I was wondering whether or not I should report National Merit Semi-Finalist on my app to USC. As I understand, USC is need aware for international students, thus this could hurt my chances of being accepted (in case you are wondering, I have had all my schooling in the US, just international citizenship).
It won’t be too much of an admissions bump, but it won’t hurt your chances.
I wouldn’t play the guessing game on how they view this or that based on internet ramblings, but instead would focus on presenting myself in the best light possible in both academics, achievements, interests, etc. Being a NM Finalist is a good thing, don’t disregard it. It won’t hurt your chances, and I see no value in disregarding it.
But your timing of this question confuses me, when are you applying?