I would take it as a positive sign. SCA interview requests are always a positive indicator of heightened interest. Most are not interviewed. But, it is also true that not all who are so interviewed get admitted, but many do.
It is often a sign that the professor requesting such is either a direct advocate for that applicant or he or she is seeking some clarification to assist with SCA’s decision-making process. It thus could also be a sign that your son is on the bubble and being compared to a handful of similar applicants.
He’s clearly in the running. And the interview could be either the tipping point to move the decision toward his favor or it could be that professor’s extra effort to solidify him as an applicant that they are already leaning toward. Either way, I see it as a huge positive. Good luck to him.
Probably been asked like a thousand times by now, but does anyone know when to expect decisions to be released (time of day as well)? Got deferred EA and would love to know when everything comes out haha
@anewaccount I think someone said it will happen on Friday, March 24th. They got that from an AO. However, I think in the past USC has often released the info to the portal on a Saturday afternoon. Usually, based on my older kids’ experiences, these releases come at the end of the day after the Admissions Offices have closed.
Yes… as stated above, late PM on Friday, March 24th, seems like the most likely RD announcement projection. For many cycles, USC Admissions has seemed to favor the March 23-25 window. Many are guessing the 24th, as it’s a Friday. Hopefully USC will announce it specifically & officially soon. So, just 3 more weeks, most likely. There are thankfully plenty of excellent shows to stream online and binge in the meantime as a way to help pass the time. Maybe some will post suggestions. Patience is a virtue, but I can certainly recall the angst in our family at the similar stages in 2014 and 2017. Good luck to all waiting…
March 24th around 4pm PST is best guess and in line with what I and @WWWard have seen over the last many many years! Hang in there everyone - hopefully you all have some great decisions already in your basket, and USC is icing on the cake if it’s a yes!
One of mine was set on U Toronto or McGill but was happily surprised to get the big white box in the mailbox (they use to send those ahead of portal updates). Use this time to really look into and emotionally invest in other schools incase USC doesn’t work out - it helps soften the blow to really believe in an alternative.
Big red folder, acceptance letter, info on the school, housing, orientation and your major and a “you got admitted” certificate that looked like a diploma. It was THE thing for decades and they way you found out you got in. So instead of logging on, people stalked their mail person! I still have the fondest memories of mine opening the mailbox and seeing the white box in there - like a 4 year old on Christmas morning. There was just something special about it done that way. Although nerve wracking as well wondering if post office lost it or it was delivered to wrong address, or you were just rejected.
3 days after they were mailed out, they updated the portals. So during those three days, this site was full of thousands of posts of kids around the world wondering if any packages were in their city yet, and which school they were from. Oddly, the sent the rejections letter last so there was certainly a lot of angst for those waiting with no specific date given - we just knew when the mail trucks left USC. Exciting and stressful. They did yellow boxes for spring admits , DHL for international, and at some point they did yellow envelopes that held the red folder. But the big white boxes were the best and a mainstay for many many years.
The “white box” USC acceptance moments were great… at least in theory, or when they worked as planned. In 2014, it went exactly as it should, with the white box arriving in the expected delivery window. My older daughter was thrilled to receive it. In 2017, the US Postal Service messed up royally, and it arrived way later than it should have - many days later. My younger daughter was thus already convinced of a looming rejection announcement until super late at night (actually like around 2am in the morning on the east coast) when the portal finally updated a few days later to reveal that she had in fact been admitted. And then the “white box” finally made it to her afterwards. She was still happy to receive it, but the moment was missed.
So… those special moments were unfortunately “hit or miss”, all depending on factors outside of USC’s or the recipient’s control. In reality, I assume that 95% or so of the recipients were spared from such a negative experience. But the system was far from flawless in its execution. And far too many who were eventually rejected were all hoping for USPS delays too. Today’s methodology seems a bit less angst ridden… especially for the tens of thousands not receiving the good news.
Ya, the checking online, while it certainly has some benefits with more certainty and less angst, does take away some magic in the process.
USC always won on the most impressive package I believe, but UCLA engineering also put out a pretty nice package too. In terms of online acceptance, Cal Poly use to have an adorable video that loaded (maybe still do?) to tell student they were accepted, and UCLA launched the confetti, U of O does all the customizing of things that they send in their acceptance packet and things online…are a few that come time mind. Anybody seen any other cools ones besides the typical letter posting?
Marshall still sends a cool gift each year in their acceptance package.
Our older applicant, years ago, received a scarf, baseball hat and notepad from UChicago - it was very exciting. (They didn’t ultimately attend, but their acceptance package won that year!)
I must say, none of the online acceptances this year have been particularly “exciting” (no videos, no confetti - just letters) - and Ohio State was definitely the worst one so far.
My younger daughter still has - and proudly wears - her Princeton shirt. I think that she even wore it at USC lol. They also eventually received shirts from USC SDA and USC SCA. But other Schools within USC, especially Marshall, were more generous from the accounts I have heard here. I do not recall the others that seemed extra nice… maybe Thornton, Kaufman or Iovine and Young Academy?
I can’t recall any other admission gifts or packages for either daughter that stood out more than USC’s.
USC Thornton sends their sweatshirt to those accepted, which is always coveted as they choose not to sell it in the bookstore like the other USC schools do. So it’s a collectors item ha.
Cute, I guess, but Anteaters… really? That’s their mascot? I guess that’s still better than the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs or the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils.
You would think that colleges and universities could come up with better mascot names. Those all seem to be bad choices on purpose and by design.
Oh well… thankfully, USC is the Trojans. That’s a mascot name I can get behind. Fight On!
The choice of an anteater was hotly debated. UCI is only 57 years old. There is a thought that the suggestion stemmed from the B.C. comic strip which was popular at the time.
If anyone who applied for the school of dramatic arts (BFA MT or Acting or BA Theatre) gets a save-the-date for the April 1 and 2 SDA specific admitted students day, would you mind posting here? USC SDA is my kiddo’s top choice and would love to know if those go out ahead of the expected 3/24 release day.
Yikes - there is only 1 wk between release day and admitted students day? That doesn’t sound right. I’d think families traveling far from LA would need more time to plan the trip?
. I think all accepted kids eventually got a ginormous UCLA flag.