Visiting LA/USC for spring break...but might not know my admission status yet.

thegroogruxking · January 21, 2011, 6:29pm

So my parents surprised me a couple of weeks ago and said that we are going to LA for spring break. My dad booked the plane tickets yesterday, so I guess it is time to start planning.

I am an applicant for the class of 2015 and I applied by the 1/10 deadline. My spring break lasts from like 3/24-4/4 and we are leaving 3/26 and coming back on 4/3 I believe.
And apparently right around the time Im leaving for LA, an admission wave of acceptances is going to come out (looking at threads from last year). I live in Ohio, so the mail will take a couple of days to get from LA to Ohio. So I guess what Im trying to say is, I might get in and not know it by the time I get to LA. Or I might get rejected, which is always a possibility, Im not exactly a slam dunk.

3.8/4.2+ GPA, 2110 SAT (790 USH Subject test), Eagle Scout, Student Govt (Class Rep), Student Ambassador, grant writing for a non-profit, lot of service hours, MDA Camp counselor, AP class award, NHS, worked 1 or 2 jobs (at the same time) throughout high school, and a few other things.

So I feel like I have an ok shot, but you never know and I wouldnt be surprised at all if I get rejected.

So, I guess if I dont know by the time I leave for my trip (3/26ish), would they tell me my application status if I pop in to the admissions office? I know that they are extremely busy that time of year, but the wondering/waiting is going to kill me. I should probably contact the admissions counselor that is assigned to my region?

Oh and since I applied by the regular deadline, 1/10, the earliest I could find out is early March? Or is it middle/late March? Couldnt really tell from the threads from last year.

Ill have to look into scheduling a tour, and I looked up USCs calendar and it appears that USC is not on spring break while Ill be there, so that is great, see the hustle and bustle. About how long do the tours last? My poor sister was dying during the Michigan tour/info session, but Im sure my mom and her could find something to do (shopping) in Southern California.

What else should I do if I want to soak up as much as I can of USC in a short amount of time? Probably only going to have a half day, maybe 3/4s of a day to spend on campus, so I cant spend that much time there. But it should be enough.

Oh and any other advice/tips/things to do in Southern California? It sounds like we will spend a night in Vegas and take day trips to Santa Barbara and San Diego, so that will probably leave us with about 5/6 days in LA. Looks like there is soooo much to do.

Thanks, I know this post was all over the place haha.

alamemom · January 21, 2011, 10:16pm

Can you have someone check your mail while you are away? They don’t have to open it, the acceptance package is very recognizable as such - just tell them if the acceptance package comes to tell you, and if a rejection letter comes to pretend it didn’t. Then you can continue to enjoy your trip!!!

It was a long time ago, but I recall the tour being a 1/2 hour or 40 minute walk around campus, and then a session with a representative from the school in which you are interested (CLAS for undecided). About 2 hours-ish? Maybe someone who took the tour more recently will remember more clearly.

Sounds like a fun trip! Good luck!!!

Georgia_Girl · January 21, 2011, 11:56pm

King,
Be sure to contact SC in advance and book a tour. My suggestion is to take the tour of the School of Cinematic Arts, even if that is not your major. There is so much history of SC’s involvement in the film industry. As one visitor-not an SC alumnus-described it “jaw dropping”. It is necessary to book that tour ahead as well.

There is much to see in greater Los Angeles. Try to visit the Getty Museum, Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. Another great museum is the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.

Shopping is an experience on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Other shopping areas of interest are Old Town Pasadena and The Grove.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown was designed by an SC alumnus. It is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

If time permits there is Universal Studios, great restaurants, Griffith Park Observatory, Paramount Pictures, Autry National Center …and the beaches. A drive to Orange County will take you to Disneyland.

Have fun!

ahughes01 · January 22, 2011, 12:18am

king-
i visited sc during my spring break last year, and the tour was about an hour and a half of walking around campus. as i recall it got really warm, and i found myself miserable in the heat after about 30 minutes (im from washington state, so im not used to it) so be sure to wear something comfortable. definitely make an appointment beforehand so you are sure to get into a tour, however last year i signed up for one and ended up moving to a tour about an hour earlier than planned- they’re very accommodating. also, i don’t think your family will have time to leave campus and so something, then come back for you, sc isnt really in the most attractive part of town. however, the tour is very enjoyable and engaging, so hopefully they’ll be able to stand it! the campus is beautiful and it really is magical, as cheesy as that sounds. enjoy your time there, and good luck getting in! i will be in that boat with you, my letter of acceptance/regret will most likely be arriving while i am in maui on spring break :/

norcalimom · January 22, 2011, 12:30am

We just toured over Christmas break and the USC tour is 90 minutes, with a small lecture presentation first. We followed it with the SCA tour which was about an hour, although I think that varies a little depending on who give it. We caught horrific rain so everything took a bit longer and I think the USC reps were making up for it by being especially gracious and accommodating by answering extra questions, etc. When you book online you can select the extra “school” tour you want to include because not all schools tour every day you can pick the day that includes the school you’re most. interested

thegroogruxking · January 22, 2011, 3:40pm

Thanks guys!

alamemom, that is a pretty good suggestion. I’m happy about this trip because someone on the UVa forum said that it would be a good idea to have someone else watch the mail and for that week stretch in late March/early April and line up your college letters so you can open them/see them all at once. He said this was good in order to avoid the emotional roller coaster in case you get rejected from a couple schools in the first couple days.

