<p>Before you guys go, "Oh PUHleaze, USC obviously." I'm probably not eligible for ANY need-based financial aid at USC. 100k AGI and more than 1 mil in real estate assets-- pfft, yeah right. I have a younger sister and my parents are nearing retirement age as well.</p>
<p>I have been accepted to both of the art departments at USC and CSULB. In USC, I'm in Roski School of Fine Arts, and for CSULB, I'm in for Illustration/Animation. CSULB's more relevant to my career goals, but Roski's got the name of USC behind it and I can take classes from different schools and majors, which takes care of that bit.</p>
<p>Networking in USC is way better than at CSULB, and it's just a better school overall. It'll probably be easier for me to find a job if I graduated from USC instead of CSULB. But USC is just waaay too expensive. </p>
<p>My parents want me to go to USC, but I'm just not sure. I don't want them to strain themselves trying to give me money that they need for retirement. But I also don't want to take out over 100k in loans, especially for an unstable career choice like mine.</p>
<p>Which would you pick if you were in my position? I kinda just want another person's perspective.</p>
<p>tl;dr Pretty much all I'm asking is if I should risk the 100k+ debt and go to USC or play it safe and go to CSULB.</p>
<p>well heres the way i see it,
it is difficult to graduate from a CSU in 4 years, and it will be increasingly more difficult in the future</p>
<p>if you are a CA resident, csulb will cost you around 22k a year</p>
<p>so lets say long beach takes you 5 years to graduate
total cost is around 110k</p>
<p>if you go to usc, total cost if you graduate in 4 years then youre looking at around 240k</p>
<p>so 130k more from usc
but you have to think
that extra year youre not in college at USC (your fifth year) you will be working</p>
<p>assuming you make around 50-60k your first year out (idk how much roski grads make)
then your real cost of attending USC over CSULB is around 80k
not exactly chump change but still might be worth it</p>
<p>^ It’s best to assume that it’s not very high. Art is a really competitive field and I’ll probably not make much right after graduation. Assuming I can find a job in the first place.</p>
<p>You’re a perfect candidate to do a year or two in community college and then transfer. You can still get the USC degree (assuming they admit you again) but without as much of the cost. You could also transfer to CSULB as well.</p>
<p>There’s more than one way to skin a cat! Also, kudos to you for thinking about your PARENTS and younger sister in that one. College sucks these days, unfortunately.</p>
<p>To start: I often see the statement that “because of budget cuts, it takes 5 years to graduate from a CSU…” but I have never seen any statistics to back that up. With attention to planning, the flexibility of getting cc units during the summer, and regular visits with your advisor, you could graduate in 4 years at CSULB.</p>
<p>Next: You are RIGHT, $100,000 in debt would be an awful, terrible burden. You are clearly very smart and sensible.</p>
<p>USC does have an articulation history with CSULB <a href=“https://camel2.usc.edu/articagrmt/artic_history.aspx[/url]”>Error; . You could do two years there - carefully considering the articulation history - and transfer to USC. That would save as much as $40,000 per year for two years = $80,000. If you discovered you loved CSULB, you could just not transfer and finish there, saving $160,000.</p>
<p>Another note: I recall that someone said they were admitted to art but preferred animation - was that you? If so, chose the school that admitted you to the course of study you WANT to study!!!</p>
<p>Good luck, and keep us updated on what you decide to do. It is clear that you are someone who is going to make the most of every opportunity and make great choices.</p>
<p>I agree with the above sentiment but if you’re even considering a transfer then I wouldn’t start at CSULB. The reason is that the CSUs and UCs just aren’t built for transfer whereas that’s the primary focus of CCs, especially nowadays. You can go to a CC for a year or two at the most, knock out your GEs and intro classes (taught by actual faculty, not TAs) and then transfer to either school.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you’re the typical kid whose family is too “wealthy” to get a full ride and not so wealthy that you can pay for it out of pocket. That’s something that drives me insane. You might even want to apply for financial aid and document your circumstances as if you have a younger sibling coming up you should be able to qualify for aid. This is where thankfully a few of the Ivies are now only charging 10% of family income for incomes up to $200K a year which actually isn’t that much nowadays.</p>
