<p>My daughter has been accepted to the USC Cinematic Arts program and really wants to go there, but even though she has good grades, I am not sure she is going to get any scholarships. Does anybody have any experience with 1. whether Spring term scholarships are actually viable (they talk about them but I don't know) and what kind of work study they might have that pays well enough to really make a difference on the costs.</p>
<p>The biggest question I would ask USC, once you get your package is what can you expect in subsequent years? Many years ago rumours on this board and others said that USC would change grants to loans for years 3/4, too late to change schools. That was part of my Ds decision not to attend, we simply could not risk it! In what would ahve been my Ds thrid year another parent came on and said their package was changed to be heavy on loans.</p>
<p>This was years ago, but it is an important consideration</p>
<p>She's a Spring admit? I am not familiar with aid specific to Spring admits.</p>
<p>USC promises all students, however, that it will meet 100% of need "as determined by USC." USC uses the CSS Profile and, I assume, some variation of the Institutional Method to determine need. </p>
<p>While USC has the reputation of being a rich-kids school, in reality a huge amount of need-based (and merit-based) aid is given, and my impression is that hardly anyone pays sticker price. I think the university is flush with cash from its endowment, donations and recent athletic teams' successes, and it is therefore generous with aid.</p>
<p>Work study is normally $2K-3K per year. Wages are about $8-10/hour, which works out to about 10 hours a week, about right for a student carrying a full load of classes. There are plenty of jobs available, I have not heard of anyone who wanted one not getting one. </p>
<p>The work study award of $2K-3K is a drop in the bucket compared to the total sticker price, but work study is nice because the parents can say that is the student's spending money and tell student not to ask for any more. Then there is no need for the parent to get involved with spending allowances and whether the student is eating out too much or should get the generic brand of shampoo.</p>
<p>I researched somemom's "bait and switch" rumor a couple of years ago, and in every instance where USC's aid had changed there had been a substantial change in the student's need. Otherwise aid was consistent from year to year. That has been my own experience with two students currently attending. It defies logic that a university like USC would shaft its upperclassmen on aid.</p>
<p>Check out <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/55284-how-does-one-pay-if-no-financial-aid-no-scholarships-usc.html?nojs=1#goto_threadsearch%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/55284-how-does-one-pay-if-no-financial-aid-no-scholarships-usc.html?nojs=1#goto_threadsearch</a> about 2/3rds down.</p>
<p>dt- that may be the cause and also, with attitudes towards aid changing, that might have been something that happened in the late '90s when we were beginning research and if it applied, it may be no longer applicable, but it would be smart to ask.</p>
<p>Vassar, for instance, puts in writing that the make up of the package will be the same proportion of loans to grants and the package will remain the same if the EFC is the same.</p>
<p>The people that we spoke to had grants changed to loans within the package, but that may have been the "old school"</p>
<p>Also, my Ds friend had 1500+/1600 and I saw the offer, without the kid even showing interest, of some sort of at least half tuition scholarship- ice again, the olden days, but I recall it was a great offer, and a big difference between D at 100+ points lower not getting any merit.</p>