USC (Marshall) vs Notre Dame (Mendoza)

So I have narrowed it down to 2 options for undergrad: USC or Notre Dame

I'm an international student so fees aren't an issue but having an international reputation would be much appreciated. I've been accepted into both business schools and I'm hoping to get into IB after college.

 
N.Harding:

That's completely contrary to everything that I've read in past comparisons?

From what I've seen Notre Dame has far more opportunities on the east coast whereas USC is great if you want to stay on the west coast?

This forum is very east-coast centric. Schools like USC and UCLA are not heavily represented in NYC or east coast in general. However you'll find tons of USC kids getting IB jobs on the west mainly SF or LA. USC overall places better than ND. You can probably count on one hand the number of ND grads working in west coast IB.

 
smokay72:

This might be off topic but I always wanted to ask you. Why is your username dickfuld? I keep reading your username as dick fluid for some reason. Care to share your background on your username?

I set mine to smokay because i like the way smoke moves.

Really? Try the link in my signature.

Also, some other user has the username dick fluid. Probably Hank Paulson or some equivalent asshat.

 

I would recommend Notre Dame. Their Chicago IBD placement has been solid, and over the last few years they've been really upping their NYC IBD placement. They now have a "wall street Club" run by alum MDs and the main purpose of the club is simply to place as many kids into NYC IBD as possible. I think their most recent "wall street placement" is around 100 seniors (which includes finance positions outside of IBD, but it is still solid for a midwest school). Not too sure about USC but it would definitely be more fun college experience than ND, however your career prospects for anywhere besides CA would suffer.

 

Are you religious? As in Catholic? If not id go to USC.

1) weather 2) great alumni and location 3) business school on part with mendoza

IMO, ND people basically have it in there blood. It isn't a campus like anywhere else. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. I'd personally prefer going to a secular school.

 

USC is IMO the better overall school and better college experience. What it really comes down to, like others have said is whether you prefer West Coast vs East Coast banking. ND has no penetration on the West Coast and USC doesn't have very much on the East Coast. If there's any chance you don't end up doing banking in the future, USC is probably just a better place to be.

 

but at the same time its not as if west coast banking is a given coming from USC. West coast IBD is already exponentially smaller than NYC/Chicago, and you will be competing against the best kids from Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Claremont, Pomona ect for the VERY few available spots.. And while i'm sure the USC network is solid, ND is a completely different college experience and will result in an incredibly strong lifelong network after graduation. Still, you need to fit the "nd mold" to actually enjoy your 4 years and end up with that sort of love and connection with your school that ND alums almost all have. If you're not at least 1 (preferably 2 of the following) white/catholic/upper middle class/ somewhat conservative, I would think twice about ND.

 

Also you need to realize how DRASTICALLY different the two college experiences will be. At USC, you would spend your 4 years in 75 degree sunny LA surrounded by some of the hottest 18-22 year olds in the nation, many of whom will be very promiscuous. Notre Dame, conversely, is in the middle of south bend Indiana, and you will freeze your ass off in -20 degree weather for 4 years, with extremely average to below average girls, very few of whom will have sex with you (since males and females are not allowed in each other's dorms past 12 am), but somehow every year Notre Dame is still one of the most sought after schools to attend in the country, and many end up turning down ivies to go there. Its all about perspective and what you want out of life/college. Dont make this just about ending up in IB after college or you will have a very shitty 4 years, and if you have a shitty 4 years you wont make it into banking regardless of what school you choose.

 

I think USC gives you a better chance at west coast IB than ND for Chicago and most definitely NYC. Also, I would choose USC based on lifestyle/location,let's just say Mendoza is marginally better (debatable). for me it isn't worth living in Indiana over SoCal for 4 years.

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If you do well at USC, you will be able to find a spot at a bank in NYC. The vast majority of the ND kids who go to NYC IB would've been able to make it from USC as well if they had put in the effort (and vice Versa). What WSO doesn't seem to realize is that it's more dependent on you than your school (at least in terms of top 50-75 schools). The fact that USC doesn't place that many kids in NYC is partly a self selection bias. Many of the kids who have lived 4+ years in sunny LA probably don't want to leave the area for somewhere that is much colder. Go where you think you'd have the most fun and fit in the best.

