@Exactlee within Dornsife, easy. Into Marshall… you will need to apply and be approved as an internal transfer.
once you get assigned an adviser, they can guide you through that transfer process… even during orientation.
@SCMHAALUM You’re welcome… and congrats again. You might even want to suggest that to USC Dance Admissions. For example… while I just got into Stanford… my first choice remains YOU. That may help sway them. You never know 
My daughter certainly had no issue letting SCA Admissions know that she was turning down Princeton just for the chance of internally transferring into SCA. We do not know if that helped at all… but it clearly did not hurt any. And she got what she wanted. Ultimately, that is all that matters.
@reservationsfor3 Congrats on both counts… SCA and getting the FA you were hoping for. It clearly does not work out that way for everyone… but it is good to hear about the cases where it does so.
@WWWard Thank you so much! What year and major is your D in SCA?
Thank you for the reply! I was also wondering if it possible to request a change in major before the orientation?
Over the moon for @SCMHAALUM and son! We will see how things develop over the next month, and I hope he is able to get all the answers he needs about being able to continue dance at Stanford if it goes that way. I suppose he will call around and do an admitted student day at Stanford? Look forward to hearing how this all turns out, but what a “B” plan!
@reservationsfor3 You’re welcome. She’s a CMS freshman within SCA.
Anyone know how good T-mobile reception around USC and in LA? Going to get a new plan for DD between AT&T and T-mobile.
@netopspin According to the info via this link below, all 4 major carriers are at 98.5% or higher in terms of covering all of the L.A. metro area, with Sprint the lowest and AT&T the highest, at 100%. T-mobile is 3rd, behind Verizon, but still in the high 99s.
https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/Best-Cell-Phone-Plans-carriers-in-los-angeles
My girls have Sprint and do complain a bit. So if starting fresh, I would not recommend Sprint.
My son was at USC for a summer program with T-Mobile and had good coverage. We will send him there in the fall with T-Mobile as well.
@yikesonbikes, you have a good head on your shoulders, especially for numbers and taking a realistic perspective on the return on investment or risk/reward of say taking on 20 to $30k in debt over four years vs. $100k or more. $100k can takes a VERY LONG time to pay back.
Posters who make blanket statements about how students/families should just pay up because everyone knows that USC is expensive, seem to be insensitive at best and heartless at worst. @onlyamom1 is correct in saying there must be something off if every other school is offering more aid based on the same data. I also agree that the people we spoke with at USC were very nice and helpful.
To say plenty of students out there will be happy to pay full fare because
A) USC published their costs so you should not be surprised or
B) Many other families worked hard to save so if you can’t afford it, step aside… is naive.
The situation is more complicated than that. You should not just step aside if you feel like the offer by USC is unreasonably low. You earned the admission spot and have a right to question the cost and offer. If you feel like you might have an appeal, give it a try if USC is still one of your top choices.
I can’t speak to whether USC is fair or not with regard to their process, but like you, S was awarded more fin aid at other highly ranked universities, based on the same FAFSA and CSS info. I agree that can be confusing. What did the other schools see in the numbers to offer more “need based help” than USC? That may be a question worth asking USC. Good luck!
@CADREAMIN Hi, I’ve never actually posted on College Confidential before but I thought I’d give it a try. You have been very active on USC threads for which I know I am very grateful in being able to learn more about USC!
I was admitted to USC Class of 22 and I am definitely in love with it! I have some concerns based on stereotypes I hear floating around, especially since I’ve never been to California, but my major worry is getting financial aid. My family’s income is 58,000 but my dad has to finance my older brother’s education, especially because he doesn’t have the stats to get scholarships. My aunt also had stage 4 cancer and he paid her bills for the past 4 years, and now that she has passed away, he is paying for her kids’ living expenses and tuition. There seem to be multiple demands for money and a huge financial burden on my parents, and I promised myself I would not add to it. Having to pay for his family and support so many things has led to an almost 750,000 loan for him, and I have spent my whole life trying to not be a burden, but I so badly want to go to USC! I’m a National Merit Finalist, but indicated a different school before and just changed it today, so I’m not sure they’ll get the request if NMSC already sent a request to the other school. I also didn’t apply early enough for scholarship consideration, because my aunt had passed away in that time along with my friend and I didn’t know if I would be able to afford a college like that at all, but I take all IB classes, have a 5.6 GPA, 1/630 at my school if stats matter? I didn’t get a financial decision back, so I guess what I’m wondering is if you know anything I should/could do to get the aid I need, any request I should make, and if such requests are even considered, and how much financial aid I might get from USC, based on their amount of aid given historically. Our 2016 tax return has a mistake indicating our income is a little higher than it actually is, but the CPA said he would send a letter or something to indicate that. the 2017 one indicates our true income.
