NY High School Senior.... Considering UCLA / USC. MUCH HELP NEEDED!! ASAP!

Raef LaFrentz

Raef LaFrentz

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Joined
Feb 16, 2005
What's up my west coast nt'ers. Well I'm from Long Island NY, about 40 mins from NYC, and it just hit me that I may want to go further for collegethan I recently anticipated. If I end up going on the West coast at all, it will be Cali (SoCal in particular) and nowhere else. Why? Mostly for the name, tobe honest. I've always wanted to go to Cali. So my two choices are UCLA / USC. I hope you guys can take it easy on me and answer a few questions.

A) Although located in LA, does either school have the "campus feeling," or are they both pretty urban? Because for example, even though BC islocated in Boston, it is situated within a campus (unlike BU), so the college feeling is definetely present. I really don't want random buildings on a mainstreet.

B) Which school is more difficult to get into? I'm not gonna' lie, they're both pretty much reach schools, but it can't hurt to try. Ipersonally prefer USC just from word of mouth, but which is better academically? BTW, I have a 1950 SAT (not too great), am a solid 93ish student, and havegreat EC activities.

*C) How's the social life? (I'm white, btw). I heard USC has one of the best social life scenes yet, ranking up there with Penn State, Wisconsin, etc.Which has a better social life? Are there a lot of good looking girls? lol

I'm guessing the sporting events are a blast too.

D) Anything else you would like too add, PLEASE DO!

Please help me out here guys, I kind of jumped on the idea of going across the country late, so I need to hurry up and make my decision before I apply. Justfor the record, I'm also applying to a ton of other schools (U Vermont, Boston University, BC, Penn State, Ithaca College, Binghamton University, Syracuse,U Wisconsin, etc.)

*edit- BTW, don't mention anything about shoe stores or the shopping. I can care less.
 
if you're really serious, you should hop a flight over here and see it for yourself because what I may consider important might not be for you and viceversa. for USC, youre gonna be investing well into 6 figures so a $300 trip could save alot of regrets.

ill give you my answers based from a USC perspective.

a. youll definitely have a college feeling because youre gonna be 3500 miles away from home, lol. the 'college experience' or 'campus feeling'is what you make of it. living in the dorms and hating your roommates will be one of them. another one would be to join group, play IM sports, and basically beproactive and get involved. the same could go with UCLA or any other school for that matter.

b. both schools have a high level of standards when it comes to acceptance, even moreso with out of state admissions. however, USC is simply going to be harderto get into because it is a private school. what you do and put on your application will appeal differently from one reviewer to the next. some will weigh youracademic scores heavier then your extracurricular scores, along with your essay, and so on...

c. the social life at either usc/ucla is pretty much one in the same. ive partied with folks from ucla, and theyre cool people. ive partied with fam at USC andit was equally just as fun.

d. my take is this...part of this college experience is trial and error. absorb as much as you can...

d.
 
yeah...just come fly out and see for yourself...some people like it..some people hate it.


just know for UC's you need SAT II's(math 2C, and your choice) as well.. from people i've seen accepted..you need 710+
 
These two schools are the only ones worth going to college for in soCal, so if you get accepted I don't think you can go wrong either way.
 
hey, just letting you know that its harder for out of staters to get into UC's. I had a weighted gpa of 4.0, 1950 on SAT, 720 on sat2 ushistory, 710 onmath2c and i didnt get into UCLA. but i visited both ucla and usc, and they are both nice campuses, and like the guy above you said, your college experience islike 95% of what you make out of it.
 
umm usc does not have a harder standard to get into compared to ucla. im sorry. it is well known for usc that if you got money you can get in, of course scoreswill help too but its really well known for that. personally, education wise, i think ucla is the way to go. the college community is better and you arent inthe middle of the ghetto like usc is (they have high black steel sharp fences surrounding the campus). trust me, fly out to LA and check the schools out, itwill be well worth the trip. dont base the school on football team etc, come for the education and i think ucla will be the place. its freaking huge and my browent there and im a product of the UC system and I really enjoyed my time in a UC system. so seriously come out, but id say UCLA imo.

ucla = westwood
usc = inglewood "always up to no good"
 
Dude USC is hands down the best school. Think of it this way, it's well known in LA that UCLA grads get hired and USC students do the hiring. It's likea frat just saying you went there because of the quality of people you're interacting with everyday. I hate the fact that it's in the middle of SouthCentral LA lol but it's sad that they're some of the highest rents you're gonna pay in LA... that's for sure. With all the actors, playmates,actors kids, politician kids, billionaires kids/relatives etc that go there if you're in the right crowd you won't be partying on campus much. Try tohit some invites or row parties if you can... during your visits. Good luck!
 
