2013-2014 University of Southern California (Keck) Application Thread

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lololol777 said:
Only received Stafford Loan in the max amount lol. Will be withdrawing -- good luck to those of you on the WL.
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Keck made it seem like they aren't giving out ANY institutional need based aid (What's that about anyway?! Is that really the case or did I hear wrong? They are giving a small handful of merit scholarships though, I think). So isn't max Stafford Loans the majority scenario at Keck? Boo to a school that is seemingly loaded but is stingy with aid.
 
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midnight0il said:
I used the AAMC loan calculator to figure out that if one were to max out the Stafford loan and then make up the difference in GradPlus loan, the total repayment amount (principle + interest) over a standard 10-year repayment plan comes out to a grand total of ~513K.
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I think I just had a TIA
 
Regarding financial aid packages: I was expecting the worst but this is significantly beyond what I imagined.

CoA:
86k

Financial Aid:
40k Stafford
46k Grad Plus
No Merit-based scholarships
No Need-based scholarships

$344,000 in loans to attend, with interest sprinkled on top. This is horrific. Are other people in the same situation? Because I feel like I am missing something. This seems outrageous.
 
caereax said:
Regarding financial aid packages: I was expecting the worst but this is significantly beyond what I imagined.

CoA:
86k

Financial Aid:
40k Stafford
46k Grad Plus
No Merit-based scholarships
No Need-based scholarships

$344,000 in loans to attend, with interest sprinkled on top. This is horrific. Are other people in the same situation? Because I feel like I am missing something. This seems outrageous.
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That sounds about right, except max Stafford is 42k. USC isn't known to give out much money (or any in this case). This is why there's so much waitlist movement. The FB group count decreased by 5 the same day financial aid packages came out.
 
midnight0il said:
I used the AAMC loan calculator to figure out that if one were to max out the Stafford loan and then make up the difference in GradPlus loan, the total repayment amount (principle + interest) over a standard 10-year repayment plan comes out to a grand total of ~513K.
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Haha, whoops. This figure was based strictly on tuition and mandatory fees. I shudder to think what it would cost if I included the entire 86K COA.
 
caereax said:
Regarding financial aid packages: I was expecting the worst but this is significantly beyond what I imagined.

CoA:
86k

Financial Aid:
40k Stafford
46k Grad Plus
No Merit-based scholarships
No Need-based scholarships

$344,000 in loans to attend, with interest sprinkled on top. This is horrific. Are other people in the same situation? Because I feel like I am missing something. This seems outrageous.
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You're not mistaken. A lot of us are unfortunately in the same boat.
 
rfvbnmju said:
Can you get by with lower housing? But dang so costly.

Sent from my phone.
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I'm sure you can. The budget for housing is $12,600, which is $1050 per month for 12 months or $1260 for 10. It seems like most students actually pay ~$700-1000 per month, so you can probably save a little bit, but not more than $5000.
 
Is anyone still attending even if they have to pay the entire CoA with loans?

I'm really conflicted about all of this
 
RocDiva4040 said:
Is anyone still attending even if they have to pay the entire CoA with loans?

I'm really conflicted about all of this
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USC was my number one before, but only barely above my state school and pretty much only because the west coast is where I would prefer to be. With the increase in cost, however, I'm starting to lean towards my state school. I don't relish the thought of having to pay a half-million dollars over the life of the loan when I can do the same thing for 2/3 to 1/2 the cost and still end up where I want to be.
 
RocDiva4040 said:
Is anyone still attending even if they have to pay the entire CoA with loans?

I'm really conflicted about all of this
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It's the best acceptance I have so far and i'm still excited, but if I get off any in-state waitlist's i'm jumping ship 🙂
 
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RocDiva4040 said:
Is anyone still attending even if they have to pay the entire CoA with loans?

I'm really conflicted about all of this
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Yup, I'm in state (not that that matters). My only other option is Miami right now, and tuition is about 13k less per year for Miami. I'm conflicted, but I think I'd be happier at Keck and I want to stay in CA. Anybody care to weigh in on this?
 
Bisonman80 said:
Yup, I'm in state (not that that matters). My only other option is Miami right now, and tuition is about 13k less per year for Miami. I'm conflicted, but I think I'd be happier at Keck and I want to stay in CA. Anybody care to weigh in on this?
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It's a little ridiculous that the OOS school is cheaper.
 
Let the wait list movement begin already hehe. Going to be a hell of a long 2 and a half months.
 
Bisonman80 said:
Yup, I'm in state (not that that matters). My only other option is Miami right now, and tuition is about 13k less per year for Miami. I'm conflicted, but I think I'd be happier at Keck and I want to stay in CA. Anybody care to weigh in on this?
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Sounds like Keck is the place for you.
 
PlOkmIjn said:
Just curious, what is our tuition money used for? What makes a private more expensive/why is it much more expensive?
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Public schools are partially subsidized by the state government they're in. Private schools not so much, with some exceptions (Temple Med gets some state funding). If UMass, for example, didn't get money from the state, you can bet tuition would be about as expensive as going to public school OOS or a private school. As for what exactly tuition is used for, I can't say 100%. I imagine quite a bit of it goes towards upkeep of facilities. I judge a school based on the number of thunderdrops present on the toilet seat in their bathrooms (I am disappoint with Harvard's Science Center). Another chunk probably goes towards paying salaries and keeping the dining halls stocked. Some of it might fund institutional financial aid. The amount of tuition/fees they charge is probably to make up the shortfall of what they don't get from the state in their request. The general details on how the school spends its money might be available upon request from either the school or your state government, or could simply be available online.