 

I'll reiterate: If you are even considering this decision you should go to USC. People who go to ND wouldn't go anywhere else. I've been on campus and know a lot of alumni and the school isn't a choice for people. It is the only place they'd go.

Pick USC, don't be awkward and you'll have a shit ton of job opportunities. Rankings mean shit when it comes to schools like ND.

 

Bloomberg ranked it the #1 undergraduate business school in the nation before it ended that publication. US news and world report ranks it #10. Tell me why again this doesn't mean shit?

“Elections are a futures market for stolen property”
 
Esuric:

Bloomberg ranked it the #1 undergraduate business school in the nation before it ended that publication. US news and world report ranks it #10. Tell me why again this doesn't mean shit?

If yoy think ND is better than Wharton or any other Ivy program then keep believing the rankings.

ND is a great school. But it is a massive culture fit. If it was ND vs. A lesser school I would say suck it up and go ND. But USC is a top program with a great culture, recruiting and education.

The fact that the OP is even asking this tells me he should go to USC and not ND. As mentioned above, ND has a very strong, specific culture. If you don't fit it you're going to feel very outside while there.

Furthermore, US News 2015 ranking has USC and ND tied for 10th. Rankings suck but if we're gonna talk about them let's look at all of them.

 
N.Harding:

I mean if I was going to choose a college based off of rankings, I'd be headed to Kelley.

But at the same time I'm a white, upper-middle class, somewhat conservative, Catholic male, so Notre Dame might very well be a good fit, I just haven't spent enough time there to know. But the lack of social scene is a serious concern for me and ideally I'd like to go somewhere with girls that are not "below average" or "heinous".

Also, I feel that Notre Dame could have a massive edge in its prestige and alumni network.

The backer is a fun bar. They have this development right across from campus that is cool. The girls are fine as well. You have an all girls college right nearby that takes classes with ND people. I've spent a good amount of time on campus and the girls are not that bad. Are they tanned USC level? No, but it isn't the dredges of society.

ND alumni are the most loyal alumni I've ever met. If you fit in with the culture there and do well you'll absolutely fine a domer to help you at every bank.

 
N.Harding:

I mean if I was going to choose a college based off of rankings, I'd be headed to Kelley.

Huh? I don't think Kelley is ranked higher than Mendoza and Marshall (USNews has them all at 10). At the end of the day both of these schools are of similar standing (w/ USC given a bit more "prestige" edge due to school history and the fact its full of rich kids). So, again, this comes down to Indiana vs SoCal... for me it is a no-brainer, but then again, I love chics, nice weather, and beaches.....

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My inclination would be to go with Notre Dame, because it is more of a national school than a regional school. Also, close to Chicago, major financial hub, - good for internships. LA, not so much. That being said - here's what I tell all my clients. Work backwards from your goal. Get in touch with the recruitment arm for the IB outfit you want to work for post-grad - and find out from them. Do informational interviews with people working where you want to work. This accomplishes several goals - you will get an answer to your question, find out how to spend the next 4 years so that you're laying the groundwork for a career in IB, (rather than just guessing at it) and also establishing some connections. Good luck! Get in touch if you need help drafting the email you are going to send off to Merrill Lynch et al.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA http://MBAPrepCoach.com
 

Both are academically comparable schools. Notre Dame definitely does not have an "edge" in alumni network nor prestige, much less a "massive" one. If you want to talk about massive edges, I don't know why you're even considering Indiana in this discussion... Both USC and ND are almost equal in their prestige and alumni support mirroring their football rivalry, so forget BS intangibles like that being a factor in your consideration. USC may hold the relative advantage for its home region because there are far fewer better schools than USC on the West Coast than there are better schools than ND on the East Coast. Big fish small pond vs small fish big pond etc. It should really come down to where you want to work and what kind of social experience you're looking for out of college. If it's NYC banking or bust then don't go to USC. If you're more flexible, consider the value of a better developmental experience at USC.

 

Both schools have mediocore Bschools

But of the two I would choose Notre Dame

USC is a local school and is virtually unknown on the east coast. Notre Dame is more national, will be recognized on west coast and east coast.

But to be honest with you they are both mediocore. USC's Bschool is sub 30. Ranked 31st by USNews and 38th by Forbes. Pretty weak. Very expensive for little prestige, very similar to NYU.

