<p>Exactly. Plus, just because our status changed doesn’t mean we’re in with/without a scholarship. It’s nice to dream though.</p>
<p>To all who are all so eagerly awaiting an “online” status change. I would pay more attention to your mailbox. If you are being considered for one of the Merit Scholarships (Trustee: Full Tuition, or Presidential: 1/2 Tuition), then you will get a letter of “Acceptance to USC” near the end of January. You will then receive information on “Explore USC” (which is the 2 day process for Interviewing for either the Trustee, or, Presidential Scholarship). They will provide you with the available dates to attend Explore USC. </p>
<p>You will start receiving information like this: </p>
<hr>
<p>Your specific interview time and location will be made available to you at check-in.
Interviews are scheduled to last 20-30 minutes and will usually be conducted by a panel of three individuals (a faculty member, a staff member and a current USC scholarship student). Although interview questions will vary, they will generally focus on your academic and personal interests, plans for involvement at USC and your goals for the future. We suggest business attire for your interview.</p>
<p>The scholarship interview will have a significant impact on our final scholarship decisions. You will be informed about the results of the scholarship competition by late March.</p>
<hr>
<p>To repeat, I would spend more time watching your mailbox, then your inbox. </p>
<p>Good luck to all of you.</p>
<p>Haha. Thank you lovetocamp. That helps a lot. Though this isn’t the inbox–it’s on the USC website, so I don’t know if that makes a difference, but yes I will definitely keep an eye out for mail from USC. However, what date (if we don’t get a letter), should we give up hope? For example, is the general rule, if you don’t get a letter from USC by a certain date, then you are done for?</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Acceptances continue in waves until April 1st.</p>
<p>There are no rejections until the first week of April.</p>
<p>Those invited for the Trustee and Presidential interviews receive acceptance packets the last few days of January and first week of February, followed by an interview invitation in the mail 3 - 5 days later.</p>
<p>Good luck!!!</p>
<p>P.S. The “statuses” can be very cruel… as someone mentioned, some accepted applicants will never have a status change. Others will get the “forwarded” status followed by “acted on,” but some will get “forwarded” and then it goes to back to “reviewing…” As lovetocamp says, don’t make assumptions until you have that acceptance packet in your hand :)</p>
<p>i’m been stuck on preliminary review for a while now. i’m not feeling too confident anymore about being accepted. although my gpa is where it should be and my e.c.s, c.s. and special circumstances could have a big impact, my sats, compared to many people on this thread, are quite low.</p>
<p>Where are the stats and accepted results of last year? Where is that thread? Can someone please bump it up so we can look at it! Thanks…GOOD LUCK everyone!!!</p>
<p>I think alamemom stated it pretty accurately. Here are a few things to consider.</p>
<p>She (alamemm) is correct that there are no rejections until the first week of April.</p>
<p>However, if you already know what your FAFSA EFC is, then you will have some idea of what you will be expected to pay (and it is usually MORE than what the FAFSA indicates. And in case someone challenges my facts, and mentions CSS, and/or USC’s own method of determining Financial Aid, I will address that: USC does require the CSS Profile. However, the CSS Profile is typically more invasive, and holds families to an even greater financial level of accountability/burden than does FAFSA. You would think that you were filling out a government clearance form, for some of the questions that they ask. 
