Have the merit scholarships already been communicated or are there some left - like the 1/4 tution level?
@JohnGaltIII Exactly.
If USC admissions officials are comparing two individualsā¦
- a stellar applicant on paper with both a GPA and test scores in the 99th percentile and whose essays and/or writing samples primarily provided a laundry list of ECs and a recitation of the applicantās qualifications as they see it and with only a slight nod to wanting to further his/her education at USC
and 2) a solid / well-qualified applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1370 SAT score but whose essays and/or writing samples demonstrated significant passion and/or creativity and who clearly showed that they have researched both USC and their chosen program within it and also āpainted a pictureā as to how they envision USC further feeding their passion toward ___ and/or how they plan to contribute to the greater USC community, etc.,
ā¦ Well then applicant #2 will likely be chosen almost every time.
USC lists 43 various admission counselors. So, on average, each was the primary reader on circa 1500+ application packets. Many of the essays likely seemed highly redundant and formulaic. They were instead searching for the ones that truly sing or stand-outā¦ make them pay attention and take notice. They are looking for the 11% who REALLY want USC and have a solid reasoning for it.
I have said it on this thread repeatedly over the last 5 yearsā¦ if you have yet to provide a solid and compelling Why USC? answer, then do not submit your application until you do so. USC is not looking for 3K perfect stat kids. Instead, they are looking to craft a well-rounded and diverse freshman class comprised primarily - or to the extent possible - of applicants who have something to sayā¦ have a discernible passion or interest - and see USC as the place to pursue such. And mainlyā¦ they want to be able to project a proper fitā¦ for both you as an applicant at USC and vice versa.
Hopefully next yearās applicants read through this thread and others like it before applying and not simply afterwardsā¦
Good luck to those future applicants.
You can post your decision results here.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22115164#Comment_22115164
WWWard- i do understand your post and do agree with the holistic approachā¦ However, I do NOT agree with an applicant with lower stats and rankings being admitted based on a parent or grand parent ādonatingā money and/or facilitating donations of money and art artifacts etcā¦ to the school, then a year later that applicant gets admitted with a 29 ACT and a 3.7 UWGPA and an applicant from the same high school with a 34ACT and 4.0 UWGPA gets rejected. In some cases, being very close to a situation like thisā¦ and looking at the programs they applied to (being equal - Dornslife) and URM status (the rejected student was an URM the accepted one was not)ā¦ (ECās and other varsity sports - similar)ā¦
One can only come to the conclusion that the HOOK of the money donated to the school was the reason that the lower ranking applicant was admitted. Yes , that family did demonstrate more interest in the school by donating money, but does not seem right to me.
@Cheertx I concur. But there is likely no escaping that reality. It has been so since the creation of higher education in the U.S. in 1636. From Harvard forward - and inclusive of USC and most private universities - money has always been an overwhelming method of influence. I also wish such were not soā¦ but I unfortunately do not see changes in that area on the horizon.
Has anyone gotten approved to join the Facebook admitted students group yet? I requested Saturday night but havenāt gotten in yet and I just want to make sure I didnāt mess up something while answering the questions lol.
@CharlieEcho35 Congrats on your list of great acceptances! My S is in Engineering at Cal Poly SLO! Best school ever! Learn By Doing. Three great job fairs a year!!!
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I got accepted, honestly super surprised about it so I thought Iād share. I also have some questions if anyone could help!
Status: Accepted to SCA (Media Arts + Practice)
ACT: 31
GPA (unweighted): 3.9
Only took 2 AP classes last year and 3 this year. 4 on Psych (self-studied), 4 on Lang, 3 on Bio
Out-of-state (small town/school from WI)
Not super impressive ECās (the major thing is my YouTube Channel + online magazine Iāve created, my school doesnāt have ātreasurersā or āsecretaryā of clubs, or any clubs in general that interested me lol)
Portfolio: To be honest Iāve never even made a super high-quality high-budget short film, but Iāve been consistently making digital art for 5+ years, and I made sure to convey that in my portfolio + application.
Essayās and short answer: Good!! This is definitely what sold me. USC is straying away from perfect āwell-roundedā students with 36 ACTās and 5.0ās. They want someone with a passion and who will actually contribute to their school and benefit from this education. USC has been my dream school and I think I portrayed that well in my essays.
So now my questions:
When and how will I see my financial aid package? Is USC good with financial aid? My family is āwell-offā but they are helping very minimally with costs.
I need the absolute cheapest housing option, how can I secure that? Iām under the impression that the housing portal opens before financial aid is released, and housing is first come first serve, so what should I do?
Also, I still havenāt received my white box but I know I got accepted through the portal, should I be concerned?
Anyone from India received their admission package?
Son was accepted into viterbi. Havenāt received package yet
White package arrived in Seattle today - Monday at 1:30pm
accepted but i havenāt gotten my white box yet. should i be worried or are delays common? i live in the 2 day zone so i should have gotten it on Saturday. i hope it didnāt get lost in the mail .
@Dolemite does that mean those who were accepted regular admission should expect to hear about the Tuition Exchange scholarship one week later also?
@Momofthreedogs There is a new TE staff liason at USC since Dolemiteās experience. I contacted her after my kids were notified about early admission and merit scholarship nomination. The new person told me in February that we would hear back after [regular] admissions in April! New sheriff in town, but should not be much longer now. Good luck to you and your student!
Iām still waiting to be approved also!
@200115 Good luck to your student as well! It was Dolemiteās sense that USC exports a lot of TE students, and therefore can be more generous on the importing side, esp. since the qualifications to get in are increasingly difficult. I am hoping that means that we are all approved! However, IIRC, the TE stats show USC is an 11-40% acceptance rate school. Fingers crossed!
I thought Iād circle back and report on the USPS tracking that appeared to be enabled for Thornton admits. As it turns out, the package visible on USPS Informed delivery on Saturday was NOT the white box. My sonās white box appeared on Saturday even though the package appeared to still be in Los Angeles. Well, the package was delivered today. It is from Thornton and while I havenāt opened it yet, it appears to be a sweatshirt from the way the package feels. So, it may be that the Thornton white boxes are sent out with all of the other admits and that they are maybe a little to quck on the draw to send out the swag.
@ikbux64 Thanks for the update. While you can get a Thornton T-shirt at the bookstore, the sweatshirts are coveted because the only way students get them is from Thornton.
No updates to portal on scholarships yet???
@CADREAMIN i havenāt checked in a while, iām gonna see now