<p>Hello! Thank you all for your help. I just got off the phone with the Financial Aid office, and unfortunately my package was complete. </p>
<p>And to be honest, it’s extremely frustrating and disheartening to see that the amount I have to finance is 3 times of what my mom makes in a year. I questioned them on how would I be able to pay that amount, and they referred to my mother’s equity in her house. I understand that for private schools, they calculate EFC by factoring a percentage of house equity. But where would the money be derived from? My mom cannot just sell the house, and I questioned them about that. The Financial Aid office said they were not recommending to sell the house, but never addressed the issue of where this “equity” would be taken out in order to pay off USC’s tuition. </p>
<p>I qualify for a Cal Grant which was not included, and they informed me that the grants were not included in the financial package due to uncertainty with funding. Which is understandable, but I saw another admittee’s financial aid package and Cal Grant was included with the aid package. </p>
<p>The financial aid office suggested a Parent Plus loan, which my mom does not qualify for. Basically, the only solution I was given was to appeal the financial aid package I was given. Reading through Alamemom’s posts about appealing does not provide any optimism onto this issue as it seems the appealing process does not result in a substantial change in funding. </p>
<p>I am extremely frustrated and feel so helpless. I’ve applied for about every USC related scholarship under the sun. I’ve visited the school countless times to interview for scholarships and meet with the faculty. I’ve followed every guideline and met every deadline for applying for financial aid. I honestly do not understand why or how my financial package is so unreasonably high. Can anyone provide advice or tips that I can consider to help my case?</p>