Our neighbor will be grabbing our mail and he could probably call us if(hopefully!) I get a fat envelope from USC while we are on the trip.

Thanks for the recommendations Georgia Girl, I’ll have look into them.

Thanks for the info about the tours guys. I guess my sister wouldn’t mind too much, but some of the info (not the actual tour) sessions are a drag.

Thanks again guys!

wildandyoung · January 29, 2011, 6:46pm

It probably couldn’t/wouldn’t hurt to stop by admissions while you are there.

Have fun in LA, is it your first time?

thegroogruxking · March 3, 2011, 11:07pm

Ooops, sorry, forgot about this.

Yep, first time to LA. Been to CA briefly before (drove around in the desert by the AZ border haha)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, we are pretty much finished planning the trip, but I have a few questions.

How accessible is Heritage Hall? I know this is where they keep all of the Heismans and National Championships, but this is also where the football locker rooms and coaches offices are, right? I’m assuming I can’t just walk up to Lane Kiffin or Ed Orgeron’s office haha. I am assuming this is worth a stop if I am going to be on USC’s campus (I’m a big CFB fan).

Not sure if I’m going to take a tour yet…My dad miscalculated the value of our investments or just flat out forgot to tell me about some of them when I was filling out the FA calculators. So I am not anticipating much FA, or not enough for that matter. Bummed out about this, but…

There is still hope, however. I still am thinking about the military after college and have applied to NROTC and listed USC as one of my top choices. But the Navy has not gotten back to me on whether or not I have received the scholarship. But I should know within a month because the Navy says all decisions will be out by April. Fingers crossed.

So, if I get the scholarship before my trip(or I find out during, early enough), I’ll set up a tour and the whole nine yards even if I don’t know if I got in yet or not.

If I don’t get the scholarship… :(. Looks like the dream is over. I’ll still look at campus, probably see UCLA for the hell of it too.
But I hope it doesn’t get to that.

Thanks for the help guys.

Georgia_Girl · March 3, 2011, 11:43pm

king,
If you will be applying to UCLA from out of state the tuition and fees are comparable to a private university. In addition, you would find scholarship funds very difficult to receive. University of California branches are to serve California residents.

I hope your family did fill out the financial aid forms and followed alamemom’s suggestions. Investments can go up or down.

Good luck on the ROTC scholarship.

thegroogruxking · March 3, 2011, 11:58pm

Thanks GG

No, I did not apply to UCLA. I was under the impression that I would get some aid, so USC was always at the forefront of my mind. Plus I grew up watching the Trojan teams of the early/mids 2000s, so I’ve always favored USC more…but that will have no affect on my college decision haha.

I just mentioned seeing USC & UCLA, even if I can’t/won’t go there, just to see them. Two of the best academic and athletic institutions in the country just ten miles apart.

However, apparently UCLA recruits ROTC kids, even if they did not apply(I guess they would check to make sure the ROTC kids qualify academically). So, if I get the scholarship, but USC rejects me, I might cross over to Westwood.

But I have not verified that with UCLA, but it does make sense, given they love OOS tuition rates and need them now.

I have heard of a guy getting a AFROTC scholarship and Chapel Hill contacting him out of nowhere and offered him a spot. He declined and went to a different ACC school, but it is another avenue to look into.

Not really banking on that working out, but you have to look up every tree.

FA is going to be tricky and I’m not sure what is going to happen. My family inherited a lot of land and assets a few years ago when my grandpa died.

But, it’s more complicated than that, because they apparently did not receive the title or deeds to the lands or whatever(apparently it is very valuable farm land and a lot of it) until this year. There were some family issues with my aunt and uncle and I think that led to the delay, but I don’t really know all of the details and honestly, don’t care to know.

But, in a nutshell, looks like I won’t be getting much FA.

Thanks for the luck with ROTC, gonna need it heading into the final stretch!

QW553 · March 4, 2011, 2:51pm

King,

Heritage Hall is open to everyone, even during night. The trophies are in the first floor. You can walk up to Kiffin and Coach O’s office. You can also walk down to the basement to see the meeting room, lockers, and weight room. You will be impressed. USC is building a new facility next to HH, so it will be a lot better:) BTW, You can have lunch in Galan Center (immediately next to HH), where the players usually go. Are you interested in seeing the stadium? It is just ten minutes walk, through rose garden and museums.

UCLA campus is also worthy of visiting. It is gorgeous, but in a different way from USC.

Have a wonderful trip!

thegroogruxking · March 17, 2011, 8:25pm

Thank you very much QW.

That is great to hear about Heritage Hall, definitely going to stop there.

Yeah, it would be sweet to see the Coliseum, I think my parents are pretty interested too, they remember the Olympics and all that.

Thanks!

Visiting LA/USC for spring break...but might not know my admission status yet.

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