^^^ Yes. Throughout this process / ordeal, USC has shown itself to be very flexible and accommodating. I suspect they will extend the deadline too… especially since those who may have planned to visit after admission will not be able to… at least not yet. There are loads of videos online and virtual tours, etc. But its not really the same as being there in person and being sure.
Their main video and photo galleries can be found here:
Scores of other videos can be found on their youtube page:
^^^ There are a # of virtual tours online too. Here is one:
https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/university-of-southern-california/overview/virtual-tour/
I could be wrong but I don’t think they will push decision day back. Most schools are closed until the end of Spring semester/quarter. There aren’t going to be any opportunities to visit or make a decision in May that aren’t present in April. I understand pushing back the financial commitment but I don’t think they will change decision day. Just my two cents.
@ElenaParent, in your don’t case I think it must have been the human factor. An essay could have rubbed the admissions reader the wrong way, or AO just had a bad day… sadly, it happens. What is your D’s top choice? For mine, USC is #1 with UCLA a close second, and I used to feel the same way. Because of CV, I find myself secretly yearning for Stanford (though expecting a waitlist at best) just because it is 20 mins away. D still has her heart set on LA, so I keep my selfish thoughts to myself, mostly 
My daughter’s top choice is USC. But to have that choice, she needs to be admitted, and we don’t have the decision yet. So, let’s wait, it is not long now. 
In regards to the comments about UVA, I got rejected despite having a 32 on the ACT, numerous strong ECs and leadership positions, work experience, good essays, and having taken 7 APs…On top of all of that, my father is a UVA graduate!! I also made it through a couple of rounds in the Jefferson Scholars program. I ultimately didn’t make it to the final round, but I thought that my nomination and invitation to be interviewed were both good signs that I might be admitted to UVA since this program provides scholarships to UVA applicants. My point in all of this is that you should never rely on being a legacy as guaranteed admission…Schools like USC, UVA, and many more reject lots of well-qualified legacies! College admission is extremely unpredictable…It’s so stressful. I’m also a legacy at USC, but this experience has really lowered my expectations. Trying to stay positive, though!
Yes… it is often beyond unpredictable. I recall a few years ago someone posting that he had been admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford but then rejected by both USC and UVa. While he should have simply been ecstatic about his options, he was instead upset by the perceived slight of being rejected by what he referred to as lesser schools. His argument was that both USC and UVa were practicing yield protection by rejecting someone that they predicted would not enroll if admitted.
A simple bit of advice to all future applicants… you cannot simply look at the stats being reported for those who have been admitted and draw any conclusion. You cannot project admissions, and especially not for the top thirty or so colleges and universities.
In 2017, my daughter made a matrix of stats, etc. for all 15 of the colleges and universities that she had applied to… and then crafted her predictions. She and I were way off when the final results came. For example, UVa (who admitted 27%) should have been a yes… Princeton (who admitted 6%) a no. The results were reversed. Every college makes its own subjective decisions.
USC routinely rejects 1000s of applicants with test scores in the 99th percentile and with unweighted 4.0 GPAs. So do HYPS and many other elite colleges. Each school does so because they are clearly willing to accept applicants with lower scores who bring other elements to their application package… like ECs, leadership roles, community involvement, strong essays, a compelling “Why _________?” reasoning, creativity, performance skills, URM status, FirstGen status, etc.
On Thursday, there will be many posts from surprised and excited applicants getting in who realistically thought they had no shot at admission to USC. There will also be posts from some who are shocked that they were passed over for those with lesser stats, etc.
I have said it many times… USC is looking to craft a diverse and well-rounded freshman class. That does not simply equate to pure scholars who make straight As and excel at standardized tests but do not somehow impress those reviewing the application packets enough in comparison to others. Some assume too much and just go through the motions when applying. Trained eyes can spot such. Maybe its a natural result when applicants are applying to a large # of schools. They may have failed to impress upon Admissions their underlying passions, etc. There will be 1000+ applicants admitted of the 7000 or so who may not have super stats but excel in other demonstrated ways. Something about their admission packets shined. And none of us can judge such. We are not in the room reviewing tens of thousands of applications and comparing them to each other.
To this year’s applicants. You have waited this long. Do not pre-judge. Simply wait and see. I am highly confident in USC’s ability to evaluate all of its applicants fairly and holistically. If admitted… congrats - USC is a great option, if financially feasible to attend. If not admitted… it’s not the end of the world. It is simply a #s game, and this time it did not turn in your favor. But you will overcome and excel regardless.
