USC must shift focus to financial aid
We all know it: our school has a reputation for being “The University of Spoiled Children.” A stroll through the Ronald Tutor Campus Center will make it apparent that this stereotype is often very true — it’s full of students hurrying around, clad in designer products. The university administration is certainly aware of this stereotype, constantly striving to rid our school of this unfortunate tag.
These efforts appear to be working, too — at least in some statistics and in the university’s rhetoric. The diversification of USC from a school of students from predominantly rich and white backgrounds into the socioeconomic and racial mix it is today show how the university’s administration is actively working to make USC a more colorful institution. In fact, the freshman classes of 2011 and 2012 were touted as the most ethnically diverse in the university’s history. To compound that, USC proudly declares on its financial aid website that it offers nearly 270 million dollars of need-based financial aid and that the university has more than 4,100 low-income undergraduate students.
Yet something isn’t right. Despite the university’s efforts to diversify the school economically, the atmosphere of USC’s campus retains a distinctly well-moneyed atmosphere, if not for the stream of German luxury sedans cruising in and out of Parking Structure X.
A 2007 study by UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies entitled, “American Freshmen: Forty-Year Trends 1966–2006,“ reveals that this affluent atmosphere is not just limited to USC, but is rather becoming commonplace among higher education institutions, both public and private, in the United States. According to the study, the median family income for freshmen enrolling in a four-year institution is about $74,000 per year. By contrast, the median family income in the United States, at the time of the study, was about $46,000 per year. Based on the UCLA study, it’s simple to understand that higher education in general — not just at elite private institutions like USC — is growing more inaccessible to the shrinking American middle class, a group of people who are not affluent enough to pay for higher education outright, but do not meet the established income guidelines for providing need-based aid.
This catch-22 plays out all over the country, bolting the door of opportunity closed for middle-class families. Indeed, it even happens here at our own institution, which claims to fulfill need-based aid.
Briana Tobin is a 19-year-old girl who, until just recently, was an undergraduate student here at USC. Tobin came to USC from Joliet, Ill., a largely middle-class suburb of Chicago. Despite having a successful first year at USC, Bri will not be returning to USC this fall because USC Financial Aid was unable to give her family an adequate package to ensure her attendance.
The particulars behind Tobin’s case are simple: Tobin’s older sister graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics last spring and chose to continue her education and pursue a degree in law. Because of the methods behind the way USC calculates need-based aid (independent of the FAFSA), however, law school costs and outstanding loan payments from undergraduate costs of a sibling are not factored in when considering what a family can contribute for a student’s education. This difference allowed USC Financial Aid to calculate the Estimated Family Contribution as being much more than Bri’s family could realistically afford, especially in light of her sister’s undergraduate loans.
For families like Tobin’s, the escalating cost of college is simply becoming too much (case in point: According to the Los Angeles times, USC’s cost to attend was about $30,000 in 2000 compared to roughly $60,000 today). Seeing as Tobin does not want to mortgage the next 40 years of her life to third party loan companies, she has opted to not return to USC, and instead transfer to a different institution that has offered her family a better aid package.
Considering that USC is in the middle of a multibillion-dollar fundraising campaign, perhaps more money from donations can be set aside to help ease the enormous cost of higher education. Though donations are often given with certain strings attached that dictate how donors’ funds are utilized, perhaps it would be in everybody’s best interest if the university gave the same amount of attention that it gives toward seeking donations for new buildings and fancy campus plaza clocks instead toward seeking more purely philanthropic donations expressly for the purpose of helping students like Tobin afford a school like USC.
But perhaps the image benefit that comes with a giant cardinal and gold clock in the center of campus is a better use of money than helping a student get a first-rate education on that same campus.
Matthew Tinoco is a sophomore majoring in print and digital journalism and comparative literature.
Follow him on Twitter @onthatbombshell
USC should also take a look at its merit aid policies. Too many students like me, who for whatever reason did not receive large merit-based scholarships upon acceptance, have to watch our peers who did receive them struggle to maintain the GPAs to keep them while we far exceed their academic achievements.
