<p>I know it is 'SC, but mentioned UCs as the red tape at a public is generally worse than a private, I would expect USC to be responsive.</p>
<p>And, yeah, I know FERPA & HIPAA don’t apply to this particular situation, but in general, universities want to deal directly with the adult child and pretend the parent has nothing to do with it all yet take the check from the parents. I would imagine most of us do not read the tuition and fees page after the first freshman is admitted. I would imagine our kids can do things that have deleterious consequences without us having any knowledge. I feel that in a case like this, when Mom finds a problem and mom is being asked to pay for it, Mom should have the opportunity to address it…“drop that class”</p>
<p>Yes, there are add/drop days, yes there are tuition rules, but there are also simple mistakes made. I would imagine that DD did not realise it would cost $1360 for auditing a class. What I am saying, not nearly as eloquently as I should, is that Himom’s request is reasonable and someone should be able to give her satisfaction. Were I paying $50-60k COA I would expect either to NOT be nickel and dimed or to be able to make an adjustment (drop the class) upon discovery of the situation.</p>
<p>My flippancy would be my annoyance at the people who can only follow the precise rules on the computer in front of them and are incapable of just thinking through something mildly outside the ordinary</p>
<p>As long as she has to pay for the course anyway, why didn’t she take it for credit? At least she’d get something out of it. I don’t know if USC does this, but at S’s school all PE classes are pass/fail. As long as you show up and participate, you pass. It’s an easy credit!</p>
<p>I believe just about every college charges extra for an overload, and 18 credits is often the limit. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect USC to waive the limit just for you. Why is the billing office just getting around to telling you about the extra fee now? Did your D just decide to add the course on the spur of the moment? I’d make her pay for it. Maybe she’ll think twice next time if it’s her money on the line instead of mom’s.</p>
<p>D has just told me she has never even ATTENDED the course and is perfectly willing to drop it as she didn’t realize that this would take her over the limit. She had thought this course raised her to 18 credits, NOT put her over into 19 credits. I am in conversation with a nice gentleman at the registrar’s office and told him this and all the other info. He has sent a message to the VP who has authority to decide what the options are and hopefully we can come up with a resolution that makes more sense.</p>
<p>Until now, I had been pretty satisfied with working with USC, but this is pretty upsetting.</p>
Some great schools where kids I know have received credit for beginner ballet: Vassar, Smith, Mount Holyoke. These schools have excellent dance departments overall, though they aren’t where a dancer looking for a professional career would probably enroll. And this year students can take an intro to dance and movement class for credit at Princeton. They can take intro to modern dance at Brown, and ballet I at Duke. There are other strong schools that offer introductory studio courses for credit, as well.</p>
<p>At my d’s school, W&M, kids can take a 2-credit introductory ballet or modern class in fulfillment of their arts general requirement. There’s written work and reading as well as the standard introductory dance curriculum, but they’re getting credit for an introductory dance class. I don’t see it as a waste of money or time (not sure if this is what starbright or alwaysamom meant, and sorry if I’m missing the point - I’ve been known to do that :)), and it isn’t an easy A if you can believe some of the comments on ratemyprofessor.</p>
<p>I still don’t see how this is USC’s fault. Maybe it’s different in huge schools, but didn’t her advisor have to approve her schedule before she registered? If you want to take an overload at S’s school, you have to request permission from Academic Services. There’s no way to do it accidentally.</p>
<p>No one seems to need to approve much of anything for either of my kids to take most of the courses at USC. I don’t understand it, as I’m 2500 miles away. Wish things were clearer and hope that it can be worked out as a “lesson learned.”</p>
<p>Two separate comments/separate issues here IMHO.
