Got rejected today, no other explanation. I am thinking of appealing. Is anyone else there, and if so, does that anyone have any tips or guidelines or… success stories to share? Gracias.
I’m thinking about appealing my rejection as well. I’ve googled and checked many links on how the appeal process works, but I haven’t found any information on it.
You can search CC for old theads about appeals at USC, such as this one: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1632415-usc-appeals-2014-p2.html
Note that @madbean 's post #24 is especially helpful
do we email the admissions office the letter or do we mail it out to them? When is the deadline?
Just a cautionary note that appeals are very, very rarely granted. It’s much easier to transfer after taking some terms at a CC than win an appeal. I do know a young lady who was one of the few who won an appeal and got into USC engineering and proceeded to graduate in 2.5 years! She was hired by Cisco, after having a very successful internship there.
You can send the appeal to them through YouSC, though it wasn’t working earlier today.
YouUSC is their website with a login correct? I could also email them as well?
Yes, YoUSC is the website where you can send your documents, check on the application status and everything else. I think you can fax them, even, if so it pleases.
I emailed mine to my admissions counselor, but that was before YouUSC was used, so maybe things are different now. I don’t have a sucess story to share, but I do know someone who got in on appeal last year and the whole process went very fast - he was offered admission by the next week.
she graduated in 2.5 years out of 4?
Same situation, I’m international student, feel like it would much harder for me to win the appeal
Thanks CCMTimes3. I’ve got a few more thoughts for those contemplating making an appeal to USC. I suggest you give them a bit of thought.
- If you appeal, and if you are admitted, will you definitely attend?
Or do you have another great school that has already admitted you?
Or do your parents really prefer you stay closer to home, attend a state school, attend their alma mater?
Or are you not sure you can afford to attend USC and would then have to get X amount of FA to afford it?
Or are you looking for vindication after being denied?
Or are you still waiting on ivies or other schools which may be preferred? Or ivy waitlists?
If you are 100% ready to commit to attending USC, that’s really the only reason to try to appeal. Period. If so, I suggest you make that simple and clear in your appeal letter. And if you can afford full-pay, you might mention that as well. USC is need-blind in regular admissions, but no one has established what their policy is for appeals. And the FA may well be drained by time they get to considering appeals.
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Sometimes, the adcoms get it wrong, or have too many highly qualified students from a certain geographic area, major, whatever. Out of your control during regular admissions. In some cases of students with super-top scores/grades, admissions offices tell themselves that this student (they are about to deny!) will get into many other fine institutions. They expect it to be true. Perhaps they may catch a whiff from your application that you long to attend another school. This happens many times! So if you really don’t have a handful of acceptances from all those mythical “better” schools, perhaps an appeal will catch their eye now. They know those who appeal are super serious about attending USC, so they may find a spot for you now that they know USC is your first choice.
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You must provide something new and compelling to get them to reconsider. If you had an upward trend in grades and now, in senior year, you’ve let your grades slide a bit, this is NOT good for your appeal. However, if you are taking your hardest courseload ever senior year AND you are doing extremely well, this would be something to talk about–and why it was so important for you not to succumb to senior slump. Even better is if you have won new awards (cast in a Spring play, nominated for a senior award, or bigger) or excelled at something new (not in your original essays).
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Is there a compelling explanation for any weaknesses in your original application (if there were any weaknesses)? If you came across as too cocky or over-confident, that may have been a deal-breaker. Time to get humility and address your new perspective. Did you have a sick relative (meant you couldn’t keep up your ECs) or decide to spend more time doing your own painting (for example) so dropped those activities that held less meaning for you. This may go a ways to explain spotty ECs. Just have someone who can be brutally honest look at your full application, all essays, etc, and tell you where you may be able to fix a mistake. Again, many of you had NO mistakes, so please understand this is just a way to get a handle on something if it’s there. I have read wonderful essays by brilliant students that inadvertently gave the wrong message to the adcom. Talking about your carefree nature and explaining how you played a trick on your teacher may have sounded cool when you wrote it, but perhaps the adcoms thought it was a red flag for someone with maturity issues? If you think this may be the case with any of your essays, address that in your appeal.
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Good luck.
Thanks, madbean! Extremely helpful.
Bumping this for the posters who started two different threads about appeals. Read post #11. ^
Do you know when the last day to appeal is?
@Trojan320
I believe April 10th is the deadline, although now that I’m in the system, it’s telling me the 11th is the deadline. I would still try to get it in early, though.
bumping – especially since the deadline is tomorrow.
Hey guys, does anyone know the date when USC appeal decisions come out? It should be sometime soon, right?
And does anyone know whether the decision comes by email, mail, or on the portal?
Thanks!
@redwall1521 Results come out on 5/14.
Thanks @mpebbles!