<p>I suppose ‘ruthless’ is a terribly inept word; what I was looking for was something just a tad above ‘extremely dedicated’ sans the malicious connotation.</p>
<p>And as to the top schools being the same, I meant in terms of quality and opportunities.</p>
<p>Just wanted to be sure that you all were aware that if accepted to the RHP, you’ll have access to another small (200 student) USC honors program, Thematic Option (TO), for all of your GE and writing seminars, so that every GE will be a small seminar, taught by a professor, and your writing classes will be tiny and include frequent 1:1 meetings with the teacher. TO classes are very reading and writing intensive, and pretty rigorous, but with most of the students there because they were invited to apply, and because they want an intense intellectual experience, it’s reputed to be an outstanding program.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder; that’s just the kind of program for which I am personally going to apply whether I go to USC via RHP or possibly through normal application.</p>
<p>As to the whole east coast vs. west coast thing you guys have been discussing, I was just wondering what you thought of LA as a place in which to go to college. I mean, I don’t want to sound snobbish being an east coaster but is it really all that intellectual? I’m afraid we RHP kids would be marginalized by the larger football Trojan-y culture, let alone the hedonistic way of life in Los Angeles at large. Yes, I exaggerate, but I sometimes wonder how legit this thing is</p>
<p>But don’t get me wrong, I think USC is a fantastic university. Especially for film, which I applied to, it’s virtually unparalleled. And there’s nothing wrong with sunny weather (although global warming is making my winter awfully mild)</p>
<p>LA not intellectual? It’s just as intellectual as NYC or Chicago or any other big city, from what I’ve seen. If you focus on the street gangs and the crime rates etc., then it can sound intimidating. If you focus on the majority of people who live around here and their culture (Mexican/Latio/Etc.) it may seem more laid-back and less rigorous than you might like. If you focus on the museums, cultural festivals, the sheer number of colleges, the sheer quality of said colleges . . . well, the only real difference is the weather. Besides the fact that four years before the United States was revolting against Britain, the wise Junipero Serra was busy building missions and spreading knowledge, literacy, and Christianity to the Native Americans in California. </p>
<p>Anyway, you can find anything you like out here in California that you want–We’ve got a great many historical sites, top-knotch Universities and public Library systems, and a diverse landscape. To think California won’t expand your mind is due to such deplorable programming as Laguna Beach, the OC, etc. There’s a heck of a lot more to be discovered here besides film. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to come off as unduly indignant, but it’s quite true that really California is competition for the whole of New England, and that’s a fact. </p>
<p>Anyhow, global warming has not affected us down here. Actually, we’ve experienced global chilling. </p>
<p>So yeah. Anyone else getting more nervous? I think we’ll be hearing about our acceptance/nonacceptance by the first week or two of February–that’s when applicants from prior years have received their letters. </p>
<p>This forum has calmed my nerves some, come on guys, let’s get posting again.</p>
<p>The intellectual vitality you are seeking should be found at all top universities no matter where they are located. There are students who turn down top East coast schools to be at USC. USC is a balanced, fine university. I think you should be evaluating your admissions choices based upon which school has the best program for what you want to study (and what you/your family can afford).</p>
<p>but then again, 50 colleges in 50 sq mi within boston. intense. </p>
<p>california doesn’t have that concentrated collegiate environment that boston has. and while the individual colleges may be just as rigorous, the distance matters. people who go to boston university have the opportunity to work in a lab at MIT or Harvard. there’s a level of collaboration that probably doesn’t happen in california. just saying.
and the concentration of good schools can convince any parent who wants their child to stay around that it’s the best course of action. i.e. “why go to california/[insert state here], harvard’s right there!”</p>
<p>“Intense” within Boston is correct. We went to Boston and did NOT want that area. The weather is extremely cold. There is a lost in the crowd feeling as the town is loaded with college students. In fact, I never saw so many college students in one place. And, I am sure that schools like Harvard and MIT are filled with students who are “intense” about their academic pursuits. Some people don’t like living around so much academic and social pressure.</p>
<p>haha. but the closeness in distance for me makes it appealing.
and i love the competitiveness. and the air is always alive with action. it’s great.
i’m visiting my friends later this year on campus in boston, and while i personally wouldn’t mind going elsewhere–the majority of my friends and my school are going to stay in boston.</p>
<p>You have posted many times on the USC forum about the early entrance program, yet seem to want to live in Boston close to home and familiar friends. I don’t quite understand it–since you like Boston so much, why are you considering moving to LA? It takes a lot of maturity to be on your own at a younger than usual start time for college (because the program is early entrance). Perhaps you should start in Boston and if you think you want USC, apply for transfer.</p>
<p>quite honestly? I’m mature enough to handle the move–that’s not the problem. it’s the opportunities at, frankly, better reputed institutions here in boston that bothers me because this program is early entrance.
i applied because the opportunity fell into my lap. i am near the top of my class, and i don’t like the subject matter of high school and know what i want to focus on.
