<p>So I heard that if you don't get into USC for Fall 2009 you may get in as a spring admit 2009. Is this true? How does this occur?</p>
<p>USC admissions are limited by housing space and, due to space opening in the spring (study abroad students leave campus, for one thing), they offer a certain number of students places in the freshman class starting in spring. Last year, around 200 students received offers of spring admits but perhaps this year will see more as all colleges are trying to figure out how the economy will affect matriculation and yield. </p>
<p>To some, getting a guaranteed spot to attend USC is a far better outcome than the waitlisting done at other schools or a dreaded full out rejection. On the other hand, if you are hoping to start school with the rest of your peers, it can be a big disappointment to miss the fall start. Some options are to take a semester of classes at a community college close to home–and transfer those credits to USC, or doing volunteer work or a travel program. </p>
<p>I know three kids who got spring admit offers last year. One is at Marshall and started this spring after doing a semester of cc. He jumped in, rushed (but didn’t pledge) and has a great roommate (also a spring admit). He’s meeting lots of kids and loves USC. The second guy (SCA Critical Studies) got bumped up to fall! It doesn’t happen often, but it certainly can happen. The third one declined USC’s offer, feeling it wasn’t worth it to miss fall rush and also concerned he hadn’t been accepted into his first choice program.</p>
<p>There are rumors that spring is when USC admits students with legacy affiliations, but only one of the above students was a legacy. One was actually a NMF and got the automatic Pres. scholarship (and his mom is active on this board!) As I recall, spring admit packages went out in early April.</p>
<p>you see, i would accept even a spring admission offer.</p>
<p>I would too but I would try to appeal the decision first.</p>
<p>can you appeal a spring admission decision? i don’t thinl that would work…bc it’s not like they are flat-out rejecting you.</p>
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<p>Do you have a link to this? It would be interesting to see the stats on Spring Admits. Note that the [school profile](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2008v3.pdf”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2008v3.pdf</a>) specifies * Fall* Matriculants. Those garnering Spring Admits undoubtedly have lower stats, that USC manages to take off book.</p>
<p>This practice of Spring Admits lingers from USC’s non-selective, large college legacy. Selective privates retain and graduate their matriculants on schedule, and thus enrollment gaps don’t materialize Spring Semester. USC is more selective now, but lags in retention/graduation rates. If you [compare</a> USC with other selective privates](<a href=“College Navigator - Compare Institutions”>College Navigator - Compare Institutions) with similar % accepted and SAT’s, the biggest difference is that USC has lower 4 year graduation rates.</p>
<p>Four year graduation rate:
Northwestern…90%
Georgetown…86%
Rice…77%
USC…66%</p>
<p>Both my daughters were spring admits. Oldest graduated last year. This is not a holdover from the times when SC was less competitive, but rather a way to fill spots vacated by kids who graduate early or late and to a lesser extent to fill in for kids who are in Europe. </p>
<p>Yes you can appeal and be bumped to fall. My youngest didn’t do the work for the appeal so she started in spring. And sometimes when an applicant is rejected and appeals they are given spring admission as an option.</p>
<p>Yes, I would even be happy with a spring admit-I just want to be accepted!</p>
<p>No offense JWM, but this argument is wearing thin:
Do you have data to back it up?</p>
<p>I know of a few very accomplished kids who got spring admission, including two admitted to the film school. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but let’s just say we’re looking at more 800’s on SATs than you would ever dream of. Very good grades from very rigorous schools. Not the kind of admission stats that USC would be interested in hiding, believe me.</p>
<p>Unlike Ellebud’s D, my S was told there was no appeal from spring admission, since he had, indeed, been admitted. He wrote a few letters expressing his keen interest in being able to start in the fall, and was one of the lucky ones who got moved up.</p>
<p>Also, JWM- too bad those stats you linked are from the class of 2001. In comparison to those other schools you chose to compare, I believe that USC’s statistics have probably changed the most in the last few years.</p>
<p>I notice you tend to be quite cynical here on the USC boards and I think you are just looking for and twisting data to back up your opinion. Nothing wrong with opinions- but my opinion is that you are stating yours as facts when you do not have data. For example, in addition to what FauxNom pointed out above- you state:
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<p>Do you have data to back that up? If not, please be more careful to state that this is your opinion because I would really like to keep these threads as accurate as possible.</p>
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<p>Other competitive private’s with much higher 4 year graduation rates also do not need Spring admits. Since only 66% of USC matriculants graduate in 4 years, USC’s need for Spring matriculants is more likely students graduating a semester * late* rather a semester early. USC’s retention/graduation rates are apparently a lagging indicator as USC has become more competitive.</p>
<p>JWM:</p>
<p>Since both my daughters were spring admits I will take it as an insult that you assume that they had lower stats and were less worthy. Perhaps they were applying for an impacted major. Perhaps a counselor screwed up and didn’t do his/her job which resulted in Admissions not receiving all the necessary information. And perhaps spring admits might have different strengths that are not as obvious as a kid with a routine 2250 SAT. </p>
