<p>midwestDad2, your son’s stats are excellent! The criteria for merit scholar consideration heavily weights such academic success, but the adcoms appear to be looking for an additional X factor. That’s where serious awards, special internships, and extraordinary accomplishments come into play. Each of USC’s Schools (Theatre, Cinema, Thornton, Marshall, etc) plus CLAS will be looking for special qualities that make a student stand out in their pool of admittees. For science majors, those who have done remarkable research and been published may be singled out; for arts kids the one invited may have had a play produced off-Broadway or some other big accomplishment. I agree with Sequoia who mentions the importance of the personal statement in communicating a student’s drive and leadership, and I also think those USC Schools that ask for supplemental material and apps, or auditions, weigh those heavily as well.</p>
<p>Each year, we USC parents on CC see many wonderful students get those precious Trustee and Presidential invitations, but also many more with equal-sounding stats who do not. Just as with admittance to an Ivy-level university, there’s a bit of the puzzle we outside viewers will never know.</p>
<p>My S in a Trustee Scholar in the SCA, so I can help with details there if that’s you S’s interest. Otherwise, best of luck and please post here if he does get an invitation!</p>