<p>Have you looked at opportunities at UC? Research, internships etc…You have one month to find out.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse - you know, I’m not sure whether they pulled my credit report. I am not wealthy (child is on partial fin aid), but I have excellent credit. I am the guarantor on the lease and all students leasing an apartment in the building have to supply a guarantor. My child did not live in the cheapest dorm this year so that is the basis for my comparison. There are actually a lot of student beds around USC in nice buildings. If the dorms plus meal plan are affordable (maybe they are not for OP - I don’t know), it will not be necessary to find a ‘ghetto’ building. Additionally, the University Village project is now a go, which will add a full service grocery store and additional USC undergraduate and graduate student housing (probably not soon enough for current students, however).</p>
<p>Good news! I just sent my confirmation deposit to Cincinnati. I couldn’t pass up the full ride. Hopefully I can make it into USC again for grad school! Thanks for the help all of you</p>
<p>Congratulations - best of luck there!!!</p>
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<p>I think you made a good decision, taking into account that your dream is med school/neurosurgery. Going to USC would NOT necessarily catapult you to USC medical school, or Stanford or Berkeley. Excellent grades, a great MCAT score, stellar recommendations and good experience will get you to medical school. Good luck!</p>
<p>Adding the Direct Loan will add $5500 to your aid, not $11,000. The $5500 direct loan is for the FULL YEAR not each semester.</p>
<p>OTH, you mention the cost of tuition at Cincinnati but never seem to mention housing, meal plan, fees, books. Those are also part of the cost of attendance. The cost of room/board is $10,000 a year. Do you plan to commute? If not, I believe you may need some additional money even to attend UC. What is THAT amount?</p>
<p>@Thumper1 I don’t plan on housing for the first year at least, I decided I’d rather keep the approx. $7000 in aid difference in my pocket as opposed to spending it on housing. That might change over the course of my four years though.</p>
<p>Congrats on making a matriculation decision! It sounds like your tuition is covered.</p>
<p>You need to check with UC. In many cases, they are really not permitted to give you need based financial aid that is in excess of the cost of attendance. Did you indicate that you would be living ON campus when you completed your FAFSA?</p>