EA decisions coming out Jan 20 per the USC admissions insta page. 
4 Likes
Great to have a date, thanks @Saltybear! They are certainly changing things up - they use to hold dates pretty close to the vest with no real notice more than a couple days. This is waaaay better.
2 Likes
You mean EA right?
1 Like
Oops, yes I’ll change that!
1 Like
So, I see in last year’s thread there was a huge discussion about the USC FAST portal status being class: undergraduate vs unknown, etc. Does anyone know if it was just random stuff or was it really some kind of indicator?
Due to the common application not allowing it, I never submitted an optional Letter of recommendation for USC, although I have one ready from a professor I researched under. Is it worth emailing this letter now, or waiting until after EA is out since the chance to be deferred is so high? I heard that USC has nearly completed their decisions from a current student who works in the admissions office, so if I send in a LOR at this point im not sure if it’ll even be added to my decision.
Another question I have is, does USC admit by college? I applied to a major under the Keck school of Medicine, which seems to be less popular overall, so would acceptance rates be higher?
Finally, is it still worth sending an email that USC is my first choice, even though decisions are out in 13 days, in the case that an email showing interest makes a large difference as there seems to be a trend based on past students on this forum.
Thanks for the info!
I was reading an article about usc’s early round. It stated that previously the pctg of applicants applying early (Dec I assume) is 60% of the total pool. And usc wants to see if early action would change that. I am not sure if that 60% makes sense. Assuming 69000 total apply(last year’s figure), 60% is like 42000, if they plan to admit 2000, that is like 5% admission ratio for The early action round. I know they don’t reject, but still feels that is a harsh number. Need to prep kid for a deferral….
I didn’t even pay attention to Fast portal at all before I saw your post! So I just went and checked, the class said undergraduate. I doubt it means anything.
Also I feel if anyone has paid attention to the class before. If like in early Dec, it is unknown, then early Jan, it changed to undergraduate, then it might mean something. But even with that, I doubt it means anything, could just be system updating records not at the same time for different applicants.
Yes, everyone has “undergraduate” so it means nothing in my opinion too.
You asked the same question last month.
It meant nothing in prior years and will mean nothing this year. Although it seems to defy logic, Financial Aid and Admissions are on two completely separate & independent paths until when admissions announces its decisions. The FAO will basically learn who is being admitted as you and every other applicant are. But until then, they will work as diligently as possible to get everyone’s FA account/profile completed… just in case you & all who applied for FA are admitted.
So, you will derive no hints regarding potential admissions via the FAO or their communications with you. FAST will not be an early indicator of anything. That is just the reality of how they operate.
Good Luck…
2 Likes
As I have stated before, there is nothing wrong with sending your assigned AO and the individual School’s admissions email address(es) one short and sweet email to reconfirm your interest in and commitment to USC (if true). You can use that email to update them on any changes or new accomplishments too or even to submit what you are suggesting. But I would only do so once. So I would pick the right moment. Both of my daughters did so in mid-February as I recall. They did state that USC was their top choice, and each committed to attending if admitted. But it was completely true in their cases. Both were admitted, and both attended.
Yes… USC admits by college. But it is also possible to be admitted Undeclared, meaning that USC overall admits you, but the School(s) associated with your two major choices passes. My younger daughter was admitted that way. There are actually 4 possible outcomes: Not admitted, admitted to USC and to your top choice major/School, admitted to USC and to your second choice major/School, or admitted to USC but Undeclared as to major (the School or Schools associated with your two choices failed to also admit you).
And yes… the School and/or major you applied to can make a huge difference. There are some majors that only admit 1-2%. Others are likely closer to 15-20%. My younger daughter applied to two highly competitive programs. She was admitted Undeclared but then internally transferred into one of those programs during her first semester at USC.
Good Luck
4 Likes
They are finishing up acceptances till the minute they mail them out. If you have a letter of rec or want to let them know USC is number 1, then do it. And if deferred, they have them for that cycle.
@wwward 100% correct on this conspiracy theory with FA mailers - we track these year after year and there are always people admitted and denied that receive that info. But it’s easier to only see/remember those accepted and want to lean that way, it’s a natural behavior - but when you don’t have skin in the game, it’s easier to recall both sides. And yes, it’s pretty cruel making everyone feel like they have a good chance, when over 50,000 (more like 60k+) will be denied. But it’s part of the college process.
4 Likes
May I ask what is the appropriate way to provide extra material like an optional recommendation letter? Upload it through the usc portal? Or directly send it to the assigned AO? Thanks much!
1 Like
Is there any publicly available data that lists acceptance rate by college or major?
Did you waive FERPA? Then the letter should go directly to the AO/school without you seeing it. Besides the letter I would just upload on the portal. ETA: sorry I didn’t see you were asking CADREAMIN. It’s just MO.
1 Like
I have 2 daughters. Class of 20 daughter applied to USC early deadline for merit scholarship… I don’t remember when she was accepted. That was the year of COVID. She was named a scholar finalist at another school in January and later made the scholar there. My class of 23 daughter just received the same notification as her older sis so we knew to ignore it. Younger daughter won’t hear the admission decisions until later with everyone else.
1 Like
Agree with @mavian. A little twist is you could upload to portal but also attach to email to AO, giving you a chance to say, “I’m hoping for great news from USC, as it’s my top choice and I am certain to attend if admitted…” (if that’s true). I have attached a recommendation letter that I believe is good information for you to have, I also uploaded it to my portal.
On the other side, it should be something that adds value or something different and important to your app. You can imagine if all 70K applicants sent in something extra, so you don’t want to be dinged for not following the “rules.”
2 Likes