My friend who got their Fin Aid statement today received a “University Scholarship” valued $2k per year on top of their Trustee scholarship. They were also National Merit Finalist but they still haven’t declared USC as their first choice. Could this be a possibility?
@agilemongoose @rmulvane
Likely the Director’s scholarship, unadvertised and they toss those out sometimes, same with Deans (but more public), they can be a surprise, not just a bump down from the merit interviews. In this case, they aren’t part of a specific process but awarded based on available funds and another little lure to get you to USC, and a nice surprise!
Financial aid rolls out 3-7 days after decisions, so they are right on time. Not all may have received it yet, so don’t worry if you haven’t, it will come.
It seems all the merit scholarships are out per some communication with advisors there. There are still departmental and organzational scholarships to be given. Smaller but still $.
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Oh no, say it ain’t so! Hoped to have you around here! But wish you luck as you finalize your decision, and still have fingers crossed for you to have something work out with USC.
mine says there is no aid update because i haven’t applied for loans or received a scholarship. we’re stuck in that “perfectly middle class” area, so it’s just a bit disheartening to see that i have to pay that sum of money.
on the bright side, i have really great UC schools & NEU, so i guess this whole aid thing is just redirection :))
@smileygrl Can we give you the “The Positivity” award?! Sounds like you have great options and you recognize that. Way to look ahead to a bright future! I totally get the user name. 
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My DC is NMF. Today USC awarded presidential scholarship for him. What does this means? Any idea? Thank you.
Instead of giving me the package, USC just asked me for the same document I uploaded three days ago… maybe a result of bureaucracy?
Thank you! Does the Director’s Scholarship give out $2500 every year or one time?
If that’s what it is, it’s every year. But you should call FA and ask to be sure. Maybe it’s just a one timer thing, but they can certainly tell you! Congrats!
You have 1/2 tuition scholarship. They do not stack. NMF is often included in counts for presidential since they are for same amount.
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Yes they roll out 3-7 days after decisions. Some can take longer. If u don’t have anything mid next week, I would call and make sure they have all they need. Prepare to hold, but good to clarify as soon as you can.
Sounds like my son’s although he got presidential as well as that extra $2k which it says is renewable. Trustee, wow - that’s amazing! Congrats to your friend.
Where did your D find that? We haven’t seen anything in emails, but I haven’t been on my D’s portal.
Hi, All. Is scholarship/FA info sent in an email, or do you have to find it on the portal?
My daughter is considering this AUP option. Was your son satisfied with his support from USC’s end regarding which classes to take and when he transferred back in the Spring? One of our other concern is the security and safety of the students, and living options. Also, may I ask why you guys decided on AUP versus the other study abroad school options? Still doing our research, so any info would be appreciated. TIA!
@Sparky232 Congratulations on the admit to SCA film production! Amazing to hear that. Good luck to him.
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You’re welcome. Glad it all worked out so well…
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I was invited to apply to the Thematic Option. Does anyone know if this honors general education will exempt me from science and math courses as it appears to be a more liberal arts option?
My daughter found it by looking on the portal and then clicked on “click here” under USC FAST. Then academic year 21-22
ttowner- Regarding the study abroad options for spring admits-
My son considered only London & Paris as those interested him the most. Also, Im not positive, but I think I remember that those 2 are programs that are most heavily subscribed to by USC students ( or at least among the top programs for sure). That was critically important to him, as he wanted to be able to go back to usc in the spring already knowing people. And that worked extremely well, as advertised. If I remember correctly, I believe Richmond U is the UK option- he decided against that because the campus has 2 locations and the one for the relevant program is located just outside the city ( with easy access in by train, I believe). But he really wanted to be in the heart of a city, not outside, so he chose AUP. Note that usc will have a webinar (last year was in mid-April) where each study abroad partner school did a zoom presentation. They also took questions, and there was a chat box running with lots of info.
In terms of support from usc, it was extremely good, as was the hand off to AUP ( including Fr.visa help, no small feat normally and super-challenging in covid times!), and then the subsequent hand-off back to usc. We had no negative issues at all from usc or aup- the Fr gov for the visa was the only significant frustration. But with patience and a sense of humor, and if you stay on top of it and start right away, you should be fine. Both the study abroad usc liaison and the assigned usc advisor were very good and available, and choosing AUP classes that transfer back was not at all difficult as they are clearly delineated in the aup class lists. The only class that was REQUIRED at aup but does NOT transfer credit back to usc ( and they told us this ahead of time) was, ironically FRENCH. One would think a French class in Paris for an entire semester would be the best transfer credits of all! And he did enjoy it, and learned quite a bit, but for some reason usc won’t take that foreign language class for credit. I guess they need to keep their language profs busy. The only difficulty to warn you about was that we stayed up until 2am EST to be the first to register classes online with AUP as they are 5/6 hours ahead of us, and that’s when registration opened! But he did get all the classes he wanted with that strategy.
I would also say that he liked his classes at aup- not super duper challenging, but I think that worked well for a first semester, and it gave him more time to run around and get to know the city. Also, his professors gave him a European perspective in lots of areas, and I think that is interesting & valuable. AUP’s communication with parents was excellent, and we had a challenging semester with partial lockdowns at certain points, etc. Most classes were in person, 1 was online ( teachers could choose). My son made lots of female friends- now many at usc- and I did not hear of a single negative safety incident big or small- just a few covid incidents. Of course it’s a big city so must always be aware ( especially pickpockets), but I think of Paris as relatively safe to walk around in, and my opinion hasn’t changed since he was there.
AUP Housing accommodations was a dicier proposition for some, so this would require research by you. The price options vary according to type and distance. We didnt use their housing as they allowed us to break their normal rules and rent a studio, but only because of covid. They generally want the kids to live together. Many aup options provide breakfast but no other meals. But I don’t think that’s unusual for study abroad programs in cities. So I don’t have experience with the housing office at aup. I do know they must have been super challenged with covid and the shutdown in Novemb
er, since some options are international student rooms without a proper kitchen. How they handled that I have no idea- sounds like an administrative nightmare! For the further locations where kids had to get on the metro from school to get back to their housing, the travel did not seem to be a significant negative, as the metro system is efficient, stations are plentiful and everyone uses it, so again feels pretty safe. Best of luck with your research!
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My daughter was a spring admit last year and moved into Gateway in the fall taking CC classes in LA remotely. It worked out great for her because she could assimilate and make friends while adjusting to college life. We were able to move her in and get her settled. It really gave us and her a sense of control and certainty. With the pandemic going on, it could not have gone any better for us.
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