@WWWard i completely understand. I’m more mad at the situation than the school. I want everyone’s health to be prioritize of course! I’m just confused how if decisions were already made why they would have to postpone their release date.
They are setting a precedent with this, how they handle it in this very unique year is likely how they will do it going forward. (They had to go to portal update at some point.) They are choosing to align with other elite schools (Ivy’s, UCB, etc) release dates, not a bad play. It’s really just a couple days later than original plan.
@CindyLeuWho The simple answer is that it is likely taking the extra few days to accurately and efficiently set-up 55K+ simultaneous or near simultaneous online portal updates… doing so with so many also working remotely.
As stated above… USC was bound to make the transition to portal updates as the first announcement related to admissions eventually, as done by nearly every other college and university. But… here’s hoping that the admission packets are still provided to those admitted eventually… either mailed out later… or handed out when feasible.
Just a little note for demonstrated interest (probably doesn’t apply for music/art/cinema, etc.) I’m an international student and my admissions officer actually visited my school twice. I never showed up for either session, and I still got admitted early with scholarship consideration. Just goes to show that USC doesn’t prioritize demonstrated interest that much if at all - they’re a great school they know that you want to go to USC. The schools that care about demonstrated interest are usually small LACs(a small difference in yield could dramatically throw off their class size) or schools further down the pecking order who know a lot of kids use them as safeties.
Hoping most of you were able to visit USC and other colleges you are interested in and weren’t soley relying on spring visits…sorry you guys will miss out on that time. And your parents will miss that experience with you too. 
So while you have this very weird time together, try to make it special and enjoy doing things together while you can, even if it’s just cooking or working on something around the house together.
Keep in mind most schools have virtual tours if you haven’t seen it. And every year, lots of students choose a school by May 1st without seeing it beforehand or even before they move in. There’s several videos on USC out there and of course good ol’ google maps if you want to check it out more.
Just asked a current USC student about veritax. She said people received the email last year and were rejected, so it is not an indicator of early acceptance.
But she said everyone receives it at some point whereas not everyone received it this year.
@maglor1 Demonstrated interest may not help the student who will get in anyway, as evidenced by you and many others, but it can help tip the scale for someone on the line or in a proverbial tie. That is where it can be really important. If you have two basically equal kids (and each year every advisor has piles of pretty much equal kids), but one has consistently showed them/USC the love in whichever way (visit, emails that show famliarity and passion, etc) it is not hard to determine who will get the spot. So while some schools really track demonstrated interest, and USC may not, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t help. I have met so many students who talk about the things they think helped them get in, and conveying their interests in various forms is a consistent theme.
Congrats on the scholarship, those results should be out soon!
@maglor1 I don’t agree that smaller LACs would use DI more. I can list many schools that care about DI. Michigan, Tulane, Princeton, Duke, William and Mary, CMU, Boston U, Northwestern, Northeastern, Wake Forest, and the list goes on. Many schools consider DI - and to some it is “considered” others “important” and others “very important.”
can anyone confirm that they know someone who received the veritax email and were rejected?
guys the veritax thing really isn’t that important at this point. decisions come out in a week so it doesn’t do any good to overanalyze things now
other usc students said they never received the veritax email last year. how weird.
The veritax thing is most likely sent to applicants who have information missing from their financial aid. It could just literally be an automatic thing such as a bot scanning for missing documents. The reason not everybody received it is because some people already provided all of the necessary documentation. Good luck everyone! Don’t set positive or negative expectations because over analyzing could lead to disappointments
I’m a legacy from usc as my sister attends usc. If I am not admitted to usc, is there a chance that I will receive the trojan transfer plan to attend sophomore year? USC has been my dream school but my stats of 3.6 uw gpa, 6 aps, 1350 sat doesn’t look competitive for freshman admit
@mom2jw Yesterday, you said someone received the verti-tax email but was not accepted. you said you did research and found this. can you find this for me, and I will be 100% satisfied and will not ask any more questions about this.
also, does anyone know what the day all of the decisions were made? i know they are coming out on the 26th but was wondering when USC finalized their class of 2024.
also, does anyone know what the day all of the decisions were made? i know they are coming out on the 26th but was wondering when USC finalized their class of 2024.
I don’t know about the others, but Princeton does not consider demonstrated interest.
As it relates to DI, I agree that we never really know what they consider, especially in the tie breaker situations. I have been at some admissions presentations where the presenter said that even though their stance was that they don’t track, that they actually might notice if you were there. It also depends on who you ask. Sometimes the person that answers the phone in admissions, for example, doesn’t know everything/have the real scoop.
I think even some of the big state flagships have begun to notice…but overall, I think it might be less important at such schools. However, having been to campus can certainly help give you some meat for your “Why U of State X” essay, which is the perfect place to make sure the reader knows you have been there.
The issue with visiting campus, as I’m sure you all know, is that it is cost prohibitive for many applicants, especially when it entails a plane ride. For such applicants, there are other ways to demonstrate genuine interest if you feel you would like to. I think when in doubt, it’s a good idea to do so. As future applicants may or may not already know, USC goes on the road a lot and getting to one of those sessions might be a good idea. And again, you might learn something about the school that will help you convince USC you are a good fit for their school via your essay.
In terms of USC’s thoughts about demonstrated interest, here is JOE BELTRAN’s (Director of Admissions) quote on the issue…
“Students often ask me how they can let the admission office know that USC is their first choice. It’s simple: Just tell us. Tell us in your application, over email, telephone or in person. And we make note of that. We add these things to your files if you ask us to, and we keep them in mind as well.”
I personally think that such displays of interest, and especially in the context of your Why USC? reasoning, is significantly important in their analysis of applicants. The lack of such is to a degree a likely contributing factor to the 4K+ perfect stat (99th percentile test scores + 4.0 unweighted GPA) rejections each cycle.
In my opinion, most applicants do need to provide a well-thought out and well-researched answer as to why attending USC is truly significant and important to them specifically. And moreover, USC does want to gain a sense as to what you will be uniquely contributing to the greater USC community if admitted. As stated above by @CADREAMIN , there are likely those who get in regardless, but if you are a future applicant reviewing this thread, I would want to make it clear to USC that they are your first choice (if true)… and why. And I would want USC to gain a firm sense as to what they would be getting in turn by admitting you.
As their own Director of Admissions suggests, tell them. They will document it and keep it in mind.
Good luck to all. Only 7 days of waiting left…