Good Luck
@WWWard Well said! My son has great stats by my standards but not “perfect” but I never felt that would keep him from having a shot at the top schools. He is motivated and passionate about music composition and that shows in his coursework and ECs. It used to be that kids were encouraged to take all the ECs they could and as many different leadership roles as possible. From what I’ve read and heard, that’s changed these days - more impressive to find your passion and demonstrate how you have excelled in that area. Best to focus your passion and talents vs being all over the board - as I heard one admission counselor from Stanford say as she compared a music student who dedicated their passion/talents to another student who took leadership roles in just about every organization the school had. She saw the value in focusing on one or two areas and questioned just how much time and value you bring when you spread yourself so thin by dabbling in everything. Basically saying they can tell when kids are padding their scholastic resume
These are all great points. I think the point is that college admissions is as much of an art as it is a science. And judging art is a very subjective process…some viewers might love one piece of art, and others might prefer another. Such is life.
IMO, the lack of predictability justifies a student’s decision to apply to a lot of schools, because you just never know. And the higher you aim, the more schools you might need on your list in the hopes that just one of them will be the one in which the reader appreciates your personal “work of art” enough to say yes!
I do think the relationship between a students’ stats and acceptances, particularly at the more competitive schools, is overall pretty linear but there are still TONS of kids that fall at the top of their ranges that do NOT get in because there simply weren’t enough spots. This is a point that people often miss and what can be so deceiving about looking at stats for top schools as a way to judge you chances of being admitted. Yes, maybe having a score in the upper range gets you past the first cut, but you need to know you are one of many. I also think that in some ways, it’s like a lottery that encompasses a bit of randomness at times. Admissions counselors do their best, but they aren’t perfect and I’m sure at times a few good ones fall through the cracks. With that said, I agree that the admissions counselors do their best to be as fair and holistic as possible. But they are only human.
My guidance counselor was supposed to demonstrate my interest to USC in january and now told me he forgot (classic public school guidance counselors). I emailed my admissions counselor yesterday (Saturday) to let him know that USC is my dream school and my guidance counselor forgot to reach out. I know decisions come out on Thursday so do you think it will be too late to be considered?
@fd1676 Thanks. Yes… you are exactly right I believe. They seem to prefer seeing a single passion with greater depth and commitment in that one area vs the shallow shotgun approach spread out among many ECs. It used to be the quest to find the well-rounded applicant. Now it is the goal to craft the well-rounded class by filling it with a multitude of interesting and potentially unique applicants, each with their own passions and/or talents. It also makes it easier to write about a single obvious passion versus an essay that seems to lack focus. Applicants need to “move” the readers of their application packet in some manner to stand out in such a crowded field.
@collegemomjam Yes… and I do not see the trend changing. In our case, it was mainly due to USC not having an EA or ED offering. If they did so, and if my daughters had gotten in early to their top choice, there would have been no need to apply to 17 and 15 just to be sure you have solid options in hand by May 1st.
Hey, has anyone received any forms of communication from the university recently? I sent an 800-word email to the admission counselor responsible for my region last week and haven’t heard back ever since. Is this a common thing for USC (you know, it has tons of applicants) or did I send this email at an inappropriate time?
@hongyizh
Calling the office myself a couple of days ago, the office is going to be extremely busy for the next week with decisions. Also USC doesn’t respond on the weekends if I remember correctly when I contacted my councilor in January. I wouldn’t expect anything immediately, and no matter what it wouldn’t change your applicancy since decisions have been made for so long now. What were you messaging them with 800 words? They may not even look at it being that long since they need to get decisions out this week. Sorry!
Bump
Last year, the first boxes arrived on March 22nd, and the portals updated on the 23rd. That sort of equates to a mailing on the 23rd this year (if it was going to happen), and with portal updates by around the 25th. So, in reality, it’s not much of a delay this cycle in terms of portal updates. It might have just been the 25th otherwise.
And then on that date, USC admissions Twitter account posted that merit scholarship decisions will be available “early next week” - so likely the Monday or so after. If the trend continues, merit decisions should post circa Monday, March 30th. Hopefully sooner.
Did you all receive portal update that says no mails but portal updates only for decision day?
On https://admission.usc.edu/ … it says:
First-Year Applicants: Admission decisions will be available in the USC Applicant Portal on Thursday, March 26. We will notify you via e-mail when your decision has been posted.
Transfer Applicants: Watch your e-mail for status updates. Applicants will receive either an admission decision or a request for spring-term grades by May 31.
And on Twitter, it says:
First-year applicants will be notified of their admission decisions on March 26. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, decisions will be online only.
Mine says no emails-
@WWWard thanks!
Never mind. My bad