These colleges feared the lost revenue from their overpriced dorms, meal plans and myriad of fees. They also feared students deciding to take a gap year or choose a cheaper alternative for less-valuable online classes. So they claimed they would be in-person or hybrid. It turns out, our children will be hamsters for them to make money off of as they sit in their dorms all day with limited activities and online classes.
After watching the video yesterday and looking at the schedule of my student and others, it appears that USC is online and only pretending to be “in-person”.
They really have not admitted this to most yet and I feel many folks will arrive unaware. The idea is under consideration in my house as the idea online is an equivalent is a prevarication. And to lie about being online to use students as cash cows is despicable.
I wouldn’t send my kid to a university I didn’t trust, maybe another option is better? We haven’t paid tuition for next year yet, no one has…there is no commitment to attend at this point…so there is still lots of time to choose what to do. Have the student stay home and take a gap year, withdraw completely, go to another school and see how that works out, there’s other choices out there for sure if one doesn’t like what they are getting for their money. I think pretty much everyone is aware of the uncertainty of things in terms of classes, but hopeful.
Trying to have in person classes is a goal, not a conspiracy. I run a business and we are doing our best everyday to adapt to the situation and mandates of that day or that week while preparing for the future which is not easy to predict. USC is doing the same. We provide programs and it is unbelievable how many wait till the last minute to cancel which cost businesses a ton too. If people want out, it is good when done as early as possible to let the business fill the spot or adjust appropriately. Or wait till last second, one has the choice to do that if they want. We are all - individuals and businesses - just trying to move forward best we can.
I don’t think USC or any school is all rainbows and unicorns, but personally, I have the utmost confidence in USC doing all they can do in the best interest of their students given the circumstances they have to deal with. I feel they will be safer there than anywhere else, with all the services they need. I appreciate any effort to hold in person classes. These young people need to move on with their lives. Mine will be there in August and can’t wait.
If they merely stopped claiming the online product was close to in-person I would be less vexed. It is DISHONEST. And after Tyndall, the admissions scandal and the research poaching debacle USC does not get the benefit of the doubt in the near term. I would not mind online if my child attended the local community college but for being one of the ten most expensive colleges in America I expect more.
The last wide spread communication they put out, and only communication on having in person classes was on June 2nd - that was ages ago in pandemic time. Since then, LA had a huge uptick in cases which we all hope settles soon, and I am sure USC is riding that out as well. A school/business cannot keep changing their plans back and forth, that is way worse. They have not put out anything publicly since then, although I read one of the schools did send out a letter in the last couple days that all their classes would be online. I hope they keep moving forward in attempt to have in person classes, it’s still around 2 months away. If they can’t, then they can’t, we will adjust our plans like everyone else, it’s not that big a deal compared to other issues going on. First world problem. This isn’t a scandal and has nothing to do with events past, it’s a global pandemic.
I understand people are angry and anxious over the limbo this whole covid thing causes in every aspect of our life, but uncertainty will be with us for awhile. Schools and businesses can only plan so far with the information they have at that moment, they cannot control a pandemic.
At our house, USC is the one thing we have zero stress about, we know it will eventually work itself out and we have to be flexible. Why not have your student consider a community college or any other school if so disgruntled? I’m not trying to be snarky, but you seem so unhappy overall, maybe moving on would give you peace of mind? 'Cause it is a lot of money to spend on something if so displeased.
I clearly do not like the looming prospect that my daughter’s senior year will be as it seems to be unfolding. But she will be going back and simply making the best of it. I do not blame USC for any of this, regardless of whether her classes will be in person, online or a mix of the two. In our case, taking a gap year is not really something we are consideing either. It might be the answer for some though. For those who cannot stomach the idea of a potential full year of remote courework, and doing so at full price, maybe a year off makes more sense than being ultra-stressed and upset about it all. For those like us that are not contemplating such an extra year of college, I simply suggest making the most of it. Hope for the best and try to focus on the positives.
One of the things besides the asinine lie that online is close to real classes that irked me was the tuition increase. It was a tone deaf gut punch to a lot of people. They would have been better off waiting a year and raising it more next time. Especially when a large part of the financial issues facing the University were from decisions made or issues ignored by the bloated administration that drives much of the costs associated not just with USC but with most institutes of higher education.
My child will be there in the fall. It will cost a lot of money to have them there when there is no need for them to physically be there. Deposits for their housing arrangements have already been made and the contract leaves little room for escape anyway A gap year would not work academically for several reasons.
But is does not mean that the Administration and board deserve no scorn for actions leading into this that put the University in a tougher position.
We are finding it’s possible to get out of housing leases that were iron clad last year. It might be worth a conversation with the landlord or looking for a subleaser. We are in the opposite position planned to do remote from hometown in fall, but now hoping son can return to SoCal understanding classes will be online. Rental market seems as crazy as ever with few options available.
Does anyone know what the procedure for on-campus dorm arrangement is now? My kid is a returning sophomore, and had the dorm + roommates assigned back in May (I think), and we accepted the assignment, and paid the deposit. Clearly we assumed that by fall all will be back to normal.
