@madbean or the voice of a USC admissions officer? Haha.
@SATHater Salty much?
@Dukehopeful98 It’s a joke!
Besides what is said above, College admission can be somewhat random. Things don’t always work out. But ultimately you go to the school who loves you for who you are and whom you return the love to, where you can be yourself.
“designated USC as her first choice college to NMSC.”
Here’s the reality- USC ONLY looks at the FINAL first choice list sent to them by NMSC in late May, after kids have decided where they are enrolling, and LONG after USC has decided who to accept or reject…
That is because they know that kids can change their “first choice” anytime before the final early May deadline, and thus it is not a reliable indicator to USC of the level of interest of a student before admissions decisions are made.
Designating USC as her “first choice” is not taken into account when making they are admissions decisions.
I know this because of email conversations I’ve had with the head of Admissions regarding NMF’s and USC…
@Dukehopeful98 always keep a sense of humor even in a process that feels like an emotional rollar coaster!
"What really stings are kids with those stats and ECs like above that aren’t even admitted (yet get a scholarship) and there are a lot of those "
HUH? 
not at USC there arent. NO ONE gets a scholarship without being admitted first!
@scotlandcalling there is a significant international population at USC, but more like 1 in 4, not 1 in 3 (24.1% from USC website, 2016-2017). As an aside, very few trustee or presidential scholarships are awarded to international students. (I can’t back that up with stats, just D’s observation as a Presidential who lived in the honors dorm last year.)
I don’t get why people get so ticked at USC for being holistic on merit scholarships, yet SO many highly ranked schools don’t even offer ANY merit aid. At least at USC you might have a chance. There are few guarantees in this process, and it is incredibly frustrating. And @SATHater, I would be thrilled if my S had a full ride at a flagship honors college. Congratulations.
This is all very interesting and I for one have no idea what to expect. My daughter has nowhere near the kind of stats most of you are talking about although she is a very good student. She’s going for a BFA in acting which she auditioned for on February 5. I know they weigh the audition heavily in the decision. So I think there is a chance she may get in but on the other hand I know she won’t get any merit money so it will be a tough choice to make even if she gets in. It’s a hell of a lot of money to spend on an acting degree…a career she may never achieve success in. Unfortunately many of the top acting programs are just as expensive.
My S a NMF, 35 ACT, 2250 SAT, 4.0/4.7 GPA also did not get invited to interview for merit aid. Very interested in USC, but super disappointed not to get an interview. Felt like a rejection. He’s waiting and waiting for good news hopefully.
Data points that might or might not help people feel better:
S '14 ACT 35, UW GPA 4.0/4.0, W GPA 4.765/4.0, NM Commended, Neuroscience major. No interview for merit but was admitted.
D '17 ACT 35, UW GPA 3.95/4.0, W GPA 4.678/4.0 NMF, OT major. Interview for merit.
I would call their stats virtually identical.
Why do I think D 17 got the interview and S 14 didn’t? I have no idea. You present yourself and hope for the best.
If you are competitive for merit at USC, I feel no fear predicting you will have an amazing future. It might not be your first plan, and no doubt that might hurt, but you will thrive!
@menloparkmom Point was a lot of kids with great stats like those mentioned don’t get a scholarship and don’t even get admitted, it was nothing more scandalous than that. It is good for people to be prepared for that reality. The kids that got the big scholarships 5-10 years ago are not the same as the kids getting them (and not getting them) today. The pool is entirely different as is the acceptance rate. A lot of posters on here have kid(s) attending now or in recent years that see the current trends, and it is good to hear those perspectives as well.
“Why do I think D 17 got the interview and S 14 didn’t? I have no idea.”
I do. Its because of the intended majors that they put on their applications.
The admissions office tries to distribute the big scholarship interviews across the campus to all depts, and when a outstanding applicant, for a less “popular” major is found, like OT, the odds are greater that they will get the chance to interview.
There are LOTS more highly qualified , committed neuroscience, engineering, etc etc applicants than occupational therapy majors applying to USC .
Happened to my DS- he was a Geology major, and USC does not get too many of them. He was a top student, top SAT scores, NMF, but was invited to interview .
aaamom3-
if your DS is accepted and decides to go to USC he WILL get a 1/2 tuition scholarship. just as long as he designates USC his first choice by May 1 with NMSC.
“Point was a lot of kids with great stats like those mentioned don’t get a scholarship and don’t even get admitted, it was nothing more scandalous than that.”
No thats not what you said. You said kids get offered scholarship $$ without being admitted.
that was false.
"The pool is entirely different as is the acceptance rate. "
the same can be said for the pool of students applying to ALL top 25 colleges these days.
I actually know what I said, but if people want to interpret it incorrectly that is fine.
USC just recently moved into top 25 colleges so things have changed more dramatically there than at other schools that always held those positions. More high end kids are applying than before when USC was known as the rich party school. The parents dealing with this today are facing new realities were not part of the equation even five years ago. Some of those are legacy parents with different expectations, some are just use to the old reputation of USC. It is good to acknowledge that there are just as many that could/should/would get the scholarships and don’t because of supply/demand, not because the students applying are lacking something. Presenting a giant distinction between those getting the scholarships and those not getting one is not healthy for anyone. Besides, the differences don’t exist anymore, most all the kids at USC are over-achievers. This was not previously the case. Showing empathy to those going through the reality of USC today is helpful to current applicants, otherwise USC is still being presented as a place of the have and have nots, a reputation they have tried hard to eliminate.