It is definitely worth coming to check them out because they are completely different man. Do not decide your college choice without seeing them. Apply to boththen visit if you get in and you will definitely fall in love with 1 because they are both great schools. If I didn't want to get away and try somethingdifferent they would be my 1 and 2 choice.
 
Originally Posted by ajcollector9290

What's up my west coast nt'ers. Well I'm from Long Island NY, about 40 mins from NYC, and it just hit me that I may want to go further for college than I recently anticipated. If I end up going on the West coast at all, it will be Cali (SoCal in particular) and nowhere else. Why? Mostly for the name, to be honest. I've always wanted to go to Cali. So my two choices are UCLA / USC. I hope you guys can take it easy on me and answer a few questions.

A) Although located in LA, does either school have the "campus feeling," or are they both pretty urban? Because for example, even though BC is located in Boston, it is situated within a campus (unlike BU), so the college feeling is definetely present. I really don't want random buildings on a main street.

B) Which school is more difficult to get into? I'm not gonna' lie, they're both pretty much reach schools, but it can't hurt to try. I personally prefer USC just from word of mouth, but which is better academically? BTW, I have a 1950 SAT (not too great), am a solid 93ish student, and have great EC activities.

*C) How's the social life? (I'm white, btw). I heard USC has one of the best social life scenes yet, ranking up there with Penn State, Wisconsin, etc. Which has a better social life? Are there a lot of good looking girls? lol

I'm guessing the sporting events are a blast too.

D) Anything else you would like too add, PLEASE DO!

Please help me out here guys, I kind of jumped on the idea of going across the country late, so I need to hurry up and make my decision before I apply. Just for the record, I'm also applying to a ton of other schools (U Vermont, Boston University, BC, Penn State, Ithaca College, Binghamton University, Syracuse, U Wisconsin, etc.)

*edit- BTW, don't mention anything about shoe stores or the shopping. I can care less.
Click to expand...

a) Definitely more urban if you're going to use Chestnut Hill as an example. SC is straight up urban since it's few miles south of Downtown LA,while UCLA is less urban since it's right next to Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and Bel-Air. UCLA is in a very nice area and Westwood is a pretty nice collegetown filled with lot of eateries etc. SC is kinda in a bad area, but the way people portray it is VASTLY overrated; right now, Downtown is going through amajor revitalization, so it's kinda the hipster spot right now for the anti-Hollywood crowd.

b) Both are pretty much equally difficult to get into. Of course SC folks are going to say SC and UCLA folks UCLA, but a lot of it depends on your major.For example, if you plan on majoring in business, it's probably more difficult to get into USC Marshall vs. business-econ at UCLA. UCLA will probably bemore difficult to get into if you're applying for something in the science area. So it really depends.
c) USC is known as the more social school for several reasons: 1. The Greek system is huge, 2. the area around campus isn't that nice so a largemajority of students live in the same area right north of campus, 3. there isn't much to do in the area so students throw house parties and do thingsamongst each other, and 4. the school is MUCH smaller than UCLA so you actually remember faces and feel a sense of community. Also, for sporting events, theColiseum and Galen Center are pretty much on campus, so on Saturdays you'll see like 50,000+ student/alumni partying on campus together. UCLA, you have todrive 30-40 min to the Rose Bowl. Read this article from Daily Bruin:

http://dailybruin.com/news/2004/dec/02/icampus-spirit-fails-to-impres/

d) Another thing to consider is that USC has BY FAR the edge on alumni support/networking - they don't call it the "Trojan Family" for nothing.Both schools produce successful alumni, but everyone knows that SC's alumni support and networking is arguably the best in the nation. If you're in amajor where networking is important (e.g. business), that is DEFINITELY something to consider. I'm not saying you'll be handed a job on a silverplatter, but if you have the right mentality, like I did when I went to the school for that reason, you can get a HUGE leg up once you graduate. Also privateschools in general treat students by far better than public schools. At public schools you feel like a number whereas at private school you get some individualattention.

Honestly, I'm trying to be as objective as possible and call it like I see it, but seeing that you'll be paying a lot of money either way sinceyou're out-of-state, I'd recommend SC over UCLA in your situation. When people from in-state who want to study something like English ask me USC orUCLA, I always tell them UCLA cause it's WAY cheaper, the education is similar, and you're not going to get the advantages SC offers in a major likeEnglish.

