Hello everyone!
I practically committed to USC at this point for the class of 2024, but I’m missing one last vital piece: dorming. A bit of background: I currently live in LA (east side to be specific), but recently I’ve been pondering around the idea of dorming so that I can get the full college experience and gain some Independence.
My family (dad and sister, mom is separated and doesn’t live with us) makes a bit over $20,000 a year, and that’s where I get worried. In my USC Financial aid portal, I basically got a full ride, but it’s showing me the financial aid award as if I were to live with family/guardian residence. Switching to a dorming financial aid award is as easy as requesting it through a form, but I was wondering if that full ride would be correlated to a dorm, in which I would get dorming experience for free?
My dad that that we would move closer to USC (by Staples center) to a two bedroom apartment so that I’m closer, and it’s more convenient since my dad also works in LA and my sister could take a 15 minute bus ride to her college. But at the same token, I feel like my Independence would be severely hindered. My dad isn’t strict per say, but I feel like it would be awkward bringing friends to the apartment with my family there.
Avoiding finances at this point, what would I be missing by not dorming my first year? Obviously instances like party scene will be degraded by not dorming, but what else would I miss out on by not dorming?
I feel like I should dorm, but I’m worried about having to pay for dorming. And if I switch to a dorming financial aid package and I don’t like what I see, I’m afraid that I might not be able to switch back.
I need lots of help with this circumstance. Any piece of insight would be greatly appreciated.