This morning I found myself listening (and singing very loudly) to Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker’s Runnin’ Down a Dream. While this is not a unique morning, the lyrics struck me differently today as I thought about all of our applicants and their families. We are currently finalizing admission decisions for first year applicants and are just about ready to release them which seems like the end to a very long process that has seen its highs and lows.
The application process that you all have been involved in, or for that matter, the growth you’ve accomplished from middle school until now is an exciting and fast moving process…
It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin’
Trees flew by, me and Del were singin’ little Runaway
I was flyin’
Yeah runnin’ down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin’ on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads
Runnin’ down a dream
I felt so good like anything was possible
High School happened. Almost as fast as that last sentence, it’s about to be finished. What seemed to be a HUGE undertaking four years ago, is about to become a memory. The future of your college and adult years is promising, exciting, and more than just a little scary. Nothing went “perfect” in high school, and I guarantee continuing imperfection as you continue working on the mystery.
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes
The last three days the rain was un-stoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine
Yeah runnin’ down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin’ on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads
Runnin’ down a dream
I rolled on as the sky grew dark
Next week is a big week for anyone who has applied to the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. For the incoming class of 2015 first year students, the university received over 50,000 applications with 10,000 of those being specifically for the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. All of us involved in admission at USC have worked hard to carefully review your applications, read your stories, and best understand who you are. The academic strength of your applicant pool is matched only by the intangible strength of your passions and interests outside of the classroom. But, this is where the bad news comes for the overwhelming majority of you…
We are unable to offer admission to all of you. In fact, it is looking as if our admission rate this year will be the most competitive ever. While nothing is official at this date, you should know that we are expecting our final admission rate to be around 17%. More than 80% of you will be receiving bad news from us… and that doesn’t necessarily mean you are unqualified or we “don’t like you.” We are not looking to increase the size of our classes, and as such, we are forced to offer admission to a smaller group of students each year.
I put the pedal down to make some time
There’s something good waitin’ down this road
I’m pickin’ up whatever’s mine
Yeah runnin’ down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin’ on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads
Runnin’ down a dream
But, we aren’t there yet! USC will mail (via US Postal Service) official admission decisions on March 24. We will not release an admission decision over the phone, so please do not call. Please start checking your mail on March 25th. We realize that not everyone may be able to get the decision quickly… so, you can also login to http://you.usc.edu on March 27 starting at Noon (PDT) to check your status online.
No matter what the news from USC may be, I know this mystery of a process leads you to a successful future. Based on your applications to USC, I can say with confidence you are all quite amazing. You will all go on to great schools, study hard, and build accomplishments of which you haven’t even imagined yet.
This dream you are running down will have its twists and turns, the sky will grow dark every now and then, but it all leads to something good.
——————-
PS – seriously, if you don’t have this album in your library, do yourself a favor and download Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits. Perfect accompaniment to life’s transitions.
