Then they don’t and it is time to move on. Others that can, will.
fallenchemist, I’m a disappointed that you are making accusations about the values of others. I know you’ve been on cc long enough to recognize calling anyone elitist is fighting words. If you still feel so strongly about USC’s merit interview travel reimbursement policies (!), it’s kinder and safer to stay on topic. You may not think the words you use are emotionally charged, but I assure you they can be read that way.
Back to topic: Financially needy students will receive Financial Aid grants. Often, these are even greater than full tuition in grant money and are a testament to USC’s concern with helping low-income families/students, their need-blind admissions policy, and their FA policies which include no private family or student loans or gaps. There is no need to worry about this segment being ignored or disenfranchised by USC. Quite the contrary.
And since Financial Aid best addresses students with serious need, many of us are grateful that Merit Aid can alleviate the financial burden on the families who get the least help from colleges today–middle income.
I didn’t make a single accusation, I made a judgement. Those are very different things. My exact words were “I find…” That means it is an opinion that I hold, no more and no less. You cannot say on one hand that my words can be read a certain way and then deny me the right to read their words a certain way. I do find that saying “Too bad if you cannot afford the airfare, you probably shouldn’t even think about coming to USC anyway. There are a lot of schools less expensive”, which I think is almost exactly what was said but just in simpler words, to be elitist and offensive. Read those posts carefully. If you can read them any other way, then that’s great for you. You are welcome to that opinion.
Again, I am not going to address the USC program any longer. I have made my position on that clear. If you want to keep this more on topic, then stop taking it off topic by talking about me and stop misrepresenting what I said and did.
As someone who will be flying in from the US, the 200 dollars is a reasonable and helpful amount. Flying crosscountry without it would be hard.
I think the concern of an international student is valid.
If you can suddenly budget $2000 (I use the amount mentioned earlier) to fly for two days to another country, than more power to you. I could not come up with that money, and I wouldn’t be applicable for too much Financial Aid. It’s sad for international applicants frankly that there isn’t more assistance. If USC had said they would provide half the airfare, that would have been better for everyone.
Rules are rules and there are way less expensive options for an education than USC.
That’s the kind of cop-out statement people use when they can’t morally defend their position.
I’ve donated a little money to USC with the expectation the school will use that money well. Learning that some scholarships are only available to those wealthy enough to make a special trip to Southern California is something that I find to be repugnant.
If you would bother to read the entire thread rather than jumping in with a holier than thou attitude, you would see I and others defended this stand throughout. If they can’t afford it they can’t afford it, that is life, and there are other options than USC or waiting for a handout. If you want to help @simba9, you could pay for the flight of one of these that can’t afford it, have them PM you. Why should someone else’s donated money do that? They may want it spent elsewhere, how USC spends it well is subjective. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and morals thank you very much.
The thing is, international students are not eligible for financial aid.
http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/applying_receiving/international/
Intl students can only receive:
- Merit aid
- Limited work opportunities (non-fed. work study) -not truly aid
- Non-federal loans -again, not aid
Sooo, no financial aid.
My theory: In a way, providing airfare assistance to an intl. student would be the same as providing them with financial aid -which they don’t qualify for. Thus, USC offers airfare aid only to domestic students.
Not taking any sides, just stating facts.
To the OP:
@ivcusa11 Regardless of opinions on whether USC should cover your ticket, reality is there’s very little chance they will. You can send them a well-written email, though, asking for an exception; who knows, they might surprise you. There is nothing wrong with asking. Send it to admissions, not financial aid. The FA department can’t give you money, but Admissions can -they have separate funds, which is where they provide the scholarships from. FA department cannot make arbitrary decisions, but admissions can. If they say yes, great. If they say no, well not too great, but it’s their decision.
If they say no, though, you need to determine if the scholarship would be enough for you to possibly attend USC…
- If it is: Is there a way you could raise/borrow the ticket money from other family and/or close friends?
- If the scholarship wouldn’t be enough funding (since you can’t get any more aid than that): You’ll have to find more affordable schools. Where else did you apply to?
I wish you the best of luck.
US students in search of generous merit awards have to make the trips and interviews to get be in the running for them too. Take a read of one young woman’s quest for full rides at selective schools: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/magazine/30neurosis-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. In order to get those awards, one has to make the financial investment.
In some cases, as I’ve mention and others, the admissions office will pay part or all of a candidate’s travel cost, so OP should ask. My son was awarded travel expenses to come to some college invitation events. Not something offered to everyone, just those they most wanted who balked at the expense. Others will if there is demonstrated need. There may be limited such funds, so better inquire now.
A friend of mine was not thrilled for her DD to have to show up at a school in order to get her merit award there. The amount was not even stated–she would find out at the ceremony when they announced them. It was not a top choice school for her DD, but something that was wanted as an option, and so she paid for her DD to go , she got a nice award–didn’t use it as she ended up not going there. Cost paid for that option.
I just wanted to point out again that I’m NOT an international under USC standards. I’m a US citizen studying abroad, and I am thus eligible for financial aid. I also want to point out once again that I believe USC has any obligation to pay for or even remotely support the cost of attending the interview. This thread was meant literally as a question, I was simply confused as to what the process would be for internationals if you read my posts carefully. However, at this point my parents are willing to make the sacrifice. Thanks for all your (mostly) friendly and helpful advice guys.
@IVCUSA11…Your only “big” expense should be airfare. Well, and the time away from your studies…which can be considerable if coming from out of the country. But you can use that “plane time” to study…or sleep. Primetime Shuttle from the airport is about $15 with a USC code, I believe. I also think you can plan to stay in a dorm with a student for the extra nights surrounding the interview if your airline schedule requires it. I think it may cost a bit extra, but not as much as a hotel room. Most meals are included and when not, there are reasonably priced restaurants on campus. It isn’t required for parents to attend, and although I attended the interview days with my son last year, he did do some “callbacks” at other colleges by himself. My son did this last year, so I don’t remember if you get all of this info in a correspondence from USC…but if you need special consideration…like a place to stay…give admissions a call…maybe they can work with you. I’m glad it worked for you to attend. Good luck with your interview.
Oops, I meant to say I don’t believe USC has any obligation. And thanks @MsMommy, I hope it works out as well
@IVUSA11 Ahh, I apologize. Completely slipped my mind as I replied above. Well, glad it’s settled & good luck!
Ps: Doesn’t hurt to email them about it anyways…
This may have already been addressed and is probably too little, too late for those who would be interviewing for scholarships this year, but USC will reimburse you for half your airfare up to a certain limit. I think that is mighty nice of them.
@LegacyMom Ahh, it seems everyone understood that it only applied for domestic flights…Sooo international flights would be covered as well?
^^ That’s correct! USC reimburses up to $200 for internationals as well!
@Lilliana330 , I can’t say for sure, but I see nothing in the literature that we received which would suggest that international students are excluded from the offer. It simply says half off airfare up to $200…I know that is probably a quarter of what an international flight would be, at best, but still pretty nice IMO. You have to either book through USC’s travel agency to have the fare reduced upfront or bring a copy of your receipt, along with a copy of your itinerary, for reimbursement at the end of the program. We found it was a better deal to do the latter in my son’s case.
@MsMommy I’m trying to find a way to stay at USC an extra night due to distance. Any advice?
@byebyebirdy…have you contacted admissions to ask them if this is possible? If they told you no, contact me via pm, I may have an idea for you. If you haven’t contacted them yet, call them, explain your situation and see if they can set you up in a dorm room for an extra night. Again, if they can’t help…let me know.