bb wrote:
I lived in LA for 8 years... and USC is not in a nice part of town. As an example of another school in a not great neighborhood, Neither is Booth... so it is definitely not a deal breaker but I also would not pick Booth or Marshall because of a location
I don’t know much about Marshall students or where they live really since it is a recent entrant in Top 20 but the part of the city it is in, next to the 110 and 10 ain’t good. There are student housing areas for undergrads but that’s not where you want to live. My guess most live in SM or West LA and then they take the 10 in and out... also, in LA you must have a car. Not sure about Ithaca but LA is very heavy car-dependent.... you want to have a car or immediately start dating a person with a car
Posted from my mobile deviceNot sure I totally agree on this. DTLA is hip and trending upwards, and no matter what you're still in the Cali sun. You will also be driving so you can commute from somewhere that fits your vibe better. Relative to Ithaca, USC location will be a much more enjoyable 2 years if you're a city person and appreciate the sun.
However -- to the original question -- what should you do -- no one can make this decision but you. Only you can judge and value HOW important post-career NYC placement is. Same thing goes for HOW important 2 years of LA living is. The answer is relative to your own value system.
I would keep in mind -- at a program like Cornell, you can always make an active effort to travel more. And if the post-MBA/long-term benefits all favor Cornell, I would keep in mind you can do things like travel to break up the routine.
I would assume if you're in DTLA there will be less pressure to travel on weekends given all that LA has to offer.