OP’s D may not have realized that she was over units. I have found that the academic advisors aren’t always familiar with the overages and charges. DS’s freshmen year he told me he had worked out a great schedule with his advisor. My first question was that it was an overage. He didn’t know the term…he learned that word fast and changed his schedule accordingly! My rule was no overage charges allowed.<br>
I disagree completely that beginning ballet shouldn’t be a for credit course. I’m not sure if the objection is to the beginning level or ballet in general. Having raised a D who has danced for 16 years I appreciate the concentration and sustained effort it takes. Many students who take dance intend to teach dance, run dance studios, and most college level classes require students to choreograph their own works…</p>
<p>My son is a Freshman in gad at college. He could taken it as a course for 1 credit (with some added requirements/assignments). He said, “Mom - that would put me over 18 credits and would mean $1000 extra charge So I opted to join it not-for-credit”. I immediately replied, “Good decision”.</p>
<p>Re how someone can audit ballet: I auditted beginning ballet during my 1st semester in grad school. I participated in a 1 1/4 hour class three times a week. I did not receive a grade and I did not receive any credit for the class. That’s the definition of auditting! I had always wanted to take dance, but had never had the opportunity when I was younger. I thought it would be fun to take the class and it would be good exercise, but I did not want to risk that a class that had nothing to do with my graduate study might lower my GPA. Therefore, I auditted. Thankfully, at my university I did not have to pay anything extra for the class. Once students had paid for full-time status they didn’t have to pay for any additional hours.</p>
<p>Actually I had to have three P.E. credits to graduate college back in the day. I took tennis, canoeing (our campus had a spring-fed river running through it) and beginning ballet. Looking back, what a waste of time and money.</p>
<p>It is interesting to see how different schools handle these issues and how much info is shared by advisors & others with students so they can make informed choices. I am very sure that D will be MUCH more careful at calculating her credits in the future (& hopefully register & drop earlier). </p>
<p>We had a friend whose D majored in Ballet at private U many thousands of miles from HI–she couldn’t switch her major or get a teaching credential as well. When she graduated, she had leg & foot injuries & can no longer dance. She’s now working to get a teaching degree at in-state flagship U, so she can earn a living. Her parents flew in for all of her many performances (she was excellent).</p>
<p>Just a side note –> there are many colleges that do NOT charge extra for enrollment over a certain limit – my daughter’s college did not have any such charges. (My d. did not enroll beyond the limit in any case - but my point is simply that some colleges do not impose such charges.) This is probably one of those things that parents should consider at the time a college choice is made – because of the impact that such charges can have on the overall cost of college. There are circumstances when a student might HAVE to take extra units – for example, if a student needs to repeat a course that they did not pass the first time around, or changes majors and needs to get in extra coursework in order to graduate on time. Need-based financial aid will probably not cover the extra cost – so the college’s policies as to course fees really ought to be well understood by the parents and the student from the outset.</p>
<p>calmom - have to agree; the standard practice when H and I were in school in Texas was that your tuition was charged by the number of hours you took. So tuition for a semester of twelve hours was less than a semester of eighteen hours.</p>
<p>My point is simply that it is not standard practice everywhere. My daughter’s college (private) charges a per-unit rate for part-time enrollment (up to 11 points) – then a flat full-time tuition fee for 12+ units. There are extra charges of $40-$150 for some types of courses - (language lab, art supplies, etc.) – but basically a kid who is taking 22 units would pay the same as one who was taking 12. </p>
<p>I attended a UC campus as an undergrad, and my son attended a CSU – and as far as I can tell the policy is similar – students who have enough hours to be considered “full time” pay a flat rate, not a per-unit rate.</p>
<p>So my only point is that policies differ. It is something parents should look at and may be more or less of a concern depending on a a student’s major – for example, if a student is likely to opt for a double major, then it may be a much bigger concern than for a student who simply plans to major in a subject without intensive requirements.</p>
<p>Yes, it is buyer beware and know what each school’s policy is and how that will work for the student. My S had no problems staying within the 18 credit limit. USC even offered to provide merit scholarship help for presidential scholar students who went over the limit of 18 credits IF they applied by the deadline (S never planned well enough to take advantage of applying for the extra aid, so he just kept his credits at or under 18).</p>
<p>Can no longer remember what the policy was when I was a student at different publics, but I know I never paid anything extra (other than nominal lab or equipment fees). Not sure I ever took more than 18 credits anyway, since I worked 15 hours/week, plus had ECs, boyfriend, etc.</p>
<p>Well, my daughter never took more than 18 credits – I think that her college didn’t have that much to worry about, because the workload was pretty intense with 18. That being said, I’ve heard of students taking very high loads – such as 28 credits – but then again, my daughter was also working 2 or 3 part-time jobs each semester to make ends meet. Maybe rich kids with no social life can manage to pile on the units. ;)</p>
<p>It’s possible that my son may have taken more at his CSU because he was a transfer and needed to catch up on requirements – but he was working half time so I think that he just made up the extra classes with online community college courses over the summer (which he paid for, but they didn’t cost all that much). </p>
<p>I’m hoping all works out for you, in any case – it sounds like a misunderstanding that should be cleared up fairly quickly.</p>
Her parents flew in for all of her many performances (she was excellent).</p>