<p>For your intended major and the realistic job prospects and projected income, as well as the massive debt you will incur, go to CSULB and do not transfer. </p>
<p>For what it is worth, Long Beach State has an excellent fine arts department (as does USC, of course). (Don’t know specifically about illustration or animation at LB). I know many working artists who have done quite well coming out of Long Beach State with a BFA. I don’t have an opinion on your ultimate choice, but just wanted to weigh in that LB has a quality art department.</p>
<p>PS They are especially well-regarded for their ceramics program, if that is of any interest to you</p>
I think you should go with CSULB. CSULB has a very strong arts programs, too.</p>
<p>I also question the claims that it will likely take 5 years to graduate from CSULB. I don’t think this is very common for those who try to graduate in 4 years. I know plenty of people who have gone to CSULB and none of them have had trouble graduating in 4 years. I think you should try to talk to some alumni and current students to get their take, but I don’t think it should be much of an issue.</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice You have all been very helpful. Here’s an update on my situation.</p>
<p>One thing that’s sure is that I’m not going to community college. Both of my parents say a huge NO on that, because it’s apparently a black hole where once you go in, you never come out (most of the time). My friend’s brother went in there a few years ago. Haven’t heard from him since.</p>
<p>One good thing about USC is the flexibility in the classes you can take. They have a lot of interdisciplinary programs. I’m considering changing majors into SCA if I go to USC.</p>
<p>Also, my parents just told me that they’ll pay for all the tuition at USC. The only thing I’ll need to worry about would be the room/board, personal expenses, and transportation (that I don’t have). Their logic is that the tuition will cost about the same as paying for a UC school. So even if I sat on my hands the whole time I’m there (which I definitely won’t be doing), I will not be 100k in debt.</p>
<p>This is a huge sacrifice on their part, and I’ll admit to being curious about where they’ll be getting the money. (They mentioned ‘creative financing.’) Do any of you know where you can get equity loans or lines of credit for rental properties? If they’re gonna be paying, I don’t want them to risk our house.</p>
<p>I’m seriously tempted to go USC now, but I’ll be with-holding judgement until campus and housing tours for both of the schools. I’m also busy applying for lots of scholarships!</p>
<p>We are in same shape you are. As USCAlum05 said: “Unfortunately, you’re the typical kid whose family is too “wealthy” to get a full ride and not so wealthy that you can pay for it out of pocket. That’s something that drives me insane.” Nice to hear someone echo that cause there are sooo many of us out there. Hard to be the family that has worked hard our whole lives to get where we are and watch everyone else get the handouts. Now that I am done complaining, it is so great that you are sensitive to your parent’s situation. There are loans from private banks that you take out in your name, they cosign, and payback doesn’t start till 6 months after graduation. I’d figure if they can’t help you pay it back, it is all yours, if they can, it sounds like they would help you. Rates are lower if you take the loan in your name than theirs. A parent student loan starts payback immediately, yours would not. Then they aren’t risking their financial future up front. If dad is near retirement, you can see where they are in 4.5 years, and see if it’s better for you to handle than them. Heck in CA, people spend $80k on a car. Besides, you will have 40-50 years to recover from that loan, your parents don’t have that kind of time. Just a thought…I see the pull of the USC/college experience, planning on transferring seems to take the fun and excitement out of the overall process. Coming in at year 3 and 4 isn’t the same as starting and finishing at a 4 year institution. Good luck!
