they have probably not read my application yet.
@raisinsmith yes my daughter received it, and had also received the financial aid booklet in the mail. Not sure if it means anything.
Re: financial aid email I don’t know; will ask our son when he gets home from basketball practice.
Our son did, however, receive a letter and a copy of the Fall 2019 USC Viterbi Magazine from the Viterbi School of Engineering in the mail Saturday.
The letter, among other things, thanked him for applying, spoke to how Viterbi expects the incoming class to be “more impressive and competitive than any class to date,” how their application review process takes a considerable amount of time, that Viterbi works closely with Admissions, and that they’re looking forward to reviewing his application. The letter also noted that he met the app deadline to be considered for merit scholarships.
So, a more or less standard acknowledgement that USC/Viterbi has received his app.
I got it. Have never put stock in these things… but I am hoping for good news soon… (hoping against hope for a scholarship so I can go as it is my first choice!!!)
Financial aid and admissions are on two completely separate paths… i.e. - there are no early hints. That also applies to correspondences from individual schools within USC, etc. Every cycle, applicants look to emails, letters, changes in their application portal, etc. for advanced indicators. But save yourself the stress… USC has been doing this for a very long time, and these changes or communications mean nothing at this stage.
If you receive a positive scholarship notification in January, then congrats - you are also already admitted. But those #s are relatively small. The vast majority admitted each cycle learn in late March. And that is a long wait. Believe me, I know. My family went through it twice.
So be patient & find other ways to distract yourself… and do not overthink or over-analyze everything that occurs between now and then. USC admissions is not shy. They will reach out directly and ask you a question or for a missing item, if applicable.
I would also not overwhelm them. They are contending with tens of thousands of applicants. If you do wish to follow-up… possibly to reassert that USC is your top choice, if applicable, in a short/concise well-worded email… I would only do so once. I would send it to your assigned admissions counselor and cc the admissions email for your top-choice school within USC. And I would wait to do so until late January or early February, after the scholarship decisions are announced.
Good Luck…
Do those “positive scholarship notifications” include National Merit? Looking at post 559 here, it doesn’t look like National Merit scholarships are offered/notified in January. Is that correct?
Hi guys I have a question. If I sent out my application on November 30th and the application portal says they received it December 1s, am I still considered for the scholarship? It says applicants that submit application by December 1st will be considered. Does that include December 1st?
Also, when will they notify us about scholarships? On the website it says late January and on the Common App it says February
@lkg4answers I think that “positive scholarship notifications” wouldn’t include NMF Presidential as NMFs aren’t announced until (I think) late January or early February.
@Racingfan53 NMF aren’t announced until later but other schools accept students now and offer scholarships contingent on being NMF and marking that school as first choice. It sounds like USC doesn’t do that but I just wanted to confirm.
@lkg4answers I understood that’s exactly the way USC did it as well.
http://admission.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/USC-Scholarships.pdf
“Entering first-year students are considered if they have been designated National Merit Finalists and name USC as their first-choice college with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by May 31.”
@lkg4answers Not necessarily. If you receive a positive scholarship acknowledgement in January, that also constitutes admission. But… not all National Merit will be admitted, either in January or March. As I understand it, most that are admitted are so in March.
@yale2024pls Scholarship announcements have so far always occurred in late January.
Basically, USC only admits first-year applicants twice… in late January and again in late March. The vast majority are of course admitted in March.
Thank you. That is what I was looking for. I understand that NM doesn’t guarantee admission. If a NMSF hears in January it is probably because they are being considered/need to interview for a different scholarship. Is that correct?
At least one poster here on CC had a son who was notified he was receiving the “presidential NMF” scholarship in January, so experiences can vary. See post #145
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20104112#Comment_20104112
@lkg4answers You’re welcome. Yes… if selected in January, they are already admitted and up for one of the highest merit scholarships.
Here is a great recap of all things Merit / January per @CADREAMIN from last cycle…
THE MERIT PROCESS
WHAT?
Last cycle, about 40,000 students applied in time to be considered for USC merit scholarships. The #s could be higher this cycle. Around January 23ish they will offer admission to approximately 1,200 students who will proceed to the next phase of consideration for the top awards: the Mork Family (10), Stamps (5), Trustee (100), and Presidential (200) scholarships. It is good to understand that approximately 38,000+ (could be more this cycle) will NOT get a scholarship package in January and will have to wait until March with the other 20,000+ students that applied after December 1st. Big numbers. So don’t be discouraged, but it is a long haul for most. A letter is added to your portal if you did not receive a scholarship when portals are updated for all, 3-4 days after packages are mailed; this tells you that you are still being considered for admission, will hear in March, but no soup (scholarship) for you. 
There just aren’t enough scholarships for all the great kids out there!
NMF 1/2 tuition award - These are not part of the January process.
WHEN?
I would guess (only a guess people) that they will be sent the week of January 21st, usually arriving later in the week, around the 23rd or 24th. Again, totally a guess based on the last several years, it could be the following week. One year, due to some bad weather in LA they were sent on a Monday, but typical behavior has been mid-week.
People in LA area start receiving the acceptance/merit boxes the day after they are sent, many in the country including major metro areas get it the second day. The rest (aside from delays) get it the third day, but by then the portals have updated just after midnight that same day.