 

ND has a published yearly report of where the seniors went (role/company), and they have decent placement to NYC and Chicago. I don't know if USC does, but I'm sure they have some sort of stats.

ND wins for Chicago, probably NYC, and loses for west coast placement. That said, notre dame is exceptionally polarizing with their extreme religious integration and rich, entitled attitude. I've said it before, but you will either LOVE it and be going to monthly ND meetups, a couple yearly football games, etc for your whole life or hate it and transfer. It's a very homogeneous community, so make sure you'll fit into that. Also, their party scene absolutely blows.

If you want NYC, ND is probably the better pick, but make sure you won't be miserable.

 

No body here is saying ND is bettter than Wharton. ND is far from that. Not even top 20. But USC is not very well known here on the east coast. spotting a USC grad in NYC/DC/Boston is like spotting a unicorn. It;s a local school.

USC grads are not very smart either. On the west coast it is regarded as an inferior school to UCLA.

Here is a USC grad being interviewed (Warning this video will make you vomit)

skip to 1:39 on the video.

 

^ Bob. If I cared about peoples views and opinions I would have bought Valeant stock when it was $250 and sold the SPX in March of 09 when it was 800. As far I am concerned your the market and I am the contrarian investor. Enjoy being the average joe! Continue to throw monkey poo at me, I basque in the glory. I have a blunt personality that people don't like because I am upfront and I always tell the truth.

US News Overall Rankings: Notre Dame: 18 USC: 23

USNews MBA Ranking: Notre Dame: 25 USC: 31

Forbes MBA Ranking: Notre Dame: 23 USC: 38

USC MBA Employment US Northeast - 6% US South - 0% US Southwest - 3% US Midwest - 4% US West - 86% **** http://www.marshall.usc.edu/mbacareer/employment_report

USC=Local School. Good school but not nationally known as Notre Dame.

 
sillymonkey123:

USC: 43,000 students enrolled with a 17.8% admission rate
Notre Dame: 12,000 with a 18.3% admission rate

Notre Dame, smaller, more prestigious, more nationally known. USC a glorified public school with a bschool ranked 31st and 38th by USNews and Forbes. USC = Local.

Oh man, the comedy keeps on coming. How about we analyze SAT scores or something else. LOL.

 

I love how this dude is discussing MBA rankings like that even matters right now, also love how the diff. between 18 and 23 on USNews undergrad rankings seems to be heaven and hell according to sillymonkey123 when in reality that 5 spot difference is meaningless. Troll on bro.

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The US News rankings are a joke and biased in favor of private/liberal arts colleges like Bryn Mawr, swarthmore, etc.

World university rankings are completely different (e.g. by Times Higher Education, Q and S); university rankings sorted by employer's perceptions are out there, too, and also totally different than the US News rankings.

 
Oxonian2017:

The US News rankings are a joke and biased in favor of private/liberal arts colleges like Bryn Mawr, swarthmore, etc.

World university rankings are completely different (e.g. by Times Higher Education, Q and S); university rankings sorted by employer's perceptions are out there, too, and also totally different than the US News rankings.

Literally no one cares about world rankings. The FT has one of the worst masters rankings out there. Swathmore is a top college and places into investment banking all the time. Same with Colgate, Amherst, etc. If you are international and planning on returning home for work you should focus on schools that are regarded back home. Just because Swathmore isn't "known" internationally doesn't mean it isn't a top school for domestic students who want banking or a great education.

 
BobTheBaker:

I love how this dude is discussing MBA rankings like that even matters right now, also love how the diff. between 18 and 23 on USNews undergrad rankings seems to be heaven and hell according to @sillymonkey123 when in reality that 5 spot difference is meaningless. Troll on bro.

It is literally teeth grinding reading some of these recommendations. You cannot make recommendations based on bullshit rankings without understanding the nuances of a college campus. In a vacuum, ND is slightly better than USC, but in a real world scenario, the person who succeeds at ND is someone who would never even consider USC.

You talk to any ND grad and tell them you considered USC before ND and you'll be ostracized. To say it is a rivalry is disservice. This is what happens when you know more than what you read on ChaseDreams and/or B school rankings.

