<p>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have read of many who have gotten wonderful merit awards from USC. Would definitely encourage you to apply early, as everyone else has done & just see what you qualilfy for. Keep your options open and you may be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>I have several friends who are paying less for USC than they paid for their private HSs! Good luck!</p>
<p>Another good thing about merit awards from USC is that generally, they only require you to maintain a 3.0 GPA, which is better than some other schools with a much higher requirement.</p>