@TreeAlum, it’ll probably be more like $77,000/$57,000 if you upgrade to McCarthy Honors dorm and increase the dining plan from the lowest to the second tier, but who’s counting :-).
Add a visit in the fall for Parents/Trojan Family weekend and a football game, and it could be pushing $59k if coming from out of state, maybe less if in CA! I think they play Colorado on October 13th.
@Nomorelurker My daughter has decided she would rather be in a traditional dorm so she isn’t trying for McCarthy even though she is eligible so that’s one dodged bullet! I usually go to LA a few times a year anyway just for fun so going for parents weekend is definitely on my list. I have friends in LA I can stay with as well so I’m thinking it will be fun for me too! Given that we were prepared to bite the bullet and pay in full (lots of suffering for that LOL), getting the scholarship is a big help. It makes it cheaper than her going to UCLA or Berkeley for OOS. Only one kid so we don’t have to save up for another one. And there is always the occasional purchase of lottery tickets! I’m told I should not rely on that though HAHA.
@TreeAlum, sounds like a plan. I agree that the scholarship helps. We would not still be considering USC without it! Great that you have friends to stay with when you visit. Definitely agree that USC is preferable to OOS UCLA or Cal,financially with the scholarship, and I would say regardless :-).
The advice about the odds of winning the lottery is probably sound, but your D, my S, and many on this thread already feel they won the lottery once, by being nominated for a scholarship and early admission to USC! It wasn’t pure luck, of course, because of the hard work put in, as well as having to follow up the scholarship nomination with a solid interview. Let’s just say it was a blessing to have it work out the way it did.
The only problem for my S, and it is a good problem to have, is that he was fortunate to receive a couple of other strong offers, one in particular is very strong (and he was also waitlisted at one of his top choices), that is going to make his decision especially challenging through May 1st. There is no “right” or easy answer, so it appears that we are in for a bumpy landing. I envy you for being done with this process. USC is a great choice. Your daughter will receive a top notch education and have fun over the next four years!
@TreeAlum My daughter felt the same way about USC when she visited in February! She is also applying to
Freshman Science Honors Program (biochem) so they may meet.
Any other Presidential award winners or Trustees still undecided? Whether due to financial considerations, other strong offers, or other reasons, will it come down to the wire on May 1st? How are the students and parents doing? What are some of the considerations? Is anyone considering an Ivy over USC?
@Nomorelurker My Presidential NMF has not committed. Purely finances I think is his worry, although there are also D3 athletic options under consideration. Didn’t apply to any Ivies, waitlisted at Vanderbilt but pretty sure he ranks Vandy a little lower than USC anyway.
I expect USC will be the eventual decision.
@Booajo, I think I recall that you were going to be in CA for spring break. Did you ever make it to visit USC? If your NMF decides on USC, has he thought about housing options? We still have one more to revisit before making a final decision. It will be a relief to have a decision!
Yes @Nomorelurker we visited on Saturday, and he got his admissions decision officially the next day. Thank goodness. He applied for the small McCarthy rooms, and then the traditional dorms. I don’t want to pay that much extra for fancy rooms.
@Booajo, are you referring to McCarthy rooms that are 8 person occupancy? I hear you about trying to manage the budget to make USC work.
No there is a 4-person lofted room that is listed at 3280/semester. All the other rooms in McCarthy are over 5k/semester. That is a close to $4000 savings per year! The other “normal” rooms he applied for in Birnkrant etc are 4650/semester. These rooms may be tiny I guess, but for 4K he can live with it.
@booajo, I guess the savings are possible if you do the research. Good tip on the lofted room option. Some may not want three roommates, but it is a way to save $$$. I think @WWWard also mentioned that his daughter was going to save on housing costs as a sophomore by joining a sorority. Alternatively, an apartment sophomore year off campus might be another way to balance the budget and cut costs.
The lofts at the Village are tiny which is why they are less, traditional dorms are much roomier. Dealing with 3 room mates can be very tough for all kinds of reasons - room mate drama, if someone gets sick, snores, is on a different schedule - up early/late, etc. Housing said they are certainly the last to go because besides the size, folks know an unfortunate room mate situation can make any housing really uncomfortable.
The lofted rooms still only have 2 people sleeping in a room, just less floor space. They are 2 2-person rooms plus 1 bath. So should still only need to worry about 1 snorer etc. Biggest difference from the other 4-person suites looks to be 1 bathroom for 4 people instead of 2 baths. If they go slower, good for us! Or, he can live in Birnkrant etc.
Ya I realized I said that wrong and edited while you were posting. They are a cheaper rate though, but just really confining, since not only small they are apartment style. But everyone likes something different, which is why housing ends up working out for most students.
Sharing one bathroom may be easier on a group of four guys!
Does anyone know if Presidentials and Trustees must maintain a GPA of 3.0? @jmek15 was told a couple years ago that it was 2.0. I don’t think it would be a problem for either but would like to know what the actual current policy might be, if there is one.
It just says on the scholarship page that you must maintain your academic standing and be making progress towards graduating…no mention of GPA? I had heard it was 3.0 but now I can’t find any info.
Shouldn’t be too hard to maintain at least a B average, but sometimes in a STEM or Engineering major, the grades may not come as easily in a competitive class with top students, especially if there are weed out classes! This has become a problem at GA Tech where students with very high GPAs in high school were challenged to maintain a 3.0 average in what became very tough courses freshman year.
The requirement is (and has always been as far as I know) Satisfactory Academic Progress (2.0) + a unit completion requirement of 30/yr. For any scholarships awarded by USC admissions.
Smaller alumni scholarships do require a 3.0. So does Trustee/Pres exceptional funding (i.e. summer units), which may be the source of confusion.
Congrats to all the new trojans btw 