congrats, @maryk17 fight on!
@maryk17 You know how I love the mailbox moment - congrats and thanks for sharing! Wooohooo!
I wasnât able to check this thread yesterday when decisions came out (and therefore didnât know that Maryland packages were delayed), so I was 100% positive that I got rejected. But honestly, opening the portal with my friends and family and getting the surprise of a lifetime was better than any mailbox moment I could imagine.
Portals >>> Packages
Fight on!!!
@excitedtobehere Could you please link to the twitter you referenced about merit scholarship notification âearly this weekâ? I could not find it. Thank you in advance.
Congrats to everyone admitted! This year was so so competitive - you all should be proud of yourselves.
I was rejected, but I already have a couple great options that Iâm extremely grateful for. My parents wouldnât even have let me go across the country to California anyways.
My stats:
1490 SAT , 4.3 W GPA, Great ECs, Great Essays (imo), Good Teacher Recs.
Good luck to everyone w/ your remaining decisions!!
@Micc I totally agree with you⊠however I do agree with @WWWard your reasons must be extremely compellingâŠ
Here is a true story with USC, my husbandâs story
He applied to USC and was rejected by them this was '92 ⊠back then you were allowed to meet with the department head. He was in Texas, traveled all the way and met with the department head. Back then he had earned his MD from a country in the Middle East and wanted to enroll into an Masters program of Electric Engineering⊠The university refused to accept his application and informed him that he has to enroll in BS of Engineering before pursuing the Masters degree. After meeting with the department head, he did present his case, and managed to convince them to give him a chance. They gave him conditional chance, back then enrolled him in all BS Electric Engineering course ( No electives, just the high level courses", and asked him to pass all these courses with an A. He had little English, so beside studying for the courses, he had to take English classes which added up to 17 hours or studying each day, he tells us this was the best time of his life.
As it is been said âwhen there is a will there is a wayâ. He managed to complete the year successfully, and enrolled in masters degree. As indicated earlier he complete 2 Masters in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, and a PHD in Biomedical Engineering. He was offered the work and study option and was awarded another scholarship. He has zero student loans from USC. We really owe it them a lot. He is a successful scientist who works in a big company, and has so many patents under his name.
The bottom line for all what I wrote is that it does not hurt to try, worst thing that got happen is that you learn from the process.
I do believe in USC, and I think they play a fair game. However, I do think they are humans, and they are prone to mistakes.
@Nonomom @ilikewiki
My S is in silimar situation. Only 1 B with very rigorous schedule, 35 ACT, 11 APs 7 being 5s and 4 being 4s, 4 Subject tests either 790 or 800, president/captain of couple clubs, 400+volunter hours, multiple Regina and state awards, great essays, varsity sport 3 years, legacy with father & D at USC. Took outside college courses, 2 summers of research and attended 1 summer of a competitive camp. Regent invite for UCLA and UCB. A few parents I know their kids with same or better stats as my S were all rejected. Weâre wondering if USC is purposely rejecting over-qualified kids? Fun fact: my D got accepted to USC 2 years ago with lower gpa, no leadership and little volunteer hours. Both kids same major.
GO FIGURE!
@happypeasinapod I am glad that your son got UCLA and UCB⊠some people suggested in other posts that universities are turning down the most qualified applicants assuming they will get in better schools. My son best friends got in much lower stats but different un- impacted majors⊠some of the USC majors are impacted and highly desired the USC Annenberg School for Comm. & Journalism is rated #1 nationwide.
@Nonomom, @f2000sa just an FYI I know people who have appealed at USC and gotten in. I agree with @Micc what do you have to loose as long as you realize that it is not a given but a second look. It absolutely will not reflect poorly on the student, why would it? Do what you feel is right for your family, good luck!!
@jdecker9 Sounds like the perfect portal moment and ya with everyone there, thatâs really great way to get the news! Those that donât get the package in time can certainly have magical portal moments for sure. What I was inferring to as less spectacular is the âusps informed deliveryâ moment or not letting the student who has done all the work have the moment of discovery. (Like if mom checked the portal and said âhey, you got into xyz school.â) Itâs like telling them whatâs in the Christmas package before they open it. All the effort sorta pointless that way. But hey, getting into USC is a great moment no matter what.
Cal Poly use to have a fabulous video that launched when you checked your portal - it was cheesy cool in a great way (actually I thought it was cool, kids thought it was cheesy). Not sure they still do that. UCLA had a giant banner splash and it was pretty spectacular when you opened it up. Remember those portal moments for mine fondly as well! Not sure what other schools do. In the end, getting in is always good, no matter how the news is delivered. 
@Nonomom @lbf Yes, I canât agree more. What I said was no chance that appeal will be successful cannot be right as USC states that there were successful cases although chances are extremely low, which is expected. I just think if you really want the school, it doesnât hurt to ask for a relook at the application, at least then you can tell yourself you have truly done everything you can even the final decision turns out to be the same. You have nothing to lose. Not every college put down info to appeal in their rejection letter so if they do, they understand someone will do it. Iâm not saying thatâs for everyone of course, in my case, I move on. Itâs for people who truly love USC and believe they belong there. Itâs not a blame on the admission committee but itâs an honor to the school that some students love it so much.
On a different note⊠when does housing open? And is it first come first serve?
I was accepted to the thornton school of music! I live in Denver and havenât gotten a package yet. Does anyone know if the packages are priority mail express? AKA will USPS be delivering them on sundays or will I have to wait until Monday?
Fight on!!!
@denverapp Yes housing is based on the timestamp. So what you do is sign up first thing. Then you have until about May 1 to finalize selections of housing and roommates, if you meet any.
When you sign up, you will also fill out a survey. You do also give a preliminary order for the housing (but it can change). Using your survey and the housing info, USC will then suggest people for roommates. You can then chat with people to see if you can find a roommate. The key thing is the timestamp, as that gives your place in line. The roommates and housing selections can all change. There will be instructions when you get your info on Tuesday. I do recommend checking out the freshman housing choices so that when you make your choices, it will suggest people who had similar surveys and housing prefs. For example, New/North is known to be more social and heavily leaning towards kids who plan to go greek. Birnkrant is kind of a mix since it used to be the honors dorm and still has that reputation of academics/social and â8 floors of open doorsâ. McCarthy is only if you are scholarship recipient. There are quite a few options.
FigntOn
I was rejected by USC but accepted to UCLA. I guess I forgot the $500,000 tip on my application.
@2023elite I can understand your frustration and because of that, you are forgiven!? it was just not meant to be at SC. Make the best of it at UCLA. My D got accepted to both schools and will likely attend SC because itâs her dream school. Sheâs one of the lucky ones. I would feel the same way if she had not been accepted to USC. Go Bruins and Trojans! Fight On and Fight Fight FightâŠ
I forgot to mention that itâs cheaper for my D to attend USC.
Is there a CC thread for USC housing?
Also does anyone have some good online resources for getting information on the dorms/housing process? I read the housing guide from last year but am looking for something with reviews/student perspectives
Posting for next yearâs applicants:
The package sent by PSI Systems (per USPS Informed Delivery) is NOT from USC.
Son found out via portal yesterday. We live in a 3 day zone. No hints at all.
D just accepted, very thrilled. Waitlisted at UCLA
So is the housing portal open? And can we put a deposit down without accepting the offer yet?
I know certain schools, like University of Georgia for example, allows admitted student to put down a deposit for housing to reserve a space even if you donât accept the offer. This is to allow for a good housing position if you later choose to accept. Also, presumably to make some money for the school for those who donât choose to attend