Thank you! @ProudSCMom
@lesjubilants Do you know if there is any other way to check if you would be receiving an invitation or not? For example, is there anything extra that shows up on the USC application portal indicating that you received it, or would there be a place to sign up for the weekend in the portal online.
Something appeared on the portal under the “Forms” section. @Physicsisfun18
Can anyone who got it (or whose kid got it) already post their stats? Typically I have gotten mail from South Carolina a day or two later than other people on CC so I haven’t lost hope, and I believe I’m statistically qualified to be a competitive applicant, so hopefully all goes well. Regardless, good luck to all those vying for a top scholarship.
@cavalry look on your portal, there is an RSVP link under “Forms” If you have been selected. I had 1550 SAT and 4.5 GPA, and extremely interesting and diverse essays (particularly for SC). I imagine there were many people with high stats.
@ProudSCMom WOOHOO!!! Big congratulations to your student!!!
@cavalry I wouldn’t ask for stats. Folks with really high stats who don’t get invited to the weekend,can still qualify for additional aid in March. Congrats to all who got a letter today.
^^^oops, bad job typing. What I was trying to say is that lots of kids with really high stats don’t get the invite, yet are still eligible for additional financial aid awards in the spring. You got into the HC, so you presumably are highly qualified
Does anyone have any insight into whether or not there may be another round of notifications for top scholars? Do they back fill the spots from kids who choose not to RSVP for the interview?
@cgarr01 I understand they have a process where they ask additional students if some decline the RSVP. I honestly wish at that point it would be like an ED commitment. Last year they ended up having only 37 of the 45 OOS enroll. That basically left 8 scholarships on the table.
@icedlatte2 Thank you, I agree. Some form of further commitment required would be nice. It is a shame to hear of spots going unfilled. That would have been 8 very happy families who were next in line.
There are likely some analytics that weigh in, wherein if they want to actually have 35-40 winners each year, they invite 45 to the weekend (which may actually mean inviting 50 because 5 initially turn down the invitation, for whatever reason). The expectation is that some students who attend the weekend will not end up enrolling.
The students receiving invitations may be happy to attend the Top Scholars weekend, but most of them are probably still waiting on decisions and FA info from other schools. I can’t blame a kid for attending the weekend and then deciding to accept the admissions offer from a school they prefer. A neighbor of ours was excited to get an invitation three years ago; but as soon as she was admitted (with what her mom told me was sufficient FA) to Notre Dame, which had been her first choice all along, it was no thanks, Carolina.
@icedlatte2 @cgarr01 I agree. I told my son that if he got invited he needed to be able to tell me he would enroll. I wouldn’t want him to take that opportunity away from someone else. I do understand, however, that a lot of kids haven’t heard even from other EA schools by the end of January. But some of the applicants have applied to 10 schools, and may have little to no intention of enrolling if they don’t get Stamps. That is very frustrating when it is your own child’s top choice. I know that there are rules about college admission offers that prohibit forcing kids to make decisions on enrollment before May 1. I’m not sure whether it applies to the acceptance of merit or financial aid as well which may explain the lack of a limitation.
@VAMom23 so true. UofSC is my daughter’s first choice. It truly is the perfect fit for her and though she could certainly get in to more selective schools, this was the “one”. My son felt the same way about GMU and still does three years later! She applied to some schools that she won’t hear from util 4/1, but she’s already decided that she is definitely enrolling in USC and has paid her deposits. On the website it does say that “interest in the university” does play a role in the selection. We’ve just heard of so many kids saying they won’t go there if they don’t get Top Scholars and it is disheartening.
^ Just to chime in, I know that if I get Stamps, I will definitely go to USC. Otherwise, the other scholarships will be an amazing option that I will seriously have to consider. It also depends on how much I like the campus and the people, as I haven’t visited yet and don’t know if it is right for me. I may also get scholarships from other schools, some of which may provide the benefits of Top Scholars but with the added bonus of a higher-ranking school or an environment that I love.
I won’t know for sure until April.
I refused to let my son take a spot in another school where he was not 100 percent committed before he threw his hat in the ring for a similar merit aid package at a higher ranked school. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go there, even after a visit. Not fair to the line of kids waiting to get in or be considered for financial aid. He agreed. He is not looking for trophy acceptance letters or trophy aid packages. That’s not to say we don’t need the financial aid. That would be an understatement.
@lesjubilants there is an info session next week that will give you a great overview of the school and the HC. It will put you in a better position to make decisions,
Well sometimes you don’t know. USC wasn’t D’s top choice (in-town) UNTIL she went on scholars weekend and met the students. And while all top scholarships are good, not all students get McNair/Carolina - some get Horseshoe or Hamilton so if that bit of difference in money matters, you need to give it a shot. She made her decision literally at the last moment at end of April - not right after weekend - and she loved every minute of her time at Carolina.
I think there can be kids who know they don’t really want to go, and to pass on weekend is fine but realistically most of these kids, like mine, applied to schools where they don’t hear until April about admissions. I wouldn’t have wanted my D to commit without hearing all the options. She heard and was accepted to others and chose USC. Best decision ever.
I wouldn’t want kids to feel bad about attending it they really don’t know. They’re not taking someone’s place, they earned the scholarship.
Congrats on kids getting Top Scholars - they will have a great weekend.
@VAMom23 I I’ll be attending the Top Scholars weekend in March, which I believe will give me the overview 
Scmom12 I agree to a certain extent. But applying to 15 schools is trophy hunting. It drives up the costs of admission processing. And it does take opportunities away from other kids. Lots of kids meet the qualifications for admission, and merit based scholarships. Not just the ones who actually get them. As a PHD candidate for higher education administration explained to me last month, every student pays the price for this admission game. It has gotten so bad that many schools now monitor sites like this to determine how to award merit based aide. The statistics he shared are staggering. And really disheartening. I still want to perceive higher education as having loftier goals, but it is turning into a business, and marketing frenzy. Seriously, how much more junk mail can we get?
In the end, everyone should have a good fit. I agree that is the goal. I think you have to see the school, sometimes more than once, to make an informed decision. I agree no one should feel bad for not knowing 100 percent what they want before a visit and my comments aren’t directed to anyone person, but are in response to the others on this thread. But I still think that situational awareness of how choices affect others is important too. Some level of responsibility is needed. That includes doing some research ahead of time, and not just blindly applying. There are lots of initiatives for higher education reform out there. It really is another thread entirely.
I come on this forum to let people know that I think that USC is a good school. I was apprehensive before my visit with my older son. I had been to campus before and knew it was beautiful. But I was concerned about the size. USC makes a concerted effort to create smaller communities so that kids are not lost in a sea of students. There are negatives too, but that is true everywhere. Hopefully, everyone will find their perfect fit.