<p>“It’s all about the location (there are not enough good colleges in L.A.)!”</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but that statement is just so far from true. LA specifically is home to UCLA and USC, of course, but also schools like Occidental, Chapman, LMU, Pepperdine, etc. and it trickles down so there’s really a place for everyone. Of course, you can’t forget about the Claremont Colleges right outside of LA, too. And when you look at California as a whole with the best weather and the best public university system in the country, it’s a pretty attractive place to spend 4+ years.</p>
<p>As far as USC goes, when someone says it’s “not that good,” I really have to disagree with them. I think that it’s the kind of school where hard work is rewarded, but it’s really what you make of the experience. As long as you put academics first during your time as a student at USC, you should graduate with options to either get a job or go to a solid graduate school. With that being said, I think you could probably get away with not trying so hard and still graduating, which I’m sure many choose to do, but the value of just an undergraduate degree from USC is not the same as one from say, Stanford. Still an amazing place.</p>