Do you have any advice?
@orangesluvr99
IF you have changed your NM First Choice to USC, and enroll there, you WILL receive the 1/2 NM tuition scholarship! So relax about that. That will not show up in your initial FA statement.
You should not hesitate to contact the FA office with an appeal, listing all the additional costs your family has to bear because of family burdens/.
@orangesluvr99, Getting into USC is a great accomplishment, Congratulations!
Don’t worry about the NMF first school choice. NMSC will provide periodic updates to your first choice school, so as long as you select USC before the deadline (which you have), you will be eligible for the 1/2 scholarship Presidential.
Since you’ve been admitted, what FA is USC currently saying that you are eligible for? As a NMF, you have lots of great options for low cost or full ride attendance. Make sure you lock down something you can afford as a backup in the event that USC does not meet all your financial needs.
@orangesluvr99 Sorry you and your family have been dealing with so much. Did you fill out the FAFSA and CSS? That isn’t clear from your post, but you did say you haven’t received FA info, you would have to have those completed to do so. I would do as @menloparkmom suggests and contact the financial aid office, you will need to have everything documented so start with having a list of the things you want to see if they will consider when you call, so you can keep the conversation focused and get your questions answered. You have to realize they are going to require documentation of expenses and letters with explanation of things to be submitted, because they can’t just take someone’s word for it, or otherwise everyone would say they have more expenses. So be prepared to submit things they request, they will tell you what you need to submit through the document library on your portal. No one can predict your aid, USC has to have your specifics to do so.
I have pretty much stayed out of the financial conversation on here because we are full pay, except for merit awards/scholarships, so FA is not my area of expertise. But I do know everyone has their own unique situation, and it is worth contacting them if you feel you could qualify for additional funds.
But totally agree with @kcheves as well, be sure you are seriously looking at other less expensive options in case USC just isn’t practical for you. Good luck, call Monday!
@orangesluvr99, sorry to hear about the loss of your aunt. Do you mean $75,000 loan or $750,000? It seems inconceivable to have income of $58,000 and be able to borrow 3/4 million dollars, unless there is a lot of home equity, or a future inheritance expected that could be borrowed against, a family business with equity… but that is a very large debt to take on so it is understandable that you would not want to further burden your family with more debt. Having that large of a loan may trigger questions from USC as they may assume there are some hidden assets to borrow against.
In any case, congrats on your USC acceptance. What is your major? Sometimes a department will have additional funds/grant such as Annenberg School of Journalism or Marshall Business School, Keck, or others…, especially if you are high achieving and have a legitimate reason why you did not get your application in early to be considered for scholarships.
Also, if you do not get the financial aid you need, you can consider an appeal in which you highlight all of those family financial hardships that USC may not be aware of, as well as medical issues or lost income your father or primary guardian may have as a result of having to take care of sick relatives. And yes, if the CPA made an error in estimating income, your EFC may be lower and that can be amended in your appeal as well. I agree with @kcheves that you will also want to make sure you have a good back up plan in case USC does not provide the aid you hope for.
Good luck!
Hi, if I’m a National Merit Finalist, can I live in the McCarthy Honors dorm? Also, if I received a $4,000/year merit scholarship, does that stack with my NMF scholarship?
@ktengann
Yes, but you need to send in your housing application NOW
USC pays for the NM scholarship, as well as an additional $1K per year, so you would not be eligible for other college wide merit scholarships USC offers to freshman.But there are many small dept scholarships offered to continuing students.
Does anyone know if appealing can make me lose anything? Thanks