Ya 58K is total apps. 40K is usual figure for Dec 1 deadline.
In the past everyone has gotten a scholarship that interviews. Keep in mind that can be as much as a Trustees, or as low as a Director’s which is like 4K. Pretty much coffee money at USC ha. I have never heard of someone interviewing and getting nothing. But they have been bumped down to Director’s from as far up as a Trustees (and up from Presidential to Trustees for that matter). Which I suppose is why they are (supposedly) not saying which scholarship one is interviewing for this year for the first time ever. When ya think about it, it really didn’t matter if one interviewed for the Trustee or Presidential if they could always be bumped up or down.
With no designation going in, I suppose less will be disappointed cause technically it removes the idea (and negative feeling) of being bumped down and instead it’s like a generic Oprah giveaway - “you get a scholarship, you get a scholarship, you get a scholarship…” with the amount tbd.
Deans will likely be given in March as most were last year (a few were given early). Some years very few Deans are given at all, they see what is left in the pot come spring to use for Deans it seems. It also makes people stay tuned for results hoping for that 1/4 tuition.
Thank you @CADREAMIN for providing so much information. Do you have any info about the National Merit Scholarship? Will they send out national merit scholarship too this week?
I’m a Choral Music applicant (Thornton School of Music) and auditioning on Sunday (yay but also very nervous!). My understanding from the TSOM website is that Thornton applicants, while still eligible for all USC merit awards, do NOT get early notification. This would make sense to me as how can you admit people who haven’t auditioned yet as of late January when the packages go out?
Anyway, can someone confirm this? That I just have to wait until March to figure out if I got an award at all?
No National Merit has nothing to do with this USC scholarship process happening in a few days. If you are accepted to USC and are NMF, you are guaranteed 1/2 tuition if you identify USC as #1 choice by May 1 with the NMSF. If you get one of the scholarships coming out this week and end up being NMF, they do not stack.
@hcmom65 I agree that it isn’t appropriate to have scholarship candidates sleeping on the floor at the premier scholarship invitation weekend! I do wish it were still overnight with a different set-up though.
For us, even though the scholarship event is only during the day, the scholarship event will still be “overnight” but we will be responsible for getting our own hotel accommodations. That also means that a parent will need to go with D20 if she is invited. Worth spending it, but that is quite a bit of extra $$$.
I definitely agree with the change that you only know you are invited to interview for a scholarship! That will eliminate the disappointment of moving down a level.
@Racingfan53 People from Thornton have received scholarship packages but often separately from these being sent out this week. Often times however, they can follow the bulk mailing pretty closely within a week or so. But yes, depends on the timing which is often off for audition type applicants.
Don’t be nervous, just be you - which must be pretty fantastic if auditioning in the first place. Fight on!
So if they’re sending out ~1100 packages this week and deans will come out in march, how many could there possibly be who are awarded deans??? i always thought they awarded more deans and fewer trustee and presidential. I guess now that they aren’t telling us what scholarship we’re interviewing for, it doesn’t matter. Very interesting! Good luck to everyone this week and fight on!!!
So if it’s not overnight & we interview, do we fly out to USC and spend the day there doing the interview? Do they compensate for the flight expenses? I live in Florida so total opposite side of the country, if I were to get a scholarship it would cost a lot to fly & I’d have to be there for 3-4 days. Not complaining at all, would love an excuse to go back to California and my parents would be more than willing to pay the flight expenses, but just curious about the interview process if anyone knows!
I applied to Thornton, but as a music industry major, which does not have any auditions. Will I still get my notification this week? I got really shaky and uncertain answers from USC admissions officers visiting my school, and from Thornton when I called them. Nobody seems to know.
Also, will Thornton applicants still eligible for a later scholarship have their portals updated this weekend?
@gilliangrace I also heard they were being more open to “skype” type interviews as well, which is interesting, because they have always been a bit reluctant on that front. These are some big changes being tossed around, we have to see how it plays out.
If a student was asked to interview for the Trustees (worth a few hundred thousand) or Presidential which is worth tons too, it made sense to do whatever it takes to impress them. So frankly, that really still should apply even if only a day trip.
If I really wanted to go and I was in the running for this much money, and I have the luxury of knowing I am accepted, I would do all I could to impress them and make the trip if possible. But I get it’s not practical for all.
They have not implemented changes to this process in more than 10 years, so I’m still a bit skeptical of all these, but the changes do make sense. Perhaps the scandal is driving the changes with a stronger need for greater transparency/accessibility/equal opportunity to all?And let’s face it, getting bumped down was leaving great students with a not great feeling. So in that sense it could be better.
We will rely on those first packets to tell us, if in fact, they don’t identify a particular scholarship…
I am as anxious as everyone to see if they do all of this that was communicated and how it plays out! But much easier not having one in the race this year for sure.
@Racingfan53, my son was in your shoes last year, but with jazz instead of choral music. The Thornton audition programs are not part of the notifications that are going out this week. My son received his admission package via express mail on Saturday, March 23rd. He received an email on Monday evening, March 25th, with the very exciting (and unexpected) news that he had been awarded a Presidential scholarship.
@Racingfan53 My older daughter is currently in the USC Iovine and Young Academy and had to “audition” (interview) for the program in February. She was notified in March (in the big mailing) of her acceptance and Trustee Scholarship (so no portal update). My younger daughter is applying for Popular Music (audition 2/8) and I’m guessing you two won’t know anything until March (like IYA). Good luck with your audition!
@Cjhastings322 — my daughter is also applying for Music Industry and because it’s a non-audition major, I figure (hope) you’ll both learn this week about scholarships. I’m not sure why it would be delayed a week as mentioned above, but who knows!?
Fingers crossed to you both! Yay Thornton! Fight On!
@CADREAMIN — I think the word “delay” is throwing things off here so I thought I’d be more clear. Her scholarship notification wasn’t delayed — it came in the box with her acceptance, which in the case of audition/interview programs, is part of the bigger mailing in March. It just doesn’t come in January, unfortunately, because there’s another step in the admission process. A very stressful step!
@Pocket22 That is the best way for it to work! There are a lot of one off type things that happen in the admissions process, especially between Thornton, IYA, WWB, where students for a certain program can be in the single digits. If the details are posted out here, some mis-read it as applying to all, and communication on here goes wild. (It is the internet afterall ) I am close to a couple folks last year that heard at different times from the masses about their Thornton standing. One got in with a scholarship and the other didn’t get accepted, but was sorta “waitlisted.” They both heard more than a week after the other regular decisions went out, it was pushing into April. So in that case they were delayed and heard separate from both this round and the March round. It was brutal for them. Thankfully, some majors in Thornton do hear in the scholarship round.
) I am close to a couple folks last year that heard at different times from the masses about their Thornton standing. One got in with a scholarship and the other didn’t get accepted, but was sorta “waitlisted.” They both heard more than a week after the other regular decisions went out, it was pushing into April. So in that case they were delayed and heard separate from both this round and the March round. It was brutal for them. Thankfully, some majors in Thornton do hear in the scholarship round.