<p>accepted. :]
pity I was too late for the science honors program.</p>
<p>Accepted too. Pity I can't afford it.</p>
<p>Satpunkd -- So sorry about the finances. Have you spoken with someone in a position of authority in the FA office to see if they can work something out for you? They seem very friendly and welcoming, and I know that at one of the Explore days they were very open to sitting down with potential students and families. I hope you get this resolved this so you can attend!</p>
<p>From what I've heard (D's friend), USC is extremely generous with financial aid and even that is an under statement.</p>
<p>Received my acceptance letter today as well. I live in Ohio.</p>
<p>I am an international student, so I don't qualify for need-based financial aid, only merit-based scholarships. USC has been and is my dream school, and it is very unfortunate that I did not receive any form of academic scholarships. </p>
<p>I am a little disappointed, since my stats are comparable to those receiving the Trustee and Presidential, and that I have been invited to join TO. 50 grand a year is just not feasible for us to finance. Oh well, there's always med school. Have fun at USC! You guys deserved it.</p>
<p>Satpunkd -- If you've already spoken with FA about this directly, ignore the following message, but if you haven't, for heaven's sake, it's worth a phone call to FA now that you have the TO acceptance in hand! You've been accepted to a tiny honors program; obviously the school wants you and thinks highly of your qualifications. If this is your dream school, it might be worth another shot. Surely at least some of the students who've been accepted with merit scholarships will end up enrolling elsewhere -- I wonder if any funds will be freed up. Also, I know you are international, but is there a USC Alumni Association branch in your country or even in your city? You might consider talking with someone there as well.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your advice, Nester. I have contacted many people in FA and admissions, but it was to no avail. Someone in the FA office said that financial assistance is extremely limited for internationals, and that merit-based awards, unfortunately, cannot be appealed. I guess I'll give it another shot and inquire if these merit awards could be freed up, but I doubt it. </p>
<p>I'm an international living in Maryland. Hmm, I haven't thought of contacting the Alumni Association; I'll try that too, but again, I think I'm merely grasping at straws here. But thanks again!</p>
<p>Hi statpunkd -- It sounds as if you're already done a lot, but here's another straw. What if you were to contact the TO people directly (again, preferably someone in a position of authority if you can get past the person who answers the phone) and explain your plight? I wonder if they have any discretionary funding or any influence with FA.</p>
<p>Letter in OR today. D was not invited but applied online.</p>
<p>
D claims that nobody gets a "Dear John" letter because they accept 100% of applicants, since they have more spots than applicants. Had not heard about this, can anybody confirm?</p>
<p>I think someone said there are 200 slots and every year there are about 197 kids apply so everybody who applies got in. I also read there are 15 kids who were not invited, but applied and got accepted last year. I think because of the intensity of the program, reading and writing, USC wants to make sure you really want to do it. By applying, you commit to do it. I speculate this maybe the reason why nobody was rejected.</p>
<p>what is a dear john letter? i got my acceptance today as well. i thought it was a rejection at first because it was so short!</p>
<p>Dear</a> John letter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>Yeah, my usage is a bit out of context, but you get the idea :D</p>
<p>Columbia: I'm not sure you commit to the program by applying. At Explore it was encouraged to apply, even if you weren't sure, since after April 4th it wouldn't be possible if one changed their mind about wanting to be in.
We were told that if you changed your mind about being in afterwards (after acceptance), it was okay. A lot of kids at Explore were unsure as it's a rigorous program, and many are in honors or pre med or what have you, that may be all too much.</p>
<p>^yes you are right. It's not commited as you must go through the program but if you select to go through with it you must be willing to work hard.</p>
<p>Since TO is evidently 'encouraged' at the Explore program, do you think most TO students are major scholarship recipients? It seems that if they are qualified and invited to apply for a very rigorous honors program, these would be the same students encouraged to attend with scholarships. What do you think - is this likely?</p>
<p>Some info I just ran across
USC</a> Trojan Family Magazine - Autumn 2001: Hooked On Classics</p>