<p>Since a large portion of the international students come from Asia, I’m afraid I think the impact of those sad deaths on families sending students far from home may have been considerable. It was certainly a circumstance that the Adcoms could never have predicted when they sent out original admissions decision, but the timing could well have affected matriculation decisions. </p>
<p>Even so, a 5 % drop in international students would only account for about 150 students. I’m also surprised to see a larger than usual class of 2016, since USC could have controlled that number by moving fewer up from Spring, right? This must have been their target number?</p>