So I have 5-6 days to decide between UT Austin and USC.
I just got back from ExploreUSC and of course I loved the campus and the atmosphere, as well as how highly the students spoke of all the programs.
My financial aid package was pretty large and left the total out of pocket cost to be around $16k a year.
At UT, I was accepted into the Liberal Arts Honors program. Id be in state and received so far $2,000 aid, and was just interviewed for a scholarship that may award more than that. I’ve visited UT several times and also love the campus and people, but basically everyone from the top 10% of my high school is also attending.
Although USC seems like the no brainer to me, my mom is worried that the cost of living in LA over 4 years + USC tuition will surpass the cost of UT + living in Austin and she’s trying to avoid debt for herself and me.
At both schools I was accepted to study psychology, but am looking to branch off into other humanities/social science disciplines.
Should I take the leap and go to USC where I feel I have more opportunities to succeed and take a step out my comfort zone or stick to UT.
Noone can really answer this for you. Consider writing down/thinking about the pros and cons of going to either past just comfort zone or opportunities. What do you want to do? It seems to me that you’re more interested in USC; choose what you know will be best for you and the school that you want to go to. While either of these schools may not have both of these traits for you, you will have to make a decision-and soon. Good luck!
Tough decision. If money is not an issue, USC is a great option. You will build more of a network in LA vs at UT, you will build a TX network. Where do you want to end up? Also, anecdotally speaking, my friends’ kids attend USC and they spend so much money on awesome summer programs that are great for their resume but add a lot of cost to their COA. I feel like you have to have money to really take advantage of all of those great programs. Not that UT is cheap by any stretch.
UT would be around $23k/year and USC $16k/year? I think UT’s grad school is ranked higher for psych, but USC is ranked higher overall - so that’s sorta a wash in terms of prestiege (although I do think USC takes a bit of a lead). If USC is cheaper, and, let’s be honest, you’re not going to spend $7k/year more at USC to justify the cost differential that UT has, then I would go to USC and have fun exploring the west coast.
@cosimaniehaus, be sure that you also include the travel expenses for USC. How many times during the year are you going to be going home? My S went out of state and only came back for Xmas and summer. My D however appears to like to come home for Spring Break as well. Costs add up easier out of state.
Are you from Texas? Going outside of your home state is very eye opening for college kids. It’s really a whole new world but requires resolve to stick it out during the rough patches.
I’m sure that you already know this but you will have to go to grad school if you major in psychology. You will need to keep your undergrad costs down.
If you plan on renting around UT at some point, just be aware that rent in Austin is very expensive. I don’t know how it compares to any rentals around USC.
UT is huge. Does the Honors College provide any perks to make it a more intimate experience?
Austin is a fun youthful city. Lots to do. Very liberal. You will be exposed to all types of backgrounds so not like you are bumping into your high school class mates.
Like others said, cost seems to favor USC. If you really love USC, then cost isn’t a prohibitor. Make an excel spreadsheet or something and plug in the basics (tuition, room and board, scholarships), and show your mom the cost of each. Plane trips here and there will be pricy, but I can’t imagine more than 500, round trip. Room and board will cover housing and food, so unless you like to eat out a bunch and go out and spend money, I really don’t see a way for you to get pricier than UT, even after adding in maybe 4 flights a year.
PS. I’m going to UT in the fall. Their meal plan is very conservative, and many kids end up going over the amount they allot for food. It’s something like 1700$ For the year that you can spend in the dining halls and have to refil the account after that.
I earned degrees from both UT and USC. LA obviously costs significant more to live. Sometimes the numbers on the award letters are too conservative.
If you provide the amount your scholarship + grants at USC, and your out of pocket expenses, I can tell you whether that number is reasonable or too low.
@CertifiedCC I received a total of $48,461 in Gift Aid, and $8000 in loans and work study. Estimated remaining out of pocket would be $16,162 for mom to take out in loans or pay off at the start. My estimated out of pocket expenses would typically be for flights to and from Dallas maybe once-twice a semester, any other expenses would be miscellaneous/ unnecessary.
The total you will pay with loans and cash per year for USC is $24,162/year or more, it looks like x4 is $100,000 with interest while you’re in school. That’s a lot of money. How will you and mom be taking and repaying those loans? Can mom even qualify for such large loans?
What are your annual costs for UT, excluding any scholarships and grants?
Both of those actually seem quite high. Is your mom OK with repaying those loans? The most a student can borrow is $5500 the 1st year. The rest is all to be paid by or borrowed by parents. That’s A LOT of money. What are your more affordable options?
If the loans are private, borrower needs to apply and qualify each year and interest starts from when the funds are borrowed. Each year as debt in the borrower’s name grows, the remaining amount s/he may qualify to borrow will shrink and terms and interest are worse. Folks may not qualify to borrow all that money and the student may have to transfer to local U or drop out and start repaying loans with NO degree.
If you don’t get any free money from UT, your costs to attend will roughly equal or even slightly more than to those of UT. Loans don’t really count, because you need to repay and they carry interests.