EDIT: Damn man, how could I forget to talk about the girls?!
laugh.gif
Thewhite girls are the cream of the crop in terms of CA schools. Some will argue SDSU or UCSB has the prettiest girls, which they do, but SC has the bestcombination of girls with looks that also have a brain (although you might question some sorority girls). It's getting worse though with the academicstandards rising. UCLA has a lot of pretty girls too. Berkeley is flat out
sick.gif
. I think it's the weather out there or something, but everyone looks pasty.

Hope that helps.
 
i too am a trojan, and i am a transfer from gwu in dc.

i looked at both schools, and being out of state, they are about the same price.

i just really love usc. usc is as big as you want it to be--but you definitely see the same kids over and it really does feel like a family. ucla was just toomassive for me--though usc isn't a small school by any chance.

and, since i'm a usc student, i can't speak for ucla, but my teachers here really care about me. they all call me in to talk about class and mylife--they really take an interest in your life...which i cannot say about my old school, gwu.

when i think of college, i really think of usc. it just is the epitome of the college experience. usc used to have such a negative reputation, but it'sreally picking up, and for all of you saying usc is easier to get into--get real. i talk to a lot of lawyers and doctors back in hawaii (where i'm from)and they all talk about their siblings that are my age and they ALL say "my brother/sister got into ucla but not usc"...so it's definitely notall about money and it isn't necessarily easier to get into usc, like some people seem to be saying


with all of that being said, the best thing to do is to come out to look at both. it may be expensive, but you're going to be dropping a lot of money to goto college, so what is one trip?



and good looking girls? usc, hands down. so many good looking girls that you'd be surprised. even if you're an average looking dude, you'll havereally pretty girls talking to you. i was shocked when good looking girls were asking for me number and to hang out and go out for dinner...and on more thanone occasion, girls have called at 1 am on a tuesday to come over and chill. i don't think i spit that mad game, but the girls at usc are really top notch.i've been to a lot of schools, and i really honestly think usc has them ALL beat when it comes to girls


but you're not coming to college for girls, right?
wink.gif


either way, you can't beat southern california weather...usc or ucla.


if you do come out to take a look at sc, hit me up--we'll chill around campus or something.
 
Originally Posted by blackcat23mj

umm usc does not have a harder standard to get into compared to ucla. im sorry. it is well known for usc that if you got money you can get in, of course scores will help too but its really well known for that. personally, education wise, i think ucla is the way to go. the college community is better and you arent in the middle of the ghetto like usc is (they have high black steel sharp fences surrounding the campus). trust me, fly out to LA and check the schools out, it will be well worth the trip. dont base the school on football team etc, come for the education and i think ucla will be the place. its freaking huge and my bro went there and im a product of the UC system and I really enjoyed my time in a UC system. so seriously come out, but id say UCLA imo.

ucla = westwood
usc = inglewood "always up to no good"
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Im an SC alumn and I'll put in my 2 cents as well. USC is in an urban area. Some will call it "ghetto" and that would be correct in part. UCLA is located in a suburban type area. Mostly students in the area. However, from what I have always heard, UCLA has a higher crime rate than SC. If Irecall correctly, last year there were a few cases of rape attempts at UCLA and none that I can recall at SC. I would suggest you look up statistics regardingcrime if that will influence your decision. There is an annual report that you may be able to get your hands on that will have hard data. Personally I feltsafe there, then again I'm a local so I know what to expect and how to handle situations. Mostly you will hear of robberies occuring around campus and Iwont go as far as saying that they deserved to get robbed but sometimes your asking for it when you walk around at 2-3 in the morning alone. Specially when wehave an escort service.

From people that have applied to both UCLA and SC. USC is harder to get into. After SC received the College of the Year Award in 2000 and the success ourfootball team has had in recent history, it has become harder to get in. I could try to get you data regardin the average SAT score and GPA of this past yearsincoming class. I would suggest you contact both SC's and UCLA's admissions office to get that info as well.

The social scene is probably similar. It really depends on the type of person you are. Women are
pimp.gif
. One of the many reasons why I still work on-campus.

In terms of cost, if you will be applying for financial aid, you will probably get more aid at USC vs UCLA. If you are looking at paying out of pocket then Ican tell you that estimated cost of attending USC is roughly $50,000/yr. That includes tuition, housing, books, transportation, etc... Essentially that isabout how much 9 months at SC will end up costing you. This of course differs on your spending habits.