How about we start rewarding achievements made here in college in the same way we reward achievements made in high school? Although some departments offer merit scholarships on a yearly basis, these awards don’t compare in magnitude to the awards given to incoming freshmen upon acceptance.
Changing this could help keep high-achieving students like Briana–and like me–enrolled here. Doesn’t USC want to keep its best students, or does it only care about attracting freshmen with high stats to improve its admissions rankings?
What a ridiculous way to end this piece. The insinuation of your last sentence is offensive and laughable.
Everyone is looking for handouts. Perhaps a $60K+ per year education is not a right, and thus less expensive options may better serve the needs of those with differing financial backgrounds.
Enough of this “my middle class family ONLY makes $75K per year, I expect USC/government to fund the majority of my college education because I don’t want to sacrifice the luxuries I have come to enjoy in my comfortable middle class life”.
I am middle class, yes.
This is my favorite comment: “I don’t want to sacrifice the luxuries I have come to enjoy in my comfortable middle class life”.
Well. Apparently middle class in LA is a little different than where I’m from. Middle class where I’m from is 40-45k. Yes, that is comfortable. Is is luxurious? Not really, and I wouldn’t ask for any other luxuries. I live alternately with my father in a suburban house, and my stepfather and toddler sister in a townhouse. I am grateful for what I have.
Where in the article, precisely, did I say that I wanted a handout? Where did I complain about USC’s financial aid? Where did I say I “expect USC/government to fund the majority of my college education because I don’t want to sacrifice the luxuries I have come to enjoy in my comfortable middle class life?”
I was simply asked about my situation. The author here wrote an Opinion article about USC’s financial aid system. It’s an OPINION. I was used as a reference, a jumping off point, an example, etc.
At the end of the day, I am quite happy where I am. And I am not asking you to apologize for “partying.” By all means, keep on partying. I am just an example of what is happening to a lot of USC students (and students from other private universities).
Again, please do not get so defensive. I am simply a student who decided that “less expensive options may better serve the needs of [myself] with [a] differing financial background.” So be it. Evidently I belong somewhere else.
Jessica – how about you donate and specify you want your money to go towards scholarships?? My guess is you were too busy complaining to put together this kind of rational thought, no?
Jim, even scholarships may not necessarily help out those that need help. USC’s financial aid removes the equivalent amount of a scholarship from grants if there are grants.
USC does indeed need to shift some focus to financial aid. Students who are “scholarly” might have to leave school because they cannot afford it, including those mentioned in the article.
Insinuated in your comment Stanley is that USC doesn’t focus on financial aid. You are incorrect if that’s what you mean to say. 1 billion of the campaign is targeted towards aid; further the University already has one of the largest if not the the largest pool of university-sponsored aid. No system is perfect of course and not everyone can be accommodated, but the sweeping generalization suggested in your comment and Mr. Tinoco’s poorly reasoned article need a rethink.
Lastly, of course scholarships reduce the balance of other aid! This is so other students can be accommodated.
Great story. Applies not only to usc but to universities across the nation. This is why I don’t donate money to my alma mater, I don’t want it going towards a new building or overpaid staff and faculty–I want it going towards students who can’t have daddy write a 20k check for tuition every semester.
I sympathize with the author’s story, having attended the university on financial aid as well. And further agree with the need to make higher education more affordable.
But there’s something missing here: the university has listed a campaign goal of $1 billion for strident scholarships, which is the same as the capital projects goal. The other 4 billion includes funding for research and other academic programs which are equally vital the university’s seeming constant ascent.
The example of the new clock, donated by a supporter as a token of appreciation hardly diminishes USC’s emphasis on financial aid as a priority. One other note not mentioned by the author is that USC appears to have among the highest if not the highest university-sponsores financial aid programs.
It’s fine to advocate for a friends unfortunate situation, but to magnify it as a macro trend without more thoughtful analysis, is a disservice to your readers and the university.