No. Both of my daughters have already graduated from USC and neither of them were in Marshall. They were in SDA and SCA. Good luck with your application process.
You’re welcome. Hopefully you find it informative and helpful.
Hello again @WWWard , @CADREAMIN and all of the other Trojan faithful! D23 is applied via Questbridge Match to Annenberg. S19 graduates this year from SCA. Wow, has time flown!
Heartwarming welcome to everyone who’s new! You’ll find the best CC’ers on this USC forum. Listen to these seasoned vets, they helped us tremendously.
If anyone has SCA, Questbridge, or Spring Admit questions - I’m one of the many that are willing to help. Fight On!
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Hello old and dear friend, great to see you here again! I can’t believe he is graduating already! Graduating in December or May? I had one that did a double major and graduated in December and May, lol. Somehow it worked out to be two May ceremonies, no idea why, but just one expensive dinner and celebration, (but I think it ended up being a couple big gifts oh well). And you are starting over again - omg! You can imagine how I ended up on here for soooo many years with four of them to roll through. Has your soon to be grad been doing any internships or otherwise ready to leap into the job market? I remember he was producing something that was really impressive - has he made some great SCA connections? Hope so!!!
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It’s great to be back! Thanks for the warm welcome 
I’ve been lurking the past couple years, just to follow the new applicant and parent stories. I can’t stay away, so I’m back!
Interestingly, D23 was set on the east coast, specifically the northeast, for Fall 2023. USC wasn’t on the list til her RISD PreCollege was done. After 6 weeks, she realized she wasn’t as infatuated with the East Coast as she thought. We’re originally from SoCal, so she thought something new was in order, but she’s now convinced SoCal is her happy place.
I’m following your footsteps (along with @WWWard ) in dealing with multiple Trojans (hopefully), so I may lean upon you guys again 
S19 is thriving in ways beyond anything he imagined! The SCA networking is everything it’s touted to be. In fact, he’s the Exec Producer for one of the 4 films screening in December at Norris. It’s the annual 480 show (Sr Capstone) that packs the house every year. My wife and I will be able to go, and we’re very excited for him.
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Good luck to her. Hopefully she gets in too.
Yes… time has certainly flown by. I remember well your first ever CC post here.
Fight on! 
And so glad to hear that his SCA journey was as hoped for! Well done.
But this is still just near the beginning of his path fighting onward as a lifelong member of the SCA/Trojan Mafia…
Since USC is admitting to majors, out of curiosity is there any info on what majors are particularly competitive within Dornsife?
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I have never seen an exact breakdown of admission percentages by Dornsife major, but I would have to speculate that certain majors like Creative Writing, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, Global Studies, History, International Relations, Law, History and Culture, Narrative Studies, Political Economy, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology are generally more competitive than the balance of other majors simply due to the likely number of applicants. Those seem to be among the more popular majors. And it may be slightly easier to gain admission to a more obscure major that sees less applicants in total. But I also suspect that admission officials are rather savvy about discerning true interest in a chosen field of study.
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Agreed. My question was more out of seeing how the predetermined major lined up with competitiveness as opposed to gaming the system, though I’m sure some consider trying that too.
Understood. And yes… I suspect that many do so in an effort just to gain admission somehow.
Question regarding USC EA Decision Date. It says mid to late January. Do you find out earlier if you are in the run for a merit scholarship ?
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No. I do not believe so. If applicants apply for Early Action by November 1st, they will also be considered for merit scholarships. Only those applying then will be considered for merit. Those doing so will be notified of their admission or deferral to Regular Decision in mid- to late January. At the same time, applicants will learn about merit scholarship consideration. But I have heard nothing about any prior notice regarding merit. You will either hear of getting in via early action and potentially also learning of a merit scholarship opportunity too or the decision will simply be deferred to regular decision. At least that’s my understanding. This is all new for 2023.
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Thanks! What you say makes sense and seems like the logical thing for USC to do
You’re welcome.
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Good luck to everyone applying EA tomorrow. 
USC updated some of their social media with last minute tips.
They reminded students that the Common App website uses Eastern Time which may show a Nov 2 submission for those in different time zones. That is okay. At USC, your application will be considered for EA if it is submitted by 11:59 pm in your own time zone. This might not be the case for other schools, so read the small print.
They also pointed out that missing LOR and test scores can be submitted shortly after the deadline.
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A couple important things to note from their FAQs:
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CHECK THE EMAIL YOU LISTED ON THE COMMON APP! If you made up one just for applying to colleges (as many students do), remember to pay attention to it. If after a couple weeks they are missing documents, they will email you. Be sure you can receive emails from USC, and please read your emails! If you set up your Common App account using an email address you never check, it means you will be missing out on important information from USC (and other schools). If you have used your school’s email address, please be sure your school email system does not block messages from outside the school. Similarly, be sure your email account has space to receive new messages.
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When are decision notifications?
Applicants selecting Early Action will be notified of their admission OR deferral to Regular Decision in mid-to-late January 2023. But apparently, scholarship notification will be separate, meaning it seems you can get admitted early but not get a scholarship. (For DECADES, those admitted early were only those that were in the running for a scholarship, so curious how this actually plays out.) Although a new process, it follows the previous m.o. so would expect EA results around Jan 25th-ish. (Would be better if they go early on the 20th!) By mid-February they will notify students who were admitted Early Action if they were selected as scholarship finalists.
Even with early action, it can be a long ride - buckle up and stay focused on your senior work and fun!
- Portfolio-based programs are not available in Early Action. Students selecting majors in the programs below must apply by December 1 using the Regular Decision plan. These programs do not participate in the Early Action admission plan. As such, applicants to these programs will still be considered for USC Merit Scholarships as part of the portfolio and audition process.
USC School of Architecture
USC School of Cinematic Arts
USC Kaufman School of Dance
USC School of Dramatic Arts
USC Roski School of Art and Design
USC Iovine and Young Academy
USC Thornton School of Music
- Remember, Merit Aid is different than Financial Need Based Aid, which has to be applied to separately. You should submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile by January 9, 2023 in order to have your need-based aid summary soon after you receive an admission decision. (And be prepared, it still takes quite a while to get regardless if submitted on time.)
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
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How do students know if the school acknowledges receiving their test scores? So far they haven’t sent any email to set up a portal to review the status of the application. Scores were sent 6 weeks ago but at least one other schools claimed they didn’t have them and we had to call and provide the electronic batch tracking confirmation to link them.
Has your student already submitted their application? They should receive an email with a link to their applicant portal within a day or two. They will receive a second email asking for them to submit affirmation. After they set up their portal, they should be able to look for missing documents.
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Once your USC portal is active it will look like:
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