Tennisboy,
Highlights from the recent speech given by President Nikias can be accessed on the SC website in the university news section. Website is: www.usc.edu
anyone willing to chance me for admissions to usc?
@CADREAMIN, thanks for the low down. I guess we should have our answer within the next two weeks. Hard to believe. I know it’s probably even tougher on those who have not been admitted yet, although for many who have, the scholarships may make or break the final decision. USC remains a strong contender for my son, but we will see how it all pans out soon.
Just a repeated FYI… to try and forestall the questions being asked again and again 
Last year, the admission packets were mailed on March 23rd. The first posting of a packet arrival was in the L.A. area on March 24th at 10:37am (Eastern). Portals updated online on March 26th at 3am (Eastern).
And again… they are mailed via USPS Priority Mail, but not able to be tracked via advanced USPS notification. USC does not pay to enable that feature. They want those admitted to have their surprise mailbox moment.
If you want to estimate your delivery zone time, use 90089 as the originating zip code.
https://www.usps.com/priority-mail/map/
Here is a link to last year’s thread in case you want to pass the time by seeing the questions asked and answered last cycle. That thread eventually had over 5500 posts and nearly two million views.
Good luck managing the wait until then…
@anatomygeek34 In terms of getting “Chanced” for USC, it is virtually impossible for others to predict what may or may not occur in your specific case. I suggest reading an excellent thread on the topic from the beginning…
I also suggest reading through the following very helpful insider’s guide to USC admissions…
https://tfm.usc.edu/a-guide-to-uscs-college-admissions-process/
Good Luck…
Have they always mailed them on a Thursday>
No, days of week have varied. Last two years they were mailed on the 23rd.
im hoping they send it out thurs the 22nd, so I can actually get the mail!! im in a two day wait zone and the mail doesn’t deliver on Sunday, so what’s the point of the element of surprise because the portal will be updated before I get the mail on monday
I don’t know how complex the task of admissions is at USC but … I have to agree with @prepro986. Especially in this day and age, physical mail is just too old school and unpredictable. Even email is old fashioned to kids now. Probably a text message would be the best notification method! I also think that their roll-out style, where the portal doesn’t update at the same time for everyone, is especially bad. D18 didn’t get her USC scholarship notification in January until 10am ET, while she was at school.
I think GaTech has the best notification method: check your portal on a Saturday at noon ET. Everyone in the CONUS is or can be awake at that time, can check with their phone or computer (i.e. not locked down in a HS class), etc. Their RD decisions come out today.
I’m with you @droppedit
We will be on vacation in California when decisions are mailed. If S gets in, We will want to visit (makes no sense to have to come back!). So we have to have friends checking out physical mailbox at home!
Georgia Tech does not have to deal with over 63,000 applications. Also, SC ‘s applicants include students who have had auditions at various sites, submitted art or film portfolios and are choosing among a much larger breadth of majors. Noon on Saturday may be convenient for those in certain time zones, but not for many international applicants,to learn of their admission status.
Does anyone know if USC gives out good need-based financial aid?
Yes… USC’s chosen method for admission notifications can be very frustrating, especially when the US Postal Service is less than consistently reliable. Last year, my daughter’s box was delayed by a few days for some strange reason, and it actually arrived post-portal update. That of course created the false impression of denial. Oh well… USC seems reluctant to change their “old school” approach.
Can anyone tell me what it means when a thread on CC says “This discussion has been moved”?Moved where? @-)
It means it was moved to a more appropriate category. You don’t want to ask a question about USC in the UCLA forum, for example!
@vhsdad thanks!
While I agree the approach is very old school considering the times and technology, for those that receive the package it can be one of the most special moments of their life. We were fortunate enough to have to mailbox moments - where they looked in the mailbox then looked back at me with this look of wonder like a young child seeing presents on Christmas morning - it is something neither of us will forget. Even though I knew they were on their way, they had no idea they were coming, so it was a huge surprise and wonderful moment for them. Totally worth the angst.
The hard part is that 55,000+ this year won’t get that moment and hang in limbo longer than necessary and it is brutal. And the anticipation on cc can make it insane, which is why a few of us posters do our best to share what we know - in hope of reducing some of the anxiety. We hope we are not fueling it.
I think the most fortunate are the ones busy with their lives and not paying attention to dates or cc! Hope for the mailbox moment, but set expectations on the portal update. For all the crazy, the next few weeks are an exciting time. We are fortunate to live in a place with so many fantastic schools, these great kids will do great wherever they land. Hang in there!