HOW?
The scholarship packages have been sent in white boxes last few years (they could be different color this year, they have been red and gold packages in the past) that fit in most mailboxes, some are left on porches if not. They are a little bigger than a piece of paper and little less than an inch thick. They are impressive and beautiful packages as are the “regular” acceptances in March.
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. They seem to send these out ahead, so some will get there pretty timely, others seem to take weeks, but the portal will update for all on the third day after sent.
Mail technology has really evolved that last couple years, but note these are packages, and it has been (note, has been) up to the sender to enable the tracking on a package. 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. In the past and including last year, USC did not enable tracking on these package, so it could not be tracked. A Thorton applicant did see their package because they were sent independently of the main group, but it was literally one person that reported that. So the merit/admission packages from the postal service have NOT been included in the Informed Delivery Daily Digest, but technology keeps changing and varies by areas. So we will see what happens this year. I am sure many will have their conspiracy theories on findings ways to beat the system and find out early. It hasn’t worked so far.
While I understand the anxiety, imo I would stay off of the USPS site and sit back and let it happen as intended - see if it comes to your mailbox! Seeing it online in some mail program defeats the mailbox moment which can be spectacular. This is why USC doesn’t just handle it online, a bit old school and torturous for sure, but incredible for those who are lucky enough to get the package. (Frankly, drawn out and not so great for those that don’t get one.)
WHAT’S INSIDE?
First, if you get the package, you are accepted. The package includes an acceptance letter and tells you what major/school you got into and which scholarship. Some will also include invitations to interview for a higher level scholarship with brochures like “Explore USC/Trustee’s Finalist” or other info relative to your specific scholarship. Sign up for Explore USC and interviews open up after the portal updates and everyone knows their status.
You will not interview for higher scholarship if there isn’t an invite to do so included in your package.
If you DO NOT get scholarship info within your package but did get the JANUARY white box/acceptance package, in the past it has always meant that yes, you are accepted, and with the Dean’s which is 1/4 tuition.
RANDOM SUGGESTION
I have been through this four times with great success, but it is nice to be just watching this year. The one thing I learned for us (and each family has their own dynamic so take it or leave it) - it is fantastic to let your kids own the moment. Whether in January or March, let them find the box - you may pay for the education, but they own it - they worked hard. You don’t accept the trophy for them at t-ball, let them find the package. Of course they want to know asap, but I would avoid texting them at school that they got in -you miss the moment, they miss the mailbox/porch moment, and it defeats the purpose of all this planning by USC. Finding it themselves really can be like those emotional commercials.
If you have to peek ahead cause you are losing your mind (it happens) try to hold it in until they find it, or make a fun plan with it (I have seen some put it in the fridge, etc). We are rural and have the advantage of that mailbox at the end of a long driveway and mine had no idea if/when anything was coming (which is great). Coming home from school pickup, I vividly remember stopping at the mailbox and having him check the mail as usual (I started having him do it months before college decisions so it wouldn’t be an obvious ploy). I can still see his face as he looked in and saw the USC box, then looked up and back at me in the car with the look of a 4 year old on Christmas morning. That moment is etched in my mind, no cuteness for the camera, just pure wonder and joy. Then pulling it out of the mailbox like he had just found a treasure.
My other one knew they were coming and whether she had got one or not, she wanted to walk to the mailbox on her own, so I got to enjoy watching her return with it. She still thanks me for letting her have that moment to herself for just a little while. But that’s her personality, do what works for you - you might give it some thought in advance on how to handle good news from any college if you get it first, it is a once in a lifetime event for them. Of course, do what works for your student and family, sometimes it is best if they are blissfully unaware of all of this, but let’s face it, most (including parents) are on edge from here on. Keep busy and enjoy this time with them! Wishing you all the best through these next anxious weeks and months.
Again, best guesses from experience and I apologize in advance if they change it up!
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We received it and I think every applicant that indicated they were applying for financial aid received it.
I applied for film and seriously would love to be admitted and I would adore having the scholarship. I bet a lot of people do, so its panic inducing at times. As a parent who have gone through this before do you have any suggestions to get your mind off of this stress? @WWWard
It’s certainly difficult managing the time frame between applying and learning your fate. Both of my daughters literally applied on day one when the Common Application opened in August. So their wait endured for over 7 months. Each got in during late March. It would be great if USC offered early admission in some manner, but the January admissions that are tied to scholarship decisions for just around 1000-1200 is the closest thing to such.
Keeping yourself busy with school, extracurricular activities and other distractions is the key. Your senior year of high school is a precious time, one that most will soon look back on fondly. So cherish every minute of it. In a number of ways, the wait is even harder on the parents these days. My girls certainly seemed to manage the stress of it all better than I did. Simply do your best to keep yourself busy. Read, binge watch a few good series online, hang out with friends and family, etc.
Good luck in coping with the stress and panic. The wait is going to seem excruciating at times… but you can handle it. And good luck with the final admission decision.
Hi guys I have a question. If I sent out my application on November 30th and the application portal says they received it December 1s, am I still considered for the scholarship? It says applicants that submit application by December 1st will be considered. Does that include December 1st?
12-17-2019 at 11:05 am edited December 17