Which of these schools are worth your money: UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC?

Question

Are these colleges worth looking into, and would I get an education worth the tuition I'm paying? And why? (be specific as to why instead of just saying "cuz they're good schools") If a school in particular is not worth it, please share why. Please give me an honest answer instead of making assumptions or giving a biased opinion. Thanks in advance and 10 points for best answer!

Answer 1

USC costs the same or less than the UC's for many because they have much better financial aid. The UC's load you up on loans and call that aid. They also take at least 5 years for everyone who doesn't have a slew of AP credits coming in. All of this combined with the budget cuts due to Cali's present crisis makes me want to avoid any Cali state school like the plague.

Answer 2

Well, in all honesty, you can get a good education anywhere-- the laws of physics, math, etc are the same at Harvard and Humbolt state, and let's face it a lot of professors don't wind up as professors because they're great teachers. I've had great professors at unprestigeous schools and terrible professors at highly reputable ones. That said in the real world reputation does matter.

If you can get into a top school like Berkeley or USC you'll have an easier time getting into a good grad school, and probably also an easier time getting a job. Berkeley or UCLA may also be good deals in and of themselves if you live in state, or any of them if you can get a good financial aid package. Also Cal is in a beautiful and interesting location (can't really tell you much about USC/UCLA.)

Answer 3

ucla and berkeley

Answer 4

       They are indeed all great schools. They all worth your money!!!

       I think no matter what school you are going to, education can always help you.

       Personally,I would prefer UC Berkeley because this school is more famous !!!

        It has a lot of majors for me to choose from,too.

       That is just my own opinion.

      

        

Answer 5

I can't speak for UCLA aside from the fact that some of my best friends are Bruins. But I can tell you about Berkeley and USC. I was an undergrad at Cal, and I did my masters degree at USC.

Three SEMESTERS at USC cost more than my 4 years at Cal. (And babs, I graduated from Cal in 4 years with a double major.)

Tuition has gone up at Cal and UCLA since I left, but it is still cheaper as an in-state student to go to a UC school than USC or Stanfurd. On the bright side, USC does offer a lot of financial aid to good students (heiresses and trust fund kids need not apply -- you bought your way in, and they aren't going to cut you any breaks).

Now was all the expense worth it? I actually have to say yes to both USC and Cal. Why? Because at Cal I got a top-notch education, Ivy-comparable, and it didn't bankrupt my parents. At USC I got a great education in a program that directly led to me getting a career, so it is definitely a factor in the size of my paycheck. Can't complain about that, either.

Anyway, if you can get the financial aid and a job right after USC, then go ahead and enjoy being a Trojan. However I'd say for undergrad, UC Berkeley and UCLA are great values all around. Berkeley ranked best out of all of them. But what are you looking for in terms of a school environment? USC and UCLA are both kinda preppy. Berkeley is berzerkly.

Answer 6

Neniaf is correct.  both UCLA and UC Berkeley are well worth the money, they are major bargains in fact.  they are better schools than most private schools at a bargain price (for CA residents anyway) .  USC, not so much.  It is a good school but it soooo expensive.  I would not choose USC over the other 2.

Answer 7

Both UC Berkeley and UCLA are public schools, and therefore relatively inexpensive.  Furthermore, they are both outstanding schools, and definitely worth the tuition.  USC is a private school and very expensive.  As an academic institution, it has improved tremendously over the past few days, but its best benefit is still its extremely strong alumni network.  I've never heard anyone who graduated from any one of these three schools complain that their education was not the tuition (I went halfway through UCLA as an undergrad and went back there for my masters, and having lived in California for almost 40 years of my life, I know hundreds of graduates of each of the three schools).