I personally was considering both USC and NU because I was also interested in journalism.
I don’t think you would be crazy to pick USC over NU for social life. But, keep in mind that NU is a big 10 school. There are still parties, sororities/frats, etc. just like USC.
I personally would reach out to students going to both USC and NU to see which people you vibe with more.
I don’t know where you are from, but USC is going to have a lot of California kids while northwestern will have a lot of midwestern kids. Depends on your preference.
Personally, I loved USC’s campus but did not like the surrounding area of it. Evanston/Northwestern felt much more like a college town to me.
Both journalism programs are extremely well ranked. This is not a bad decision you have to make. It also doesn’t hurt to make a pros/cons list. Good luck!!!