I was recently admitted to USC, but was wondering whether it would be better to consider a community college (eg DeAnza or Ohlone) for 2 years and transferring to UC Davis instead of doing USC for Dornsife Physics/CS or Viterbi CS for 4 years. I did not fill out the FAFSA because I thought my parents’ income of 150k/yr would disqualify me from any FA. However, I ended up with $0 FA this way, and I doubt my parents would want to pay $78k a year. I have thought of CC as well but feel worried about losing out on college life/networking opportunities. If I choose USC, I will likely have to take out a loan or reduce my parent’s income rather significantly. Thoughts on the benefits and disadvantages on each path and your opinions?
My 2 cents. I love USC CS, but we make about what your parents make and could never afford $78K/year without seriously jeopardizing our future. With the economy the way it is now, I am worried about college costs 1/4 of that.
Unless they have some serious investments, I would recommend CC + UC Davis. If you do well you’ll have plenty of opportunities. The biggest sacrifice will be the college-life experience in years 1 and 2, but you can have a good experience at CC. It’ll just be different than the full on USC experience.