How difficult would it be for a poor midwestern kid to attend USC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>I'm a white male from southern Indiana who is anxiously awaiting an admissions decision. I keep getting emails requesting additional information for financial aid which I think is a good omen for acceptance (at least that is what I'm telling myself.) </p>

<p>No one in my family has been to college so I've been on my own for most of this process. I come from a really small town where people rarely go out of state, so most of the information I've recieved has come from the internet.</p>

<p>I've always dreamed of being in Southern California. USC is in my ideal location and is also a top 25 university and I just really, really, really, really wanna go there. Most of the people around me are skeptical when I say I want to go to USC and my family wants me to stay close to home. Granted, I don't want to leave them but I know it is a step I must take if I want to achieve the success I know I'm capable of.</p>

<p>I know that USC is one of the most generous universities in its financial aid, and my EFC is 0. But, if I do get in, I don't really know where I will go from there. How will I travel to and from college? Will I ever get to see my family? Is it wise to commit to a school without ever visiting or go to a college that's 2000 miles away when no one in your family has ever attended?</p>

<p>If anyone comes from a similar situation I would greatly appreciate some advice.</p>

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<p>Hi there. calej93,</p>

<p>First of all, I am proud of you for striving for USC, despite the doubts from people around you. I REALLY hope you get in! Being a first-generation college student gives you an edge. Good luck.</p>

<p>As for finances, it won’t be easy, but you can do it. First off, if your parents’ EFC is 0, they won’t be responsible for anything. USC will meet your need. That said, you most certainly will have to do some work-study and might have to take out loans. (Work study will probably go for your living expenses – books, clothing etc. ) </p>

<p>Travel is another thing entirely. If you are careful with your money, you may be able to save up enough from work-study to pay for a flight home. You will have to vacate the dorms for Christmas break, so you might as well go home – a flight home still has to be cheaper than paying for a place to stay locally for 3-4 weeks. </p>

<p>We certainly aren’t poor and with our EFC we can barely afford to bring our son home twice a year – Christmas and the summer. This year, he is actually home for spring break, but that is because he is vying for a summer internship in LA and this might be our only chance to see him for a while. </p>

<p>Going back and forth for the summer, you might find someone who is driving and willing to give you a ride. But, if he expects you to kick in for gas and hotel you may be better off flying. I know (sort of) a really nice alum from Indiana who runs the SCend Off there. If you get accepted, I’ll put you in touch with him and maybe he can help you find a fellow Trojan driving out for fall. </p>

<p>FWIW, if you get in, I don’t think you should let anything stop you. USC will open so many doors for you. You’ll love it. And, someday hopefully, you’ll be able to help out your parents. Good luck and fight on!</p>

<p>PS - When I went to USC, my parents were stationed at an AF Base in Germany. I only got to see them for Christmas and the summer. Yes, it was tough and I missed them, but I’m glad I did it. And these days you have skype – I could barely afford the long distance calls home back in my day!</p>

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<p>Great post LegacyMom! I am truly impressed by the Trojan Family spirit on this forum! It really makes me believe that USC would be a great place for my son.</p>

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<p>Thanks Big Tex! Hopefully, we’ll all be celebrating as a Trojan family in a few weeks.</p>

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<p>I agree with BigTexDad. That was a wonderful, thoughtful post from LegacyMom.<br>
Good luck, all!</p>

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<p>Thank you for the response LegacyMom! It’s refreshing to hear some positive encouragement. USC is by far my top choice, and I will certainly be showing my mother your post after recieving my admission decision!</p>

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<p>Glad to be encouraging. I can’t blame your mom for wanting to keep you close and I can see how they might be skeptical if no one in the family has ever been to college. Hopefully you have a teacher encouraging you.</p>

<p>BTW, you will need a cell phone. USC doesn’t even have the jacks for land lines any more. You can get a pay-as-you go, but compare the plans. If you’re using the phone both to call home and to talk to people at USC, you may be better off with a regular phone plan. </p>

<p>You will also have a commitment deposit ($300) , but you will certainly be able to have that waived. There will be instructions for that.</p>

<p>Finally, if you can be responsible with it, you might consider getting a credit card that offers free flights. Southwest has a good one and Southwest is our preferred airline from USC to Illinois.</p>

