Digital Social Media Program UPDATES (6/15/17)
When perspective students are asking about the Digital Social Media graduate program, tell them the next available term is Fall 2018. Application guidelines will be posted on August 1st to notify of deadlines and requirements.
Scion Transfer Plan Counseling Through June 9th
Select undergraduate students who were denied admission for the 2017-2018 academic year were offered to participate in the Scion Transfer Plan. This plan is a 1-on-1 meeting with the students and a USC counselor that will help them select coursework at a Community College with the expectation to re-apply as a transfer student in the future. Scion eligible students were notified of their eligibility in their admission decision letter and can take advantage of the opportunity until the June 9th deadline.
Graduate Application Timeline (UPDATED 6/5)
All master’s degree applications are now closed with the exception of the Communications Management program, which remains open until July 23rd. Applicants must have all standardized tests completed and submitted to USC Graduate Admission prior to submitting an application. Please review the admissions timeline on the graduate applicants website for additional details for each program. http://annenberg.usc.edu/admissions/graduate-applicants
Change of Major Requests
Annenberg Admissions will consider change of major requests from newly admitted first-year and transfer students. Ask these students for their email address and forward them the following link to request a change of major.
https://annenbergadmissions.formstack.com/forms/change_of_major
Once the form is submitted, the student will receive an auto-response email of when they can anticipate receiving a decision.
Graduate Application Deadlines (UPDATED 8/15)
All graduate degree applications will open on September 1, 2017. Please review the admissions timeline on the graduate applicants website for additional details for each program. http://annenberg.usc.edu/admissions/graduate-applicants
Deferring Graduate Admission
We DO NOT defer admission. Applicants who have been admitted have the option of updating their application to be reconsidered for the next admission cycle. This is a one time option. There is no guarantee of admission, however most decisions are upheld. Instructions for updating:
Applicant should click on the statement of intent link in their decision letter on the you.usc.edu portal
Select the update option
Submit the form
In December, Annenberg Admissions will contact the applicant to confirm their interest in being reconsidered for admission.
Graduate Admission Decisions
April 1st has come and gone and there are still decisions that have not been released to date. If you receive calls from applicants inquiring about when they might receive their decision please inform them that the faculty admissions committee is still reviewing applications and we cannot provide a definitive date. We do appreciate their patience.
Commitment Deadlines
Graduate students must submit a commitment decision by April 30th.
Graduate students who have received a scholarship must commit by April 15th.
All Undergraduate students must submit commitment decisions by May 1st.
If prospective scholarship students would like to check their status they can visit: awardsdatabase.usc.edu
Graduate Application Deadlines Updated
Graduate Application deadlines have been updated on the Annenberg Admissions website. Applicants are encouraged to have test score results prior to application submission.
Public Diplomacy – April 2, 2017
Communication Management – April 5, 2017 (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only)
Specialized Journalism, the Arts – April 29, 2017
Specialized Journalism – April 30, 2017
M.S. Journalism – rolling
Strategic Public Relations- rolling
Global Communication – rolling
Freshman scholarship decisions are out!
Details:
This year nearly 32,000 high school seniors applied for admission in time to be considered for merit scholarships. USC Admissions is notifying this population of the status of the scholarship competition, as well as some additional points about remaining admission processes.
The bad news: On Wednesday night USC Admissions will send approximately 30,000 e-mails notifying students their application will not move forward in the scholarship competition.
The good news: 1,480 students will receive good news: an offer of admission, and opportunities for scholarships. We send admission packets via priority mail, and we send follow-up e-mails shortly thereafter.
Students who applied after the December 1 scholarship deadline are not notified of any status at this time. Other than routine requests for additional information, we do not plan additional updates to first-year applicants until late March.
Communication challenges:
This notification raises the level of contact from applicants and their families. Students and parents are often sad or disappointed, and conversations can be difficult. Expect calls volumes to rise soon, and be prepared to route them appropriately, as noted below.
Some common themes:
Is any space left? Though we have only issued approximately 15% of our admission offers, some seem to believe that spaces are going fast. It is appropriate to assure students we are still considering all candidates for admission, that no student has been denied admission, and thousands more admission offers will be sent in late March. We have much work to do.
No scholarship? Others may be confused about our decision to award no scholarship, or to award one worth less than they expected. Assure these students that the process is highly competitive, and based on both quantitative and qualitative factors. These can be difficult conversations, which we are happy to handle.
Routing to Admission
If you need to route a caller to the Offices of Admission or Financial Aid, there are several options:
The Student-Services Contact Center is a general service center for admission and financial aid. This office can be reached at 213-740-1111, or via e-mail at www.usc.edu/contactadmission.
Students may contact their admission counselor at www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate (click “admission counselors” in the lower right).