 

Both have strong networks but the schools are ranked so closely that its irrelevant to pick off of that. If it was an ivy league school or top 15 on US news and world report it might be a tougher decision. I don't know a huge amount about the Notre dame school experience ( I'm sure its fun and a good b school but I do know a fair amount about USC.

USC has improved dramatically in the last 5-10 years. On the undergraduate level they do well with IB recruiting. They have great sports ( as does Notre Dame) but the weather is amazing, the so cal connections are amazing, the girls will be way more attractive, and a lot of great classes and offerings at USC. I personally think its an amazing college experience from what I hear. Great social life/ great academics/great recruiting. I have yet to meet anyone who hasnt liked USC.

I dont know as much about Notre Dame but I find it hard to believe it will be at the level of USC for the things I listed above. Either way both are great schools and you have the advantage of knowing what you want to do. That's most of the battle. You have 3-4 years to make a great plan of attack and get into IB. I see no reason you wont get an IB job from either school unless you screw around.

I'd visit both to see what you like better but if it was me I'd go to USC in a heartbeat.

 

You got to ask yourself some questions too. You said you're a white and a (non-lapsed?) conservative Catholic. You already said that you feel like you'll fit in at Notre Dame b/c of this. Do you even want to live in L.A.? Do you feel like you'll be able to keep yourself grounded and stay true to your conservative Catholic values if you go to USC? If a big part of your college experience is getting the chance to get outside your parent's watch, go to sick-ass parties, and chase girls then go to USC and join Greek Life. I'm sure you'll have a blast then. There is the stereotypical impression that people in L.A. (kind of true from personal experience) can be pretty shallow and you're going to run into your fair share of prospective wanna-be model girls (they're still hot as shit) and actors/actresses. Again, I'm just speaking in generalities (sure there are plenty of down to earth people at USC) and don't know what you're really looking for as far as a college experience. Basically, you got to ask yourself the important question what environment you really want to be in.

 
sillymonkey123:

This guy has 21 Silver Bananas to 160 Monkey Shits. Why would anyone be validating this moron's attention seeking posts? He's a deliberate troll, and automatically says the most contrarian thing he can think of to attract monkey shits and feel good about bringing down the perceived quality of this forum.

Look at the stuff he posts about NYU. He knows he can talk shit and piss people off by calling NYU a bad finance school and NYU and Darthmouth as worse schools than UNC (he probably goes to UNC according to his post history). He's got all your buttons pushed. Don't know why he clamors so hard for attention though, I suppose he doesn't get much of it from people in real life when he tells them he goes to UNC.

He's intentionally misreferencing facts (by using admissions data from USC that is 4 years old to data from ND that is 2 weeks old) and he goes and spends the time looking up a very specific video involving 3 seconds of scripted footage of a black lady wearing a USC sports shirt as the ultimate representation of a school. All just to spur a response and reassure himself that people will acknowledge what comes out of his mouth. The shitposting fad has finally caught on on this site.

There needs to be an automatic filtering system for low quality contributors. Andy or the mods need to start thinking about quality control to protect their retention as this forum undergoes organic growth. What a waste of effort and emotion, seeing all of you bring this thread up to 60 replies when the discussion was settled in the first few posts.

 

ND placed better in NYC and in IB without a doubt. USC is a good local school, but ND has much more layman prestige and a more national brand. Average person in the US would pick off ND in heart beat before USC. Especially on the east coast. With 90% of its grads staying on the west coast, your degree's alumni network will be very limited outside of California and consulting industry. Again, I hate repeating the rankings

US News Overall Rankings: Notre Dame: 18 USC: 23

USNews MBA Ranking: Notre Dame: 25 USC: 31

Forbes MBA Ranking: Notre Dame: 23 USC: 38

USC MBA Employment US Northeast - 6% US South - 0% US Southwest - 3% US Midwest - 4% US West - 86% ****

