three aspects. Some may be lucky, if they got successful with just one or two of these aspects.

 

[usctrojancpa]

For certain majors USC is better. USC Accounting > Stanford Accounting (not sure if stanford even has an acctng degree actually)

People good with numbers would not go to USC unless it's on daddy's dime

You sure about that?  Last time I checked I'm still paying for my USC grad school studies and not my parents. 

The last time I checked, I didn't have any student loans to pay off.

Then you are very fortunate, I had to pay my own way for both my undergrad and graduate studies.  I don't have any student loans left from my UCLA undergrad days.  Grad school is a whole different ball game.  The tuition costs for the MBA programs between UCLA, USC, and UCI were all within $2k-$4/yr.  I got accepted to all 3 and determined that the best fit for me was USC.  To be honest, it was the best money I ever spent and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Not only did my compensation increase 60%+ from my pre-MBA days to my post-MBA days, but I had some great experiences and met some great people who I can call my good friends today.  And yes, the USC alumni network has been invaluable to me...I wouldn't be where I am today without it.

I am glad that USC worked out for you.  My question is how do you know things wouldn't have worked out better for you at UCLA?

Because I know first hand that the USC alumni network is far better than the UCLA alumni network.  Not saying that I wouldn't have ended up at the same place as I am now, but it would have been more of an uphill battle.  I had great experiences at both schools and wouldn't have changed anything because both were great schools.  It really is a shame that the UCLA alumni network isn't as good as USC's. 

 

[homer_simpson]

I went to UCLA and I can honestly say that USC's alumni network is far better than UCLAs.  Heck, I even think Pepperdine's alumni network is better  8)

 

[ucla bruin]

 

[sonoma]

USC's annual cost is around $55k/ year.  It better have a stronger alumni system.  Tuition alone is $41k.  UCLA is under $12k

 

[usctrojancpa]

USC's annual cost is around $55k/ year.  It better have a stronger alumni system.  Tuition alone is $41k.  UCLA is under $12k

I agree with you that the tuition difference is large for undergrad, but when start comparing the grad school programs the difference in very small.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

@PStar:

Heh... not enough asians... what does UCLA look like? Or all they all in the library talking on their cell phones*?

*Dedicated to Alexandra Wallace.

 

[panda]

USC's annual cost is around $55k/ year.  It better have a stronger alumni system.  Tuition alone is $41k.  UCLA is under $12k

That's all great.  But you are forgetting one important variable in your analysis:

@PStar:

Heh... not enough asians... what does UCLA look like? Or all they all in the library talking on their cell phones*?

*Dedicated to Alexandra Wallace.

[youtube]RCoX7CGw5Wk[/youtube]
Perhaps the UCLA Asians are at the the library talking on their cell phones, but the USC Asian scene should look something like this.
Send your kid to USC as K-Town is only 10 minutes away! USC is now ranks higher than UCLA.
2011 US NEWS BEST COLLEGES
Rank #23  USC      acceptance rate: 24%
Rank #25 UCLA      acceptance rate: 22%

 

[bluemove]

Know the thread should be dead. But.....It would be far easier to get good grades at UCSB (or Stanford, for that matter) to leverage entry into a better grad school.  I'm not saying this is the entire equation, but it certainly is a factor.  My niece is a high achiever in the UCLA engineering school and even she still wishes she went somewhere else.....

On the power of a USC degree - it is very powerful in Southern California and the alumni network is so powerful that i even see non-alumns trying to jump on board with these organizations.........  You can't go wrong with USC.  I put myself through there and would do it all over again in a second.

 

[sonoma]

Good I hope you push all your kids to go to U.S.C.