Marshall (USC) Class of 2016 Calling all applicants!

Was very torn between Anderson and Marshall going in to application season but found Marshall to be a much better fit for me. I'd love to see the school return to being ranked where it belongs (seriously feel like this year was a fluke) and I think it's certainly possible. Fit is now the defining principle by which I'm making my decision and considering that, USC all the way.

People had asked about my Anderson experience (and why it was so awful) and I was sure to spell it out fairly on that thread.

Marshall on the other has been incredibly welcoming. I knew immediately during my class visit that the element of being collaborative and supportive of one another (something you'll always hear about EVERYWHERE) was a true reality here. The Trojan network is indeed real and I was happy to see it in action when applying.

And to be totally honest - in terms of a long term investment, USC makes a lot of sense. It is far from complacent with it's rise over the past 2 decades and has its best years ahead of itself. This is a school that transformed itself with the leverage of dedicated alumni, huge donations, and a city that respects it. In regards to university wide progress - SC by far is one of the biggest success stories in recent time. I think its positioned itself well to continue climbing the ranks in every sense.

This was also the ONLY program I found to actually care about being an integrated part of their community. There's no sense of ivory tower syndrome here and embracing actual community diversity was refreshing. Try and find a community that is happy to have a school located in it. Not too easy.

My metrics for choosing a program have changed and I'll 99.9999% be matriculating at SC over a pair of top 10 school's and Anderson. This is based off of (in order for me) finding the best fit, good West Coast placement, a strong network, and finally rankings.

For those making the LA decision, I hope you discover what matters most now that you have a great pair of options. It's tough being real with yourself and eliminating the elitism that is ingrained with the MBA process. When I was finally real with myself I found my answer.