A question for anyone whose FAFSA was received by colleges, mine says processed but colleges will take a week or more to receive it. Once that is done, do you see the option to correct the FAFSA ? I am hoping it will, since once that option is open, we need to add USC to the list 
, not sure how long that will take.
If you were admitted to USC this year… first of all, congratulations on your admission. You will hopefully have a tough decision deciding among a number of solid options.
In my opinion, the 3000 or so that do decide to enroll at USC by May 1st will be making an excellent choice. As an USC parent who sent two daughters there, I have been extremely impressed over the last 10+ years in terms of all the things that USC does regarding internal communications with their student body, external communications with parents, financial aid, all of their various online portals and a host of other services. They do seem to be a very well-oiled machine in almost all regards from my family’s perspective.
But what really sets USC apart is the wealth and abundance of offerings and opportunities. They offer a staggering array of majors and minors and have an insane amount of student organizations and ways to get involved. It is an elite private university, but it has the offerings of a major public university in terms of the entire spectrum of things one might expect at a much larger university… including academics, athletics and the arts. USC is quite frankly only limited by an individual student’s effort and imagination. It can be morphed and molded into whatever form of college experience you are seeking.
As someone who went to JHU , I saw firsthand how many elite private colleges and universities are limited in terms of that overall college experience. Colleges like Hopkins, UChicago and even the Ivies have their challenges on that front. I wanted much more for my daughters. I did not want them to resent the final college decision after making it. There are other elite private colleges that more closely mirror the overall experience possible at a place like USC… Stanford, Duke, Northwestern and Vanderbilt , for example. But to me and our family, USC still stood apart. And thankfully, the post-college experience looking back at USC has remained that way for my daughters who graduated in 2018 and 2021. The Trojan Family/Network is real and likely among the strongest and most robust alumni networks globally. Fight On! 
I would suggest that those admitted take a look at the Niche College Rankings too… comparing USC and other colleges and universities using some of their rankings, metrics and measurements. It offers a different perspective from other rankings. The Niche Rankings and Grades are mainly based on survey results from past and current students and faculty, and they delve into a number of areas that really highlight the topics that will most impact you once there as an actual student on campus.
For those curious… the last time I checked, its grades were: A+ for its Overall Niche Grade… and then by category: Academics A+, Value A+, Diversity A+, Campus A+, Athletics A+, Party Scene A+, Professors A+, Location B+, Dorms A-, Campus Food A-, Student Life A+, Safety B.
But here is likely the best indicator… USC was ranked #1 out of all U.S. colleges and universities surveyed in terms of “Best Student Life” overall. If you can have that… a quality student life experience… and not suffer any limitations in terms of offerings or opportunities and still attend an academically elite private university, why really look anywhere else…? College is after all a four year commitment. You might as well be content and happy for those years if at all possible.
But, I also get that USC is not the right fit for everyone. And USC - like any college or university - also needs to make sense financially for the family making the decision. But, if affordable, I highly recommend USC. In our family’s case, the financial aid offerings made it so… so we remain extremely grateful to USC for that.
If possible, visit in person. Explore USC for yourself. And ask lots of questions. If not, USC.edu and YouTube offer an abundance of videos and virtual tours. Research your chosen program thoroughly online. Research the USC catalogue extensively… University of Southern California - Acalog ACMS™ (usc.edu) . You will be astonished at the extent of the info available. And it will help to detail all that is possible at a place like USC.
Good Luck to all of you with your final decision…
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Such a positive and helpful message, thank you so much. Right now, USC is number one on my student’s list, just waiting to hear from a couple schools tomorrow. Originally, he wanted to go far away from Southern California to have new experiences, but despite having lots of excellent choices in other states, he is really leaning toward USC. I really appreciate all this extra detail you provided.
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My son’s only rejection, too, pending tomorrow’s outcome.
About Transfer Trojan Program:
Is it by invitation only?
Does everyone who was rejected get this in their decision letter?
Is there any eligibility criteria for applicants?
Also for a successful transfer through TTP at sophomore year, which is a favored route, transferring from a local CC or from a 4 year university?
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Usc was our student’s top choice for the last year because of all these things!
Sadly, even though she had a 4.0/35/NM/captain of everything/1000 CS hours/etc, she was rejected. 
None of this makes any sense…
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I’m sorry about the USC disappointment. Congratulations on the Berkeley acceptance! Will you have a Golden Bear in your house? 
Sorry about the rejection.
And to all those rejected by USC, please just focus on the positive opportunities elsewhere. USC is clearly a great option for college, but it is also only one of many potential pathways to greatness. There are literally scores of elite colleges and universities out there, and many of them can serve as an equally valuable foundation for your eventual success.
I have made the following statement each cycle, as I believe it to be very true…
Unfortunately, rejection does come along in life. It’s what you do next that matters most. Steven Spielberg desperately wanted to attend USC SCA… so much so that he tried three times to gain admission. He was rejected all three times. And now there is a building bearing his name within the SCA complex. Bryan Singer tried and was rejected by USC and SCA. He tried a second time and got into USC but again not into SCA. He then succeeded as an internal transfer on his third try. Persistence can also pay off.
Many have faced rejection to their dream schools. In my day, for me… it was Harvard… but Harvard saw it differently. Harvard also rejected Dr. Harold Varmus twice. He simply went on to win a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Harvard also rejected Warren Buffet. They surely would like a do-over on that one.
