@Jamsmama you’re welcome
Hey everyone, I emailed my USC counselor just to make sure everything was all set with my mid-year grades, etc and made sure to let them know USC is my first choice (couldn’t hurt, right?). I also added on a redundant question about scholarships which I forgot they essentially answered in their notification late January.
Anyways, it’s been about a week and no response. Should I be worried that I was rejected and my counselor just didn’t bother? Obviously feel awful about asking a dumb question and not getting a response has me pretty worried.
@jglover Take a step back. You’ve done everything you have to do, now you can just wait- emailing them and ‘showing interest’ is NOT going to help you at USC. They probably didn’t respond because they get SOO many emails like that. Just take a breath and wait for your decision. There is nothing more you can do!
@jglover You should assume you emailed them, in all likely, during the busiest 2-3 week period of the entire year and nothing more. If they read it, they likely disregarded it if it was a redundant question. This will have zero affect on your admission before you go worrying about that, but don’t email again. They know USC is #1 for thousands.
The only ones that should be emailing them would be an applicant that is a newly named Intel Science winner or something extraordinary like that, in which case a GC would likely also intervene. You are good, go keep busy. 
So this is what you do when you are ancy and bored waiting for college decisions…
I went online to my older daughter’s financial aid portal (an USC junior) and noticed a couple weeks ago a discrepancy that they wanted to be fixed in terms of our reporting of financial info. She is a current USC student, so clearly they have to fully process everything by a certain point in time. We fixed it there, but I then purposely did not fix it on my younger daughter’s financial aid portal… since she is only an applicant. I was curious to see if they would even bother to ask for it to be fixed. If not… it would have meant that they do not fully process all FA applications. Today, though, they finally caught the discrepancy & asked for the new/updated filing.
The requested info is not important. We were just curious to see if they would also catch it and ask for it for an applicant. Now, they may of course do so for everyone… even for the 47K applicants about to be rejected. If so… and if colleges like USC are truly need-blind and finalize up to 56K FA applications… that seems very arduous and time consuming. It would of course also be very admirable to do so. But do they really do so? Or do they only really officially finalize the financial aid accounts for the 9K being admitted? I.E. - does FA get a heads-up from admissions.
Because they asked, we cannot really know now. We can only speculate… and time will tell. If she gets rejected in a few days, well then we will at least know that USC’s FA Office is super-thorough, even with applicants about to be rejected. If she is admitted, I guess that the answer is still a mystery.
But here’s hoping that their catching the mistake is an indication of positive things…
@WWWard maybe you are on to something because our financial aid status simply says “In review” and that they have received the FAFSA and CCS.
@WWWard
That’s really strange you asked that because my mom was just checking something on my CSS today and told me that a few schools had requested more information or something. She was wondering if that might be a hint, but I told her it was probably just protocol to do FA for everyone. But now I’m curious.
Has anyone received a request for tax forms this year? I know they have done that in the past.
Keep in mind they are not processing FA for internationals and the families that don’t qualify, which at USC is a good chunk. They aren’t processing FA for many of those 56K. I have read 30-35% kids are full pay, (lots of EFC=$99,999) plus the internationals who are 90%+full pay. Not sure if it is right, but saw that a couple years back.
@blueskies2day so if you aren’t eligible under FAFSA would they ask for additional forms?
No. There are a lot of FA files that would be done - those that linked to IRS and they have all the data and those not qualifying. Getting asked for more FA info, or not being asked is the same in terms of admissions. You just don’t know what it means. Processing is really quick these days - everything is automated. The most time is spent on those that don’t complete everything or send everything in.
Hey guys, thanks for the great input here. Like Jamsmama’s comment about adding extra info, I got a life membership thing for my scholarship program (CSF), sort of being upgraded from an active member position(20 hrs of community service+ decent grades) so is it worth it to shoot a quick email updating them for this position?
@blueskys2day thanks so much for your response! There is a lot of misinformation out on cc…
@mike8888 I wouldn’t. It’s pretty late in the game. I don’t think it would help your application at this point, but could add confusion to your file. I’m no expert though. Just imho. Lots of stuff changed for my D. She got best actor at her high school, the lead in the show etc., but I didn’t bother updating anything. All sorts of kids have additional accomplishments not reflected on their application. See what others have to say though!
@mike8888 Found this on USC admissions blog:
In turn, you may find that you need to send us an update. As your senior year progresses, you might have to make an adjustment or addition to your application. In general, these updates need only be made if you think the change will have a significant impact on your application (e.g., you changed your mind about what you want to study at USC, your family moved to another state, etc.). USC does not track demonstrated interest, which means we don’t factor things like visiting campus or the number of times a student emails us into our decisions. If you need to give us important information, please don’t hesitate to write us an email; otherwise, your time would better be spent writing Sherlock fan fiction (I’m completely serious here—I’m already having show withdrawals)!
@anirapiramom thx for the advice. yeah its just an “upgrade” from a current award but it only sounds better so that’s why I was confused b/c I don’t want to bother the busy adcoms since they are reading our apps over long hours over something that may seem insignificant to them but significant to a person who rarely gets awards lol. so i just don;t know
@anitapitamom @Runnergirl1226
In the case of my younger daughter (the applicant), her FA Status Page now says… Eligibility Checks (completed), Application Started (completed) and Application In Review (pending, no action required). And the list of requested/received items includes: Copy of parent’s 2015 federal income tax return for verification, CSS Noncustodial Parent PROFILE Data, CSS PROFILE Data, FAFSA Data, Income and Expense Declaration Form - Parent, Tax Information Form, Federal 2015 - Parents.
But the list of items requested/received so far for my older daughter, a current USC student, is also slightly longer.
Again… curious. Who knows what all it means. But we will take it as a good sign and remain hopeful.
Overall, USC does ask for a lot of supporting materials if you are deemed FA eligible.
@mike888 You could send a two sentence (literally) note to your admissions advisor if you feel you should. On the other hand, CSF life membership is gained by another semester in honor roll senior year, correct? It may be something they would figure out since you submitted your grades. It seems like it is bugging you though and it is YOUR application and your decision, so follow your gut. Just keep it super short if you do!
what date last year were packages received in the mail?
@nervous17yearold 3/24 (thursday) last year in LA area.
@nervous17yearold They are supposedly being mailed out March 23rd. And the portals will likely start updating March 25th-26th. Good Luck…