<p>and if so, how?</p>
<p>What do you call. “a lot”?</p>
<p>With $130,000 income, your family contribution will be between $32,000 and $42,000 a year…and that is just income based. Add in assets as well.</p>
<p>USC gives some merit awards to high stats admitted students…top of the admission pool.</p>
<p>Are you one?</p>
<p>Do you have siblings in college? If not, you won’t get a lot of aid from USC…unless you have very high stats and they MIGHT consider you for merit…or if you are a NMF and get a half tuition award.</p>
<p>Well, now I wonder, what do you consider to be “a lot of aid”? </p>
<p>How much will your family pay?</p>
<p>What are your stats? Are you a NMSF?</p>
<p>Do your parents have assets, too? home equity?</p>
<p>Have you had your parents run the NPC?</p>
<p>oh good heavens…you’re that student with the free ride to UCSB for your sport…and you want to major in FILM.</p>
<p>Unless your parents will pay the net costs at USC, forget about it.</p>
<p>Have you already been offered a free ride at UCSB for athletics? If so…take that. Getting out of college with no debt will be a huge advantage to you as you make your way in the film industry.</p>
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<p>There is a CC parent here whose D went to USC, I believe for film, and she has now graduated. Parents happily paid, she doesn’t have a bunch of debt. </p>
<p>She’s trying to break into the film industry, but she can’t support herself, so her parents are subsidizing. Fine for them, they can afford it. But if she had loans and the parents couldn’t help out, she’d likely be forced to abandon her career hopes, get a real job, and support herself and her debt.</p>
<p>Um…she would not have to get a “real job”. She would have to get another job. Filmmaking is a REAL job, as is music performance, acting, art, dance, etc. Many of these folks need to supplement their incomes with additional other jobs. It doesn’t make their work in the arts any less REAL.</p>
<p>Sorry…but I take offense at folks who believe work in the arts isn’t “real” work…and that other jobs are “real” jobs.</p>
<p>Anyway…back to the point. The OP has an opportunity to get a degree in the arts with no cost to him. That is an amazing gift. </p>
<p>"Filmmaking is a REAL job, "</p>
<p>lol…yes…I didn’t word that the best way. Sorry! I meant a job that would, from the get-go, provide a salary large enough to pay for his rent and expenses…and pay back his loans. In Calif, that could require a hefty salary that a young person trying to make it in film wouldn’t likely get…meaning that he may feel pressured to take another job (even if waiting tables) just to keep a roof over his head. </p>
<p>Often, when beginning in that field, it can be like starting an acting career. Income can be too low paid or too unrealiable to support themselves. No offense to those working in the “arts”. I meant a job, any job, that would be supporting. </p>
<p>I don’t think young people often firmly grasp how annoying and hard it is to pay back student loans. It seem so “out there” for them…years away…too far away to consider. They want what they want, now. </p>
<p>Now, if the OP’s parents are willing to let him blow-off his free ride to UCSB and pay for USC, then the risk would be a lot lower. But, the title of the thread suggests that parents aren’t an open check book, since he’s asking for a LOT of aid. I’m guessing that parents who are facing the choice of “free” from a very good UC and paying a chunk to USC aren’t going to be that open to paying. </p>
<p>In his previous thread, he backed off on USC once he learned he could only borrow $5,500 for frosh year. I’m guessing that he had thought that he could borrow whatever USC didn’t cover. </p>
<p>It’s a myth that only those who go to USC, Chapman or UCLA for film can make it. Take a look at the winners at annual Hollywood campus film fest. Those kids are from all over. They get noticed and get offers. </p>
<p>The student should look into what UCSB (or another recruiting school) offers for film.</p>
<p>I think his sport is baseball. If so, then he should find out if LMU will recruit him. They have film, I believe. </p>
<p>My daughter also when to USC film school on presidential scholarship. She also graduated with no debt. It’s not easy to find job in film so she started a production company and has been self supporting for 2 years. She works with camera and stuff but not actually making movies. She is in the process of expanding her business and hire 2 more persons, one to manage the business and one to help with film editing so she and her business partner can focus more on the creative process. So don’t think going to USC and you become director and shooting movies. It’s not easy, not for anyone.</p>
<p><<<
She also graduated with no debt. It’s not easy to find job in film so she started a production company and has been self supporting for 2 years</p>
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<p>Best wishes for her…</p>
<p>@DrGoogle </p>
<p>When you say that she started her own production company, what did she use for seed money? What did she use to pay the rent while she was waiting for enough money to start coming in to become self-supporting? </p>
<p>I just know from my own experiences (not in film) that I’ve had to have some money “up front” to get something going, and a source of financial support as well. </p>
<p>Was she working in some other job? Were you helping her? Was she able to live at home while she got things going? Does she have a SO that is helping support her? </p>
<p>She started the first production in her dorm. Got some money paid but not much. BTW, she started with a video equipment that she got from us for Xmas. She did have a job at a law firm doing video editing between the first production company and the second production company. That job paid her rent. I did help her for a while but not much, like maybe $200 a month for a few months. No significant other to help but she did have another part time job at USC, so there was 2 overlapping jobs that gave her more money. She also shared with 3 roommates and that helped her out. She couldn’t afford beef for meat at first, could only afford chicken and vegetables. Of course, I paid for the usual stuff parents pay like cell phone and health insurance and car insurance(because it’s too expensive for under 25 to pay). She got a new car after graduation, nothing fancy just small Toyota where gas is cheap.
But I think now she is able to charge 4-figure per day for doing some work, but she is not all busy all the time. The fee is spitted evenly between her and her business partner. So it’s not all going to her.</p>
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<p>You probably mean “paid job” instead of “real job” here.</p>
<p>^^
lol…I think I already clarified. </p>
<p>No, I don’t mean a “paid job”. I meant a job that earns enough to support oneself AND pay back loans. </p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everybody. @mom2collegekids My sport is swimming by the way.</p>
<p>oops…swimming. Is anyone else recruiting you?</p>
<p>Jspits, congrats on the scholarship. My obvious answer, even as an SC alum, is to go to Santa Barbara. But, question, are you committed to swimming for 4 years? If you think there’s a chance of not, will you lose all funding at SB?
My D’s friend is on water polo at SB and is very happy. But, it seems like 75% of the athletes I know drop the sport after 1 or 2 years.
The previous USC estimate of $35-45,000 a year out of your parents’ pocket is probably pretty accurate. And, if it’s not merit based, it can be lowered any time if your parents fortunes bump up. Multiply by 4 - yikes! But, UCSB will be close to $30,000 without a scholarship.
Best of luck to you.</p>