One star for location, but none for academics & sports. Chapman does not appear to be competitive enough when it comes to academics & sports, due to the lack of programs (Science: Organic Chem, Physiology & Anthro: One of the CORE subjects in Social Sciences) in both areas (Lower tiers as well). However, Chapman did in fact spread news about overtaking USC, UCLA, & NYU's film schools, since Chapman is known for film & animation, but we all know how that turned out in 2012, where USC took #1 in the top 25 film schools, whereas Chapman placed #13.
Now, many people say that Chapman has a powerful film school, but so does USC. So people argue that Chapman is FAR cheaper in tuition, so they would rather much choose Chapman over USC . But here's the cost:
Chapman: $42,084 tuition and fees; Acceptance: 44.9%; Student-Faculty Ratio: 14:1 (2012-2013)
USC: $44,463 tuition and fees; Acceptance: 23.0%; Student-Faculty Ratio: 9:1 (2012-2013)
Neither is cheap, but take a look at the acceptance rate & the student-faculty ratio, that is where it matters. That alone shows that SC means business. If you look at Best Colleges website, you will obtain more information/stats between the two schools. And don't confuse yourself with regional ranking & NATIONAL ranking. Chapman ranks at #6 in regional (the West), USC ranks at #24 on a NATIONAL (entire North America) level (tied with UCLA), whereas Chapman is unranked (or maybe ranked somewhere in the 100s or further, I didn't look that far).
Now, for my thoughts, if I wanted to do film/productions etc., I would most likely choose a top film school (USC), but also the location (Hollywood, networking, no brainer). Chapman is located in Orange........ Now, don't get me wrong, Orange has a pretty scenery, especially the Chapman campus, but it's not Hollywood, & difficult to reach out to any film industry (assuming). Just a food for thought.
People say that reputation doesn't matter, but it really does matter in fact. People, namely employers, will want to know what school you came out from. Now, if you weigh in Chapman, USC, UCLA, NYU, most people may not know what Chapman is. I myself didn't know what Chapman was until 2010. USC & NYU for example, shows notable alumnus (actors/directors=A lot of them), & believe it or not, the famous ones donate a lot of money to these schools, namely George Lucus (USC alumni).
With that said, choose your university carefully, the two I emphasized the most cost almost the same, but only one can provide a world class education, along with a STRONG network. If I said that the two were the same at everything, then the ranks wouldn't matter. read more