When they send out acceptance packages do they also include if your scholarship/efc package also?
Yes @momtwin
@momtwin FA is not part of the regular decision package, it comes about a week later. The big scholarships with invite to interview came out in January except for a few Deans (1/4) that may come in March. The decisions on scholarship interviews will be on portal.
I will probably re-post this in a few days but here’s the big WHAT-WHEN-HOW and HOW MUCH post…
First a disclaimer - the intention is to help by giving an idea what to expect and put out best guess of dates based on past behavior. With so many more applications this year, the schedule could go wacky, and they could change it up, but it has worked this way in the last few years…
WHAT?
Regular Decision is coming!
Over 63,000 students have applied and acceptance rate is down to 13% per statements made at recent USC events by the AD.
WHEN?
The guess is (and only a guess) that they will go the week of March 19th, more likely toward the mid/end of that week. They have been mailed on Wed or Thurs last few years (was Friday before that), so maybe March 21st - 23rd seems like the best guess. Only a guess! They will post on Instragram/fFacebook that the trucks are leaving with all the USPS boxes loaded up with the packets, so on the day of mailing you will know for sure. I don’t like Friday sends because you have Sunday in there and not everyone has Sunday mail delivery - so it can add an extra day of angst. Doubt it will be a Friday.
The day after mailed, they start arriving in Socal between 10:30am-11:30am (first reports). Obviously depends on your mail time. Much of Socal receives first day but a lot in San Diego don’t get theirs until second day so don’t freak out there. Norcal is always second day. The surprise is how fast these things move and how they reach a great part of the country on the second day after mailing including major metros, the east coast and FLA - all on the second day. So the majority do receive them the second day after mailing, but that said, there are plenty of folks (hello @wwward) that don’t get them until the afternoon of the third day, which is after the portal update at 12:01am of that same day. Portals update the third midnight after mailing. So when mailed in the afternoon on the 23rd, the portals updated at 12:01am on the 26th to end the stress nightmare.
THE PACKAGE
The packages have been sent in white boxes that fit in most mailboxes, some are left on porches if not. They are a little bigger than a piece of paper and about a half inch thick. They are impressive and beautiful packages that are gorgeous on the inside.
The package includes an acceptance letter, a certificate of acceptance, and tells you which major/school you were admitted. It also includes some general school/housing/marketing pamphlets.
YELLOW Package - In recent years they have used a light yellow box to indicate a spring acceptance.
HOW?
It is sent United States Postal Service - the good ol’ mailman. It is not UPS (the brown trucks). Since they come USPS, meaning postal service, and in your mailbox, setting up a My UPS account won’t get you anything here. International packets are sent DHL, some of those arrive quickly (areas of China reports early, sometimes on day 2) but some take weeks (reports of some places in India). Internationals should plan on portal update.
USC does not enable tracking on these packages, so you cannot track it. The SENDER (USC) has to enable tracking. But ahhh some of you think - “we have have Informed Delivery Daily Digest” - the postal service that tells tells you what is coming in your mail that day. HOWEVER - these packages are not scanned into that system, because USC doesn’t want them to be. This was again tested during the scholarship period in January, no one saw it in the Informed Delivery Daily Digest. There will be many conspiracy theories on findings ways to beat the system and find out early. It never works or hasn’t so far.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Folks awaiting scholarship news - last year, the portals updated with scholarship interview results the same day as packages were mailed, at 4:02pm. Years before that, the scholarship results came the Friday before regular decisions, so it beat them by a few days. If they stick to last year’s m.o. they should be around the 21-24th as well. (Disclaimer again - this is a best guess - they could change it up - they are in charge!)
MERIT & FINANCIAL AID AWARDS - Financial Aid does not come out till around April 1st - within a week or so of decisions. It is not with your acceptance package, so some will be very excited to get in then have the big downer when they find they can’t attend because they don’t get the aid they thought they would. So if you interview for let’s say Presidential, you will find out if you get that scholarship (yay) with the regular decisions, and you will not know until April what your financial aid award is (if you applied for FA). So this process is complex, and final answers about merit $$ vs FA will come through separately.
While I understand the anxiety, I would sit back and let it happen likes USC intends - see if it the package comes to your mailbox! Seeing it online or through a text defeats the mailbox moment which can be spectacular.
Good luck all! I’m happy to not be going through it this year, but best wishes to those that are! USC is utterly fantastic, I wish there was room for all that want to attend.