<p>I’m sure you’ll get other answers, but just wanted to pop in to say my S did not do APP 1 (he wanted to retake SAT, too), he did not have an interview (too late to schedule it by time he submitted APP pt. 2) and he was still accepted (and also is a Trustee Scholar) so it doesn’t seem to have hurt him. But could doing those extra things help? I’m interested to hear more theories on that.</p>
<p>I do think the essay counts very highly. The right recommendations, too. There are stories of very high SAT kids not getting accepted to USC last year, and one needs every advantage to get into any selective college in these tough admissions times. </p>
<p>I’ll offer a different perspective. I submitted the Part I application, visited the school, and interviewed (with my regional admissions rep). In my case, I think it made a difference. My high school was an elite east coast prep school (we sent 70+ kids to Ivies this year), so, for a lot of the people who applied to USC, it was one of their less competitive schools (I won’t say safety, because no school with a 20% admission rate is a safetly). There were about 30 of us who applied, many with comparable stats, but I was the only one to get a scholarship. Most of those kids eventually got in to USC, but with no merit money. So, in my case, I think showing interest by doing the Part I app, etc., made a difference, because it showed that I truly wanted to go to the school, and wasn’t just looking for a scholarship or a safe bet, as many from my high school were. </p>
<p>Of course, the Part I app and the interview aren’t necessary, but if you’re seriously interested in USC, I don’t think it could hurt (I’m not sure how it works with retaking the SATs, though…).</p>
<p>That’s interesting VF08. I was thinking about what you said (and I agree) and perhaps my S’s case was a little different than most because he was applying to the School of Cinematic Arts which requires a HUGE amount of supplemental material and extra work. I doubt many people put out that additional effort to just throw another application out there, and USC might have taken that into account to show my S’s interest in the school, despite the lack of AP 1 and an interview. Hmm…</p>
<p>The same thing that happened to VF08 happened to me. My class (relatively small…~125 kids) had 18 (I think?) people apply to USC. That was more than what any other class had seen apply there, so it was clear that our acceptance rate this year would be low, regardless of being a highly-ranked, midwestern prep school. I was the only one to fill out Part I and the only one to interview when they came to Chicago (but then again, I had my ACT and SAT IIs set by the beginning of senior year), and I was the only one that ended up getting in for fall semester period (we had one other person get in for spring). I applied to Annenberg, so my application wasn’t as involved as people in SCA (but I did have to submit a letter of intent for the school of journalism), but I think that me showing my interest went a long way because I got the Trustee and Bacc/MD. Plus, submitting Part I can never hurt. It saves you a little money for the application fee and it’s a quick way to show you’re interested in the school.</p>
<p>Sheer, they don’t count that first (lower) SAT you report on your Part I as your final score, and they will update it to the higher score, of course, when they later receive the new SAT report. But it is too bad you have to list the score you aren’t happy with right now. I’m not sure any of us know how closely they look at Part I. They may simply use it to open a file and put you on their mailing lists. By the time the real live adcoms look at your complete file, it might be after you’ve submitted Part II, transcripts are received, new SAT scores have been posted, etc. Or maybe they do look at it earlier? That’s the question.</p>
<p>SheerReflection, madbean is correct. They don’t count that particular SAT until all SATs are updated, it’s just a preliminary part in order to open a file on you, and it does to a degre demonstrate interest in USC.
My D submitted Part I with a SAT she was not happy with. Her better October SAT was counted, (or they count the highest score in each SAT section, not applicable to D since all her sections were better).
The admissions committee only looks at everythng once all the material is in.
Like ppenguin, my D also received the Trustee. She did not do an interview, but we were told after admittance that her essays and recommendations were outstanding. Also in the case of my D, the SAT may have been the weakest part of her app compared to GPA, ECs and awards, course rigor, recs, and essays. USC looks carefully at the whole package.</p>
<p>I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted on this site but here’s another usc student’s take on the admission process.</p>
<p>The purpose of the part I app is to just get your file started, as a USC counselor once said. Yes, it does save you money and time at the end and any changes, as far as test scores go, will be reflected in the part II app. (Ive even heard them say that if you show some improvement in the January SAT, you could send those in, too).</p>
<p>The interview is optional but fills up fast. I signed up for the meet usc program on the same day. As I remember, the interview was like 20-30 min long and some of the questions were kind of tricky so I had to carefully answer them.</p>
<p>Text book question: My D ( incoming first year student traveling across country,) do most students buy their books when they arrive on campus? or can you buy at the usc bookstore website and have them held there for pickup.</p>
<p>It’s rarely worth the extra shipping and weight to order the books at home, then have to transfer them to school. There is plenty of time to shop for books or order them online, and most professors are sympathetic if you don’t have every single text the first week of class.</p>
<p>The bookstore doesn’t offer online ordering of textbooks – their sales websites is more geared towards memorabilia and USC gear for fans and alumni. I would also recommend steering clear of the bookstore for texts that aren’t unique to USC. The books tend to be very expensive and even “used” texts aren’t a bargain given their condition. </p>
<p>The booklist is available now through OASIS, so start searching for books by ISBN using sites like Amazon and Half.com. You will find much better prices and can order them later this week so things will arrive on or after next Wednesday. (USC housing addresses will not accept packages prior to August 20.)</p>
<p>If you have someone in LA that can hold the books for you, all the better. My S waited until after he arrived on campus his freshman year & we had to buy nearly all his texts brand new (very expensive from the bookstore). Some suggest waiting until after the 1st days of class when the teacher lets the students know which books are really needed & which are “nice to have” or more for reference.</p>
<p>I have this question about the class set-up… So there’s a lecture and a discussion part right? Do you always have to attend both?
I vaguely remember someone telling me that sometimes the “dis” part is only twice a semester…</p>
<p>Yes, there is a lecture+discussion combination, depending on the class. Discussions meet once a week, at least for me. You don’t necessarily have to attend every lecture (you should), but they usually check attendance in discussions. After all, it is typically where quizzes, etc. are held.</p>