Our son is a NMF and did not get the merit interview. Regardless, I feel USC is extremely generous offering as many scholarships as they do. He may not get accepted in March, and that will be disappointing, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are quite generous with NMF scholarships. He wouldn’t have even been able to apply without the possibility of the NMF scholarship.
DD (NMF / 1600 SAT / 36 ACT / 4.0 UW / 8xAP 5s / exc recs / 3 yr letter winner on national top 5-15 CC team plus other EC’s) got a Presidential interview for Price. USC is very generous in its merit aid, which is helping USC to climb the ranking ladder. In my view, USC is being very generous. It is USC’s money and can be distributed as USC sees fit.
Condolences to those who did not get an interview. I understand - - DD did not secure scholarship interviews at less competitive schools at which we thought she had a better shot. There is no perfect school and I hope each applicant finds a good fit.
“I actually know what I said”
clearly you dont want to remember, so here is is again. exactly as you wrote it.
“What really stings are kids with those stats and ECs like above that aren’t even admitted (yet get a scholarship) and there are a lot of those”
No one put those words in your mouth.
nuff said…
USC has made great strides academically and continues to do so in order to be seen as deservedly belonging in the ranks of top universities and colleges. The days when USC was anyone’s safety are long over. The “Nniversity of Spoiled Children” is now know, in academic circles, as the “University of Stolen Colleagues” as they have aggressively been recruiting top profs over the past 15 years.
. As it is at all top colleges these days, admissions to USC these days are very competitive.
What many of us who have been on these forums for a long time have found is that USC is most interested in top students who show GENUINE interest in going there. An application alone does not indicate that level of interest. Some Hi stats kids and their parents still make the mistake of thinking of USC as it was 20+ years ago, and then are surprised that USC would reject them , let alone not offer them a scholarship. Those same kids may or may not get into HYPS, etc, etc again because there are more top applicants than room to house them all.
There are 8000+ NMF’s and if 90% of them applied, most would not be accepted at USC, simply because there is not enough room. That is the reality of todays USC.
@DadofThree111
Congrats!!
It’s great to see top-notch applicants like your DD getting merit scholarships 
Just curious as to what intended major she applied to?
When my S1 applied to USC 9 years ago, the school had already made their big move years before. USC was ranked 25th-- the reality is USC has been considered a top school for more than the past 5 years. The out-of-date notions about how competitive it is to get into any top school–including USC–is what often leads great students to underestimate their true chances. I am so sympathetic (even if I get a little ranty from time to time–sorry!). My S1 was a trustee scholar–he was a high stat kid, but he also had some unique honors/experiences in his field and his essays were not just well-written by HS English teacher standards, but highly creative and showed his drive and initiative and talent. At Explore his year, there was one other Trustee candidate for his major–and the 2 guys realized they were each other’s competition. Yikes. Both ended up at USC (S1 got Trustee but the other boy had a NMF 1/2 tuition). Their major had 2% admission rate that year, so just getting in was a thrill. We couldn’t understand how our S was selected but I have done a lot of research over the past 9 years and I’ve shared my observations on stickied threads.
When my S2 came along 3 years later, he had almost identical (even a bit better) stats, and really terrific essays and unique accomplishments in his field. S2, however, was not invited to interview for a scholarship. I bring all this up to show that there simply is no way to predict–among the tip top applicants–what sort of student the major needs that year and–very important–just how crazy impressive some other applicants in the pool are. The invitations go by major/School, so math geniuses are competing with math geniuses, and so on.
We didn’t win the lotto twice. S2’s app was legitimately equal to S1, but that isn’t all there is to it. Applying to selective colleges is emotionally challenging, but it’s an opportunity for HS seniors to begin to understand how the big world works. Winning is not guaranteed, no matter how much we feel we deserve to win. It’s not that the game is rigged against us; it’s just that the rarest prizes are limited. Encouraging our teens to keep trying, to not get bitter and get into the blame-game, are some of the lessons that will lead them to have the strength to persevere and win at hard achievements all their lives.
S2 was admitted in March (yay!), and he was awarded another merit award (smaller) and generous FA (I was surprised, but we had 2 in college so that had a major effect). Both sons were also admitted to ivies or had merit awards at other schools, but they simply knew that USC’s SCA was their top choice. Follow up note: Since graduating, both started their careers through contacts they made directly in classes they took at USC.
Last point (sorry–long post): most of these extraordinarily high stat kids will find in just a month that they are admitted to a slew of ivies, Stanford, MIT, etc etc. Being passed over for a Trustee invitation does not equate to their chances at highly competitive schools. Nor does getting invited for a Trustee interview mean those kids will get admitted into any ivy at all. There are not enough open spots and decisions get made that may seem random, but simply take into account each university’s needs (at the moment your kid’s file comes up).
Hang in there. In about 4 weeks, all will be known. I have a good feeling that most of the very qualified applicants mentioned here will get fat envelopes.