p.s. Nice you have their support, it’s what parent’s do and want to do - give their kids the world. If you go, just work hard and don’t blow it, you obviously know it is a stretch for them, so make em’ proud! It sounds like regardless of where you go, you will be successful.</p>
<p>Your parent’s “logic” is that tuition costs are the same for USC and the UCs? Are you out of state? If that’s the case, then I’d attend USC in a heart beat, especially if you’re parents are able and willing to pay for tuition and fees. Funds for room/board/misc activities can be acquired.</p>
<p>But, if you’re a CA resident, the cost of USC tuition will cover COA at CSULB. </p>
<p>If you can manage to walk away from USC with around $20,000 in loans, then I’d say go for it. Anything more than $35,000, I would be hesitant. More than $40,000, most likely not happening.</p>
<p>The in state vs out of state thing is probably a big difference here too. I don’t know how much CSULB is or isn’t out of state. In state, state schools are a bargain here and part of why people have such a backlash against Stanford, Caltech, USC, Pepperdine, Claremont, etc. - they think everyone who goes there is loaded, which is bunk. My family was in the same situation as CA Dreamin and that’s basically how things are for middle and upper middle class people these days - the wealthy pay for it out of pocket, the poor get subsidies and handouts, and the middle class goes broke paying for it.</p>
<p>Whining aside, USC does offer a ton of merit aid and internal scholarships for continuing students, so be sure to apply for as many of those as you can. Do some research online and find as many outside scholarships as you can for whatever “whats” you are (i.e. gay, Native American, a particular religion, field of study, etc.) as unfortunately a lot of very good scholarships are based upon that lovely notion of identity politics.</p>
<p>As you’re admitted, you might want to talk to some financial aid counselors at USC and also your family’s financial planner as there are undoubtedly plenty of creative ways to finance school. But the big thing for you is to apply for financial aid, fight for as many scholarships as you can (I got one from our local rotary club for $2k a year which covered books and a bit of tuition), and especially apply for aid when your younger sibling is in school.</p>
<p>The only other things that come to mind are that yes, the alumni network is fantastic as it surrounds you with some wonderful, bright, accomplished people all out to do great things and that you hopefully should be able to do summer school as well which will get you out earlier, should you be so inclined. One great source of frustration for me with USC was that financial aid for summer classes was all loans (no grants or scholarships) and thus I just finished part-time and started working. You should be able to cruise through CSULB much more easily as you won’t have to worry about the cost, although if your folks can stretch to pay for USC then the alumni network is an important long term benefit which you definitely won’t get from CSULB, unfortunately.</p>
<p>Also, community college can be a black hole (I had to go because my grades fell through the floor for 3 semesters in high school while my father battled cancer) but only if you let it. More and more CCs nowadays have transfer programs with special classes that you have to qualify for academically (and you would, considering that you already had the chops to get into USC) and it would get you the credits but wouldn’t be fancy in any meaningful sense. The important thing is where you finish though, and nowadays 20% of PhDs actually start in community colleges. Personally, I’m not a fan of mine very much as they really are the unsexy underworld of academia. Still, I had several friends of mine who transferred to elite schools - Duke, Northwestern, etc. - but they were the exception, not the rule. We’re talking a dozen kids out of 30,000.</p>
<p>Well, they said that the tuition at USC would cover COA at a UC school I mean. I’m considering it. That USC admit facebook page is a blast. I have been applying to many scholarships, but I have no idea how it’ll pan out. Hopefully, I’ll have enough to cover almost everything. I’ll try to find a job on campus and over the summer too. I’m trying my hardest to avoid private student loans. I’ve read too many horror stories about the interest rates and debt collectors.</p>
<p>I hear you. What you might want to do is what one of my older brothers did along with some guys who worked alongside me in my high school retail job, and that’s work part-time (10-15 hours a week) during the school year but work as many hours (i.e. 60-80 per week) as you can when you’re not in school. You should be able to cover most of your bills and that would minimize having to take out loans. You’d just want to make sure that you get an internship in the summer before your senior year (hopefully will have some good recommendations from professors and your previous goober jobs) so that you can land a good job after you graduate. People do it all the time.</p>
<p>Also just be sure to apply for aid if/when you’re in school at the same time as your sibling as then you should be able to alleviate the burden on your parents. You certainly aren’t the only one who sweats this, and it frosts me to no end how schools think they can just keep raising tuition every year ad nauseum. You seem like you have a very good head on your shoulders so just buckle down and get the job done. It’s good training for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Mm, there’s an internship at the Getty for minority college students (which I happen to be :). I’ll apply for it every summer after freshman year. I’ve… never really had a job before tbh. I help teach kids at my mom’s art class, but I can’t use my mom as a reference for job applications… Any advice on nailing a first job :D? I’ve been looking around, but there aren’t many available.</p>
<p>It is important to take a hard look at the actual costs to be sure you do not commit to a school it turns out you cannot afford and lose opportunities at schools you CAN afford. Here is some information - I am not trying to be negative, just wanting to be sure you make a considered choice.</p>
<p>
Your parents’ calculations are off - are you sure they are fully aware of the relative costs?</p>
<h2>In other words, USC tuition alone is twice the TOTAL of CSULB. The COA of USC is three times the COA of CSULB.</h2>
<p>RE: You covering room, board and associated expenses. You are eligible for a $5,500 Stafford loan - that’s it. How will you cover the other $11,000+? Will your parents cosign for you for additional loans?</p>
You have all been very helpful. Here’s an update on my situation.</p>