Just a few USC questions...

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>I am interested in applying to the University of Southern California but would like to know more before I spend the $65 plus other fees for required materials like test scores.
I have a few simple questions:</p>

<p>Is it easy to find available housing near campus for those upperclassmen who cannot get on-campus housing? (I'm assuming so, considering that 16,000 students attend.)</p>

<p>Would geographic diversity help my case for admission and/or get me any scholarship money? (I'm from the Chicago area)</p>

<p>How much debt do USC students usually graduate with? (Northwestern promises that its graduates will have fewer than $20,000 of debt upon graduating, so I was curious what USC is like)</p>

<p>If someone could help me out, I would appreciate it.</p>

2

<ol>
<li><p>yes, non-university housing is plentiful around campus, but you have to make sure you don’t meet a bad landlord.</p></li>
<li><p>doubt it, i bet USC gets plenty of applicants from the chicago area. it isn’t like you’re from south dakota or something.</p></li>
<li><p>i think i saw somewhere that the average is $18,000 but that’s off the top of my head and it could be way off. personally i graduated with $13,000 in loans.</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>According to a USC brochure 98.1% of freshmen live on campus. </p>

<p>The deadline for merit scholarship consideration was Dec. 1, 2010. This date is plainly stated on all USC application materials. This does not mean you cannot apply for local scholarships in your community. Local scholarships can be from civic, religious, ethnic, political or other organizations. </p>

<p>Around 60% of USC students receive financial aid. Please read alamemom’s detailed thread about applying for financial aid. USC is need blind in admissions. USC promises to meet USC DETERMINED financial need. According to U.S.News for the 2009 enrolled class the average financial aid package was $34, 545. That is an average. Obviously, many will receive much less and others more. </p>

<p>If you visit the USC campus it is extremely diverse. About 12% of the last freshman class was international. In the class 1,311 high schools are represented. </p>

<p>Most upperclassmen/women choose to move off campus to Greek houses or close by apartments. Some of these are directly across the street from the edges of campus. Due to the mild climate students walk, skateboard or bike to campus.</p>

<p>Dr. Nikias has goals of continuing to build students residences each year. </p>

<p>USC is a private university. Students are from all states and countries around the world. </p>

<p>If the application fee is a financial problem, write to the admissions committee and ask for a waiver.</p>

<p>I do not have any information regarding student debt after graduation. Perhaps alamemom would have that statistic.</p>

<p>Good luck in your college journey.</p>

4

<p>

The application deadline for scholarship consideration (freshman applicants) was December 1st. Since you missed that deadline, you will not be considered for scholarships if you are a freshman. If you are a transfer applicant, the application/scholarship deadline is February 1st.</p>

<p>

Information concerning how much debt other students accumulate has no direct impact on how much debt you will have. To put it simply, your debt at graduation will depend on how much you borrow.</p>

<p>Like Northwestern, USC - **not you **- will determine your need and award you financial aid based on that need. Your USC need-based package will include loans of $5,500 year 1, $6,500 year 2, and $7,500 each years 3 & 4 for a total of $27,000. You are under no obligation to take the loans. If you can pay for your education out-of-pocket, you will not have debt at graduation.</p>

<p>You will have an expected contribution that is supposed to come from current income and savings. It may range from about $3,000 to $50,000, depending on the information in the CSS/Profile. If you can pay your expected contribution out-of-pocket, it will not add to your debt. Some families find they need loans (generally Parent PLUS loans) to pay their expected contribution. If that is the case, your debt (and/or your parents’ debt) will be larger.</p>

<p>Please bear in mind that Northwestern’s promise is also based on the fact that YOU have to pay your expected contribution. If they calculate your contribution to be $20,000 per year, but you can only pay $10,000, you will need additional loans. What they are saying is that in a need-based package, the loans portion will average $5,000 per year - you still must pay your expected contribution in addition to that.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

5

<p>Thanks Georgia Girl.
josebiwasabi, was your time at USC as good as you expected and worth the cost?</p>

<p>and do you have any additional info that would be useful to know or would be helpful in the application process?</p>

6

<p>my time at USC was better than expected for the most part. as for whether it was worth the cost… let’s just say that USC ended up being significantly cheaper for me than attending my in-state school (university of washington).</p>

<p>to be honest i wrote my USC app including the essay the night before the deadline so i’m probably not the best person to ask with respect to the application process lol</p>

7

<p>ok thank you!</p>

<p>one more thing, can anyone provide me with information or a link or something about the journalism department at the Annenberg school of communications?
ive been trying to find info on the internet but for whatever reason, i can’t find anything…</p>

8

<p>Go to the Annenberg website: [USC</a> Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism](<a href=“http://www.annenberg.usc.edu%5DUSC”>http://www.annenberg.usc.edu). Annenberg is a top notch school of communication and journalism. Use search to find past posts about Annenberg and their faculty and alumni. Faculty have won Pulitzer, Emmys, Edward R. Murrow and other prestigious awards.</p>

<p>The Annenberg Foundation has been a major donor to the school. In October it was announced the school would receive a $50 million dollar donation to build a new state of the art complex. Recently, the Annenberg Foundation donated $5 million for Annenberg scholarships.</p>

<p>Some faculty stars are Henry Jenkins, Martin Kaplan, Manuel Castells, Ernest Wilson, Geoffrey Cowan and Judy Muller. I suggest you check out their biographies. Writer in residence is Norman Corwin</p>

<p>In addition to the USC study abroad opportunities Annenberg has international programs such as: Spring semester in London, Spring semester in New Zealand and an option of International communication studies in London, Paris, Prague and Rome.</p>

<p>Students experience on campus media outlets. There is Annenberg TV News, Daily Trojan, Annenberg Radio News and Annenberg Digital News.</p>

<p>Students have had internships at: ABC, CNBC, CNN, E!, Conde Nast, Fox News, City Projects Documentaries, LA Weekly, LA Magazine, MTV, NBC Olympics, Sky News and NPR.</p>

<p>You can request an Annenberg brochure by contacting the school at: <a href=“mailto:ascadm@usc.edu”>ascadm@usc.edu</a></p>

9

<p>Thanks a bunch!</p>