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<p>Hey! My little midwestern family doesn’t really have any money or assets and USC gave me really great financial aid (my EFC actually was a little above zero, so you’re already better suited for aid than I was). I have tons of friends here who aren’t rich and USC really helps us all out. I have an incredibly generous work study job and I make enough for groceries and everything from that. As far as rent, I use my savings from my previous job but USC gave me enough loans/grants to cover that too.</p>

<p>As for my family… yeah I do miss them. My best friends all go to school in Illinois or Indiana, and my boyfriend lives in Illinois. I couldn’t afford to come home for Thanksgiving, but I came home for winter break and I’m home right now for a glorious ten-day spring break. I’m from Chicago, and flying out of O’Hare to LAX is one of the most expensive domestic flights so I don’t go home unless it’s for a reason. (VirginAmerica has GREAT flight deals from the midwest to LA, I paid about $80 one-way for my Chicago-LA tickets for spring break so keep them in mind when you get to that point!)</p>

<p>Prior to attending orientation, I had never been to USC before and I had no idea what the campus looked like. But, I’m glad I made the leap! I absolutely love it here, and I knew even in high school that I HAD to go here.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response dreamupsided0wn! I’m in the same boat you were; I’ve always known that LA was the place I had to be and USC has seemed to be calling for me since the moment I started considering it. You guys are all very helpful and make me wanna be a Trojan even more!!</p>

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<p>UPDATE: I’ve been accepted!! My financial aid package was pretty generous (53,000) but that still leaves me about 7,000 to cover. Don’t know how I’m going to manage this yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I’m pretty dead set on becoming a Trojan!</p>

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<p>How do you figure needing $7000 a year on top of a full aid package?</p>

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<p>The financial aid section on the USConnect website said that the average cost of attendance was 60,000. I am certainly not trying to complain about the package I recieved; I am very grateful!</p>

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<p>@calej93: I’m in the exact same boat! Both parents are unemployed, and between grants work study, and loans, my aid package was over $53,000. That still leaves about $7,000 a year to my parents, but at this point, it’s cheaper to attend USC than my local state school WITH hefty merit aid. This is incredible. USC is so generous, and I am so grateful that a world-class education is affordable! :)</p>

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<p>You can just take out private loans to cover that remaining $7,000. My financial aid was about the same amount and I actually didn’t need to take out more money because I lived a much cheaper lifestyle than their numbers project. For example, the $60,000 estimate includes season football tickets which are pretty expensive and I didn’t buy any. You’ll save a ton of money if you don’t live on campus as well and instead choose to rent a nearby apartment (I pay about $525/month in rent but most campus housing is at least $800/month).</p>

<p>Probably the best thing you can do is get a job and work a lot during the summer to cover housing and books and whatnot.</p>

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<p>Calej,</p>

<p>I am THRILLED for you!!! Congratulations!!! Nor sure how you still have to come up with 7k when the FAFSA had your EFC at 0. Did USC put your EFC at 7,000???</p>

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<p>Calej, dreamsupsidedown made a good point. I don’t think you should live off campus as a freshman, because you really should have that experience of bonding with other freshmen. But pick housing that doesn’t require a full meal plan…one of the campus apartments. The full meal plan is ridiculously expensive.</p>

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<p>Oh, and DON’T skimp on season FB tickets…that is the essence of the USC experience. FIGHT ON!</p>

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<p>I’m a huge sports fan so I doubt I’ll be skipping on the football tickets. Don’t really like Kiffin but I’m sure I’ll warm up to the teams. :)</p>

<p>My parents are starting to accept the idea of me of becoming a Trojan and people in my community are becoming excited for me. I can’t believe all of this is happening! Thank you guys for all of the help you’ve been! There are a lot of local scholarships given at my school, I’m expecting to recieve anywhere from 5,000-10,000 dollars. Does anyone have an idea how much of this USC will let me use to replace my loans and work study? Or will this strictly take away from my grants?</p>

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<p>Is your financial aid package of 53,000 for the 4 years total or 53,000 per year? I am jsut wondering because I am applying there next year and hope I can receive a package this good.</p>