"as I’ve posted elsewhere, the first hurdle for Trustee, Presidential, etc. consideration at these talent-based Schools will likey be somewhere in the top quartile of all USC admits. But after that hurdle has been cleared, I believe grades/scores will not matter AT ALL. "
I have to disagree with this statement because it makes that assumption that the first hurdle criteria is actually much lower than what USC specifically states.
the USC scholarship pdf states that students who score in the top 1-2% NATIONWIDE , not the top 20% of USC admits, are those who are considered for those top merit scholarships.
“Average SAT and ACT scores are in the top
1 to 2 percent of all students nationwide. In
addition to academic criteria, candidates’
talent, perseverance, innovation, involvement
and leadership are considered.”
Since the big full tuition merit scholarships are divvied up by college, there naturally WILL be variations in the scores/ grades, etc are considered high enough by the various scholarship committees, but in general, the big scholarships are given to tip top students that USC really wants AND believes will also be accepted by other, more selective colleges.
Perhaps SCA does has a much lower “minimum acceptable score” threshold than many of the USC other colleges for scholarship consideration.
Did anyone else apply to Annenberg? I know that only about 5% (~900) of USC students are enrolled in the school. I’m wondering if it is more competitive to get into than some of the other schools, even though I have heard their standards for admission tend to be generally lower than those for the school overall. Will applying to Annenberg with a strong writing and journalism background help my chances of merit scholarship consideration?
Yay @tito17. That’s my alma mater! Go Blue! Definitely pack a really ridiculously warm coat, gloves, hat, and good waterproof boots. And if memory serves, lots of Drakkar Noir cologne. (I know this is an SC thread, so I’ll stop now, sorry).
@mgb1311 I applied to Annenberg before the December 1 deadline! I would hope a strong writing and journalism background would help lol, but I’m not qualified to make any sort of call.
@jiffy43 The dude specifically asked when they’d release decisions on the You.USC portal, so could it be possible that they were just referring to the portal and not mail? I think someone on here said they mail decisions well before they put it up onto the portal. Idk, at least that’s what I’m hoping lol
Just received a packet from USC dated January 6th. Enclosed is a letter to parents and a booklet “Investing in Your Future: Financial Aid and USC 2017”. Nothing about scholarships and acceptance. Waiting continues …
On USC’s Admission Twitter, it says they will release scholarship notifications online in February, but has anyone heard about when we get physical mail?
I just called the USC admission and asked if they have an exact date of when they will mail out their merit scholarship decision and they only said late this month to early next month. How come they gave you the exact date…? just curious! @HopingForUSC
@collegeint I learned a while back that if I want real answers, I need to ask my school’s admissions office, not the main USC admissions office. So, that’s who I asked. Viterbi admissions is always crazy helpful. All the more reason why I want to be a part of Viterbi!
@menloparkmom, the stats I referred to may sound a lot lower (2% of all SAT test takers vs. 25% of all USC admits), but they’re really pretty much the same thing. The top 2% in SAT score is about 2250 and up. The average SAT score of USC’s top quartile of admitted students is 2260 and up! That’s because the university as a whole admits such a high scoring cohort. Not to say SCA or SDA et al can go too low into the pool, but they do have autonomy on admissions to their schools and have a strong desire to find good fits, so as long as they keep their selections close to this (presumed) academic cutoff, each school selects merit scholars to suit their majors. I’ve heard Trustee candidates to some of the more academically competitive majors are closer to the top 1% of stats, and they are averaged into the total mix.