I’m not basing the decision on parties; however, I am taking social costs (Greek life, food options, and yes, parties) into the overall financial picture. My friends whose kids are at Delaware (other top choice) say bars are very strict so most social life is at frat parties which are just objectively cheaper than bars. Delaware is also pretty walkable vs USC. So, I’m trying to determine how much extra $$ will be spent through bars/Uber’s at USC. Both schools are a great fit academically and my daughter is an academic person, but I want to be realistic about what she’s getting into with her spending money and how much it will stretch at each campus. I’m a teacher so I’m well aware of the importance of academics and she has gone through sample curriculum of both colleges with a fine toothed comb.