<p>I've applied as a transfer to USC as a fine arts student, and the admissions process has been tumultuous, to say the least. I haven't gotten word yet (because I was recently contacted to be told that they were waiting on my supplementary application, which I'd been told in February that they were no longer accepting; and was THEN told I'd have to resubmit my portfolio CD because the original one had cracked in transit @_@;;), but I'm still holding out hope. However, I do have one major issue: my parents are refusing to supply me with their tax information, ostensibly to prevent me from being able to afford tuition if I get in (it's obvious to myself and my extended family that they don't want me to transfer). I don't know what to do. I put in my FAFSA on time, and I listed myself as being their financial dependent; that means I have to submit their information, right? And even then, is it just too late?</p>
<p>you dont really need that much information, they wont tell you anything?</p>
<p>well im sure they will cave in</p>
<p>The school needs a second FAFSA-like form with different info, as well as copies of their tax forms. </p>
<p>I’m honestly afraid to call up the school. I was hoping someone here would have experience with a situation like this…</p>
<p>Unfortunately you have to provide their tax returns to finalize financial aid. Calling the school won’t change that. The rules for being independent are very stringent and you likely do not meet them. Can you sit down with your parents and try to straighten it out with them? Otherwise, a transfer to a school like USC may not be in your future.
Sorry.</p>
<p>I could, but they’re rather against it overall.</p>
<p>Thanks anyways.</p>
<p>I know this isn’t what you want to hear…but you need to discuss this with your parents. If they are unwilling to support your transfer financially to USC…or won’t provide the information, you will not have a way to pay the bills. There is no “college tuition/room/board fairy” who is going to cover your expenses. </p>
<p>Are your parents contributing to your current college for costs? Are they willing to contribute the SAME amount regardless of where you enroll? Have you had this discussion with them?</p>
<p>For undergrad students under the age of 25, parent info MUST be provided and there are few ways around that (like parents have abandoned you or abused you).</p>
<p>I have a scholarship that pays tuition and room and board at my current school, so, no, they haven’t contributed anything to my education beyond a $300 housing deposit (which I payed back). They’re really not in any position financially to pay for anything either. I was hoping I’d get a package similar to the one I turned down last year (for several complicated reasons that I won’t get into), and pay the rest in loans and money from a part-time job.</p>
<p>I’ve had several friends who have had similar problems to this – parents refusing to give them their tax information for various reasons, to try to keep them from doing something the parents don’t think they should be doing. It’s sort of underhanded especially when you are an adult and can choose what to do, but such is life with colleges.</p>
<p>Anyway, like the others said, the only thing you can do is communicate with your parents and with the school’s financial aid office. Keep them abreast of what’s going on. When my mother didn’t submit her returns to me (because she never filed her taxes on time) they waived the verification process for me, which meant that I didn’t have to turn in my parents’ tax returns but I just put in the estimated information based on their W-2s. Perhaps the school will work something out with you.</p>
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<p>Perhaps this is part of the reason they are not particularly supportive of you transferring. This is a wonderful financial deal that many students would be thrilled to have.</p>
<p>I know you must have a good reason to want to attend USC, but perhaps that is something you could consider for grad school…get your undergrad degree at virtually no cost where you are. Then when you are a grad student apply to USC.</p>
<p>Rowd…according to your posts last April (2008) you made a decision to attend your current college because your parents promised to buy you a car if you took the full ride, and because it was less costly than USC which would have netted you about $50K in debt after the four years. Your family is a LOT closer to your current school than to USC…perhaps that is also part of their issue. </p>
<p>It doesn’t sound like USC gave you as favorable a financial aid package as your current school last year at all…$10K difference in cost to you per year at least. </p>
<p>Also, you say your parents had recently divorced and financially couldn’t help you with college but they were able to buy you a car? I guess I don’t understand that but…whatever.</p>
<p>I think there are a lot of reasons why your family is not supporting your transfer, and you need to get those issues resolved. </p>
<p>You say your school “is a joke” and is way too easy. How do you know for sure that USC won’t be the same in your mind’s eye?</p>
<p>Also, regarding making friends and fitting in (also issues you pointed out)…these are things in your control no matter where you go to school. Find clubs or activities that are of interest to you and join in. Don’t sit in your room. If you’re doing that, it’s YOUR choice…and you could very well be doing the same at USC.</p>
<p>thumper has some really good points. I had a full ride scholarship at my college, which wasn’t the tippy-top of schools and was also close to home, but it was a solid college. I also entertained the thought of transferring out – I think everyone gets a little restless at their home college sometime between sophomore and junior year, sometimes a bit earlier. I mean, if you are extremely unhappy and miserable that would be one thing, but if you are just a little discontent…</p>
<p>Your parents are probably not happy with the idea of you leaving a full scholarship to pay XXX amount of money to go to USC. I know my parents wouldn’t have been, even if they refused to chip in a dime to pay for my schooling (which they did, although they relented later – not that they had to pay anything anyway). Eventually I settled down enough to be content and did other things to amuse myself. I got involved in volunteering in my community and got an off-campus job; junior year I studied abroad. Senior year was so busy and so much of a whirlwind that it didn’t matter.</p>
<p>It goes much more quickly than you think, and now I look back and am utterly relieved that I only needed to borrow $8K!</p>
<p>I’m unsatisfied with the academic rigor and social culture of my current school. The former has me fearing for how prepared I’ll be to enter into my chosen field when I graduate, while the latter has left me depressed, to say the least. It seriously got to the point where I was questioning whether I’d be better off dropping out, getting a job and working towards attending another school from scratch. Also, I won’t lie: getting away, physically, from my parents was a part of my decision to reapply, but the issues with my school were the primary catalysts. </p>
<p>My hope was that I’d get a similar package to last year’s, which was all but $5,000, plus a subsidized loan that was a part of the package (as it turned out later, the $5,000 was what my father had said he would contribute before informing me that I’d be getting no money from him). The car is used and was extremely low-priced; I needed it to get to my summer job, and, as was said, it was promised for attending my current school.</p>
<p>In any case, I guess I will call USC to see if anything can be done, and talk to my parents.</p>