Can you help me understand why I was not selected to receive one of the usc scholarships? I have a 4.0 unweighted gpa and have taken 8 AP courses (all 5’s for now) and multiple honors. I got a 2360 on the SAT and am a national merit semi finalist. I have a lot of extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership and excellence. I got an 800 on math II, physics, and Hebrew. My essays were reviewed by multiple teachers and my rec letters were written by teachers I have a close connection with. I am also an avid volunteer with more than 600 hours, an AVID tutor, and a lot more. All in all, I was just wondering where I went wrong. Thank you!
No one here can tell you that, @marksarah. Of course, the committees at USC weighed your application and truly high-profile academic stats and (presumably) impressive ECs and recs against all others in the pool of candidates. Whatever they saw which had them select others does not reflect poorly on you at all, it could very well mean that your profile resembled so closely that of others they had already placed in the ‘yes’ pile, that for balance they moved on to other candidates.
You sound deeply disappointed and hurt, and I understand that. Do not let this redefine the strength and quality of what you bring to the table, though.
This is a very challenging moment for very high performing students who also do so much outside of the classroom, as it seems there is simply no shortage of students who present with glowing qualities.
May many good things come to you. Believe that they will, and keep your head up.
The selection rate for the finalist process is about ~5%. It’s as difificult as getting into Stanford or Harvard.
Sorry for what you’re going through, @marksarah. If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone. My son is also a NMSF with 4.0 uwGPA, 1570 new SAT, 800s on subject SATs with ECs, work & volunteer hours and was not accepted in the early round, much to his disappointment. Keep your chin up–you will continue to be great in college, at whichever one is lucky enough to get you.
Perhaps the school thinks that you’re going to be awarded a NMF half tuition award
If a NMSF becomes a NMF and admitted to USC by March 2017 with USC as the first choice with NMSC , is NM presidential half tuition award automatic ?
@marksarah Yep, you are not alone. You can console yourself with the fact that if you do eventually get accepted you will receive a larger scholarship than a majority of the people who were accepted early.
The NMF scholarship at USC is not automatic any longer.
@“Erin’s Dad” Do you have a source for your statement?
There has been no change in USC’s policy about National Merit Finalists.
It continues to be the case that any admitted first-year student who is a National Merit Finalist and who formally indicates to National Merit Corp. that USC is his/her first-choice will receive a Presidential Scholarship (50% tuition) from USC. This even holds true for kids accepted to the spring. It doesn’t even matter if the student met the December 1 scholarship application date.
Do you know for a fact you haven’t been selected? Is it possible that you just haven’t been notified yet? If you know for a fact that you were not selected, ask them. The worst they can tell you is that they can’t tell you. Good luck!
@marksarah, you may want to read the first post on the following thread:
@“Erin’s Dad” @s0meUSCkid95 Here’s some text from the email they sent out last week to people who didn’t get the scholarship invite:
“Also, if you are admitted, named a National Merit Finalist and select USC as your first-choice institution, you will receive a USC Presidential Scholarship worth one-half tuition.”
The thread makes me a little nervous. D18 wants to go to USC (she’s a junior in HS) and will most likely be NMSF. I sort of assumed that USC wanted NMSF kids and that would give her a leg up. However, she doesn’t have nearly as high of stats as those mentioned above (SAT 1480, ACT 33).
I wonder if USC sees these super high-stat kids and thinks, “yield protection”.
If USC starts yield protection due to high stats, we’re all in trouble.
OP you didn’t do anything wrong, and you still may get admitted in March. But scholarships are a rare occurrence at USC, of the 30,000 that applied by Dec 1st, only 1200 got the packet. There are a lot of people that feel like you, and what is scary is that many with those kind of stats aren’t even admitted come March. Sad but true, in an article about last years admission process:
Forget the myth that admission is all about the numbers. Says Timothy Brunold ’92, USC’s dean of admission: “This year, we turned away 3,000 people with 99th percentile test scores. We just don’t have enough room.”
College competition is global, particularly at a school like USC where 35% are international. It is hard for students to comprehend the number of amazing students, not just in the US, but in the world, that are applying to colleges. You did everything you could and you did great, but know there are many things out of your control. There are many things beyond scores and ECs that USC is looking for in an application in order to fill a class that meets their requirements.
Your hard work will be rewarded and recognized - wait for it. It will come.
Ah, my misunderstanding. Admission is not automatic for NMFs.
No, it’s they have more NMSF apply than they have finalists and it’s just one test. And I say that with a daughter who is a NMSF and was not invited to interview for scholarships. Waiting on admission decision (as well as NMF which is any day).
My D is a NMF attending USC on the half-tuition NMF Presidential scholarship. A number of her friends are Trustee scholars. Like Ivy admissions, stats alone will not get you there. You have to have done something really impressive that shows your passion and just screams. “This kid is going places!” For example, one scholar with a passion for directing created a non-profit theatre group when he was a young HS student, that put on plays in pediatric hospitals, senior living centers etc… By the time he was applying to USC the group had several branches in different cities and had donated thousands and thousands of dollars. It still operates now, autonomous from the founder.
OP, it’s very hard to say why you didn’t receive a scholarship, but I can relate to your situation. I had 2300+ SAT, double 800 on subject tests, international film awards, internship at major film company, starter for nationally-ranked varsity team, worked on notable museum’s advisory board, curated national traveling exhibit, very strong recs (teachers shared them), and top 2% of class, but I didn’t qualify for any merit. I felt (and still feel) brokenhearted, since USC was one of my dream schools, and I missed the NMS cutoff by a couple questions. I would probably trade all of my accomplishments for those few questions. Are there any other high-stats kids that didn’t receive any merit? And is this a bad sign for my (and OP’s) other applications?
I must be missing something. Why so much emphasis on USC merit scholarships, if USC will cover 100% of financial need?