This is a summary of the budget request from UMass for 2013. It gives a general overview of where they spend their money.
http://media.umassp.edu/massedu/budgetoffice/FY2013 BUDGET REQUEST.pdf
And the university's plan for various upgrades/projects over the next four years and how they plan to fund them (or at least how much they cost)
http://media.umassp.edu/massedu/budgetoffice/FY14-18 Capital Plan.pdf

Other public schools probably have similar info available. I don't know how readily available this info is for private schools.
 
What intrigues me is why institutional grants or merit scholarships not more available at Keck? It's not like it's some small-time struggling public school in the middle of nowhere. I would imagine the parent institution of USC to have a relatively sizable endowment, not that I've done any real research on the matter.

Maybe Keck is more generous with upperclassmen who were able to front the initial bill. Can current students weigh in on this issue? (Or PM me if you don't feel like sharing publicly.)
 
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does anyone know how the years are structured? Is it PF first two years? Also, are the lectures mandatory like 8-2 PM or something? Current waitlisted applicant, thanks for responses!
 
guannaberry said:
does anyone know how the years are structured? Is it PF first two years? Also, are the lectures mandatory like 8-2 PM or something? Current waitlisted applicant, thanks for responses!
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I don't think lectures are mandatory. The first two years are P/F. They do have some required components like lab, and something that looks like small-group PBL type stuff, but it looks like they keep it to a minimum. I remember the curriculum being very similar to what they have at UMass.
 
Bisonman80 said:
Probably very little until after May 15
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Agreed, although wait list movement is possible this early because many people dropped when they got their fin aid package (or lack thereof+pissed+)... so I guess anything is fair game at this point.
 
Anyone know if Keck gives us iPads or if we need them? I hear Ipad mini + lab coat pocket = great future resource
 
Anyone know who to address the LOI to? Was thinking either Dean or Admission Committee not sure tho.
 
PlOkmIjn said:
Last year, Dean Arias started calling people on the waitlist tomorrow (May 13th!). Hopefully waitlist movement will start again pre-May 15!! But then again, last year, Dean Arias had called people who were near the top of the waitlist when notifying them of their waitlist status.

In any case, I really hope this waitlist starts moving soon!
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We'll see how today shapes out to be. You never know maybe someone got a call earlier in the year but they just don't do sdn.
 
Just withdrew my acceptance today. It was an incredibly tough decision... I loved the school, the area, the facilities, the curriculum, and the students. My heart was in, but my stomach just couldn't handle the crushing cost in the end. Good luck to everyone else still waiting.
 
It breaks my heart, but I've officially withdrawn tonight. Couldn't stomach the thought of crushing debt if I had another option, which I do. Goodbye Southern California and good luck to those on the wait list!
 
I sent an update letter after midnight but I got a message saying "...Application updates for the 2013-2014 cycle are not being accepted"...Did anyone else try and get this. I thought I remember seeing people from other years submitting around midnight but I'm guessing that I should assume that they won't accept them until the admissions office opens for business tomorrow.
 
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I got the same email response, but that seems to just be an automated response to all emails sent. They still will receive the email and read it is my guess
 
somalicious4393 said:
I got the same email response, but that seems to just be an automated response to all emails sent. They still will receive the email and read it is my guess
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I'm pretty sure the waitlist email said to send them in after the 15th? Might be why you're still getting the automated, or they aren't open yet on the west coast
 
Leonidas said:
I sent an update letter after midnight but I got a message saying "...Application updates for the 2013-2014 cycle are not being accepted"...Did anyone else try and get this. I thought I remember seeing people from other years submitting around midnight but I'm guessing that I should assume that they won't accept them until the admissions office opens for business tomorrow.
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You should try waiting at least until after 12AM PST to send your letter. So, now might be a good time.
 
MedWonk said:
You should try waiting at least until after 12AM PST to send your letter. So, now might be a good time.
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I sent it after they opened and still got the same reply. Must be automated? Or maybe we were supposed to send it straight to the dean who knows.
 
I called the admissions office and they said they were accepting the updates now via the email address. Although I sent mine in after that and got the same reply
 
mmj277 said:
I'm pretty sure the waitlist email said to send them in after the 15th? Might be why you're still getting the automated, or they aren't open yet on the west coast
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Thanks for the replies, I also was confused about whether to send the update in on or after the 15th. The alternate list email had said to wait until after, but the message in the admissions portal under the alternate list tab had said to send it beginning the 15th. I'll probably try again in another hour. Hopefully it will accept it by then. Good luck everyone!
 
Leonidas said:
Thanks for the replies, I also was confused about whether to send the update in on or after the 15th. The alternate list email had said to wait until after, but the message in the admissions portal under the alternate list tab had said to send it beginning the 15th. I'll probably try again in another hour. Hopefully it will accept it by then. Good luck everyone!
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Just sent mine in and the note at the bottom has changed saying that LOIs will be noted in our files. Good luck to all still waiting!
 
Just got an email saying they received/added my update. I had gotten the first "no update" email 2 hours earlier.
 
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