is it safe to say that USC is top-tier and prestigious?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>on a national level among all universities in the US.</p>

2

<p>i’d say so</p>

3

<p>Top tier as in being on the same level as HYPSM?
No.</p>

<p>Top tier as being a very good and prestigious university located in Southern California?
Yes.</p>

4

<p>I think it’s a great school. and it’s not really a regional school you’ll be able to find a nice chunk of people all around the nation who know about it</p>

5

<p>is it safe to say that USC is top-tier and prestigious?</p>

<p>Yes, based on the returns from my son’s high school this spring. It’s come a long way and is still getting more competitive.</p>

6

<p>I think UCLA and UC-B are better, especially for California residents. Why would you shell out so much money to go to USC if you could get the same, if not a better, education for so much less?</p>

7

<p>^^^ Because:

  1. you are not a California resident and thus will shell out the $$ anyway,
  2. you are not a California resident and cannot get in as such, <or>
  3. you are a California resident and you have the $$ and want the more personalized attention that USC profs give their students.</or></p>
8

<p>^^Or you are a high tester and receive one of 'SC’s automatic tuition discounts…</p>

9

<p>Or because you’re not a California resident and USC has and gives away a ton of money making it actually cheaper than a lot of public schools.</p>

<p>As for the original question: yeah, USC has quite a bit of name recognition and whatnot around the country. Obviously helped along by its reputation and football, but they’ve been working hard to get USC recognized for its academic excellence as well.</p>

10

<p>No one will shoot you for it. ;)</p>

11

<p>comparable to mid-tier Big Ten universities imho.</p>

12

<p>I’d have to say that this topic has no real answer, because the question is based massively on subjective evaluation, and everyone loves their own opinion. And I doubt all of us are going to do research and post numbers and graphs in order to defend our points and make this more objective.</p>

13

<p>

At what? Undergrad? Overall university? What makes top tier? Top 5 schools in the US? Top 25 schools? Top 100? </p>

<p>If the definition is top 100 undergrad then yes USC is top tier.
If the definition is top 5 or even 25 overall university, then no, probably not top tier.
If the definition is college football, then yes, top tier. It all depends on the definition.</p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>How many bowl games does the Big Ten win each year? How about its champion? :D</p>

15

<p>It’s familiar and third tier.</p>

16

<p>^just curious kwu in your opinion what are the first tier uni’s?</p>

17

<p>I think it depends on the snob-power of the lenses one is wearing.</p>

<p>Some would consider the cutoff for top-tier at HYPSM</p>

<p>Others might throw the rest of the Ivy League in.</p>

<p>Others might be so daring as to throw in Duke, UChicago, Northwestern…</p>

<p>And on the other end of the spectrum you have schools that place 98th in US News and say “we’re top tier, baby!”</p>

18

<p>about as prestigious as Vanderbilt, NYU.</p>

19

<p>I think it’s more than safe to consider USC as a prestigious, top-tier universities. As someone smartly pointed out, it depends what your definition of prestigious might be. If you consider the University of Chicago your safety school, then you might have a higher standard! </p>

<p>But, generally speaking, USC is a top destination for great students around California, the country (and world, most international students of any university in America), it attracts over $500 million in sponsored-research every year, an endowment exceeding $3 billion, many top rated programs, consistantly ranked amongst the top universities in the US and the world, and a very selective freshmen class (I believe it was like 25%?). It also depends what you’re planning to study, etc. It also has a great alumni network, which does help job wise, and is pleasure to be part of for the rest of your life, that’s an important aspect to. </p>

<p>To say you went to USC, both in California and outside, does carry weight. Ofcourse there are other great schools in CA, from Stanford to Berkeley, UCLA, etc. If I were to rate “overall” prestige in CA, it would go something like this:</p>

<ol>
<li>Stanford</li>
<li>Cal Tech</li>
<li>UC Berkeley</li>
<li>USC</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>UC San Diego</li>
<li>UC Santa Barbara</li>
<li>UC Irvine</li>
</ol>

20

<p>‘Top-tier’ is a phrase best used to describe specific programs within a university. ‘Prestigious’ may be described as a place anyone would wish they could attend. SoCal is a solid school for most majors, but not really top in anything. And if a HS valedictorian with a 2400 SAT is thinking college, they are not likely to hope for USC. Mini’s right though, there’s no shame in going there.</p>