Every year around this time, it is important to remember that rejections need not control our lives. And with the way that things have evolved… with the Common Application making it far too common for high school seniors to apply to 10+, 15+ or even 20+ schools, those rejections are bound to add up. My older daughter was rejected by 12 out of 17 in 2014. But these rejection letters are not true assessments of student aptitude or ability or the quality of an application. They are simply the natural evolution of a cruel #s game.
USC could have clearly admitted tens of thousands of quality applicants this year. They are instead stuck with the arduous, unwelcome and nearly impossible task of only picking a few thousand out of a field of tens of thousands. They will even have to reluctantly disappoint 90% of all legacy applicants.
As Warren Buffet says in the article linked below: “The truth is that everything that has happened in my life…that I thought was a crushing defeat at the time, has turned out for the better. A temporary defeat is not a permanent one. In the end it can be an opportunity.”
If you did not get into USC, hopefully you will find your place at another great option. But clearly many have faced disappointment. Many will have not gained admission into their dream school. I wish it could be otherwise.
Here’s a link to an excellent article on the subject of those who went on to great success after facing such a similar set-back as aspirational high school seniors aiming for that dream school scenario…
Before They Were Titans, Moguls and Newsmakers, These People Were…Rejected
Some of the biggest names—Warren Buffett, Ted Turner and Nobel laureate Harold Varmus—were once rejected by the school of their dreams.
Good Luck on making the best possible decision on where to attend by May 1st…
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My son was rejected. I just got an email saying congratulations on your acceptance to USC. I know it’s a mistake bc I double checked portal. Wonder how many got this email. Really annoying.
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Daughter is accepted to Marshall AI for Business major, this is a new major and we can’t find much info other than the school website. She also got into Haas. We are OOS so it’s full pay both. We are weighing the options. If anyone has experience with either one please share your comments. Thank you.
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Same. It got my sons hopes up temporarily which was pretty cruel. It looks to be sent to those who subscribed to the Admissions Blog. Very poor job letting that email go out.
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We got that same email
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Maybe! Trying to decide between Berkeley and NYU!
USC is a private school, so it’s not OOS for USC, it’s just the cost of private university. Haas is part of the UC system, so yes, that would be considered OOS.
I will repost the “Why we went USC” after having kids get into UCLA and UCB as well and you can see if any of those resonate with you…not selling, just offering what was important to us at the time. Good luck with the choice!
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I had two get into UCLA and/or UCB in engineering (and USC). And another in a liberal arts major and a USC athlete (no brainer, USC all the way on that one). Lots of kids, lots of money on college, so we were really looking, it wasn’t just a USC or bust approach at that time (except for the athlete). UCLA is gorgeous and a great school, no question. UCB has an amazing reputation, (although not a fan of the campus or Berkeley), but for us, it all came down to a few key factors that pushed us to USC:
- We like private education. Did public schools up to high school then went private. So we learned the difference there and liked what we paid for.
- Being able to change majors (nearly impossible at some publics) and the ease to double major and/or add a minor. One of mine changed majors 5 times (yes 5 times, her advisor knew her well). But it wasn’t till that 5th one that I got the call with tears of joy, knowing she was now in the right major (and now works in said industry). My biggest fear was for any of mine to spend 4 years in a college (and that we were paying for) and stuck in a major they didn’t really want to be in. Two double majored and one did major and minor. Not everyone goes to college knowing what they want to be. I wanted them to be able to explore and if they found a passion, be able to go for it.
- The Trojan family network thing - it is real. Connections matter when they get out. I just wasn’t that familiar with grads from some of the other schools actually helping each other out. They didn’t have that family helping family feel that went beyond the four years. Every one of mine uses and has very close Trojan connections that have been amazing from watching a game together with alum they just met when across the country or getting a job and everything in between.
- California is crowded and fighting for resources is a daily struggle, didn’t want my kids having to do that in college (getting classes, lunch, opportunities with profs, etc).
- We found the cost wasn’t as big a difference when factoring in being assured you can graduate in 4 years (versus paying for more for another year at UC) and bonus of getting 2 majors or major/minor, which can be done (when well planned for) at USC.
- And last one, sounds dumb (and helicopter parent kind of thing) but it was big for us at the time, including my student. Housing at UCB is meh and apartments for upperclass years are awful. Room mate selection was random at UCLA meaning my studious engineer could be placed with two, let’s call it “more party type” major students (no judgement just different). And having to leave room to study seemed a pain. USC had great room mate matching (worked fantastic) and limit 2 to a room in most dorm situations.
But gosh oh golly, all those are great educations and experiences, we just wanted the bit more flexibility that we felt we could get at USC, and believed it was worth paying for. It was. And I do still enjoy getting the fight on sign when traveling somewhere in the world or driving on some interstate when we have something USC visible on us or the car. Little bonus.
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Last comment, if it’s of interest to your student, I would be jumping all over the BUAI major. USC is amazing at identifying relevant new majors and graduates seem to have big advantage in those areas of specialization coming out of USC. Mine did one in CS and it was insane how ahead of the curve he was at graduation.
If it ends up not being their cup of tea, the flex at USC will allow then to move into another area of business super easy - visit to the counselor, except for Leventhal Accounting which has some steps to take. Or even majors in other USC schools, or add a minor…
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Luckily my son is still asleep so I texted him so he doesn’t go running to the portal. And I blocked that blog! lol
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Ya that is awful having incorrect emails go out - way too much on these fragile hearts right now.
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We are also debating choosing USC, UCLA or UCB. Food & housing is another factor in my son’s choice. May I know USC provides 4-year on campus housing or only 2-year? I know UCLA has 4-year housing.