Pitt Swanson or USC Viterbi

wgmcp101
Tue, 02 Apr 2013 06:43:34 +0000

Why is “alumni” listed under USC? Pitt has 303K living alumni, USC has 343K…that isn’t significantly different. Numbers of undergrad alumni, which are typically the most active, probably favors Pitt slightly.

Location may be good for getting away if you are thinking about Southern California in general, but the neighborhood USC is located in has quite a poor reputation.

You have a family member that is a professor of engineering, I really think you should talk to them. They’ll know the field better than anyone, particularly the importance of school prestige. Really, I think it would mostly matter only where you plan to look for jobs after graduation because there is regional bias. Most people in the east don’t know much about USC except for its football teams, and the reverse is true for Pitt out west. Internships are probably more important for job offers than any difference that may exist between Pitt and USC in US News rankings.