<p>OK, here I go again. :)</p>
<p>As we observers see year after year, there is no perfect way to predict who gets invited for the big merit scholarships at USC. Just by looking at the stats posted each year, some students who do not even get admitted to USC (and yes, get angry) may have almost identical stats to someone who wins a big award. On paper. Of course, we can’t read their essays, see how truly involved they were in ECs and other honors or hardships. In this (Trustee, Presidential hopeful) arena, applicants need to be prepared for the exact same highly competitive pool–and the same unpredictability–as admission to the most selective ivies. In most cases, they are the same students vying for both.</p>
<p>Each Trustee finalist is selected by the USC School they applied to as their 1st choice major, and there are certain needs in each major that may be advantageous in a given year. Perhaps, being a female in a heavily male-dominated engineering major like mech. e. will bring an excellent applicant to the attention of the decision makers. Or someone who has had hands-on training/internships that show extreme leadership or compassion which fits well with a given major/career focus. Or someone has written an essay that speaks to a particular specialty that is up-and-coming in the School in the next few years. Who can guess? </p>
<p>The best way for applicants to boost their chances for an invitation would simply be to do your best. Be your own unique self. Re-take tests if scores seem a little low for this competitive scholarship, take care with the topic of your essay to really connect your passion for your major to your specific plans for the future, and apply on time! You cannot win the lotto if you don’t try.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>