What kind of reputation do these three schools hold: UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC?

Question

All three of these schools may be known for many different things, but what are they known for the most? Most brightest/careless students, academics, faculty, party school or not, inhabited by kids who paid their way in or kids who got in because of hard work, etc? Just share anything you know for a fact, instead of assuming or giving a biased answer. Thanks in advance, and 10 points for best answer!

Answer 1

In the academic community, all three are known for being very good schools; they're all well respected and known to have high-quality professors and serious, smart students.

USC, being a private school, has a more of a reputation of "kids who paid their way in" than the other two (people here in Los Angeles call USC the University of Spoiled Children), but this is probably somewhat unfounded.  It's certainly a school with very serious academic rigor.  

Berkeley, though well respected academically, is known anecdotally as a more drug-centric school, likely due to its location in the Bay Area, its very liberal policies, and its many activist groups.  When I took a tour of the Berkeley campus in May, though, the tour guide mentioned that the Campus Republicans were the second largest student organization on campus.

UCLA has a pretty overall solid reputation.  There's probably just as much partying there as at the other two, but you don't hear about it.

Answer 2

Overall, you can't go wrong with any of those three schools mentioned above.

I'd say the brightest students are at Berkeley, along with the most "Pineapple Express"-stoned ones. But then again, I'd say Berkeley is the most academically prestigious out of the three and have students who got in because of hard work. Also, I guess Berkeley is seen as the most liberal of the three; I hear they have lots of demonstrations on campus on a daily basis.

UCLA is just a solid school. It's the most urban and most modernized, I'd say, and has the best social environment outside of campus (the Westwood area, much things to do there; my favorite is Diddy Reese: an ice cream sandwich for $1.50!). Both UCLA and Berkeley have some of the most renown professors.

USC is I guess known as the school for those who paid their way in (I hear that tuition is at around 50 K). That said, it's still a great school. Environment-wise, it's not the best campus just because in situated near South Central L.A. But this school also has its academic merits and a solid alumni network (for potentially career hook-ups, but so do the other two schools).

But again, all three are solid schools.