For sensitive or particularly difficult calls, feel free to refer calls to my office, at 213-740-6753 and we will route appropriately.
Please see Fern if you have any questions and route difficult conversations to the officer of the week or an admissions officer.
MUST READ: USC Graduate Admission Updates
Please read these carefully:
1) For students sending in e-transcripts from their institutions, please direct them to provide rtimmins@usc.edu as the email address to the vendor/institution.
2) We have recently updated our contact form and created a customer service portal. Students can now click on the “Ask USC” tab on our website (gradadm.usc.edu) to be taken to http://uscesd.custhelp.com/app/home. Here they will be able to select Graduate Admission under the “Filter by Area” tab and type in their question to find the answer. If they are not satisfied with the answer they are receiving, they always have the option to click on the Submit a Question tab and email us after making the appropriate selections. Please redirect all students to http://uscesd.custhelp.com/app/home. You are welcome to share this URL on your website as well.
3) We also have new protocol in place for submitting financial documents and passport copies. Please encourage your students to submit their financial documents and passport via the USC UniCAS application in the appropriate segment. This will ensure that the documents make it to the Image Viewer immediately and are reviewed in an expedient manner. Students also have the option to use this function after submitting their application. If they have already submitted these documents but have additional financial documentation they would like to send over they may do so via our website using the Ask a Question tab at http://uscesd.custhelp.com/app/home.
4) We have received several concerns from faculty and students about technical bugs related to Liaison’s recommendation portals. In most cases, these have been browser issues so please encourage students to ask their recommenders to update their browsers. However, users have also reported that in some cases the upload button is not showing up or the recommender is not receiving the email notification to submit the recommendations. We have made Liaison aware of these issues and they are working on improving the user experience. In the meantime, if students report such issues please ask them to contact Liaison’s Tech Support directly. In most cases, they will be able to help them resolve it immediately. Here is the contact information for Liaison’s Tech Support:
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday (9 am to 5 pm Eastern Time)
Email: uscsupport@liaisonedu.com. When contacting via email, please include full name, USC ID number and detailed question.
Phone Number: 857-304-2092
Annenberg freshman interviews are full
Annenberg freshman interview appointments are completely booked both on-campus and off-campus. Prospective applicants may visit the USC Undergraduate Admission website to see if additional interviews with admissions are available.
Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and Fall 2017 Grad App Guidelines
The application deadline for spring 2017 admission to MS Digital Social Media was October 28; the application is now closed. Applications are being accepted for all other graduate degree programs. Updated graduate application guidelines are now posted on the Admissions webpages and the Academic Program pages. The online USC Graduate Admission Application is open.
Online Graduate Applications
Each intern will be required to complete and submit a minimum of three online graduate applications for Annenberg degree programs. Additional instructions/details are in an email in the ascadm account titled “Intern Project – Do Not Delete’.
Updates to Publications
Please note that there are significant updates to the graduate and undergraduate modular pieces! Please ask me at the start of your shift and I will show you the difference.
This week…
Hope you had a restful weekend. This will be a busy week for our office! Friday is our largest event of the year: Grad Visit Day, and preparation is a massive undertaking. Believe it or not, a lot of it happens this week. There will be lots of requests coming your way from each of us (starting today), so the utmost attention to detail is essential and I need you to bring your A game to your shift.
I am officer of the week and will be checking-in each shift. Danielle is coordinating Grad Visit Day along with Sharif and Bridgette, so expect requests from them. Other things happening this week: the USC Grad Fair, Transfer Day, interviews, Meet USC, travel, and our day-to-day work.
Let’s all have a great week, and please check in if you have any questions. J
Voicemail Messages
Please remember to fill the entire note pad with as much detail as possible. That includes your name, time of the message, any organization or school they belong to, and to who it is for.
The officer of the week or any admissions officer can then reference with you if any questions arise.
On-Campus Freshman Interviews Added
Additional Annenberg on-campus freshman interview dates and times have been added. Please direct inquirers to the USC Undergraduate Admission website to schedule an interview. http://admission.usc.edu/firstyear/prospective/interviews.html
Cheat Sheet Updates
Hi interns!
The Cheat Sheet has been updated and posted on the intern boards. As a reminder, the cheat sheet contains the “quick” information for the degree programs (grad and undergrad) at Annenberg. Access deadlines, costs, averages for test scores/GPA’s, and so on. It is highly recommended you familiarize yourself with it. 🙂
Change of Major Deadline
For first year students and transfers entering Spring 2017, they may request a change of major using this form – https://annenbergadmissions.formstack.com/forms/change_of_major – to complete an online form. We can accept their change of major up until the Friday before the first day of classes. Decisions will be released within five business days from the date that the form was completed.