my parents had the approach that i could use this application as a practice for next year with the added bonus of possibly going if all the details like financial aid,etc work out.
but i have been increasingly questioning what usc has to offer me. i mean, i do not think that their neuroscience department is as highly sought out as brown’s or mit’s. and the la culture does not seem to suit me. but these are things that i have to consider.
and i would probably never apply to usc regular/transfer.</p>
<p>Did you look into early entrance programs in the Boston area? It sounds like you want to find a more stimulating program than what you have in your high school. Can you go to high school half day and half day internship, community college, etc.? LA culture is very different from the Boston culture. It sounds like you need a more academically stimulating environment than your high school but want to stay near the resources of Boston. I suggest that you find out from your high school guidance counselor if there is another early entrance program or a way that you can be minimally at your high school senior year and participate in other educational/internship/research opportunities.</p>
<p>LA is not intellectual? We got CalTech and the Claremont consortium here. I believe for a certain major a USC student can also take classes at UCLA. I believe in LA or CA in general, you have the intellectuals that walk around in shorts and sandals. In Boston area, you have the intellectuals that walk around in boots and heavy coats. I believe that is the only difference. :p</p>
<p>Having visited Boston and lived in LA, the cities are very different. True, there are some really smart, intellectual people in LA, but LA just doesn’t have the same concentrated, intense feel that Boston has because Boston has many excellent schools all within close proximity without needing a car to get to. I think dopaminescene’s parents want their child to apply to the RHP program at USC for application practice, financial aid (if there is enough of it), and as an option to a less than optimal senior year of high school. At the same time, it sounds like the OP likes Boston and has some second thoughts about coming to LA and is not even sure that USC has the intense neuroscience program s/he wants. I think the most important reason to choose a university is best match of program to your interests, followed by having enough money (or aid) to attend without serious debt. RHP should not be used as a practice application or as a place to attend to get out of high school early. The program is for extremely bright kids who have moved beyond what their high school has to offer and who WANT USC. I would only send my child across the country if the overall package felt like the right fit.</p>
<p>well,
it doesn’t HURT to apply, especially if i don’t get in.
and to not go even if i do get in.
and using rhp as practice is not a stupid idea-- it makes sense because you have to do everything just like an actual application and the usc application process is so ridiculous, that it prepares you for anything that could go wrong with your application, really. [this is the view of my guidance counselor]. and thanks for the suggestions, but don’t you think that if i hadn’t thought of other options, i would be applying to usc in the first place?
i have tried all of those things. i’ve done summer programs. i’ve looked for lab positions. the fact of the matter is my age curtails whatever options i would have had. and boston, while close, is not quite as accessible from my suburb as i would like. and i frankly never even heard of usc until i got that “it’s not too late!” letter from rhp. </p>
<p>i’m probably not going.</p>
<p>mdcissp: You seem to have the most expertise in the debate over the atmospheres of LA vs. Boston, so I’d say your opinion trumps all–we are only teenagers, after all. </p>
<p>I agree with your consensus that the RHP should not be treated as a ‘practice’ application. It is disrespectful, in my opinion, to those who are serious about the program, and also to the school itself. (Not that I think it is meant to be disrespectful, particularly by you, dopaminescene.)Though maybe because I put wholehearted energy into an endeavor, I assume that others do that as well. Anyway, that’s my thought.</p>
<p>dopaminescene: You never heard of USC before the RHP program? I do hope you had not done a lot of college research prior to receiving the letter! And I’m not really sure how you think the USC app. process is ‘ridiculous’–it seemed really straightforward to me. I’ve applied for other stuff that was way more intensive and a lot more nosey.</p>
<p>Going to college all the way across the country though takes a lot of gumption that most people do not have–though I have heard that even being as little as ten or twenty miles away can feel like going to another state. </p>
<p>Anyway, I do want to attend USC and will apply there via regular admissions if I do not get in through RHP. Since I cannot count on Stanford–no one really can count on a top-five school–I’ll likely be in a toss-up between maybe the Claremonts, UCLA, and USC (though the latter is my preferred choice). I understand your hesitation, dopaminescene–I too want to be close to home.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, I am allowed to be sad at the glimpse of your potential friendship so quickly lost. It would have been nice to look forward to seeing you there, circumstances permitting.</p>
<p>I am kind of surprised that a professional guidance counselor would recommend applying to a university program to practice filling out an application. It is really best to only apply to those schools which truly capture your heart and that you could envision yourself happy there. It is fine if you want to stay close to home and enjoy Boston. I personally thought Boston was too cold, too impersonal, too competitive, too expensive and just overwhelming. Some people thrive on the huge number of resources in Boston and flock there for those reasons (many academic and social opportunities). I think the OP should give it a great deal of thought before moving so far away from her home, family and friends.</p>
<p>I also want to add that this forum is FULL of NICE, HELPFUL people who know something about USC and LA and I am grateful for the support, ideas, and resources of great people here.</p>