Thank you so much for the info and sharing your perspective. I will definitely have her look into this and have her email/call with questions. It sounded like students also potentially get an advisor for TO so hopefully that will be another resource as well. Has your son enjoyed doing T.O and found a community among people there?
If USC is within driving distance, or you are in town for a revisit day, your student can attend a TO class. We’re a bit of a drive, but my son went to a TO class last week to try and get a feel of the kids and program. Hope that helps!
He has enjoyed TO but found his community of friends his freshman year more through his freshman dorm (New North) and by participating in intramural sports and clubs. He did the USC ski club his freshman year and an outdoor hiking club. It was called Peaks and Professors, I think. As a current sophomore, he has maintained those friendships but now has made more connections through classes in his major. The suggestion below to sit in on a class is a good one. However, just a heads up that classes end this week as the study period/finals are next week. I am confident your student will enjoy their classes and be challenged whether they do TO or not.
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Peaks and Professors is an extremely popular club.
Which means it can be very difficult to get into!
My understanding is that the club is not difficult to get into but that the trips book quickly.
There is no shortage of things to get involved with. In addition to the clubs or programs like Peaks and Professors, there are lots of 1 credit classes a student could register for in order to explore things like surfing, table tennis, sailing and navigation, chess, yoga, hiking, backpacking, pickleball.
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Good point! Thanks for clarifying.
Any advice on freshman housing for Viterbi admit?
USC just asked us for more financials yesterday. We haven’t heard anything yet and the May 1st deadline is just around the corner. Our son cannot afford to go with the initial FA package. Will they let us know prior to the May 1st deadline?
I would call USC financial aid and ask if they will have a decision by tomorrow. If not, does your son have another school that he is happy to go to? One option is to call both USC and his other school and ask both for an extension to deposit, since you are waiting on the results of a financial aid decision from one of them. Sometimes the schools will grant this extension in this circumstance.
And is USC’s decision the result of an appeal, or are they just being really slow with your initial financial aid package?
Thank you so much for your advice. Yes, he does have another school lined up, and yes, it is an appeal.
I think your best bet is to ask for an extension from both schools.
If that doesn’t work, I think he can accept the other school and then if USC comes through with the financial aid appeal he can withdraw from that school and commit to USC if he wants, since it is sort of like a waitlist situation. (But I am not sure, so reaching out to @kelsmom who may know from a financial aid perspective). You would lose your deposit at the first school if you go that route, of course.
Sometimes USC comes through with generous financial aid with an appeal, and sometimes they do not. (We’ve seen both types of reports posted recently).
I have appealed at USC several times (successfully). If you want to DM me, I’m happy to continue to chat about this “offline”.
If the USC & the non-USC school will allow an extension without losing your spot and/or aid, you can try for it. Committing to the other school & then backing out if aid at USC comes through is certainly an option. Students commit & then back out all the time (only ED admits pledge to back out only due to financial issues - RD students don’t make similar pledges). You can request an extension from USC because you are waiting to hear from financial aid. If they say you will lose your spot, you can decide if you want to put down a deposit. Ultimately, only one school will win out, and yes, you’d lose deposits. If you do decide to commit to the other school & end up at USC, please be sure to notify the other school right away. Same if you commit to USC but have to say no due to the results of the review. There might be a student on the waitlist who is in the wings.
I will contact USC this morning and ask for an extension. He did commit to his alternate school late last night to hold his spot. We do understand that if USC does come through with FA, we would lose our deposit at this school. We have been unsuccessful during this process to actually speak with anyone in the FA office. On hold for over an hour, etc. Do I contact admissions for the extension?
Yes, and make sure to let them know what your experience with financial aid has been so far - tell them that you have been trying to get in touch with someone about the issue, but you haven’t had any luck.
Sometimes they are really busy but if you stay on the phone you will eventually get through and i l have found that they are usually quite helpful.
Thank you all for your assistance!
Hi Can we connect. I need help to appeal ny FA package with USC.
People who got into USC Dornslife, what were your stats and extracurriculars?