And, lastly, yes, USC does use its own “internal” method of determining the “Need” for each family. With all of those official acknowledgments stated upfront, I must warn prospective students and families not to be overly optimistic. </p>
<p>When our son applied, we heard the constant drum beat of “USC will meet the Financial Needs of All students”. That is a myth. Some people DO receive incredibly large Grants (a Grant is money that is separate from Merit Scholarship. It is money that USC gives to students, when USC determines that there is Financial need). However, most students do not receive large Grants. Let me repeat, most students do NOT receive large Grants. I spoke with many parents over the 4 years that our son attended USC, and many were disappointed with the lack of financial support from USC. My concluding point is: do not be naive as you enter into this process.</p>
<p>Therefore, if you are not a Merit Scholarship Candidate, look closely are your finances before you get your hopes up too high.</p>
<p>Our son was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. It was wonderful. We could never have afforded USC without it. And our FAFSA was about 28,000. P/S is 1/2 Tuition, so it still cost us an arm and a leg. </p>
<p>So, going back to what alamemom stated: Sure, you can still receive an “Acceptance to USC” in April (much later than the Merit Scholarship recipients), and you would therefore be an “accepted student” capable of going to Orientation, Registration, and you can Attend. But you will you (and/or your parents) be able to afford it?</p>
<p>My intent is not to be a downer. My intent is to encourage all (students and parents) to approach this realistically.</p>
<p>I would not trade our son’s USC degree for any amount of money. He graduated this past Spring, and was hired fairly quickly into a great company. He loves his job, and is getting paid good money. So, “if” you can afford USC (with Merit, and/or Grant, and/or Loans, and/or Savings"), then go for it. It is one of the best Universities in the world.</p>
<p>Hi-</p>
<p>I attended USC for a tour a few weeks ago and they had said they were changing their policy on sending out letters this year. Supposedly, the first wave for acceptances (the scholarships) still come out end of January, and everyone who applied for Dec. 1st gets a letter saying whether or not they got a scholarship.</p>
<p>THEN (this is the part he said is changing) around March 20th all letters are mailed (acceptances and rejections). The counselor said there won’t be waves coming out, just one big mailing to all applicants. </p>
<p>They might just say this every year (I don’t know much about USC, no one from my school has applied to the school), but the admissions counselor was saying it as if it was a new method they were trying.</p>
<p>stalkermama, here is the 2010 STATS thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/852880-stats-only-usc-decisions-2010-a.html?highlight=stats+2010[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/852880-stats-only-usc-decisions-2010-a.html?highlight=stats+2010</a></p>
<p>bcoop26, no - they haven’t said that in the past. That very well could be the new procedure. I know that a long-time cc poster (not me) contacted USC admissions last year to discuss the agony of the statuses+the wave system, and they said they were considering changes to reduce the stress on applicants. (By the way, USC admissions does look at College Confidential on occasion, so if you post identifying statistics please be sure to be on your best behavior )</p>
<p>So it MIGHT be a scholarship wave end of January and beginning of February, followed by a tsunami on March 20th! We will find out soon…</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, bcoop26, and GOOD LUCK!!!</p>
<p>What counts as an identifying statistic? gpa and sat? I only reported my sat to the nearest hundred mark (i said 2300ish)</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s fine. </p>
<p>And we ARE watching our mail boxes, not our inboxes. IT’s just fun to speculate.</p>
<p>Actually, those stats I gave are close estimates (for privacy), and my location might not be right…haha, I didn’t want to give out too much info. Though California residents have it lucky though…since USC is in California I think they have this Cal grant thing for residents. I think New York does something like that too. I should find out if my place does a grant like that…</p>
<p>I got the mail today and nothing…</p>
<p>To be quite honest, I kind of wish I never went into this thread. It’s been completely depressing news. I’ve checked my application status at least 20 times today, all to no avail.</p>
<p>Yes it is quite depressing. Maybe California residents have it better? I dunno, if they do that would seem unfair. I haven’t gotten anything yet either I dont think</p>
<p>I think I’ll just watch my mailbox since checking my application status 3x a day has proved quite futile thus far.
@funnyman4: I am also curious about the identifying statistic (if there is one). My stats are 2400 SAT (single-setting) and 4.0 UW GPA so I definitely meet the quantitative requirements but then again, my ECs are very mediocre/below average so that may hurt my chances.</p>
<p>what do you mean by curious about the identifying statistic? Like what would constitute an identifying statistic? I once posted a “not-yet-finalized-schedule” on one of my posts. That COULD be identifying, but then again so many people take those kinds of classes.</p>
<p>Owl, I would be shocked if you didn’t get a scholarship. So maybe there’s still hope out there for us?</p>
<p>Perhaps race (URM status) has to do with it as well? Jason is an African American.</p>
<p>Oh no identifying infoooo.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it funnyman. The adcoms go through so many applications that they aren’t likely to take the time to hunt down a cc profile for each one.</p>
<p>If you ever made a chance thread or post in a decisions thread though, those are very identifying. I had the insight to do both…</p>
<p>Since we’re all fairly qualified applicants and we all haven’t received the status change yet, there’s probably still hope. Maybe it’s alphabetical, or maybe they do it by college…this is all speculation but only a few people on this thread have received updates so far.</p>