<p>I've worked my butt off for the past 4 years, trying to take all the extracurriculars I can, applying myself in school, getting involved in my local community, etc. and it has finally paid off with my acceptance to USC. Unfortunately, my step-mom thinks that it's unnecessary for me to go to a school like USC because it's so far away from home (I live in PA). While I agree that it is far, I've visited, researched it, and found that the environment and the curriculum match my ideal college to they key. I'm not really sure how I prove to her that this school is the right place for me. She seems to be convinced that I'm only interested because it's in LA and it's a big-name school. I also got a pretty big scholarship from Drexel University and an offer into Pennoni Honors, but I'm not sure if my heart is really in it. What should I do?</p>
<p>If Drexel is significantly less money (more than 20 grand a year less than USC), go there.</p>
<p>worst case scenario is you go anyways and your stepmom doesn’t support you so you pay your way through college. If you don’t think you can handle that then I guess you’ll have to listen to what she says, maybe get some outside input from family friends, relatives, teachers, friends, etc.</p>
<p>Is USC significantly more expensive than Drexel or other choices you have?</p>
<p>When we lived in Virginia my son went to USC and we gladly sent him there because he was admitted to the film school. Now USC is a wonderful place and a great school, but he was also accepted to UVA and VT (where we had the pre-paid tuition plan) and OOS to UNC. Had he not been accepted to the film school I’m not sure we would have wanted to spend the extra money to send him to USC. Is there something academically that you want at USC that Drexel, with the large scholarship, does not have? If not, Drexel is your clear choice.</p>
<p>What is the financial and family status? Can they comfortably afford to pay for USC and the travel expenses that will be required? Are there other kids coming down the pike who will need to go to college?</p>
<p>9 months at USC is going to cost 60,000K (absent financial or merit aid). It is one of the most expensive schools in the country. The cost of four years of attendance will amount to a quarter of a million dollars. Perhaps your stepmother looks at that amount of money and literally feels ill. In that case, no amount of persuasion on your part is going to make any difference.</p>
<p>Where is your DAD on this?</p>
<p>Everyone has raised good points regarding $$ and courses of study. I can understand your desire to get out of Dodge, but living in Philadelphia as an independent college student would likely be very different from your life now.</p>
<p>I’m wondering why your stepmom is the person whose opinion counts. What about your father and mother? What do they think?</p>
<p>USC is a CSS/Profile school, so stepparent income is considered in the determination of need (unlike FAFSA). If the stepmother’s money is a factor, then her opinion counts.</p>
<p>Oh, I didn’t mean to suggest that her opinion should not count. I was just wondering why it seemed to be the ONLY opinion that counted.</p>
<p>NJsue – the CSS/Profile does not require stepparents to pay, it only looks at their income as to measurement of family should be able to pay. If Dad married SM with no consideration of how that would impact financial aid, yeah, I do not think too much of him, but still HIS opinion is relevant.</p>
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<p>Maybe I don’t understand your point–are saying that the Dad’s decision to remarry should have included a consideration of how his new wife’s income would impact potential financial aid and if he didn’t consider this, it’s a mark against his character?</p>
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<p>It sounds like the stepmom is married to the custodial parent. If so, then her income would count on FAFSA, too. The reason that I’m guessing that the SM is in the custodial home is because it seems that she has a lot of verbal input…more than a step would typically have if married to the NCP. </p>
<p>We need more info…</p>
<p>How much is USC expecting the family to pay?</p>
<p>Are there two sets of parents? How much will each “set” have to pay? </p>
<p>Is there a problem with the amount that USC expects the families to pay? </p>
<p>How much would the family (or families) have to pay if you went to Drexel?</p>
<p>What is your intended major and career?</p>