@scholarship winners (past and present): Congratulations first of all! Secondly, were there any small indicators to tip you off beforehand? Like extra emails or phone calls that some people seem to have received?
Congrats to all who got in.
Congratulations to all those who got in today! I’m sure that you all deserve this and much more 
I’m an international student so I don’t think I’ll be getting any package (if did get a scholarship) anytime soon. Do you think that the portal will update for those who DID NOT get a scholarship on the 26th? I just really want to find out as soon as possible because this whole scholarship business has been consuming me!
Congratulations again! I can only hope to be able to share this with you guys even if it is in March !
@Doglover13 It means that you got the Dean Scholarship (Quarter of tuition and you don’t need to interview)!
@highkeycrying Hmm…on January 20 I got an email from the financial office saying they need more info or something to process my application, but it probably won’t go to everyone if you already submitted everything you needed to
According to the USPS map I’m in the two-day region of New York (near NYC). Does that mean I would get something today if I were to get it?
I live in Alabama and will be home around 1 45 central. I will notify/post pictures if I receive my package
@mgb1311 – seems like if you are to receive something it could be today. We are in NY (north of NYC) - 2 days from Cal. seems optimistic but that’s what the USPS priority mail map says. We are not expecting anything anyway though. Good luck to you.
@davisbn im in bama too. Where in bama
did you get a phone call (as some people mentioned)?? @callmegray
@CA1543 me neither… but still hopeful! Good luck to you too!
Also for those who got it - did it come with your regular mail or was it a separate delivery?
We will be eager to check the mail today, as our part of FL seems to be in that 2-day range. But we are also not that confident.
Keep in mind that these merit invitations & scholarship assignments are actually being determined on two fronts (just as admissions are)… one such evaluation is being conducted university-wide by USC Admissions and one is also determined by the specific School you applied to – and proportioned by major. So… for example, my daughter is an applicant to SCA for both choices. In general, they accept very few applicants overall… so their merit allotment is proportionally smaller still. From what I have read elsewhere, they have to spread these merit scholarships among all the USC Schools fairly based on some formula. So it is not only based on your application alone (stats, ECs, essays, etc)… but it could also be impacted by the major you are seeking. Your choice of major could have an impact on the competitiveness for you in particular… especially during this specific admissions phase.
Good luck to all those checking in the USPS two-day zone today…
Today I realized that questbridge finalists who apply to usc are also eligible to be chosen for these scholarships. There is 1 questbridge finalist at my school so my chances of getting a
scholarship just dissolved because they have priority over normal applicants, right?
All of these people posting their near-perfect statistics make me feel like a chump, ha.
@Swiper902 No… that should not be the case during this round…
From my understanding, QuestBridge Finalists who tried to match via the National College Match process with various colleges were all separately evaluated in a prior admissions phase and those who matched with a college were notified on Dec 1st. USC only matched with a handful… less than 10. Those QB Finalists received a four year full ride to that particular college and are done with the college search process already (unless matched to Stanford, Yale, Princeton or MIT - those 4 are not binding). For those QB Finalists who did not match or who did not even try to match (since it is binding to all but those 4 colleges), they then move on to the RD phase at USC & elsewhere just like every other applicant.
While USC knows that they are a QB Finalist, that simply becomes another positive line item within their application. Now, if they are accepted, their financial aid package will likely be very competitive and will likely cover 80-90% of the total cost of attendance… but they are not given any automatic extra consideration over other applicants… and especially not during an evaluation solely centered on merit (and not finances).
@younghollywood relatable
@WWWard From my experience, just being a finalist gives you a huge advantage. I knew people who had subpar scores that were offered admission to extremely difficult schools like Stanford and MIT with no real hook other than being a finalist.
@mgb1311 I mean, for your sake, I hope you do get it today, but I live half an hour away from USC and didn’t get anything yesterday, so who knows!
Yes… of course being a QuestBridge Finalist could give you that extra push in terms of gaining admission, and I do know of QB Finalists that both matched and did not match who ended up getting in to very elite schools. A friend of my daughter matched to Stanford. But she also had insanely good stats. In the cases I recall, they also had high stats too. But I also know of a couple QB Finalists who eventually got in to USC RD… and with high stats… but who did not get a merit invite or scholarship.
My point is that while it may certainly help you to get in eventually (and USC does usually accept over 100 annually overall), it is by no means an extra advantage in this specific merit phase. It may be considered, and there likely has been a QB Finalist who got one… but it is simply just one of many factors being considered.
Also… look at the overall QB Finalist pool itself. While just over 50% of them last year did eventually get in, either via match, ED or RD, to at least one of the 38 QB Partner schools Iand USC is one), almost 50% also did not. So even among the QB Partner schools themselves… just being a QB Finalist guarantees you nothing. You still have to apply and compete for spots.
Just checked the mail in Pennsylvania, nothing today. It does seem a bit unrealistic for something to ship across the country in two days.