What does this letter from USC mean?

Applying to College
1

<p>I received a letter from the University of Southern California Office of Admission's and I want to know what it means. This sentence in particular "According to information we received from the College Board, your achievements suggest you would be a strong addition to our student body and would appreciate the rich academic environment we can offer you." I am confused because I believe that USC is out of my league. So can you please tell me what the letter means. Is it a big deal or does everyone receive a letter like this. I also do live in California. </p>

<p>Thank You!</p>

2

<p>“information we received from the College Board” = your PSAT score, in all likeliness. I don’t know how they choose who they contact (I’d imagine they choose to send that letter to all participants who scored above a threshold), but know that many, many people will be receiving that letter even if they are academically unqualified for USC. </p>

<p>Edit: Of course, many people who are qualified for USC will also be receiving that letter!</p>

3

<p>You may very well be a “qualified” candidate based on your scores but that’s only one part on the equation. Many schools will try to improve their selectivity ranking by getting many to apply, yet to only deny the majority of applicants in the end. If you are truly interested in USC, take a close look at where you stand in regards to the median freshman student’s SAT scores and GPA. If you are above that, then apply if you are truly interested and your parents can afford it…You may also want to check out this thread on the parent’s forum: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1650306-can-it-get-more-cruel-than-these-emails-telling-your-kid-they-ve-been-put-on-some-list.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1650306-can-it-get-more-cruel-than-these-emails-telling-your-kid-they-ve-been-put-on-some-list.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>College is big business, and over zealous advertising/recruiting techniques are common practice. They are trying to sell you a very subjective and expensive product (a BS or BA) in an effort to convince you that they are the best “fit” for you regardless of cost. In the end, don’t let this discourage you; just try to be realistic and gain as much information as you can by asking as many questions as possible (especially here on CC).</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

4

<p>My son even got one of those letters from Harvard, and trust me he’s not Harvard material. </p>

<p>The letter basically means nothing.</p>

5

<p>That means USC purchased the mailing list of high scorer from CB. It is simply a targeted advertisement, but they set the threshold rather low. So don’t assume they are really interested in you. My D just throw away a whole of junk mail like this.</p>

6

<p>

It is just junk mail. Means absolutely nothing except they’d like to get your app because they more students that apply the more selective they look. This is actually on the less obnoxious side, soon you will be receiving glossy packages from colleges that come as close as they can to the line without crossing it of implying that they’ve decided to accept you. </p>

7

<p>It means that when you took a standardized test that you signed up to allow schools send you mail. That’s all.</p>

8

<p>Depending on the school, it could help if you reply to those letters, subscribe to mailing lists, or take the surveys because it shows demonstrated interest. </p>