@spalak3, people have different opinions.
I personally don’t think there’s any way that USC can break in to the top 10. Even the top 20 will be quite difficult. Schools can game rankings to move up very quickly at lower levels, but it’s much harder once you get above 30.
I’ll let this thread speak for itself:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/business-school-mba/1224650-top-feeder-colleges-to-americas-elite-b-schools.html#latest
Also, personally, I feel that what you want to study should play a big role in your decision-making. An econ curriculum and BBA curriculum can be quite different.
And again, I just don’t think there is a big difference between UMich Econ and Marshall undergrad from a standpoint of level of opportunities, but you’ll likely get different opportunities. So really dig in to the curriculum and class syllabi to see what interests you more.
You both made the right choice for each one of your need.
I think USC is on the rise but not sure it will be that quickly. I was really surprised when I talked to my daughter and the friends she had at her sorority. Her friends were accepted to a lot of great grad schools.
I agree the climb will be much more difficult but if you consider USC’s resources and assets, including consistently ranking in the top ten of university fundraising for a couple of decades, obtaining the most 9 figure gifts of any college in America, maintaining a low deferred (physical plant) maintenance (a gift of nature given the lack of snow), and the expansion of the campus (for the uninitiated, USC is building a $650 mil residential, mixed use complex adjacent to the main campus, set to open in 2017), not including the rise in rankings and student selectivity (17 percent admit rate and falling), USC is well positioned to achieve its lofty goals. I further believe USC can achieve Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Rice, Georgetown, Emory and Notre Dame ranking equivalency in 10-15 years.
@SeattleTW, I give USC credit for trying, but even with all that, the endowments of Northwestern, Emory, and ND are 2-3 times bigger than USC’s while Rice has one of the biggest endowments on a per student basis around. These are all smaller schools as well, so on a per capita basis, they’re even higher above USC (USC does have about the same amount of money as Vandy and more than Georgetown, however, though, again, these are smaller schools). UMich’s endowment is also more than double USC’s. It’s a bigger school, but not more than double the size, so on a per student basis (and also when you add in the state subsidies), they also have more to spend per student.
And for all that, USC has climbed from the 24th biggest endowment in 1993 to the 21st biggest in 2013.
That’s why climbing up above 20 is so difficult; you’re not competing against relatively poorer schools any more but many with some major financial firepower.
The only schools that have been able to break in to the top 20 so far without a relatively large endowment have been JHU and Georgetown.
Contrary to what some rankings may suggest, very little separates the top universities. There are obviously differences in philosophy and approach, but in terms of overall quality, with the exception of a handful of truly exceptional universities (Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT and Yale), there are approximately 60 or so elite colleges and universities. USC and Michigan are among them. When choosing between those colleges and universities, financial considerations aside, I recommend going for fit.
I agree; however, rankings will change along with perception. In the 1950s, Michigan, Chicago and Cal were perceived of as being higher ranked than Stanford, which achieved greatness in the 1960s. Money is a huge factor, and in that department, USC has quite a few billionaire undergraduate alumni (and parents of kids) who just might catapult USC to the top…
http://www.businessinsider.com/universities-with-most-billionaire-undergraduate-alumni-2014-9
At the end of the day, and despite the rankings frenzy, it’s all about fit. Does an introvert want Michigan or USC, for example, or would she prefer Smith College instead? Does an extrovert really want to be around nerdy kids at Harvard or would he fit better at Notre Dame? I kind of wish I had checked out Hampton Sydney, for example. Today’s options, especially with the internet, are limitless.