Which is better for internships, WashU or USC?

For internships specifically, USC usually offers the easier path during the school year because of where it is and how connected it is to Los Angeles industries. Being in LA matters a lot for part-time internships during the semester, especially in entertainment, media, business, tech, communications, and certain startup or healthcare spaces.

WashU can still lead to excellent internships, but it tends to work best for students who are comfortable being more intentional about pursuing summer opportunities in bigger national markets. St. Louis has solid options in healthcare, biotech, consulting, nonprofits, and finance, and WashU has strong academic credibility with employers. But the city is not as internship-dense across as many industries as LA, so during the school year the local advantage is usually less expansive than what USC students can tap into.

USC is especially appealing for a student who wants to intern repeatedly while classes are in session. If your goal is to build experience semester after semester, meet employers in person, and use a large metro area as part of your college experience, USC has a real edge.

WashU makes more sense for a student who cares more about a strong academic environment first and is fine using summers strategically. A WashU student can absolutely land internships in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, or back home, but that process may rely more on career center support, networking, and planning ahead rather than simply being near a huge volume of employers during the semester.

So if campus-year access and location-driven internships are the priority, USC stands out more clearly. If you are targeting fields where WashU is especially well respected, like pre-med related research, healthcare, or some analytical fields, the difference narrows, but USC is still the more naturally internship-rich setting overall.