Notre Dame Endowment: $10 Billion USC Endowment: $4.7 Billion

 
Best Response

USC and ND are on significantly different tiers academically, regardless of what any ranking says. Not to mention, 90%+ of the people applying to one school would NEVER in a million years choose or even apply to the other one! They are literally polar opposites of one another, just from a social/political/weather/vibe environment and standpoint. Now academically, I would argue that ND is a much better school than USC. First off, USC is a safety school for all the CA kids vying for Berkeley/Stanford, and is probably more on par with UCLA. Just because they have similair acceptance rates means NOTHING with regards to prestige or quality of students. USC has a 32% yield, which just quantifies the extend of its "safety-school" nature. ND comes in with a 53% yield, on par with the non-HYP ivies and top LACs. Also, most of the students who turn down ND are turning it down for ivies and the like, while the same cannot be said about USC. I'd wager that a significant portion of USC kids simply matriculate because they didn't get in anywhere better, where you can't say the same for ND. (not to knock USC, its still a top 25/30 ish school) Now, while SATs are obviously a flawed measure of success, the mid 50% USC range for the most recent class is 1270-1480 and 30-33 ACT, compared with Notre Dames 1420-1540 and 33-35 ACT. I don't care if you think the SATs dont measure intelligence, that is a SIGNIFICANT difference, and that difference carries into the classroom as you will be surrounded by a completely different subset of students at each school. Also, if you are comparing post-graduation success, ND just blows USC out of the water in placement/prestige/ alumni network ANYWHERE besides LA. It's not even an argument. In LA, USC obviously has the advantage, but ND will still set you up fine. Anywhere else, (especially east coast), ND is miles ahead. Not to knock USC, but most people from New England don't even know its a good school, while ND is well recodnized as a top school and alumni will do whatever it takes to help you out. Not to mention, prestige wise on the east coast, no one even knows what USC is, and those that do think its a party school for rich kids (which it kind of is). MAIN POINT: If you want to work anywhere besides LA, Notre Dame is a better choice due to academic quality/prestige/quality of your classmates/ quality and breadth of alumni network/ Finance recruiting in NYC/Chicago. College experience wise: It REALLY depends on what type of person you are, and what you value in a college experience. Most people who love ND will hate USC, and vice versa. Find out what camp you're in. You can achieve your goals from either school

 

Bottom line is both schools are good. I love the people throwing out SAT/ACT scores as if that is the be-all and end-all deciding factor. It honestly depends on your personality, background, what you're looking to get out of school, etc. Notre Dame is a great school if you are looking to combine academic teachings with an atmosphere of faith-based learning. Both schools have a large athletic presence given their respective football teams and other varsity programs. ND's Catholic foundation is visible almost everywhere - the Golden Dome has a 4,000 pound statue of Mary at the top, every classroom has a cross, dorm rooms have weekly mass gatherings, parietals in dorm rooms (no opposite sex in dorm rooms past 12am during the week), students go to the Grotto and Basilica, etc. If this is something that doesn't appeal to you, then you probably wouldn't like the atmosphere at ND.

As some people have previously commented, in my opinion, ND has a larger presence on the East Coast (and Midwest obviously) whereas USC probably has a larger presence on the West Coast given my knowledge of when I was in IB as an analyst. That being said, attending one school vs. the other would not preclude you from working anywhere in the nation. Both are reputable schools and your future employers will predominantly care about how you perform at the school you choose to attend (on top of extracurricular activities, etc.).

 

So the consensus in this thread seems to be that ND places better for the E Coast and Chicago, while USC places better on the W Coast. Does the OP prefer one over the other? Also, where are the most finance jobs (assuming that's what the OP wants to do)?

As someone originally from the Midwest, the only way I'd consider ND is if I was a devout Catholic. Also, USC's campus is in a crap neighborhood (maybe gentrifying? Haven't been in years), and ND is basically in farm country. There are pluses and minuses to each choice, and outside of fairly similar rankings the schools, they couldn't be more different.

 

Hilarious debate. It's likely that neither school will limit your chance of success materially more than the other. I went to USC and felt like I had every opportunity that I wanted. Got a S&T internship in SF, then a FT IBD position in LA. The west coast offices of many/most banks do on-campus recruiting at USC. If you can't land the job from the interview, that's your shortcoming, not your school's (imo). In LA, the offices are filled mostly with USC, UCLA, and Cal alumni (from what I saw, at least). Since I never recruited for east coast positions, I can't comment much on this area, but I knew many peers who went from USC to NY positions. As far as international reputation, USC has been and continues to be very focused on international influence. USC consistently enrolls some of the highest amounts of international students. Also, don't be fooled into thinking that USC is a safety school. For many who grew up around the strong USC network in southern california, USC is the goal. Perhaps it's because there are a lot of people who don't want to leave southern california for four years (like myself). And I can tell you that most of my peers would tell you that they wouldn't have gone to any other college if they had the choice. Can all this be said about Notre Dame? Probably. There you go.

