<p>One of you enterprising Trustee/Presidential candidates should start a survey thread for this year NOW, before the results come out in late March. You could list the scholarship for which you are interviewing and promise, good news or bad, to come back and fill in which scholarship you were offered - even if you have since decided to attend elsewhere. That might give a clearer picture than the after-the-fact survey last year.</p>
<p>That would provide valuable info for next year’s candidates!</p>
<p>My S1 interviewed for Trustee a few years ago from a very small major in SCA. There were 2 candidates for Trustee in his major that year–my S got Trustee and the other student was offered Presidential (bumped down). Luckily, other student was offered another significant scholarship (by different group) which could be stacked and now attends USC, too. </p>
<p>The decisions may have many arbitrary factors, alas, as the departments make them. These majors may hope for certain aspects (females in male-heavy majors, leadership, talent, independent research) and yet there are not unlimited funds for those top awards so some juggling may occur. </p>
<p>We also met some families who attended Explore who were openly hoping their s/d would go to an ivy, for example. I wondered if the interviewers ever pick up on some kids’ maybe-lower-enthusiasm for USC?</p>
<p>Thanks for the information everyone. My son and I go for the Presidential Interview next Thursday and Friday. He is a National Merit Finalist and as such already guaranteed the Presidential, but we are going anyway to show his enthusiasm for the school and hoping for that small chance that he might get bumped up to Trustee. Not sure it is affordable for us without more assistance. I too am hoping that some don’t bother to come or will pass it up for the Ivys. My son has applied to two Ivys but would definitely enroll at USC over either of them if the finances work out.</p>
<p>I’m just going to say that I think nearly everyone who takes the time to come to USC gets something. As they told me at the USC Trustee program, about half of the people in the room end up enrolling, so the numbers about how many Trustees are on campus are not how many get it. Many very qualified students receive it and choose to enroll elsewhere. I say it’s worth it, I got to see an amazing school and it made the 4/1 wait a bit easier.</p>
<p>i want to mention (for as little as its worth, but something that interested me) that last year i know 10 people (including myself) who interviewed for trustee and the 2 others for presidential, all 12 got trustee in the end (which given the high proportion of interviewers getting trustee can still be somewhat representative of an avg scholarship interviewee), and none of them ended up accepting. i know that usc has a pretty high yield rate on those they offer trustee to, but i honestly cant imagine its that high, so even if theres only like 130 trustee recipients in c/o '14 or whatever, probably a ton more were offered it</p>