@harvard2021 I’m a prof at USC and my son is going to Wes in the fall. He was also admitted to Amherst. I teach many many international students from Asia and I agree with you that USC is a well known school in Asia and Wes is unknown. If name recognition in Asia is important for you in terms of career, family, etc., I think USC has a definite edge. However, if you are more interested in a more academically rigorous and liberal-arts-style education that is more personalized, I think that Wes is great. My son is planning on studying something in the humanities and he’s really interested in social justice and activism. USC is not great at any of these. I totally understand that rankings are important to some - but I think that rankings can change over time and they can also be manipulated. I know that USC has had some good numbers - but the profile of the incoming class does not reflect the large number of spring admits and transfer students. That’s not to say that USC students aren’t smart - but let’s just say that there isn’t an emphasis on rigor and learning. There seems more of a concern about resumes and money. Of course - there’s nothing wrong with that - but for our family, that’s not what we were looking for in an undergraduate experience. If my son went to USC, he could have gone for free. He didn’t even apply. It’s not that USC isn’t a good school - it is. But it doesn’t have what he was looking for in terms of a liberal arts education that will prepare him for academics and beyond.
USC is a very large school with a focus on marketing itself - that doesn’t mean it is “bad” - but you should know that you are mostly paying for a brand - a brand that doesn’t always have positive connotations in the US or abroad. I think that as an international student from Asia - you might want to talk to others in your position. There are many USC alums who can share their experiences with you - they might be a good source of information.