USC merit scholarship interview

<p>1) When do we get notification?
2) For National Merit Scholarship semi finalists, what is the chance of getting the merit scholarship interview notification?
3) Will the interview be conducted on site at USC? Will students have to pay for the travel and lodging cost?</p>

<p>I was accepted on Jan 26 last year and a week later I got a letter inviting me to interview for the Trustee scholarship. All interviews are at USC. It’s a 2 day program. USC will pay for half of your airfair, up to $200, and you are housed with a student during the program. There are discounted rates at the Radison for family members who may accompany the student. You are only housed with the USC student, typically a freshman in the freshman dorms, for the one night of the program, which is the night before your interview. Not the best system, considering you’re sleeping on the floor in a loud dorm the night before an interview that could possibly land you a HUGE scholarship, but it works somehow.</p>

<p>

National Merit Finalists who are accepted to USC and name USC as their first-choice school by the deadline (mentioned by other posters as being April or May) are awarded the National Merit Finalist Presidential Scholarship. There is no interview required.</p>

<p>Your son’s “chances” of being invited to interview for the Trustee or regular Presidential will depend on his overall application. If he is awarded the regular Presidential and is also a National Merit Finalist, he will only receve one of the scholarships - they are not combined for full tuition.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/grants_scholarships/undergraduates/meritbasedfo.html[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/grants_scholarships/undergraduates/meritbasedfo.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>From what I know, the invitation to interview will come in late January or early February.</p>

<p>Thanks! Good luck to all!</p>

<p>So I understand that for those who applied by the Dec 1st Merit Scholarship Deadline and got interviews for Trustee/Presidential, acceptance letters start going out around late January. But how about those who applied by Dec 1st and didn’t get an interview for one of the big scholarships? Do they still mail out letters and, if so, are any of them acceptances?</p>

<p>There are other scholarships available in addition to the Trustee and Presidential Scholarships. There are Dean’s, ethnic groups, religious groups, Town & Gown, Panhellenic, alumni club and individual alumni scholarships. </p>

<p>Be proactive and apply for local scholarships given by civic, religious, ethnic, companies, service and other organizations.</p>

<p>Are candidates for the National Merit Finalist Presidential Scholarship also notified at the same time (late January)?</p>

<p>Thanks for the heads up Georgia Girl. I understand that USC notifies these recipients of smaller scholarships in mid-march… but I also wanted to know if they accept anybody in Late January that doesn’t qualify for an interview for one of the two “big” scholarships. Or do they at least send out letters saying “I’m sorry, but you didn’t qualify for these two large scholarships”?</p>

<p>Foxhound, last year several applicants posted that they received letters in February saying they had not been selected for the Presidential or Trustee, but that they were still in the running for smaller scholarships.</p>

<p>dubberlykm, there is no interview for the NMF Presidential scholarship, it is awarded automatically to accepted NMF if they name USC as their first-choice school by the deadline (May). So no, NMF are not notified in the early round unless they have been selected to interview for the Trustee or non-NMF Presidential.</p>

<p>dubberlykm…no, only the applicants who will be invited to interview for Trustee or Pres will be notified and accepted in end Jan, beginning Feb. This is because interviews will take place end Feb./early March.
If you are an NMF, you will be notified of a decision later in one of several waves.</p>

<p>foxhound…acceptance letters for Trustee/Pres candidates come first. About a week later the invitation to interview letter is sent. If you are not being considered for a Trustee/Pres, but applied by Dec 1st, you will be notified later in subsequent waves. (ie. generally…some did receive acceptances, but were awarded Deans instead)</p>

<p>So it sounds like a few scholarship winners will hear late Jan/early Feb and the others who were accepted will hear in mid-to-late March, right? So it’s quiet from say… Feb 15-March 15?</p>

<p>Rice,
During that time candidates for Thornton School of Music and the USC School of Theatre are auditioning at sites around the country. These applicants will not hear until late March is my guess.</p>

<p>I do not recall if there were waves during that time period. Most students receive notification from the admissions office right before April 1.</p>

<p>On occasion SC will send an e-mail asking for information. Applicants be sure to check your spam box weekly as last year a few seniors found mail from SC mixed in with spam.</p>

<p>Georgia Girl, I think most Thornton auditions are in January so that they know which of those applicants they will include in the interviews for merit scholarships. Would think the same would be true for theatre.</p>

<p>School of Theatre auditions are in mid-February.</p>

<p>Before an applicant is invited to audition for either of these schools a pre-screening has taken place. If a student passes the pre-screen he/she will be invited to audition. Both these schools take only a small percentage of applicants.</p>

<p>Auditions take place at various sites around the country. Winter 2011</p>

<p>Audition Dates for Thornton School of Music…</p>

<p>January 14,15,16. January 22, 23, 24.</p>

<h2>February 5,6,7. February 12,13.</h2>

<p>Audition Dates for USC School of Theatre</p>

<p>For the BFA for Acting</p>

<p>February 4,5,7,8,10. February 12,13,18,19</p>

<p>For the BFA Technical Degrees</p>

<p>February 5,7,10. February 12,13, 18.</p>

<p>Hi Dubberlykm-
Things may have changed since 2008, when my D was offered the presidential for NMF. It is true that she did not need to interview (and wasn’t invited to interview for Trustee), for the half tuition scholarship, but she was informed of her admission to USC in late January.</p>

<p>what types of questions are typical of these interviews?</p>

<p>^I’ve got the same question.</p>

<p>I was wondering, does anyone know if you can combine trustee/presidential scholarships with Town and Gown?</p>