The Waiting Game. The countdown to mailing decisions that are final on and I’m sure all our first-year applicants are wondering… what’s taking so long?! It takes a lot of manpower and hours to see 47,000 applications and we desire to give every application a review that is fair order to create the amazing, well-rounded, diverse, and successful Class of 2017. Let me pull right back the curtain a little and show you why it requires us many months to finish this process… Since USC uses a holistic way of the admission process, we have been committed to reading and re-reading every piece of this application. You know those answer that is short you responded to? We read those. That task summary you filled out? Yup, every activity is read by us, company, and experience you listed on there. I want to get to know you- your interests, your perspective, and most of all, hear your voice come through when I read an application. This technique takes some time thought you are as a student and a person as we try to understand how your academic performance, test scores, writing, involvements, and recommendations come together to paint a fuller picture of who. The admission office might appear is—but it only runs as smoothly as it does through the use of multiple checks and balances throughout the process like it runs like a well-oiled machine on the outside—and it. We contact pupils when we’re missing a piece of the application form and once we need more information such as mid-year grades. We check with the scholastic departments throughout USC and consider their views on applicants and pay attention to their recommendations. Most of all, we rely using one another to simply help us see applicants in a different way or pick up on something we didn’t initially see. It’s an incredibly collaborative procedure and it takes time. This is a difficult process for our office, as well at the end of the day. There are many qualified applicants that we do not have room for every year. It’s never effortless making these tough decisions, but I find comfort comprehending that our applicants could have many college that is amazing the following year irrespective. I think We talk on behalf of our office that is entire when say we are pretty excited to finally find a way to shout out to the world, here’s the incredible USC Class of 2017! As well as in only a couple weeks that are short we—and numerous of you—will be able to do just that. Grades, Guidance, and Goliath: Confessions of a Director Dad The blog post below is from our very Director that is own of, Kirk Brennan. He shares with us the struggles to be a parent of the college that is prospective as well as having a leadership role in higher education. Understandably, juggling these two roles is incredibly delicate. Thank you, Kirk, for sharing your understanding of what our moms and dads undergo in this stressful time!   This coming Monday will mark the eighteenth anniversary of this day my wife (whom you may remember) delivered our first youngster. This particular year — the one in which that child is applying to college — feels like my first day on the job though i have worked in admission for 22 years. Exactly what a strange way to view my job: through the eyes, and through the home of a prospective student. I had numerous disillusioning observations this year. I saw that tours of very different schools sound the same, that college marketing materials look alike and even say the very same things, and how a number that is small of companies vendors appear to drive this process for many schools. I saw that a tremendous amount of the student’s impression of my university is maybe not controllable, and I had been specially disheartened whenever my very own student, after feeling proud to receive a mass-mailer from a college, quit reading some of them only days later, and even felt anger as she sifted through them. At USC plus in the admission occupation in general, we strive to be helpful, many full days I’m unsure how much we’re helping ( and I also welcome your suggestions at admdir@usc.edu). What strikes me more than any such thing may be the psychological roller coaster of the senior year. We ended up being saddened to watch mundane events of life magnified to become critical pieces of a puzzle that result in college; a grade regarding the quiz that is tiniest prompts a crisis, or a choice to relax one afternoon sometimes appears as a prospective deal breaker for college admission, consequently career, then life time delight. Then there is the list; therefore colleges that are many consider, will she love these schools, did she miss a much better fit, and may she even get in at all? Then filling out the applications, especially the anxiety behind responding to the least important concerns on the applying (we discussed ‘What’s my counselor’s job title?’). The temporary respite of doing them was soon replaced by confusion on the lack of communication as colleges read. Now the decisions are coming out the grand finale of the trip — one day she gets in and feels great excitement for her future, another this woman is turned down and feels useless, as if judged harshly by strangers. Learning and growing are hard, and many turns in life will be unpredictable, but surely I can’t be the actual only real one ready for this ride to end. From the ground I have watched this roller coaster several times, and such trips tend to result in the way that is same; with our children enrolling in a college they love. Yet we riders still scream, also feel terror that is real down the mountain as in the event that safety pubs will not assist; normal reactions, if utterly irrational. We still love rollercoasters (Goliath is the best), and I think I shall enjoy this ride. I’ve grown closer to my daughter, and now we have all grown closer as a family. I’ve seen my younger daughter console her older sister. We all cherish the time that remains in this phase of our family life, we will share together while we avoid the question of how many more meals. There are many hugs, tears, pats on the rear, and scoops of ice cream to soothe the pain sensation, yet great hope for the long run. I look forward to this ride finishing, but I imagine when it ends, just like Goliath, I will be excited to get back in line to ride again today. I sure hope so, anyhow: my youngest is counting on it.