@akiddoofthe1990s – will they not allow you to fly to the interview?
Do they understand that there is no guarantee that you will be admitted to any of the schools on their short list on March 30th, and that securing full tuition to USC could be a very prudent insurance policy, both from an admission and financial aid perspective…
@akiddoofthe1990s - As @building suggested come up a creative way to convince parents to go to USC interview. If you get into the top 10 let them pay if they want to 
@akiddoofthe1990s – I think you have already gotten some good advice here. I wonder if you or your parents paid the fee to do the application for USC. Any conversation back then about attending USC or why did you apply? USC will pay $200 towards your flight for the interview. 
Going for the interview would not prevent you from later accepting another offer if you get one you really want - that would be late March or April? Can they understand what you think you want and you also really hear their perspective?
@akiddoofthe1990s I agree with the idea of presenting this as practice for other interviews – which it may well be, if some of the other schools come through.
One correction, though: you’ve mentioned a couple of times about going to USC for “free.” A full-tuition scholarship, while nothing to sneeze at, is not a full-ride. You’d still be on the hook for room, board, fees, books, etc.
Best of luck to you!
@nerdmom88 I will try that. No other excuse has gotten through to them, but it can’t hurt to try again.
Oh yeah! I know full tuition scholarship isn’t technically “free,” but it’s less to type 
it’ll still probably be 15-20k, but that’s the same for room and board that any other school would require. I was just trying to say that it’s a LOTTTTTT less money than any other school would be.
Practice interview is a great strategy, I would absolutely leverage that as much as possible. Good luck!
@akiddoofthe1990s maybe you could Skype with USC? Definitely get your high school counselor involved…
@akiddoofthe1990s I agree with @SRK2017 have your parents look at the threads for some the schools they want you to go to and they can see the stats of people and their results. My jaw drops when I look at those. As a parent we always want what is best for our kids and are your biggest champions but we also need to be realistic. My son’s school says that if the admit rate is under 15% a school is a reach for everyone since it is so hard to get in. I’m know you have great stats and are qualified but as we all know it is so random.
Do you want to go to one of those top 10 schools? It might be time for a broader discussion about what YOU are looking for in a school and the type of experience you want. Would your parents listen? I’m sorry you are going through this during this already stressful time! USC is a great school I hope you can convince them to let you interview. Hang in there and good luck!
@photomom99 – the USC interview is a day & a half spent on campus, including overnight stay. Students are given choice of two dates only. Interview is by a panel of three. I don’t think Skype will be an option.
D17 got a letter notifying her that she won’t advance to the interview stage for the Pitt Chancellor’s Scholarship.
Onward and upward…
@akiddoofthe1990s, try telling your parents that going to USC interview is just like getting an insurance policy - you hope you are not going to be claiming it.
I don’t think I’ve posted here yet that D17 got accepted to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This was a pro forma application more than a serious one, but still, it means she’s heard back from half of her applications, and gotten accepted by all six.
Also, she will be going to the Alabama (HN)CBHP event next month, and I know a couple other people have said their kids will be there. If your kids would be okay with it, mine wouldn’t mind knowing who a couple of the people she’ll be around are in advance, so feel free to PM me and we can figure out some way that they can at least trade emails.
@akiddoofthe1990s I know none of this will mean a thing to your parents, but perhaps it will help you. The most successful person I know (financially) went to Penn, but did not go to Wharton. The most talented person I know went NYU, but not Tisch. The nicest person I know went to Holy Cross. The most amazing person I know didn’t graduate college (and I married her and she’s still the most amazing person I know!) There is NO difference (in life outcome) between the top 25 or even 50 or probably even 100 colleges, except insofar as YOU want to go there. Please, I beg you, make the choice for YOU (after taking your parents finances into account, of course - that is the most important factor) You can’t choose a “wrong” top 50 college unless it is a school you don’t want to go to.
@akiddoofthe1990s - I think @AngelaD is on the right track by couching it as an “insurance policy” of sorts.
Perhaps if you assure your parents that you would forgo USC (with or without a scholarship) if you were to get into one of the tippy top top 10 schools that they want you to attend (if indeed you would be willing to go to one of them), they would be less adamant about your not exploring USC.
Or as I posted last night:
Do they understand that there is no guarantee that you will be admitted to any of the schools on their short list on March 30th, and that securing full tuition to USC could be a very prudent insurance policy, both from an admission and financial aid perspective…
@Dave_N --sorry about Chancellor’s. It would be so great to know the magical formula they are looking for there.
D17 got a letter from Pitt saying they aren’t giving her Tuition Exchange, but since they already gave her a full tuition scholarship it doesn’t matter. No Chancellor’s invite or rejection yet.
@Dolemite --would a school ever give TE and a full tuition scholarship? That would be an awesome stack!! BIG MAC for sure lol!
Chancellor’s invites came way back with scholarship notices.
TE exchange is very competitive at some schools since they have to balance that number with the number of dependents of employees using their TE at other schools I think.
So I think Pitt only has a few of these available.
It used to be that most/all full tuition scholarship awardees also got Chancellor’s invitation, but last year they did not.
But full tuition is great! It matches whatever the tuition is, so you only have room, board and fees to pay.
As a freshman my D had a $2,000 per semester meal plan, Sutherland honors housing was about $3,400 per semester, fees about $500 a semester. She also had a $70 lab fee for bio and $44 for chem. Her books were about $600 total, a combination of new/rental, and good for both semesters. So about $12,000.
Although she had full tuition, we were able to claim the books and qualified fees for AOTC.
And she reported her state grant and local scholarships as taxable income on her tax return.
Time is getting close and I made this page for anyone who wants to join.