Quite a few of S’s USC classmates had the choice of a full ride at USC vs. full pay at Ivies or Harvard. They chose the full ride at USC because the parents cannot afford the full cost of an Ivy education. These are the kind of kids USC is trying to attract by offering them a full ride. S studies very hard sometimes until 3 to 4 AM before a test to maintain a near perfect GPA. These full ride kids that were accepted to the Ivies makes the grading curve high.
If financing a Harvard education is problem, you should strongly consider the full ride at USC and have money left for medical or graduate school.