 

As someone who attended ND for undergrad, here's my two cents:

The culture is very much the biggest hurdle at ND. You will find a number of entitled and arrogant people who have attended private school for their entire lives. That said, there are a lot of people who do not fit the mold as well, and the student body is more liberal than you'd think. Parties are not extremely prevalent, but everyone who graduates ND loved their time there, and that says a lot about the social life. There are local bars to go to and house parties on the weekends, and they are a lot of fun, but not Wolf of Wall Street in college. The men's dorms are awesome and you really get to know everyone in the building. Women's dorms are a pain in the ass, but they always come to the men's anyway. As far as attractive girls, they are few and far between at ND, but the sister school of St. Mary's has a lot more girls who are attractive and they come over for every party. The "curfew", called parietals, for visiting the opposite sexes dorm is somewhat of a pain, but it is very easily broken. I have not known one guy who has gotten in trouble for having a girl sleep over, myself included, and most RAs really dont care, so don't let that be a deterrent. You do have to take theology classes, but most everyone grins and bears it and is not genuinely into the material taught.

Another thing to know is the student body is extremely active, with some obscenely high number having been varsity athletes in high-school. As such, intramural and club sports have high participation rates, and the men's dorms have full-pad tackle football. The atmosphere surrounding all of our sports is electric (football, obviously more than any other), and ND is competitive in just about every sport we have a program in. So, if having a bunch of people into sports and competing is important, ND will not disappoint.

The business program is top-notch, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. ND starts with a broad business base, and focuses in on major-specific classes in upperclassmen years. Sure, you have a few bad professors or class sessions, but you will not graduate with the regret of not having the opportunity to study a specific aspect of finance. The alumni network is remarkable, and if you want a job in Chicago, you've got it. NYC is coming on strong, and the business school is really pushing NYC IBD, with all the top banks visiting multiple times a year. The Wall Street Club is also extremely useful if pursuing IBD is your goal. Trying to move outside of the Chicago/NYC area is doable, but the support system is weak and almost non-existent. The alumni directory is extremely useful, and I did not reach out to a single alum who did not return my email favorably. Completely anecdotal, sure, but I think shows the love people have for this place.

As far as comparison to USC, I really don't know. I grew up in SoCal and know a few people who went to USC. The parties will be better, the girls will be hotter, the weather will be nicer. But the experience of ND is unique and unmatched, in my very biased view. People come to ND with much more of an academic focus I think, and the true bonds formed with other students takes place of the typical college experience. That said, if you want to have the parties and all that, ND is not for you.

ND has one of the top business programs and alumni networks in the country, so deciding on USC over ND has to be made on other factors.

 

Main takeaways from this thread so far:

  • ND grads think their school has the best alumni support
  • USC grads think their school has the best alumni support
  • ND grads thinks their school is better for finance
  • USC grads think their school is better for finance
  • sillymonkey123 is a retard
  • UCLA pussy is stank
 

USC for west coast ND for midwest Neither for east coast

People on the west coast don't even know or care about ND. All they'll think of is Hunchback or Notre Dame and Rudy.

 

Another thing about USC to consider is its a recent inductee on USNews of top schools. USC ranks 23rd on USNews but it recently rose into that ranking only a decade ago before it was sub 30 and 2 decades ago its was sub 50. Notre Dame has always been ranked high. USC ranks 23rd but its a VERY soft 23rd. If you look at USC's departments on USNews (math/science/bio/etc) they all rank below 50. It really doesn't deserve its spot. USC is ranked ahead of UMichigan and no one in their right mind would turn Michigan to go to USC. USC is not as strong academically as schools that is supposedly in its peer group. It's paper mill for a lot of master degree students, and they charge a lot of a degree (that's how they were able to grow their endowment,) and its not very prestigious in my humble opinion. USC is the west coast version of NYU. Good school, it will do if you have no better option, but really your looking for something better (UCLA/Berkley/Stanford).

