<p>Our nephew was shocked to be rejected from USC. He exceeded the scores & GPA they said were what they looked for but his ECs were not particularly strong & he thinks that was why he was not accepted. They also turned away NMFs this year, which was one of their most competitive years for admissions.</p>
<p>Fortunately, nephew has a lot of other good choices to consider in deciding where he will attend, WITH significant merit $$, including U of MI as an OOS student & Creighton with even more merit $$.</p>
<p>Bottom line, not sure there is any clear line of where a student absolutely WILL get in. It is a good idea to have a student have at least one rolling admissions application in early at a U student loves, to have an acceptance in hand so that s/he knows there is at least one place student could attend. This could considerably reduce stress in the lottery that is admissions at more selective Us.</p>