@CADREAMIN I have to day, I do see your side. In my opinion, I see it this way:
If I am one of the majority who doesn’t get an acceptance, I would so much just rather know right away. And, I also agree that I would rather see it online than open the mailbox and see a very thin, not at all fun letter from USC.
However, if I am one of the lucky few that do get in, the surprise factor and wow factor is well worth it.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but to me, it looks like USC is caring for the few who get in, while making ti much worse for the majority who don’t. So, I can see why they do it the way they do.
That said, I agree with you. Just being able to know at the same time (at least to me) just seems a lot better. Plus, tomorrow when the letters start coming to LA residents, it’s going to be a very difficult day, knowing I have at least 24 hours to go before I will even know if I get a decision.
However, this is just my opinion. I do not know anyone in USC who makes these decisions, nor have I done research on this subject. It’s just an educated guess.
@hockey9131 I will admit, one of the best parent moments I ever had was when I picked up my son from high school late in January and we stopped at the bottom of the driveway for him to get out and get the mail (we are rural so we drive by our mailbox on way to house). Because I was on CC, I knew there was a possibility something was there, so I made sure he got out to get it (luckily, he was oblivious as he didn’t follow CC or anything - too busy trying to make good grades I suppose). I still remember him lowing the lid of the mailbox as usual, then looking in to grab the mail - I still see his face and this whole process in slow motion in my mind… him looking up at me first with this look of confusion, then reaching into grab this colorful package and looking up again with that “what and OMG!!!” expression as he pulled out his package. Will never forget it and treasure that single moment forever. Yes, it was totally worth the wait. Most importantly, he still remembers every second of it just as clearly. That’s a cool thing.
On the other side, my best friends kid was following along as everyone on here is. I remember the torture (and seriously it was bad) the kid went through - the first day it could have come was disappointing but written off as “maybe just not here yet.” The next two days were an emotional mess for them - mom called me 10 times, kid was a wreck at school. Did the mailman or post office lose it, did it go the neighbors? Was it just not coming at all? Finally four long days later they got their answer on the portal, but the was the longest 4 days of their life. Ultimately there was no package. Then they went through the wait again for admission, and to their surprise, this legacy 4.5 gpa student with a 33 ACT (maybe 32 don’t remember which) was denied. So for them, the process sucked. I think it is this experience that causes me to tell people, regardless of high stats, to approach admission to USC cautiously, be hopeful but protect your blindside.
So as a parent, I secretly love the process, but hate to see kids in torment! We had our USC moment here and it was fabulous.But for other kids that anticipate it or have unrealistic expectations, my heart goes out to them when it doesn’t work out. All part of the game of college admissions I suppose, not everyone can get a trophy and just has to deal with that.
I hope parents let their kids get the package - and have their moment. (Parent hint - take a peek if you must and just leave it in there.) I suppose some kids want a text from mom after the mail comes, but if you can wait it out - that mailbox moment is worth it. It is why USC goes through all this trouble and time to do it this way.
(I wrote a long post hoping to help pass some time for you guys )
I’m 50/50 on that idea. On one hand, I completely get the anxiety of waiting for decisions. On the other hand, I must say that receiving the scholarship box in the mail was one of the most exciting moments of my son’s senior year. He was accepted via portal to a number of schools, but the memory of receiving that impressive box from USC is something we’ll never forget.
@CADREAMIN I remember seeing videos in previous years of admissions folks delivering an acceptance to a local student. I can’t remember if it was for the regular round in March or the early round in January. Do you remember?
ETA: @CADREAMIN looks like we posted at the same time. I agree with you that it’s a tough thing to wait out. Btw, I knew the box was coming too but my son didn’t. His surprised reaction was priceless!
