@zinhead Yes… exactly. I said that above. But the vast majority of kids applying before Dec 1st are not so notified that they are going to be offered an interview for a scholarship. Therefore, the vast majority of kids applying before Dec 1st are still only going to be able to learn if they are admitted to USC in late March. Overall… the vast majority of admitted USC applicants first learn of such in late March. That was my main point. D1 applied in Aug 2013 and was accepted in March 2014. D2 applied in Aug 2016… and unless she is offered a scholarship Dec 2016-Feb 2017, she will have to wait until March 2017 to learn her fate as well. Since USC is her top choice, it would be great if USC offered EA or ED, but that is simply not the case.
@googledrone Not sure of your implication. My point is simply that these current Harvard undergrads were all complaining about Harvard and their overwhelming focus on grad schools vs Harvard College itself - their undergraduate needs. They were complaining about how much their parents were spending to have them taught by TAs while their professors were off doing research or teaching grad students. Roughly 1/2 of them said they wished they had gone elsewhere. The same was true of me and my friends during our freshman year at Hopkins. We all complained… many of us wish we had gone elsewhere… some even talked about transferring. But none of us did so. And in truth… likely none of these kids will transfer away from Harvard either. They will likely complain less and less over time… or they will at least deal with it and eventually be proud that they have a Harvard diploma. Like @PurpleTitan , I am not sure what you are saying.