To people wondering if they “have a chance” or those asking for a “chance me”: “Every candidate has excellent grades and test scores, but the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is looking for glowing letters of recommendation; demonstration of strong engagement not only in school but also in their community, and a strong character and good leadership skills in general. These students are expected to make contributions that will greatly impact and improve the university.” - Kirk Brenna, director of admissions, in the Daily Trojan talking about how they choose the scholarship recipients! That article was published in 2015 so it shouldn’t be too outdated yet.
^^^ oops! *Brennan
Are the explore USC weekends the same for people interviewing for Trustee and Presidential scholarships?
Wow, thanks everyone for all the updates. We are in NorCal so I guess we’ll have to hope for tomorrow. Congratulations to those who got a box! Can’t wait until tomorrow but I’m stuck in an all day training at work and S18 has some after school commitments so it may be late when we get home and can check.
Do all these awesome news applicable for indian students too? Have any indian in the past received this lovely white box… its not that i am expecting for my D but just curious. All these experiences being shared is great 
Does anyone know what time the package may arrive for east coast applicants?
@collegebound1212 Depends when your mailman delivers the mail!
@1110002 Hey I got the package too for presidential scholarship but it seems like we have to register for the “Explore USC” thing…I was told to register at you.usc.edu but I can’t find the “Admitted Student Programs” link. Did you already register by any chance?
Does anyone know if international students can get financial aid with presidential scholarship? I’m a Questbridge finalist but I’m not sure if it’s going to apply to me cuz USC is known for not giving financial aid to international students.
@abell73 Check out the Merit Scholarship thread on this page. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/2048320-merit-packages-what-when-how-p1.html You probably have to wait for the portal to update on Friday. Then there will be an “Explore USC” link.
When will the NYC/Long Island area get packages? Or has anyone from this area already gotten one?
Can someone make a class of 2022 stats thread
@pdxtigermom sorry for the late response. I don’t check in often. It’s fun to read all these posts. I only learned this web site after my daughter was admitted. Missed all the excitement, which might be a blessing judging by the anxiety it’s causing.
My daughter does music only. She did not take PSAT, just one sitting of ACT. Only Rice and USC asked for standardized tests. All her other schools were conservatories. Your son has amazing test scores. Good luck with his audition. RHP should have 1/4 tuition scholarship.
There is a stats thread set up by @CollegeGal223
When portals update you will be able to register for Explore. It will look like this:
Admission
Admission Decision
Enrollment Commitment Deposit
Withdraw Your Application
Submit Documents
Financial Aid
Apply for Financial Aid
Financial Aid Summary & Tasks (FAST) page
On-Campus Admitted Student Programs
Explore USC
Preview USC
Admitted Student Day
Campus tours
Off-Campus Admitted Student Programs
Apply for Housing
Here’s a question - For those choosing a fine arts major as their first choice, what is the order of admission?:
- does the fine arts department/school (i.e. Thornton, Roski) decide they want you first, and then tell USC Admissions they want you? – OR –
- does USC Admissions determine if you’re qualified for admissions and then send your file to the fine arts department/school so that department knows you’re eligible for admittance and then they choose from that pool that has been cleared by USC Admissions?
If the answer is #1, then can the fine arts school decide they want you, only to get shut down by USC Admissions who then tells that school they won’t admit a chosen candidate?
Another question - As these fine arts departments/schools all require special applications supplements, does that department/school automatically receive those supplemental applications directly, without any idea of that candidate’s overall qualifications for admissions (i.e. test scores, GPA, etc.)?
Explore Dates:
Thursday–Friday, February 15–16, 2018
Thursday–Friday, February 22–23, 2018
Monday–Tuesday, February 26–27, 2018
Thursday–Friday, March 1–2, 2018
Monday–Tuesday, March 5–6, 2018
@CADREAMIN the booklet we received only has the last 3 dates that you list in your post (#756)
@CADREAMIN do even local accepted students get to stay overnight on campus?
Not sure about dates, maybe some are open to certain recipients…Yes staying on campus is avail to any recipient. Encourage you to do so, staying with host is big part of the expeerience!