Stats don’t matter that much after a certain point essays and ECs matter more
Will students who are accepted RD find out via letter/package or portal first?
Likely portal first, since mail is slow and even the 800-1000 Merit Scholarship students got their letters after their portal update despite being a smaller pool.
It is open now
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How often does USC admit students to their second choice major? I choice a Global Health, a Keck major as my first choice and Quantitve Biology, a Dornsife major as my second choice, so I’m wondering how the admissions comittee would quantify rejecting me from my first choice but admitting me to my second choice. Also I’ve heard that they sometimes admit students as undecided, is this true? And last question how do they choose what students to admit as Spring admits? Is it a academic choice, a space limitation? Two people at my school that got into USC last year were ranked in the Top 10 of their class, but they got admittied for Spring 2021, whereas someone ranked 30 in their class got in for Fall 2020, so I’m wondering what deliberations go into choosing those specific students.
I emailed my admission counselor but they never responded. How many days does it usually take for them to respond and should I resend the email if they don’t respond?
(Not a USC student. Just helping with the information I’ve picked up over the months)
How often does USC admit students to their second choice major?
If they read your application and do not see you as a fit for your first choice they’ll put you in your second choice from what I’m aware of. It’s not a matter of how often it is, more a matter of if they think you’d succeed in one major over another.
Also I’ve heard that they sometimes admit students as undecided, is this true?
I think CADREAMIN or WWWard had a kid who got in Undeclared. It’s possible but pretty rare. If you’re not admitted to either major but USC (the university) really wants you for one reason or another they’ll admit you undeclared.
And last question how do they choose what students to admit as Spring admits? Is it a academic choice, a space limitation?
From what I’ve heard, Spring seems to be an enigma. It can be a space limitation. As it stands it seems like a place for USC to admit students they really liked but didn’t have space for. Either by major or for the school overall.
Two people at my school that got into USC last year were ranked in the Top 10 of their class, but they got admittied for Spring 2021, whereas someone ranked 30 in their class got in for Fall 2020, so I’m wondering what deliberations go into choosing those specific students.
As CADREAMIN stated long ago in this thread, many things can affect decisions. Student demographics, seats in a particular major, etc. There’s no real way of telling (especially since USC’s holistic process is shrouded in mystery), but one look at USC’s Common Data Set can show you that a very wide assortment of students are admitted every year. Each for their own reason.
Hope this helped! I’m no expert, just running off what I know. Anyone should feel free to correct what I got wrong.
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Has anyone attended USC Merit Scholarship interview today or last week? Any experiences to share? Thank you!
My son had his. Sounds like it was pretty low key. As others have stated, go over your application. No one was trying to ask him trick questions, they just want to see if your application represents who you truly are. Good luck!
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What was the make up of your son’s panelists? My daughter had two students and an administration professional.
A student from his major and an admissions person. Did your daughter enjoy hers? I think the school has done a good job with the programming although I wish they could be on campus.
She was extremely nervous but they made her feel very comfortable. She sooooo wishes she could’ve been on campus to experience the true essence of the weekend. She is Dornsife
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I’m sure she did great. My son particularly liked what he heard about the professors being supportive and approachable. We did a campus visit last year before covid hit and the energy was fantastic. Good luck to your daughter!
Good luck to your son as well!
@Vadaddy @rmulvane Were the admissions people from the individual school (ie Dornsife) or campus admissions? Did you get a sense of who selected the finalists and who will make the final decision?
@rmulvane Good luck to your son!
@Vadaddy Good luck to your daughter!
Assuming the interview went on for about 20 - 30 mins, any idea how many questions were asked in the interview? Maybe 10-15? Are they expecting short answers like MMIs?
In our case, everyone was from Dornsife!
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There were less than 10 questions for her but I’m sure it depends on how long of an answer your kid provides. My daughter can be a bit long-winded…lol
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Pretty sure the admissions person was from Dornsife.
The interview was 30 minutes. The kids dial in early and there’s a “waiting room” with other students there.
Not sure how many questions were asked. I got the impression it was more of a back and forth conversation. He said it was very different from the alumni interviews he’s had at other schools because they were so familiar with his application and referenced specific things from it in their chat.
No idea how finalists were chosen or how scholarship winners will be chosen. I believe kids will be notified late this month.
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i had it this fridya