Advice for USD financial aid (transfer student)

MJgirl
Sat, 05 Dec 2015 06:46:45 +0000

Someone mentioned that I am attending to CSUSM and that is correct. My family lives on $11,000 because we receive assistance from human services. We also have some money leftovers from my country since we moved from Europe 3 years ago. This should not be an excuse, but I am still adapting to school system here (I am not international student, I am a permanent resident but still, I feel like I am relatively new). I am really disappointed because USD was my first choice and I worked hard to apply as a transfer. The car that I use to commute to San Marcos stops on the freeway frequently and it’s really hard to get classes only 2-3 times a week. It was possible in the first few semesters, but not anymore. In my first year I lived on campus and I could not afford it, so I decided to commute. I also work part time, which only makes things more complicated. I understand that I should have informed myself better, I naively assumed that USD helps a little bit more, especially when it comes to students in financial need.

I have considered UCSD even though I do not really like the school, and also, if I choose to attend, that means waiting for another semester cycle, and I feel quite discouraged now when it comes to applying. I do not even know how to tell my parents that I won’t be able to afford USD, since they are not familiar with school process here. At this point, I am thinking about giving up on college, because I get sick when I just think about coming back to CSUSM. If I got into USD and cannot attend because money is the problem, I really do not see the point of continuing my education, especially at institution that does not suit me.

I had a few things on my mind, so I would appreciate your advice once again. I have realized that expected tuition costs and school expenses are usually lower. I calculated that if I take 12 units, the tuition would be lower than their estimated price ($22,000). It would be about $18,000 plus other fees, lets say 18,500. Since I really want to attend to USD, I was thinking to appeal FAFSA (especially because I am missing Cal grant) just to get some extra funds and make my gap smaller, if possible. Then, I was thinking to loan the money for the upcoming spring semester that I am supposed to attend and since I am starting with my GPA from the zero, to do very well in the upcoming semester. Then, hopefully, good grades can open new scholarship opportunities and I can apply to scholarships (inside and outside USD) and they should cover at least 80-90% of my expenses.

So with the combination of scholarship opportunities, federal aid a little bit of loans I could cover my tuition. Now, I am not sure if this is a realistic approach to the problem.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your time!

BTW, this is my status on the website: “You have unsatisfied student requirements for this aid year.” and they are requiring Dependent Verification Form. So I guess, my FAFSA decision is not official yet? Or I might be wrong?
More precisely it says: “you and your parent(s) need to complete and return this form and provide all requested supporting documents before your application for financial aid can be evaluated.”
I will drop the dependent form tomorrow or on Monday.