The hardest thing for me is gonna be convincing my parents it’s a good choice. Ironically if I take a semester in Rome it looks like it’ll cost less than a semester at SC… and I could graduate at the same time. Money wouldn’t have been an issue for my parents if I got into the fall (no idea what their logic is) but I guess they feel like Miami really wants me where USC doesn’t want me that badly? They also would rather me wait till Junior year to go abroad.
I keep going back and forth but I think I could benefit from a semester abroad and as you guys said, it’s only one semester than 3.5 years at my dream school.
Let me know the conversations you guys have/if you have any tips to help my parents come around!
@jglover - Have you done much/any travel up to this point? Have you been in situations out on your own that gave your parent’s confidence in such a big move to study abroad the first semester? Us parents have to grow up too, I still remember being nervous that my kid was riding with another mom on a grade school field trip (granted she drove a mini-van that had a few big dents on it, ha). But seriously, if you are the first one to college, it is big adjustment for some parents just to send their kid away, yet across an ocean. You guys don’t think of all the things parents worry about - what if you get sick, what will the neighborhood be like, what if you are unhappy all the way over there…we want to feel like we an always get to you i.e., “mommy’s coming!” and we as parents have to learn to let that notion go. Not that any of these worries can’t be conquered with time, but it can be a lot for a parent to consider. With my 4th - it would absolutely be no big deal. My first, frankly, it would have been tough. But since then my first has been all over the world, so I am over it. But it took awhile. Maybe ask them what their specific concerns are, and see if you are able to address them adequately enough for them to consider it more strongly.
The other option is to do what some of these other students are suggesting - saving some money and doing CC and/or finding a short term job.
Re Miami v. USC…When my latest recent USC admit decided on USC, I asked her if she was going because of the prestige/sounds cool thing or if she really wanted to go (because she seemed happy with an earlier decision prior to USC coming out). She said, “I pictured myself walking to class at the other school thinking, I could have been at USC.” That told me she really wanted to be at USC. Don’t know if this relates to your situation, but it’s a good test to think about.
@CADREAMIN Thanks! I am the 2nd and last to go off to college. I think they were just expecting for me to be in the country fall of my freshman year. I like what your daughter said about USC, I feel the same way! Thanks for your help
I think you posters on this thread should live together in spring - you are really a supportive bunch! I feel like you are already friends overcoming that whole “spring stigma” together. That’s cool. Hope it works out for all of you, however it turns out!
Does anyone know if it’s possible to commit to one school (UCLA) and then also agree to USC for spring and then if you get moved down to fall, go to USC but if not, go to UCLA? Probably not but I just wanted to confirm.
It would not be possible at our school, the guidance counselor will only send one final transcript to one school. Having a double commitment after May 1st is also risky and something you commit to not do when you use the common app. I understand the struggle, but you really should decide where you want to go and pick that one.
i really want to study abroad this fall but i would have to take out 10k in loans for that semester… but i wont have to take out any loans for the school years. do you guys think it’ll be worth to study abroad then?
^^^Not sure I would take that to the bank yet. You never know till it’s over, seems too early to make that call to me, it’s still early May, they haven’t even notified all the transfers/TTP, so they have no idea what their counts are yet. Someone on here once said they had talked to housing and said it was full, and a month later, my student got an apt in Webb, the single hardest residence to get into at the time. Had we reacted to what “someone else was told” we would have made a big mistake and leased elsewhere.
People should not count on getting bumped up from spring to fall, but I would want to get that kind of confirmation myself from USC, but closer to later June/early July because that is when the dust starts settling.
@SpaceManager01@nifmom That would be my question as well. Do people generally get emails even if they are not bumped out or do they get emails only if bumped up? Unless we specifically ask the question to Admissions, of course.
it is also on your youSC portal