UCLA (Philosophy) vs. USC (Marshall)

Hey everyone! So I was recently accepted into UCLA (Philosophy) and USC (Marshall Business) and I know the obvious choice is USC, but it costs much more, would appreciate ya'lls advice! For some context I'm a transfer student who wants to go into IB or Consulting.UCLA would cost around 50k for 2 years whereas USC would cost around 170k for 2 years.Do ya'll think the premium for a USC degree/network is worth it?I'm pretty good at philosophy so I know I'd get a good GPA but idk how career prospects would look at UCLA (and I won't be able to switch to econ or business econ). I could possibly do a Philosophy and Labor Studies double major, but I would really appreciate your guys' advice.

6 Comments
 

Pick USC if you can afford / would want to have fun

UCLA sounds like a better bargain but you may run into the typical problems of CA state schools (difficult classes / grading curves to weed kids out, delayed graduation because too many students sign up for certain classes that are needed to fulfill major requirement) etc

 

Porro natus sit in. Sed voluptas ad id dolor. Voluptas porro distinctio recusandae voluptas.

Consectetur aut quod ut quos quos quas. Molestias assumenda sed nam occaecati. Ab odit non vero eaque repellendus et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”