You need to pay the commitment deposit of $300 before you move onto housing.
And the housing portal is closed until later on this week. You cannot pay the $55 housing deposit or apply for housing until they open the portal. It is down right now. USC Admissions stated there will be an email sent when the portal goes up.
@boxerluvr Back when I was 17, and basically in your shoes, I had applied to but then was rejected (as expected) by Harvard. Just a few days later, I went down to Ft. Lauderdale to spend a few days of spring break with my father - who was working on a project there. While there, I met this older gentleman who was there having some work done on his monstrosity of a yacht. Anyhow, he and I ended up fishing off the pier there quite a few times while my father was working on another yacht nearby. (the key word there is “working” / we were clearly not among the rich and famous ourselves) The man eventually asked about my college plans. I told him that I was likely going to JHU because I had been rejected by Harvard and was wait-listed by Yale. He surprisingly and very abruptly insisted that he could have that entire decision reversed at Harvard if I really wanted to go there. I asked him how/why, and he explained that his family had to that point donated many millions to Harvard and that the main library system there is in fact named after his family, etc. I respectfully declined his offer to intervene… not wanting to attend anywhere that had already passed me over once for admission. I mean maybe help getting off a wait-list would be okay… but turning a definitive “no” to a “yes” strictly via influence just did not strike me as fair to others or ethical. While I have to admit that I have thought about it a few times over the years… I steadfastly still concur that admission should be based on the individual candidate’s merits alone. But sadly, the real world does not always work that way…
@edszebra, Happy Birthday! I hope you get the dream financial aid package that you are hoping for tomorrow!
It is of course difficult to understand the rationale and reasoning related to admission decisions sometimes. Over the past 5 yrs on CC I have seen a # of posts wherein people say that they just got into schools like Stanford and MIT while also getting rejected by UVa and USC. Some speculate that certain schools engage in a form of yield protection, where they reject applicants that they are confident will attend elsewhere anyhow. While that remains a possibility, it is also simply difficult to compare between these elite colleges and universities. Last year, my daughter of course hoped for an admission to USC & is there now. But she and I made numerous other predictions that turned out to be faulty. For example, she got into Princeton but was rejected by UVa. We were convinced that the opposite would be true. You just can never tell what any specific admissions committee may be looking for at any moment in time. It could also come down to factors that most never really think about when applying initially… like the #s applying in any individual cycle to a specific major or one single element that the university may be searching for currently. I remember a Brown Admissions Officer in person at an event suggesting that it just may be as simple as them really needing someone proficient at Oboe for next year. When things are that fluid, random and subjective, it is really not worth stressing about it for too long. Northwestern is a great school, so at least I know you have one great option - if not more. And to further the point… Northwestern also rejected my daughter last year… and they previously rejected my older daughter 3 yrs before. So clearly, you just never know…
@boxerluvr There are principles (@wwward has them and yes, they are good to instill in your kids) and there is reality (also described). I get what you are saying. Even in above experience it wasn’t @wwward’s dad that gave millions to help get them in, it was just a stranger offering a favor which they respectfully turned down.
But imagine pulling millions out of your very own bank account, taking it from your kids inheritance, and handing it over to a school to provide something that benefits many many people…and think about how you would feel. You always have to look at everything from every side. Just being honest - if my name is on building(s), my kid better be going there if they want to. As another student at that school, I am grateful for the contribution that family made. Again, another perspective to consider.
How many courses do freshman usually take? What are the best classes and times and days to have them?
@cno2022 4-5 classes or 16-18 credits per semester or term seems like the norm. But the second half of your post is impossible to answer. There are literally 1000s of courses available. USC offers more major and minor options than any other university that I have heard of to date. With that, your options will be almost endless. You will graduate likely with a long list of classes that you may have wanted to take but never got around to. (They just added a Harry Potter writing course that my senior is upset wasn’t available before, for example) And there are course / instructor reviews that will help guide you along the way. But first and foremost, your assigned academic adviser will offer the first probable path… based on your chosen major, etc.
You will find quickly though that, unlike high school, your schedule will be mostly guided by your own input. Many purposely design 4 day weeks for example.
CORRECTION
My son just received his email about housing.
The portal is indeed closed until later this week.
Contrary to what I was told on the phone, the email states that you do not need to pay the $300 enrollment fee to register for housing. The housing fee is $55
Sorry for the earlier misinformation, I was just relaying what the school stated on the phone.
does anyone know when nmf presidential scholarships will be notified? can I apply for McCarthy housing?
Just out of curiosity, what number was on your blank white sheet that had your name/address that came with the white box? Mine was 7 lol.
mine was 7
I am amazed at how difficult it is to get into USC. I earned my MBA from USC in the 1990’s. I’d never get in nowadays! Do we really have this many smart people in the world? Its truly amazing how many people with amazing grades, scores, and accomplishments get turned away…
@boxerluvr I understand you being super disappointed but I’ve read through your posts and to me you sound entitled. Why would you think that showing up in person will change your outcome? What is it that they will “see” that they didn’t see before? You also must know that whether a family is a donor or not, a legacy or not, that USC admissions is not all about EC’s and stats. There are others who I’m sure had lower stats than you did and were selected for other impressive reasons, and conversely, some with much higher stats than your 3.7GPA that were declined. Those higher stat applicants are doing a lot less complaining than you. Once you are over putting down the girl at your school who got in, you should focus on one of the schools that you did get accepted to and start getting excited about their programs and campus IMO.
We don’t know what goes through the admissions peoples’ minds when they are reviewing applications, so for all we know, the person that got in may have gotten in because they would be a good fit at USC and not because their parents donated a lot of money. Anyone who gets accepted shouldn’t get credit taken away from them just because of speculation.
If we weren’t selected as finalists for the merit-based scholarships initially, can we still be considered for Dean’s when the financial aid is released tomorrow? Also, is it going to be released tonight at midnight or tomorrow at a specific time?
This has been previously asked, but I cannot find an answer. To admits: I still am not a part of any active/official USC Facebook Group and would really like to start my roommate search. Is anyone part of one already?
Completely agree with you @futurodehail. I actually think she’s being rather nasty. In an earlier post @boxerluvr actually asked if she should include that she can pay in full on her appeal…and this is where she contradicts herself. For all we know she came across as entitled in her essays, telling USC about all of her great accomplishments versus how she could contribute to USC. Glad the majority of declined students are gracious.
@TravelGuru123 I think you meant to tag me lol
Does USC start releasing Financial Aid Summaries tomorrow?
people get real salty after being rejected. I have seen people calling other colleges worthless just because they were not able to attend them. Why bother? I still don’t get it.