Now since they are encouraging students to stay home and not come to campus, and they are going to re-arrange roommates (since there’s going to be only one person per room) for those that do return to campus obviously the whole situation changes.
I can’t find any definitive info on whether it is possible to cancel the dorm assignment. Under normal circumstances it would be too late now - but given the ever-changing plans there should be some leeway these days…
again, this is a question about on-campus dorm.
@mwParents I have an incoming freshman but have been following all the webinars and news closely. First, the way I heard it on this past Monday’s webinar, which is now posted on YouTube, it is not yet definite that it will only be one person per room. I heard President Folt say that they had thought they could have two per room, now it was looking more like that could not be, but in my mind it was still not decided. I heard her say that more information would be revealed about housing by July 1 due to contracts having to be signed, but then I’ve also heard something about July 15 being a date for more info - maybe that later date has to do with move-in dates?
Also, on June 22 a parent posted on the USC Parents Facebook page that she’d emailed Housing to ask about similar questions to yours (re a sophomore who already had housing assigned) and got this reply: “At this moment you are still able to cancel with $800 confirmation fee returned back to your student account. If you decide to cancel your USC Housing contract, please complete, sign and return the attached cancelation form. It should be returned via email in PDF format. The deadline to submit the cancelation without penalty is July 1st.” She followed up with another email asking where on the website could this date be found and they replied to her: "“Unfortunately, July 1st deadline is not provided in our website because the information is subject to change. USC Housing has been extending the deadline to cancel with no penalty for the last several months. I am not sure if USC Housing will extend the deadline past July 1st. Due to the uncertainty caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic, housing assignments have been frozen until the university has determined the structure and format of the upcoming academic year. USC Housing will provide updated information on housing assignments as soon as it is available. Unfortunately, we do not have a timeline at the moment.
The original deadline to cancel with no penalty was on March 6th then it was pushed to May 1st, then June 1st and now its July 1st.”
@CAtransplant - this is GOLD. I mean it is also beyond belief that such vital info is not posted on any official USC web site.
So it seems students can still cancel their dorm contract till July 1st. How is USC going to be able to announce any new dorm assignments on that very July 1st day? I mean first they need to know who is committing to being on site, so if the deadline for that is July 1st they would surely need few days/a week to figure out the rest.
Also, can we cancel for Fall but have the dorm possibly back for Spring? Since I have not seen that cancelation form - is it to cancel for both semesters?
And thanks again.
The new deadline for canceling the next school year’s USC Housing Contract is 5 PM PST July 17. I called the housing office yesterday and today to confirm this official information. Unfortunately, I have no idea why the university would not send to everyone who signed a contract or simply broadcast a message on its web page. If you decide to cancel it, you still have three weeks to do.
@nvadad - I’ve tried to call them but had no luck getting to a live person. Do you happen to have anything in writing regarding that July 17 deadline? (since as they say, if it is not in writing it does not exist…). I’m assuming that if one cancels by July 17 deadline they would refund everything, including the $800 deposit, right?
I would suggest emailing - that is how the person who posted on the USC Parents FB group got replies. She posted the form on the FB page and it looked like you had to cancel for whole year - though there was also an option to cancel for Spring 2021 but I imagine that would only be if it was already later than Fall or your contract didn’t start til Spring.
@nvadad If you cancel housing then it means you are withdrawing or taking a gap year pretty much, right? They aren’t sending it out to everyone or posting it because not that many people are considering outright cancelling - and when you post that kind of information it confuses more than enlightens - people will assume it implies much more than that, and at this point it doesn’t. Those considering cancelling should know to contact them for specifics, everyone else is riding it out.
Just a heads up, if you do not have USC housing as a freshman and end up attending, you are not guaranteed housing as a sophomore - meaning you are put literally at the bottom of the queue (last priority), which means you won’t get housing. Housing guarantee only applies to those that have housing for a full year as freshman, unless of course they are spring admits, which then it is just that semester that guarantees them a spot the next year.
I have not heard anything about one per room. If students test negative when they get there, no reason they can’t live together. Of course, it makes their planning more chaotic - that’s what is keeping them busy!
@mwParents, @CADREAMIN, This is what Annabel from the Housing office said today: Cancelling the housing contract will get the deposit back and it would not change anything else. You could do leave of absence or go outside of campus, etc… It only means you are out of contract for the whole year. [ USC would not be able to accommodate everyone who signed the contract anyway - they need people to be voluntarily out or reassign people to different a bldg. or out of campus anyway. Other schools already started this practice. - this is my conclusion, not from USC ]
Also, the Housing office insisted that they would not make an announcement about the new deadline. they will not send emails to everyone either. If you ask, they will tell you right away. I agree with @CADREAMIN - freshmen should be especially cautious about the consequences of canceling the contract as that may impact their future years at USC housing.
@nvadad I actually believe they can accomodate everyone that is signed up - there is no way it will be one per room, they don’t have private baths! And they share the halls, people can’t wear bubbles around their heads. The one per room is internet legend. If they need to thin out some of the 3-4 person rooms, USC has several other properties if they need more housing that they can pull out of their sleeve. Testing coming in, as many schools are doing, is the way to make things work.