Waiting for April 1
It’s an interesting time of year. My friends and family know not to call me right now because I will ignore them so I can stay immersed in your essay or finish tracking down your transcript. At this point, all our first-year application deadlines have passed, and we are reviewing applications all day every day. And, now that you’re on the other side as a first-year applicant, you may be looking forward to your last semester of high school, spring break, and hearing back from all the colleges to which you applied. Hopefully, you’re not spending a large amount of time stressing out! But I do know that some of you will continue to worry no matter what because waiting is the worst. You’ve just spent months hustling to get everything together to apply, and the change in pace can really drag on and hold you up (especially during this really challenging year). So how can you use your time more effectively as you count down to the day you’ll hear back from USC?
Do watch your email for communication from colleges. At USC, we are in the process of requesting Fall grades from many of our applicants. If you want to be proactive, go ahead and send your mid-year grades to colleges now. We also send notifications if we are missing something in your file, such as a transcript or test scores (if you are choosing to report them). These notifications will also be posted in your USC Portal.
Don’t panic if your admission counselor doesn't respond to your email right away. We are getting tons of emails right now, so I encourage you to check out our other blog posts, the admission website, your USC portal, our other social media and so on. You can also check out askUSC, which has answers to over 800 frequently asked questions. You may find what you’re looking for immediately! Remember, we are still reading applications and we want to make sure each one gets our full attention. Of course, we will eventually get back to you!
Do continue to work hard in all your senior year classes! The college you attend will request your final high school transcript to verify that your academic performance remained consistent after your admission.
Don’t compare your academic achievements, extracurricular involvements, etc. with other applicants. Many colleges (such as USC) use a holistic admission process, which means we consider a variety of factors when making decisions. Just because a student may have “stronger” quantitative factors than another student does not mean they necessarily have a better chance of being admitted.
Do relax and enjoy your senior year! In a matter of months, you may be leaving some or all of your friends and family as you begin your college career. Take advantage of this time. Your first day as a college student will be here before you know it.
Don’t feel like you have to know where you’re attending college right NOW. Even if your friends/parents/teachers are pressuring you. You’ll get all of your college acceptances by early April and have until May 1 (the National Candidate’s Reply Date) to decide where you want to go. It can be tempting to fall in love with the school(s) you were admitted to early, but give the process time to play out to ensure you have selected the right choice for you.
Finally, remember you can do small acts of kindness to make your community even a little happier. There were so many people who got you to this point, so you can:
Support your friends: If you're anxious to hear back from colleges, it’s likely your friends are too—so don’t feed the beast! Distract them (and yourself) from the college process for a while. (I recommend binge watching every comedy you can find on Netflix). When you all start hearing back from the colleges to which you applied, cheer for their triumphs and comfort them through their tribulations.
Thank your counselors and teachers: The people who really deserve thanks are the counselors and teachers who spent so much time advising you, editing your essays, and writing you fantastic letters of recommendation. Now that your application is in, write them a nice thank you note or pop into their office to catch up. Just let them know you appreciate their help in this process.
Also, as a refresher, here is the breakdown of our First Year Admission timeline:
I hope these few recommendations help during this time - we’re proud of all the work you’ve done, and you should be too!
Cheers to you!