Trouble Deciding School

blueskies18

blueskies18

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I'm not sure where the correct place to post about this would be so please feel free to move it elsewhere, but I need some advice on deciding between schools.

I was fortunate enough to receive acceptance into USC, which I was not expecting. I am now conflicted between ERAU Prescott vs USC. I received a Type 1 AFROTC scholarship, so the price is something I am not considering. Does anyone know how the detachments might compare? The differences in opportunities available? Large class sizes intimidate me, and that is a huge reason I feel comfortable with ERAU, but I feel as if USC has better opportunities in general: for student life and afrotc. I am visiting ERAU soon and meeting with their recruiting officer and will try to do the same for USC, but I wanted some general opinions as well. My degree would be in aerospace engineering if that helps with any advice giving. I am torn as I can see myself at both schools and hope that a month will be enough to decide. Thank you in advance for any advice.
 
Forget the detachment consideration. That's not going to make much of a difference either way. Take Viterbi! After core classes like calc and physics the class sizes will be significantly smaller. There are so many more opportunities at USC.
 
MDRDV said:
Forget the detachment consideration. That's not going to make much of a difference either way. Take Viterbi! After core classes like calc and physics the class sizes will be significantly smaller. There are so many more opportunities at USC.
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Okay, thank you
 
It depends on what you want. ERAU places a lot of focus on aviation (obviously). If that is where your passions are, it may be a great fit. USC will have more diverse opportunities, but will lack the focus of ERAU and its students toward aviation. Do you want to "deep dive" or get a more general education? (Both have merit)
 
I may be biased as I live in Los Angeles, but go to USC and no i didn't go there. You will get one great collegiate experience there. My son visited the ERAU in Florida and felt it was very sterile. I don't know if you are male or female, but the male to female ratio is extreme in Florida and while I heard Arizona isn't as bad, it still has way more males.
 
Hmmm, is this relating to the University of Southern California or the University of South Carolina? Both have AFROTC detachments.
 
Humey said:
I may be biased as I live in Los Angeles, but go to USC and no i didn't go there. You will get one great collegiate experience there. My son visited the ERAU in Florida and felt it was very sterile. I don't know if you are male or female, but the male to female ratio is extreme in Florida and while I heard Arizona isn't as bad, it still has way more males.
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I am female, so this is something I did factor in a little as I know the ratio is pretty extreme. And thanks for the advice!
 
raimius said:
It depends on what you want. ERAU places a lot of focus on aviation (obviously). If that is where your passions are, it may be a great fit. USC will have more diverse opportunities, but will lack the focus of ERAU and its students toward aviation. Do you want to "deep dive" or get a more general education? (Both have merit)
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I definitely do want to stay diverse, and participate on teams such as "design, build, fly" as well as get involved in some undergraduate research - and USC would definitely be the better choice for that. I did want to do Arnold Air Society too though, but I don't think the USC detachment runs it, while ERAU does.
 
raimius said:
It depends on what you want. ERAU places a lot of focus on aviation (obviously). If that is where your passions are, it may be a great fit. USC will have more diverse opportunities, but will lack the focus of ERAU and its students toward aviation. Do you want to "deep dive" or get a more general education? (Both have merit)
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There are several SAF threads exploring the generalist vs. specialist question.

As a general rule, I would recommend that an 18 yr old STEM major stay a generalist as long as possible. Their brains are not yet formed and they have very little life experience on which to base an informed decision about their future 5-10 years hence. Besides, advances in technology, as well as changes in the job market and national security priorities, occur faster than anyone can predict.

I don't mean to be condescending, but this was the advice of a friend who chairs an Engineering Dept at a Big 10 University. His advice was in regard to my STEM DSes and was proven correct in both cases.

Best of luck to OP!
 
Unlike others I won’t tell you which one to pick. Frankly, I would discount such advice saying which one to pick.
Neither is a bad choice. As others pointed out, they are different paths and you need to decide which path you want to take. ERAU is the more specialized path, while USC is the more general path. I don’t know that I’ve worked with anyone who went to USC, but I have worked with people who went to similar schools, and many who have gone to ERAU. If you go the ERAU route you will be immersed in aviation, if that is what you want. If you go to USC there will be more options, but I don’t think there will be flight training opportunities unless you really seek them out, and that’s tough with a normal student load.
Have you done any flying? If not, look into doing a discovery flight. Is there glider training nearby where you can do some glider flights? Doing so my help you decide.
 
UHBlackhawk said:
Unlike others I won’t tell you which one to pick. Frankly, I would discount such advice saying which one to pick.
Neither is a bad choice. As others pointed out, they are different paths and you need to decide which path you want to take. ERAU is the more specialized path, while USC is the more general path. I don’t know that I’ve worked with anyone who went to USC, but I have worked with people who went to similar schools, and many who have gone to ERAU. If you go the ERAU route you will be immersed in aviation, if that is what you want. If you go to USC there will be more options, but I don’t think there will be flight training opportunities unless you really seek them out, and that’s tough with a normal student load.
Have you done any flying? If not, look into doing a discovery flight. Is there glider training nearby where you can do some glider flights? Doing so my help you decide.
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I actually already have my PPL, so I am not looking for a university that can offer flight training. My goals for uni are to do great in AFROTC, get my AE degree, and try to join clubs/teams that will help me learn things outside the classroom.
 
blueskies18 said:
I actually already have my PPL, so I am not looking for a university that can offer flight training. My goals for uni are to do great in AFROTC, get my AE degree, and try to join clubs/teams that will help me learn things outside the classroom.
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Which of these schools will help you further those goals?
That’s your path.
 
blueskies18 said:
I'm not sure where the correct place to post about this would be so please feel free to move it elsewhere, but I need some advice on deciding between schools.

I was fortunate enough to receive acceptance into USC, which I was not expecting. I am now conflicted between ERAU Prescott vs USC. I received a Type 1 AFROTC scholarship, so the price is something I am not considering. Does anyone know how the detachments might compare? The differences in opportunities available? Large class sizes intimidate me, and that is a huge reason I feel comfortable with ERAU, but I feel as if USC has better opportunities in general: for student life and afrotc. I am visiting ERAU soon and meeting with their recruiting officer and will try to do the same for USC, but I wanted some general opinions as well. My degree would be in aerospace engineering if that helps with any advice giving. I am torn as I can see myself at both schools and hope that a month will be enough to decide. Thank you in advance for any advice.
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I have parental experience with AFROTC at USC. But, if you got into USC, you should take it - it's not an easy school to get into for a reason. Plus, part of college is meeting new people and being exposed to new ideas, and you'll find that at USC. There will also be many non-ROTC activities and clubs to get involved with. And USC has strong financial support and excellent facilities, along with one of the best alumni networks which can be of help once you enter the civilian sector.
The AFROTC unit there is top-notch and has great command but also allows a lot of cadet-run programs. They even have a surf club and PT on the beach.
Finally, there are a lot of strong females in the cadre including leadership roles. Good luck and congrats!
Also, they offer an additional $4k to ROTC scholarship winners and offer good, but not great, additional money based on aid.
 
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