It’s that time of year again: admissions decisions are out, and if you’re reading this I imagine you’re finding yourself at a big fork in the road. What school do you choose? Well, I’m here with my biased opinion on why USC is great. I will say up front that biased doesn’t necessarily mean bad here. Ultimately, the school you choose is a pretty personal decision. It’s a weighted sum of what you value in a school, and that’s different for everyone. Are you be-all end-all for your opportunities after? Is location really important to you? I’m here to make the case that USC has it all. Below, I’ll talk through the main reasons I chose USC and how those aspects of USC have come to fruition in my time here.
- Personal support: I got into several other big-name schools, but I really felt like USC would give me the most personal attention, as a private research university. Since coming here, I’ve had so many opportunities to help conduct research as an undergrad, forge my own path in my course plan, and get career advice through Viterbi’s offices. I don’t doubt that you will, too.
- Location: It seriously, seriously does not get better than being in LA. Whether you’re a city girl, beach-lover, or outdoorsman everything you need is within a 45-minute drive. And if you want to get completely out of town, San Diego and Santa Barbara are only a 2-hour drive away!
- School spirit: USC is renowned for its athletics and school spirit. There’s nothing like a football gameday. Fight on!!!!
- Opportunities after school: The network you’ll get purely from having attended USC is seriously real. I’ve been able to chat with former Trojans on LinkedIn and over the phone purely because of that connection.
- The people: USC is a real work-hard, play-hard school. Everyone you’ll meet will be working on the most interesting and academically intensive projects during the week, but going climbing or shopping on Melrose on the weekend. When I was picking a school, I knew it was really important for me to have a balance in my life, and USC has definitely given me that.
I could go on, but I won’t—I think you get the idea. Overall, if you want to go to a sunny school with tons to do, great people, and plenty of opportunities after, then look no further than USC. But more than anything, go with your heart! Choosing a school is not an easy thing to do, so at the end of the day just try to be true to yourself.
