<p>So I’m kinda stuck in a pickle. I know that I want to study in California, I have wanted to since I was a little child. I’m applying to Stanford REA right now, but I’m not going to count on that since, well, it’s Stanford.</p>
<p>My parents are the typical asian parents who think that a school’s worth is proportional to it’s US News and World Report ranking. Which I know is bogus. They would gladly pay full tuition for me to go to a Northwestern or a Washington U, even though there’s only a 5 spot difference or so between those schools and USC.</p>
<p>I’ve tried to reason with them that USC is on it’s way up in the rankings, which is true since USC will likely be in the top 20 by time I would graduate. I also know that this is a place where I would love to study and I would feel at home in.</p>
<p>What are some points I could use to drive home the argument?</p>
<p>well first of all it depends what your major is.
for example, business at USC is waaaay above other schools. and their film depart is the most selective and best in the country. so it all depends what you’re going into.</p>
<p>i’m in the exact opposite situation from you. i have a couple things under my belt that make it seem like i have VERY good chances for stanford however i won’t get any money from them (my parents are too middle class for financial aid) but i will get at least half tuition from USC because of National Merit. So they want me to go to USC but i want to go to Stanford. I really really don’t want to go to USC (it’s 30 min drive from home. ick. plus i have double legacy and i don’t really want to go to the same school my fam did)</p>
<p>just wait until you get in/ don’t get in. if you don’t get into stanford, there won’t be much of a question.</p>
<p>lol, we should trade positions and we would both be happy.</p>
<p>My problem is convincing my parents that USC is better than Northwestern/UChicago/WashU/Rice/insert other top 15-20 college here. I have a very good shot of getting into all of these schools, and my stats even line up with Stanford.</p>
<p>Stanford however is a reach for just about everyone because of the sheer number of qualified applicants that they get. It’s a shame that people like us get no financial aid from anyone though. I don’t feel like we’re rich by any means yet $250K+ a year won’t get us money anywhere. However, I’m lucky enough that my parents care enough about my education to pay in full to wherever I go.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that I get into Stanford (I’ll know by December 15th) so that I don’t have to go through this debate…</p>
<p>yeah the middle people always fall through the cracks. the poor get full rides. the rich dgaf. and then we’re stuck taking out mortgages. </p>
<p>yeah i’m applying to all the direct med programs. my brother got into all of them except for the brown plme but according to him, he screwed up his application. he’s doing his residency to be a surgeon now… he ended up at usc but he wanted to go to northwestern. even though he got in, my parents wouldn’t pay… he also got half ride to usc.</p>
<p>yeah i think my parents will pay for a hypsm school but not for a school like brown or cornell because they’re not that much better really than university of chicago who will give merit scholarships. </p>
<p>but it does really depend on where we get in i guess</p>
<p>^250k+ is very well off compared to the average income.
also a family making about $100k a year has an EFC of about $30k, meaning 30% of their income would go to education. Whereas, paying $50k a year with an income of $250k is a considerably less percentage. Just saying. I know you don’t really care about that.</p>
<p>As for convincing them about USC, just tell them this is your dream. Find some kind of rankings (there’s gotta be one somewhere) that says that USC is particularly strong in <em>fill in the blank</em>. Just basically convince them this is the only place you’ll be happy (of course wait till you find out about stanford to say that).</p>
<p>Haha what’s with all of us upper middle class kids trying to outdo our parents and becoming doctors?</p>
<p>My parents are trying to get me to apply to the BS/MD programs but I’m planning on majoring in Econ/Pre-Med. I know I want to become a doctor, an orthopedic surgeon to be exact. But if something doesn’t work out, I could always get an MBA then and go on and still find a decent job.</p>
<p>And yeah, real-estate is a killer. Even if I was to get anything, I wouldn’t now because my parents just bought a house in Florida. I don’t think I’m even going to fill out a FAFSA.</p>
<p>oh please stop talking about not feeling like you have much money if your family makes over 100k if you don’t have 5 siblings or something. be thankful for what you have and that you guys weren’t like me and many others that have had to survive as a family of 4 with around 25k annual income. there’s a reason why finaid exists… it’s primarily to help people who actually need it, not parents who don’t want to spend 50k on their child’s education when could if they planned their budget properly out of their 250k.</p>
<p>anyway, to respond to your question, if you are asian there is no chance at convincing them. i’m korean and chose USC over Emory against my mom’s wishes lol. she was freaking out because i was choosing USC (ranked 27th back in 2006) over a top20 school. after my USC experience she realized that i really enjoyed my time there and so now she’s fine with it. she’s actually really proud whenever USC shows up in the korean newspaper, because nowadays they refer to it has a “명문사립대학교” which roughly translates to “top private university” oh and it also helps that we went up from 27->23 during my time at the university.</p>
I know you don’t really care about that.</p>
oh and it also helps that we went up from 27->23 during my time at the university.</p>