Hi guys, I was accepted back in May for fall semester. I was deciding between UC Irvine and USC bc I was waiting for my financial aid package. Just found out I’d have to pay $17k for USC, or attend UCI for $9300. USC gave a lot of aid but still seems a little steep. What should I do?
@brookeiu There were apparently 3 successful appeals mentioned in this year’s thread. It would be nice if these were all in the stats thread, but here they are
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22338195#Comment_22338195
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22338459#Comment_22338459
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22338346#Comment_22338346
And yes, I agree with what has been said. Usually, successful appeals discuss something new. I believe my appeal wasn’t entirely successful because it basically was just a re-hash of my initial admissions essay. I’ve actually never had a successful appeal. I appealed to UCLA, USC, and CSULB twice (for the fall and spring semester) and I just didn’t have any luck. I would take this to mean that my reason for appealing simply wasn’t compelling enough. It doesn’t hurt to send an appeal, but at this point, you likely wouldn’t find out until August. When my rejection was upheld, I just received an email in early to mid August that stated my appeal was not successful. So it’s best to make other plans in the meantime. And if the appeal works out, that’s great - and it’s obviously happened a few times this cycle. Just don’t necessarily bank on it happening and have other plans.
@zettasyntax thank you so much for taking the time to link me those successful appeal. I really appreciate it and I wish you the best in whatever you have in the future!!
@Chez59 the 17k would be just for housing? or just tuition??
@zettasyntax you appealed twice for USC? like you did for fall, they said no in august and then again for spring??
Hey guys, i was accepted into Marshall yesterday and I had a few questions. I did one year at two community colleges ending with 35 units my freshman year, i’m transferring as a sophomore into usc in spring 2020. i was just wondering what i’m supposed to do during the fall: take classes, not do anything, just wait till spring etc… Thank you!
@chez59 $17K is steep for an $80,000 school? Uh, ok.
Unfortunately for some it is
@chez59 If the 8k difference a year is a hardship then go to the cheaper school. If your major is not a high paying one upon graduation or you need grad school then save the money. If you question if it is worth paying/borrowing that much more or working in order to attend USC, etc., then it probably isn’t the school to choose.
@Doodlesack Grr, being a linguistics major, I should have noticed the ambiguity of where the twice could attach. I meant I appealed to CSULB twice. I only appealed to USC once.
@fightonggg Most spring admits do take classes. I didn’t really do anything because I had taken nearly 100 units at my CC and they wouldn’t waive my course fees anymore. I would have completed my foreign language requirement, but I didn’t want to take just one class and I wanted to see what Spanish was like at USC. I’m glad I didn’t knock out the requirement at CC. Spanish III at USC was one of my absolute favorite courses.
@Chez59 I’m curious too if that 17K is mostly from housing. USC estimated that I needed to pay 16K, but they had covered my entire tuition. Pretty much the bulk of the cost came from housing. I wound up paying a lot less because I chose to commute. I did have to take out loans to cover the student insurance though. I do realize not all students have the luxury of commuting. UCLA on the other hand, said I would need to pay about 9K and I definitely would have needed to take out loans to cover housing because commuting would have been a little difficult. When I thought I was going to UCLA and went to orientation, the Uber took over 1 hour and 30 minutes. That would not have been a fun commute. Paying roughly 7K more for a private school like USC seems pretty reasonable to me, but I do see how stuff like housing costs might make it a bit hard to manage for some. My mom didn’t want me taking out loans just to live on-campus, so I understand the concern.
How long do I need to wait to get my official USC email to be able to apply for housing?
@939383 It’s the weekend. Nothing till at least Monday, and if spring admit, probably longer than the usual 24-48 hours. They are likely working on fall admit stuff.
@Doodlesack and @zettasyntax Yeah it would be for tuition, it looks like $9600 would be for housing alone. I know I’d save much more money if I just commute, but also one thing about transferring out of community college is to move out in my eyes. I just feel like it’s time to grow and experience new things, living on campus would help. The commute would be an hour each way, probably more bc traffic is always a problem lol.
@blueskies2day Well sorry it seems like a lot of money to me, that’s why I went to community college first. My brother is also in college and we both plan on getting a masters degree to reach our career goals. My major is psychology, and yes I do have grad school planned.
I know I can’t go wrong with either school. My mom passed away when I was a freshman in high school and USC was one of the colleges she wanted me to attend, along with UCLA or Stanford. I didn’t apply to Stanford and I was waitlisted to UCLA, didn’t hear back from them yet though.
I know I should have made a decision a long time ago, both schools are great but I’m so torn on where to attend
@chez59 Sorry to hear about your mom. We are both saying the same thing. Since it is a lot of money to you, then you really need to accept that USC isn’t the practical choice and should attend the less expensive school. UCI and many schools are fine for undergrad psych, it doesn’t really make a difference. Yes it would be great to live on campus, just like some people would think it is great to drive a Mercedes. But if they can’t afford it, they can’t afford it. However, would you be willing to get a job while in school to fund the difference? Somebody has to pay the bills.
To have any kind of career in psych, you will need a masters. Who is paying for that? The best thing you can do is start saving where you can for that now. Understand the limits you have and the goals you want. Be smart about how you get there.
Crazy how USC plays the transfer game to fill up the gap and keep its acceptance rate low.
When do you all think we will get our acceptance packages? Early this week, like maybe Monday or Tuesday? I’m a spring admit if that changes anything.
@zettasyntax @CADREAMIN As a Spring admit, I will not have school until January. However, should I still plan on staying in California from now until then? I have looked up the dates for winter orientation, and they are available starting in December. Do you guys think it is best to remain in California in case I have to complete documentation? I submitted my deposit on the day of my acceptance, but I am still waiting to receive further information. I do not want to make hasty travel plans in case something unexpected comes up. What do you guys think is best in my situation? Thank you!
@Steamedz how much was the deposit?
@zettasyntax so you appealed for USC this term? Sounds like you got a yes? If yes, how long it took?
@airway1 the transfer GAME?