But you keep saying you singed something for UC. So it makes this chain truly confusing
We signed paper which was sent from UC . First it said congratulations and suggested to apply UC . And requested to sign if UC schools can our transcript beforehand. We signed and returned it to counselor. Counselor said that every year UC sends this form.
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And this form is for ELC eligibility calculation.
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Yes. Buy the way, why do we talk about UC schools? I talked about USC. I don’t care UC i talked about USC admission counselor .
I didn’t understand why did you talk about UC school. I talked about USC.
Time to move on. Please take conversations regarding UC schools to a UC thread.
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If something significant or truly noteworthy occurs after applying, you can always let your assigned admissions officer know via a direct email to them. I would not overwhelm them, as they are very busy. I would limit it to one short and sweet email with the update and, if applicable, do so by mid-February. I would copy the admissions email for the USC School that houses the first choice major. And, if true, I would reiterate your sincere continuing interest in USC. I.E. - if USC remains your top choice… let them know. Both of my daughters did exactly that.
Admission Counselors - Undergraduate Admission (usc.edu)
Good Luck…
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@CADREAMIN knows better than I do, but I think last year was the anomaly. In the past, early admits found out their merit scholarship status well before RD decisions.
Last year was the first year for EA. Previously, they admitted scholarship candidates early, but there was no official EA application deadline.
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Even though USC doesn’t want LOCIs, is it ok to do what you said if there is a major update/achievement?
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It’s clearly your own decision to make. I am aware that USC - as the #s of applicants grew astronomical - started stating that they did not want to receive LOCIs. But, I am also aware of the countless times that USC Admissions officials (including the Dean of Admissions) made it very clear that the best way to let them know that USC is your top choice is to simply tell them… in your application, in person and/or even via email. So, each applicant really needs to decide for themselves. Clearly, the vast majority of applicants will face rejection. Should that unfortunate decision come for you and without you having told USC what you wanted them to know, can you live with that or not? This is your one shot… so decide how important it is to you to share that major update/accomplishment. My daughters both did so. They each also told USC that it was their top choice and that they would attend if admitted. Both were eventually admitted and then attended… and now each has also graduated. In their cases, they felt compelled to reach out that one more time directly to their assigned AO. Good luck with your own decision… and eventual outcome 
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I will add that, last year, USC admissions specifically told applicants who had been deferred from EA not to send in additional material. We wrestled with that, but abided by the request. There was simply a link or form to click if one wanted to continue being considered, but that was it.
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My two cents is that if there is a major update/achievement, I would shoot an email to your admissions counselor and let them know. I would keep it short and sweet. Maybe something along the lines of being proud of this accomplishment and that you feel that that it would help make your application more complete. I would do it soon as EA decisions are due out this week. As @legacymom1 mentioned, at that point, they don’t want additional information from applicants.
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Last year USC specifically stated that they didn’t want any additional information. I would follow what the school has stated.
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I agree that before EA announcement is the time to update the AO and not after.
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maybe because COA is $90K this year…OUCH! USC isn’t even my daughter’s top 5 with that price tag.
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If you apply EA in order to be considered for merit scholarships and you get deferred on 1/19 does that mean you are not receiving any?
It means that you would not be considered for the Trustee (full tuition) or Presidential (half tuition) merit scholarships. Some Deans (quarter tuition) scholarships are awarded early. I’m not sure if all of them are or just some. Note: If you are NMF, this doesn’t apply to you.
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It means you are not receiving the larger school-wide scholarships including Trustees (full tuition), Presidential (1/2 tuition), Deans (1/4). There are other departmental scholarships or outside scholarships applicants can apply to, but they don’t come close to the big ones that will be given to those accepted in the EA pool (except for the elusive Associates scholarship which is $18k and no one that I know who received it knew why they got it! (10 or less of those.)
And remember there are very few scholarships overall statistically speaking!
Approx 900 of the 2400 early admits will be invited to interview - so 37.5% of that group. But if you use 80,000 applying, you see how it is a teeny tiny number.
Of all the interviewees =>
Chance of earning a scholarship is very good.
Approx 50% will get Presidential
Approx 20% Trustee
Approx 20% other scholarships like Deans etc
Students who are admitted EA will receive an email update about merit scholarships on January 30.
post edit - @lkg4answers cross post!
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@CADREAMIN Do you know if all of the Dean’s scholarships are awarded in the EA round?
@Jenni49 Every year there are people who post that they were pleasantly surprised how generous USC’s financial aid offer was. Unless you didn’t submit your FAFSA/CSS, I would wait until you have all of your information before making a decision.
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They were all given out to EA pool, they made it clear last year for first time. (Versus the some early some late/maybe not routine of years past.)
Here’s the info that was posted by USC:
Merit Scholarship Process
Our merit scholarship program is a bit complicated. We considered EA applicants for merit scholarships. The deferral notification also informs students that they will not be moving forward in the competition for our Trustee, Presidential, Deans, and Leadership scholarship funding (see the exception below for National Merit).
- Roughly 900 students will be invited to proceed to the next phase of consideration for our top awards: the Trustee and Presidential (full- and half-tuition) scholarships. Their next step is to schedule their scholarship interview via their applicant portal. After interviews, final scholarship decisions will be released in late March.
- 200 students will be notified of the receipt of a smaller scholarship like our Deans Scholarship and Leadership Scholarship.
- All other admitted students will be notified that they are no longer being considered for the above mentioned awards. Students can still apply for other scholarships found on our
- Any applicant who is named a National Merit Finalist, offered admission and selects USC as their first-choice institution, will receive a USC Presidential Scholarship worth one-half tuition. This cannot be stacked with other merit scholarships awarded by the Office of Admission.
- Scholarship decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
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