@allisonfiedler hi! thank you. yeah my college counselor thinks i have an excellent shot in the march decisions, but I think kids who have gotten scholarship offers in january from my school have typically been in the top 25% of both grades and gpa compared to the usc class profiles. My SAT is great and not an issue, but my GPA isn’t quite as good. im frustrated but no point in getting my hopes up for the scholarship round. it will hopefully be worth the wait! i wholeheartedly believe that USC’s admissions are legitimately holistic, and i love them for it. i have gotten bad vibes from the admissions at other schools on my list, which sucks. only makes me love usc more. i wont be eligible for financial aid and i can still go without merit, but im just eager to find out 
thanks for the response and congrats!!!