<p>I’ve been watching how the scholarship situation plays out at the SCA for 4 years since my S became at Trustee scholar in that school (VERY happy day!). I’ve taken note of reports here on Cc each year and it is really hard to say how the talent-based majors that require portfolios, interviews, and/or auditions make their selections for Trustee/Presidential and Deans. The criteria for admission to these majors (including cinema, theatre, Thornton, architecture, Roski and others) have traditionally weighed the talent-materials heavily. Yet Presidential and Trustee Scholars tend to be at the top of the academic pool at USC and so we have little idea how those traditional criteria like gpa, SATs, APs, etc. are factored in and at what stage in the process they are counted.</p>
<p>Does the general admissions department screen all early deadline applicants for top grades/scores/essays, ECs and send a subset off to the various talent based Schools’ admissions groups to then select their allotment of T/P scholar candidates? Or does each individual School do a pre-screen of all their applicants for talent/accomplishments andpotential and then somehow factor in their grades, etc to come up with that final invitee list? Don’t know. But I suspect it’s this second version. Schools like SCA look for leadership, extraordinary results in international/national competitions, success in the field outside of school, and extreme independent passion and artistic vision in T/P candidates and it is doubtful the general adcom would come up with the same list if mostly looking at SAT scores and such. But when SCA is screening for scholarships, the must also make sure the students fall within an overall expected standard of academic achievement. This is true for all admissions to SCA, but I suspect the bar is higher for top scholar candidates. </p>
<p>It makes sense to me (but I cannot prove) that the general adcom simultaneously reviews all eligible-date applicants from their region and may choose some of those with excellent records and wonderful service/ECs or essays (even if they have not landed in the short list made by their major). To invite those few, they send them admissions to the Dornsife major they listed as 2nd choice, or to Dornsife Undecided if the student did not list a 2nd choice major. The student will, in time, be reviewed for admissions to their college of 1st choice (SCA) and may certainly find they get admitted but not until all applicants are reviewed. Sorta weird, I think, but in the massive procedure of reviewing thousands of applications, each School has to hit certain targets by certain dates and that’s how this may play out.</p>
<p>This may or may not be what happened in Wollaf’s case. But I recall a few other students in past years who were surprised (and maybe concerned) to find they had been invited to interview for such a high scholarship, but not by the major of their first choice! My advise would be to go to the Explore interview and wow them. Some students are actually bumped up to full-tuition scholarships. Hard to beat that! And if you get the scholarship and then get admitted to SCA a little later, all the better. If you are not admitted to SCA by April, you have a big decision. If the $$ is outstanding and makes attending USC viable, you can consider trying to transfer to SCA once you are a (well-tuition-paid) scholar at the University. There is no guarantee, so some find that frightening. But we have seen many who are successful at transferring to the School from within if they are determined and bright and go-getters.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>