<p>Oh, and my less worthy admit/now graduate? She got a job within two weeks of beginning her job search. Actually offered two jobs, accepted the one she wanted. </p>
<p>I would strongly suggest that you realize that this is a public forum. I know the fallacy of your so-called “reasoning.” But until you are willing to have your life, and that of your child’s life dissected on the web…think before posting.</p>
<p>now, now grown ups, everyone calm down…one of the things I love about CC is level of open discussion and for the most part thoughtful dialogue.</p>
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JWM- Do you have a link to a comparison of Spring admits?</p>
<p>(nbg- I think this is a good example of open discussion and thoughtful dialogue. One thing I like to do here is solicit opinion AND try to keep posters honest. I believe that integrity is one of the reasons of the success of College Confidential.)</p>
<p>Yes this forum is for grownups. I totally agree. And I want every kid who is going through this grueling process, who is trying to find their place to feel secure and (hopefully) happy with their result(s). What isn’t necessary are adults who may or may not have an agenda state as facts things that may or may not be true that can undermine a kid’s happiness or make them feel less worthy.</p>
<p>My kids are great. I do not want someone else’s child reading sniping comments and feel that perhaps they are second or third rate admits. They aren’t.</p>
<p>From last year’s posts here on CC by Fall admits and Spring admits, I saw no difference at all in “stats.” As mentioned above, some Spring admits were National Merit Scholars, and were awarded the Presidential scholarship. My sense is that USC receives far more applications from highly accomplished students than they can accomodate in fall - mainly because they guarantee housing to Freshmen and housing is very limited (though they are currently adding more housing) - and they offer Spring admission without the housing guarantee (though many - if not most - spring admits do get USC housing) as a way to try to get those great students to attend USC.</p>
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<p>Geez, I am more often touting and defending USC than otherwise. For example, [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/639281-what-does-your-status-page-say-2-0-a-48.html#post1062061752]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/639281-what-does-your-status-page-say-2-0-a-48.html#post1062061752]here[/url</a>], and [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/639281-what-does-your-status-page-say-2-0-a-47.html#post1062057090]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/639281-what-does-your-status-page-say-2-0-a-47.html#post1062057090]here[/url</a>], [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061651337-post76.html]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061651337-post76.html]here[/url</a>], [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061647656-post19.html]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061647656-post19.html]here[/url</a>], and starting a thread campaigning to have USC be a top CC University [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/community-forum-issues/633481-why-isnt-usc-cc-top-university.html]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/community-forum-issues/633481-why-isnt-usc-cc-top-university.html]here[/url</a>].</p>
<p>As I have stated in these numerous pro-USC posts, I really respect what USC has done, as it is America’s primary example of a college greatly increasing in selectivity and prestige in the last 15 years. I like especially how USC has done this not by imitating any other college, but through their own singular Trojan style. At CC, I’ve noted that the USC threads are alive with energy, while other college subforums are relatively dead. This bespeaks of a Trojan energy which is likely to be reflected in a student’s USC experience.</p>
<p>I still think it is useful to be analytical, and if that is characterized as cynical, so be it. USC’s 4 year graduation rates have lagged behind other schools, maybe more recent stats will show improvement, I suspect they have as graduation rates are closely associated with selectivity.</p>
<p>As for Spring Admits, it is commonly held that USC uses this to substitute for waiting lists, which it doesn’t have. Students put on waiting lists are not randomly selected, but are judged by the adcoms to be less competitive than straight admits. If anyone at CC was on a waiting list, I apologize for making this observation, I didn’t mean anything personal.</p>
<p>^I have many times read very positive posts by JW about USC. Especially in college search and selection.</p>
<p>Sorry, JWM. I think I was defensive because you just got too personal with some here about legacy and spring admits. And I do tend to get defensive very easily. I am also the CC police about facts.</p>
<p>Carry on…</p>
<p>Spring admits are not unique to USC. UC Berkeley is one university that also offers spring admissions. In any event, 200 or so spring admits added to the fall class of 2800 is about 6.6% of the total freshmen class so perhaps too much is being read into it. After almost 28,000 kids will receive “sorry” letters, I just hope the few that do get the spring admit offers realize they are worthy Trojans.</p>
<p>USC’s dramatic rise in the USN&WR rankings is noteworthy and there seems to be hard feelings about such schools, I can’t imagine why. One could argue the rankings all day, including the fact that faculty-peer ratings are heavily weighted, which disadvantages rising schools while some older institutions a bit past their glory days still get high ratings on the score. But, you know, this is all beside the point.</p>