if you apply before the merit scholarship deadline will you find out your decision without being with the pool of kids who are interviewing for a scholarship?
nope, no merit = wait till April to find out your admission decision.
There are many students that get merit scholarships that do not have to interview - those are only for the higher end scholarships. If you are one of those getting a flat amount like a Dean’s (1/4), yes, you will find out earlier. So you can be notified early of a merit scholarship like a Dean’s, or may get a scholarship with chance to interview to increase it like Presidential. If you get neither, you will wait till April with the masses. There is a scholarship page on the USC website where they list them all.
Will NMSF find out earlier?
"Will NMSF find out earlier? "
no. USC does not receive the list of students who have declared USC to be their first choice until mid May.