<p>For business it’s USC all the way. Part of the appeal of a school like USC is the career opportunities it will open for you, especially in Los Angeles. Cornell, though prestigious due to its Ivy status, is in no way known for business, and it’s econ program is shabby in comparison to Harvard or Penn’s. It seems like an employer would rather see someone with a degree from a great business school at an elite and respected school (USC) vs. an applied econ degree from a decent program at a highly elite and pretigious school. </p>
<p>LA also=cooler than Ithaca.</p>
<p>And USC will set you up very well for top tier MBAs, i.e. Wharton, Northwestern, and ESPECIALLY Stanford.</p>
<p>So for whatever my opinion may be worth (seeing as you don’t know me), USC sounds like the way to go.</p>