[DeltAlum]

Just one final thought -- maybe.

The real reason to go to college is to prepare yourself to make a living in the "real world" (with appologies to MTV).

I've been a hiring manager for over twenty years, and during that time have hired only two people from my alma mater -- which is considered to be one of the very best broadcasting schools in the world.

Here's why...

I think in reality, where you go to school only really counts in "the professions" like medicine and law. What is really important is to get your first job and some experience. After that, it's only the fact that you have a degree from somewhere that counts. Experience is far more important.

And, I echo what some have said above that if you plan on grad school, that's the degree that really counts -- if only for the fact that it's the last one people read on your resume -- the bottom line, so to speak.

So, Newbie, if your heart is set on USC, and you can deal with the cost and loans at other stuff -- I wish you the very best. But, if you end up somewhere else, things will work out in the long run. Getting a degree is the most important part of the equation.