@mintyicedtea - Yes it was the scholarship package that they personally delivered. That is why I am still a bit skeptical that they went out today - there has always been someone posting the day of that they got one - but I suppose that has been like 4pm PST, it’s still early here. So maybe that “Publisher’s Clearinghouse” moment can still happen today! Not saying the other poster isn’t being truthful, I just don’t believe it till it happens!
Glad your had a surprise moment, I hear of mom or dad texting them at school and feel bad because then they miss the reaction!
I just had the widest range of emotions reading your post! I have been envisioning the mailbox moment for my son over and over! Do I ask him to get the mail or surprise him with cardinal and gold balloons? Such silly things to think about! I get tears just imagining his face. Then I get so scared hearing about your kid’s best friend. USC’s admissions decisions are so unpredictable. I’m still not even sure how I got in 25 years ago!
Just commiserating with everyone. I am trying to hide my anxiety from my son because he is much more laid back about this process than me. I will save my freak outs for CC! In the end, everyone will end up somewhere great and this torture will be a memory. Good luck to all!
@jamsmama Ya, I think it can be harder on us parents, we are over invested (which is why we are on here, ha).
What do I know, but I like the mailbox moment cause then it is their moment. They worked for it and earned it. We don’t want to cross the plate for them after they hit that big home run - we want them to experience it…at least that’s how I think about it. But I can totally see making it a production you can all share together with balloons or cake or whatever. There is no wrong way to do it!
But the mailbox moment may require you to take a sneak peek and give an academy award winning performance to pull it off. "Hey can you grab the mail?’ In that non nonchalant tone, take several deep breaths before you see them if you know it is happening to remain calm! I will admit, I actually had my kid getting the mail the couple days before so it didn’t seem unusual. Kids, ignore us silly conniving parents.
One of the chief motivations for not posting decisions online when packages are mailed (as has been explained to me by the leadership in the admissions office) is that doing so can cause considerable disruption in high school communities. Talk to any college counselor and they’ll tell you how problematic it is when admission decisions are released online and kids are checking/discovering those decisions while at school. The incredible range of emotions is predictable, and so is the gossip and one upsmanship. I understand that many high school counselors have praised USC’s practice and wish that other colleges adopted the same approach.
The people running USC admissions believe that someone’s admission decision is a private matter that is first revealed at home, with family. If applicants wish to later share with everyone (as seems to be the norm these days), I suppose that they can do so.
The problem, of course, is that the U.S.P.S. isn’t perfect and some mail gets delayed or never arrives at all. I think it’s said that a 95-96% delivery rate is all that the postal service promises. If this is true, a few thousand of the 50k+ letters USC mails never arrive. Not to mention anyone outside the U.S. USC did relent several years ago and started posting decision letters online, after a few days’ lag, with the hope that by the time someone checks their portal, they will have already gotten their decision in the postal mail.
Trivia - last year, the first “I got a package” post was at 11:32am PST the day after letters were sent, after that more came in from socal. Sleep well tonight. If they went out today, at least there won’t be a “no mail Sunday” to deal with in the middle of results getting released.
This year seems to be a game changer. Word is they were mailed today. If so, they would start arriving in socal tomorrow morning. Since they aren’t being sent on a Friday as they have always been in the past, some may even get to Norcal tomorrow because the mail runs faster during the week than on Friday/Saturday. Anticipation can be brutal, so I hesitate to believe anything until that first “I got it” post is made.
In the past, the portal updates 3-4 days later, usually at around 1:00am pst.
One plot twist is I am wondering is if they could be trackable this year. In previous years you could not track them. But since the post office has really upped their game in that regard over the last 12 months…maybe??? But if so, you would have to have a USPS account in students name to do so since that is who they are sent to. I also wonder if USC has an option to send them with tracking disabled since that would ruin the surprise they love. Not a postal worker…
NMSC Finalist here. Would I receive one of these scholarship packages this week if I were to be accepted? I was under the impression that all accepted NMSC Finalists receive a half tuition scholarship, so if I don’t get a package this week does that mean I am definitely rejected?
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