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

[dimsum123]

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@Techie1988

Actually, the top 50% of the freshmen class of top publics have test scores and grades equal to those of the top privates. So “inferior” in what sense, I don’t know. Perhaps you meant socioeconomic background? But what does that say about students with less money able to achieve the same as those with more?

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<p>Don’t kid yourself. The student bodies at top publics such as Michigan and UVa are predominantly upper middle class. They are no more socio-economically disadvantaged than typical ivy applicants. In fact, many Michigan and UVa students applied to the ivies themselves and would have gone there otherwise.</p>

<p>For a student whose family makes less than $150k or so, it is cheaper to attend HYPSM than a state flagship. Would you consider a student whose family income is $150K “underprivileged” in any sense of the word? The students who truly do more with less are those who attend HYPSM on free-rides (because their families make only $60K or less).</p>