The fact USC's Bschool ranking is 31st/38th on USNews/Forbes proves its ranking on USNews overall is over inflated and should be ~10-15 spots lower . If you dug deep into other academic fields (Economics/Bio/Chem/Medical/etc) it gets substantially worse! It's a very very soft 23rd spot they have on USNews ranking and lags behind its peers.

 

I can't believe you're now talking about rankings in this context when Notre Dame is globally ranked 201-300 by ARWU and 224 by QS. Did you even check? I'm also pretty sure USC entered the 20s on US News before you were born.

But again, I fell for the bait. Your post contains deliberate typographic and grammatical mistakes just to get people to respond. You're WSO's court jester. Endless entertainment - thanks for giving up your day job to write satirical content for us. I was wrong to say you should be filtered. Lowest quality posts with the most monkey shits should be featured on the front page - it'll give everyone a laugh.

 

Check USNews.

All of USC's departments with the exception of maybe CS/Engineering, which are dececent, all rank below 50.

The only department nationally recognized at USC is its film department and its football program. That's pretty much it.

I am sorry that the truth doesn't jive with your false reality that USC is Harvard ( never thought those two schools would be mentioned in the same sentence but we are breaking barriers here)

I am happy your ARWU ranking thinks USC is great, according to ARWU University of Minessota is better than Duke. Are there any other non established, Chinesse ranking firms outside of USNews/Forbes/Buisnesweek that you would like to cite and for everyone to ignore?

As soon as I saw your chinese "ARWU" rankings that:

30 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 31 Duke University

I immediately clicked the x button on my browser, didn't even bother to read the rest.

 

I'm from so cal. USC has better networking and recruiting than UCLA. Everyone in so cal knows that. USC will definitely get you interviews in IB. I know plenty of people who are at BB from USC. Go to USC. If you can visit each school do so but Ive never met anyone who hasn't enjoyed USC. I dont know if you're interested in this but USC has great departments in film and real estate besides business school. USC and UCLA are tied on US and news worlds report now anyways and UCLA doesnt have an undergrad b school Only econ.

Like I said before between USC and Notre Dame its a no brainer. USC all the way.

 

I went to school in Michigan, but I'm from LA and have a lot of friends who went to USC, partied there a few times, and I know the campus pretty well. I've never been to Notre Dame, so keep that in mind when reading my take.

Professionally speaking, whether to choose ND or USC probably comes down to where you want to work. ND would give you more connections in Chicago and New York. USC is good on the west coast for ibanking, and my friends tell me a few people end up in New York most years, but they have to hustle really hard for networking. For the most part, it's LA and SF, but they do have to compete with the Berkeley/Stanford/Pomona crowd for fewer jobs compared to New York, which is a disadvantage. However, if you are among the top performers at USC and you choose your internships correctly, you can get into banking.

I'll talk a little bit about the campus experience and social life. Since both schools are (maybe) on an equal but different footing professionally, the campus life is something to consider.

USC might look like it has a better social life on the surface, but the social scene is very fractured. By that, I mean that the huge wild parties are concentrated in the Greek life, and even Greek life has been getting squeezed by the administration lately. I don't know what country you're from, but if you don't fit a particular personality profile, you might not be able to get into a fraternity and as a male, you'll be on the outside looking in when it comes to a lot of the partying. That's not to say that it's impossible to find a group of friends to have fun with, but you might not get easy access to the attractive girls that others in this thread are raving about.

It's true that LA has a good night life, but none of that night life is near USC. There is only one small bar near campus, and any other good bar or night club is probably a 25 minute Uber ride away. Keep that in mind.

It's true that USC has a ton of international students. If you're from a country with a lot of students at USC, there will be a club or two that you can join and get to know your fellow countrymen, and that will be a good starting point for building a social network. Even if your nationality is not numerous, you can still join other clubs, but like I said, the difference in social life between Greek and non-Greek in regards to opportunities to meet women is enormous. It's very much a "haves" and "have nots" kind of school.

But on the other hand, members of the opposite sex aren't allowed in dorms after midnight at Notre Dame. But maybe if it's the type of campus where everyone moves into apartments after their first year, that won't slow you down too bad. I don't know anything about the bars or social options around South Bend, but I do know that LA is not a simple city to get around. If you can't party near USC's campus (i.e. if you aren't in Greek life), coordinating a night out at the bars is a logistical challenge. And even then, you have to wait until you're 21.

 

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