Now the following responses are to blackcat's comments: If you really want to get technical, money (the right amount) will open any college door. Donateenough money to a school to construct a building in your name and you will have major pull. lol@high black steel sharp fences. USC is an open campus, not a gated community. USC=Inglewood? Way off, if anything USC is in South Central, and even that would be incorrect. Sounds like youhave been watching too much Boyz N the Hood. lol.
 
In response to blackcat23mj

First of all USC is not in Inglewood, and even though it's in the hood that doesn't make it un-safe. If anything it brings you more to reality, so stop perpatrating on the hood bro bro.
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come on now fam...usc isnt in inglewood. Its not even really in south central L.A. i grew up there and then moved to watts/comtpon. Trust me, USC could bemuch, much worse. Its like any big city.
 
I'm a self admitted SC Hater (atleast their sports program) but what after h0urs said is on point.

"d) Another thing to consider is that USC has BY FAR the edge on alumni support/networking - they don't call it the "Trojan Family" fornothing. Both schools produce successful alumni, but everyone knows that SC's alumni support and networking is arguably the best in the nation. Ifyou're in a major where networking is important (e.g. business), that is DEFINITELY something to consider. I'm not saying you'll be handed a job ona silver platter, but if you have the right mentality, like I did when I went to the school for that reason, you can get a HUGE leg up once you graduate. Alsoprivate schools in general treat students by far better than public schools. At public schools you feel like a number whereas at private school you get someindividual attention. "

I swear they must teach some sorta wink wink nudge nudge in English 100 because I know a ton of SC alums both personally and professionally, of all ages, taxbrackets, professions, etc... and there is this common bond that I see amongst SC alumni that you dont see anywhere else.

Regarding campus life, I dont have a lot of experience around the SC campus, but I live right by Westwood so I have to deal with the waves of kids millinaround the campus all the time. UCLA has a great campus. There is plenty to do within walking distance, I would say its almost as fun as the area aroundCal's campus.

Youre going to have a tough time getting an objective response on NT regarding the level of education at either school. Of course SC alums are going to saythey are better, and UCLA alums will defend their school. Whatever decision you make, the education you get is going to be based on the amount of work you putinto it. These schools arent like Long Beach State (school I attended) which has a piss poor program that feels like an extension of high school.
 
However, from what I have always heard, UCLA has a higher crime rate than SC.
I don't think that's true. I can't say that UCLA is completely devoid of crime, but I'm pretty sure that the reports saying thatSC is safer ignore the fact that SC prefers to report the stats of on-campus crimes, while UCLA reports on on-campus and off-campus crimes. There's adistinction there. If you want to look at crime stats, be careful about the exact criteria they're using.

Also, one other note that you might want to consider with UCLA is that it receives the most applications out of any school in the country.
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Originally Posted by Elroy EJAY Jetson

Also, one other note that you might want to consider with UCLA is that it receives the most applications out of any school in the country.
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if you apply to any UC school, all you have to do is just check to apply to UCLA without any extra forms or letters. btw i think usc has bettercrime statistics than the city of beverly hills
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Originally Posted by TheWatcher1

Originally Posted by Elroy EJAY Jetson

Also, one other note that you might want to consider with UCLA is that it receives the most applications out of any school in the country.
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if you apply to any UC school, all you have to do is just check to apply to UCLA without any extra forms or letters. btw i think usc has better crime statistics than the city of beverly hills

I don't really get why that's relevant. Yeah it saves the student time with extra forms, but you still have to pay $60 more if you want toapply to UCLA in addition to whatever other UCs you're applying to.

I wouldn't be surprised if USC had better crime stats than Beverly Hills. You're comparing a school campus to an entire city.

It's a fact that USC has published misleading crime stats in the past, but at the same time, I'll say that if you want to go to school there, just becareful with your safety and you'll be fine.
 
SC campus is as safe as can be and the area around it (where the students actually go) are also safe. Unless you have absolutely no street smarts (or commonsense) and like to hang out in dark alleys alone at 2am, there is little to worry about. People completely exaggerate the safety issue at SC primarily based onaesthetics surrounding the area. They assume because the area is surrounded by low-income neighborhoods that it is unsafe and full of criminals waiting to robyou at any given moment, which is false. SC has no more robberies or crime as any other campus in CA.
 
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