<p>I love USC and I am excited to join the Trojan family this fall. However, I must say, that when it comes to technology, USC is still stuck in the early 90s. Most Universities I applied to allowed me to fill SIRs,Enrollment Withdrawals, Housing Apps, and everything else online. This meant I could pay all fees with my credit card and get it over and done with. However, I was forced to do it on paper for USC. I called both the Housing and Admission offices and they would not let me wire transfer the fees…it HAD to be a check or money order. And What does this mean to an International Applicant? Well, here it is:</p>
<p>Housing Application Fee:$ 30
Bank USD Check Comission: $49</p>
<p>Why? Because a friend who works at a money exchange office told me Americans just didn’t understand money orders didn’t exist outside of the US anymore. Everything is done electronically nowadays. So I HAD to ask for a bank-issued check in US dollars, and the comissions were outrageous.</p>
<p>Enrollment Commitment Fee:$ 300
Bank USD Check Comission: $55
2 UPS Packages to two different Addresses: $50</p>
<p>Why? Because normal postage is not an option. It is so slow in my country it probably wouldn’t reach USC until mid to late May. So I need UPS. </p>
<p>And Why? Because USC does not have the option to do it online with a Credit Card.</p>
<p>So the original cost of $330 soared up to a staggering $484 USD for the forms to be on paper. And, it took me so much time to organize this I sent my housing application on April 17th…which was late for first-choice assingments. Had there been an online option I would have filled everything out on March 22nd when I was accepted. And the worst part is that I am going to have to do it again when I recieve my housing contract and return the $400 deposit.</p>
<p>I hope they fix it for Fall 2007. I can’t understand the hesitation to upgrade when handling paper forms and applications is as much a hassle to them as it is to us.</p>
<p>Oh well, just getting some of the rage out. I am thankfull I got in and excited about becoming a Trojan. I can’t wait to move there this August.</p>
<p>Although the appliation and housing systems are out-of-date, the actual school is nothing like that. Most of the computer labs here (SAL, WPH, KOH, etc.) are stocked with tons of Dell and Alienware computers with 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 processors, 2 GB RAM, the latest video cards, 20" LCDs, etc. running all day for all students. They have lots of Apple G5’s too. It almost bothers me that they’re not put to better use.</p>
<p>In addition to the computer hardware on campus, most transactions can be conducted online once you enroll as a student. This includes paying tuition/rent, registering for classes, reviewing grades, online assignments for classes, adding funds to you USCard and whole bunch of other stuff through the OASIS webpage.</p>
<p>So while the applications and deposits for freshman are a lot of paperwork (and expensive for you international students!) most stuff can easily be done with a few clicks once you are a student.</p>
<p>intelliot- Are you serious about the Alienwares? Where are those computers? All I’ve come across are Dells, G5s and SUN microsystems.</p>
<p>Hopefully USC will improve on those things so it will be easier to accomplish. The Orientation can be done on-line ONCE your Enrollment Deposit is received & processed & they accept charge cards for that.</p>
<p>It sure does sound like a hassle for the international folks. Even for folks in the US, I felt better about sending both documents in certified, return receipt requested so I had proof that USC received both.</p>
<p>For merit scholarships, I was able to fax one document back to them & e-mail another I scanned as an attachment while mailing the original. </p>
<p>I have heard once you’re a student (especially if you have an account at their USC Credit Union on campus), it’s very easy to transfer funds back & forth with your USC account & credit union account, get money with the ATM & everything else. The campus is “hot” so most places are said to have good wireless & cell phone reception.</p>
<p>Maybe you can e-mail the housing department & see if they will accept a credit card for that deposit–would sure make your life easier. Also, you could ask if you could scan the housing contract & e-mail it as an attachment with the hard copy in the regular mail or if you could turn it in at Orientation (if you’re attending one).</p>
<p>Ned5555: yes, there are Alienware desktops in OHE (computer labs on 5th floor for special events) and KAP (for math). The ones in OHE we used for the USC programming contest; for the ones in KAP, I’m sure you can use them if you ask… I’ve used them a couple times without asking, but you might need to know the login.</p>
<p>Obviously most transactions in the US are done electronically. But somehow, they prefer to ask for Money Orders which are nearly impossible to get nowadays. Believe me, I tried. It is IMPOSSIBLE. Everyone was telling me: “Why don’t you just wire the money?”.</p>
<p>In the US, they still have “Postal Money Orders” that you can buy at the US Post Office. I can’t remember the last time I tried buying a money order. The banks write certified checks for free if you have an account at many places in the US & most places are happy to accept that in lieu of a money order. I have never wired money yet or received wired money but have heard of folks who have.</p>