<p>There is no reason to put USC down as your 1st choice for NMF until AFTER you have received all your admissions packets and are deciding where to attend. I believe in past years, the deadline to list your preference on NMF is some time in May. If you have any concerns, just wait. If you are admitted and if you decide to attend USC, you can list it as your first choice school and voila! You’ll get the 1/2 tuition scholarship.</p>