<p>Being an out-of-stater myself, I don’t know anything about the UCs. Are there somewhat “automatic” scholarships at the UCs for certain grades or scores? Did you get scholarships at any of the UCs, tomathist? Is that possibly what your mother was talking about?</p>
<p>One of my sons was accepted to a private college, years ago, with a full-tuition offer. The in-state public he applied to offered him a much smaller merit scholarship, but a still large-enough scholarship to bring the public school’s total Cost of Attendance (tuition, room, and board) down to around $6000 a year. In contrast, the private school that offered him full-tuition, cost about $14,500 the first year for room and board alone, and that amount went up each year (due to university-wide percentage increases).</p>
<p>My son did attend the private school, with the full-tuition offer, but it did cost significantly more than the in-state public would have. Had the in-state public not offered ANY scholarships at all (that is, if my son had attended the public at full price), the public school would not have cost a whole lot more than the private school he attended with a full-tuition scholarship. We knew all of this going in.</p>
<p>I say this only because it is possible that your mom is correct. I don’t know what kind of financial aid package the UCs gave you (or what they typically give anybody). But your mom may have a point.</p>
<p>Regarding my son’s choice to attend the private school for the (still high) cost of room and board, over the in-state public at a lower cost: We have no regrets! He had a WONDERFUL experience, incredible opportunities, an excellent education. The private school was an amazing fit for him. For us, it was worth the higher COA.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I can’t answer any of your other questions. USC’s financial aid packages are not out yet, right? At least my son didn’t get one. When you get your packet, tomathist, you might have answers to some of your questions. Good luck to you! :)</p>