Marshall (USC) Class of 2016 Calling all applicants!

Yea the inferiority complex is definitely a central part of the UCLA experience in many ways. I went there for undergrad so remember it well. It is an amazing school but we always liked to compare ourselves to schools that are (and always will be) considered superior. If you look back in time, UCLA once reigned supreme in California and was a top 10 program ahead of Haas. I think where it is now is likely where it will stay. A well regarded large public institution. Reputations are hard to change and on the east coast it has been forever frustrating trying to assert the rigor beyond the assumptions people make when they hear UCLA. Numerically we outdid plenty of incoming classes at east coast schools that always seem to maintain a stronger image out here.

That said, why a Bruin like me is excited by USC has so much to do with its trajectory. It has made amazing strides in the past 20 years and has asserted itself as a dominant west coast institution. It has managed to break through its "sports only" image and climb the ranks in a miraculous fashion. You just don't see changes as substantial as what USC has accomplished. I remember being pissed seeing SC pass my alma matter a few years back on the US News list for the first time in history. While there still are parts of the school that could perhaps still use work, let me assure you I felt like a number at UCLA at all times. When I got the sense that could happen again at Anderson, Marshall suddenly attracted me in ways I never had considered.

USC has earned its place through strategic thinking, hard work, and investment. It's endowment has grown ridiculously fast showing how connected its alums remain. And let's not forget that these are alums who graduated from the school when it wasn't considered a peer to UCLA but rather at a lower level. I've never benefited from my school's alumni base and I know while we love calling ourselves Bruins we did not come up in the same tradition and obligation to our school that I feel every time I go to USC.

The numbers game UCLA is playing scares me. I'm not a traditional b school applicant. While I did fine on the GMAT I'm still not clear how my score speaks to my abilities to work well in teams and be an integral part to any professional or scholastic community. I will give Haas plenty of points in this regard as they would be a program that also put a lot of thought into their application and methodology for crafting an incoming class. Anderson really screwed up in this regard. Of course if you're about gaming the system - they did great. More applicants as the application became ridiculously easier will boos stats. There's no way I shared my story even through my lack luster interview there. I don't enjoy hating on UCLA but I really was so disappointed after I'd built up returning as a grad student.

My final point is an ironic one as I was once an undergrad who always referred to UCLA beating out USC hands down for location. As someone starting to work in social impact, it sickens me the elitist attitude we took on in this regard. USC was named College of the Year in 2000 by Time Magazine because of its relationship with its surrounding communities. The neighborhoods around USC benefit form the university in so many ways and it truly is trying to change the lives of Angelinos for the better. There was a huge push for volunteering at UCLA but it never felt genuine or impactful. And let me assure you anyone north of Sunset hated having us packing their streets.

Marshall has beaten out every top West Coast MBA program in C4C : Challenge 4 Charity for the past 5 years. It's an amazing testament to how central community is to the USC experience and how balanced the Trojan MBA experience is.

Lastly - I'm ready to FINALLY tailgate ON CAMPUS and go to games I can walk to. Is that a crime?

(The Rose Bowl is such an obnoxious bus ride)