Part of the interviews, I believe, is USC seeing who fits well into the department and university. Some kids look fabulous on paper, and in application essays. We all know some kids get a lot of help, so their ability to articulate their passions and goals off-the-cuff will be great. At the Trustee Explore several years ago, a number of kids (and parents) openly talked down about USC. Can you imagine? There were, sorry to report, rankings snobs present who said (to other parents) that USC, even with full tuition merit, was their kids’ safety. Or their kid was already in at Yale (or whereever) and was just there to practice interview skills (!) and try to collect a trophy of sorts. I was actually shocked. There are professors at the Explore parents dinners and I wondered if they were taking notes. So my advice is to just be honest, enthusiastic, and confident about fitting well at USC. Sincere interest and a vision of what you want to bring to your field/the school goes a long way. Since many 17year olds may not have thought deeply, yet, about what they can contribute to college, their field and the world, this is a good time to start composing their thoughts. If there are current events that affect their major (such as controversies or international developments), they may be asked their opinion. Having a clear vision and a confident voice could really help.