chance me for USC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

Hey everyone! I am a rising senior looking to apply to University of Southern Californias business school. Specifically I would like to know my chances at receiving one of their full / half tuition scholarships !! please let me know

UW GPA: 3.95
Weighted GPA: 5.2 or 4.4 (my school has 3 GPAS I never know which one is which)
Class Rank: 7 out of 550ish
Sidenote: I go to a poop public high school thats rated a “-B school.” is this going to look bad on my application??? that I only look good in comparison because im surrounded by mediocrity???

SAT- single sitting 1420, superstore 1480 (will NOT be sending)
ACT- 33 C (R 35, E 35, M 30, S 30) — 34 super score (R 35, E 35, M 32, S 32)

AP’s: im 8/9 on passing AP exams.
calc AB - 2
bio - 3
capstone research - 3
capstone seminar - 3
enviro - 4
us history - 4
world - 4
lang - 4
human geo - 4
Do I submit all of them??? or only 4 + ???

Subject Tests: Taking math 2 in august for the first time (only going to send if 780+) should I take one more???

Senior Course Load:
AP Macro
AP Micro
AP calc BC
AP Stats
AP Lit
AP Econ/gov
2 classes online at the University of Florida (B.S. electives)

ECs:
MAO all 4 years (math team)
NHS sophomore-senior year
Peer Pals all 4 years (club for kids with disabilities)
DECA all 4 years - won state awards all 4 years, international qualifier all 4 years, top 20 international finalist junior year
Debate all 4 years
Co-founded Launchx program at my school
Founded “Fostering the Future of Finance” - organization that teaches kids aging out of the foster care system financial literacy

Work:
Worked from 2016-2018 at math franchise Mathnasium
Summer of junior year held paid internship with Bright Star Credit Union working in the operations department (worked on fraudulent checks, subpoenas, loan applications, etc)

Volunteer:
Buddy sports 6 years (local organization that helps disabled kids learn how to play sports)
Coached Recreational Basketball Team of 7th graders for the city of Coral Springs
Head Sports Specialist at Camp Jenny (organization that sends inner-city Atlanta kids to sleep away camp over Labor Day weekend)

Leadership:
Debate co prez junior year, co prez senior year
DECA VP of activities senior year

Essays:
refuse to go into detail here but it is supperrrrrrr unique and demonstrates what I’ve learned at 3 major points in my life to form me who I am today and I am looking forward to writing it

I guess thats it! So I am applying to UPenn ED and really hope to get in. After that I am applying to 10 other schools: Cornell, NYU, UVA, Boston College, Babson, UF, Emory, Duke, Northwestern and of course…Harvard. I know I don’t have a lot of safeties (Babson, UF and BC) but I am 100% content with any of those especially cause I want to go to grad school lol

2

In terms of getting “Chanced” for USC, it is virtually impossible for others to predict what may or may not occur in your specific case. With an admit rate now of only 13%, and with 3K+ applicants with test scores in the 99th percentile among those not gaining admission, your success will instead likely depend on too many potential factors for anyone to correctly evaluate… making predicting admission nearly impossible.

I suggest reading an excellent thread on the topic from the beginning…

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1558825-what-are-my-chances-read-this-first-p1.html

I also suggest reading through the following very helpful insider’s guide to USC admissions…

https://tfm.usc.edu/a-guide-to-uscs-college-admissions-process/

Good Luck…

3

According to our counselor, USC is big on demonstrated interest, so show the college lots of love, visit, open emails, correspond with the university, etc. it’s a reach school for everyone.

Can you afford all the colleges on your list. You say you are looking for merit at USC but applying ED to UPenn? How are you going to afford it if you get accepted?

4

tbh, merit chances at USC are slim in general statistically speaking. Last year, they said they turned away 3000 students with 99 percentile test scores - meaning they were not even admitted, yet getting a scholarship. There are plenty of 4.0uw/4.6+weighted gpa students with 34 ACTs not getting in. Then add things out of your control like race, geography, URM, opening in that major, the school, etc., to the mix. USC is looking at more than APs and test scores, USC is truly holistic - meaning the whole package has to ring. Just to be real about how competitive it is…

What all this means is apply broadly and find some safeties, especially if needing merit.

5

Don’t worry about the “poop” school. The SAT/ACT will tell them pretty much everything they need to know. Your college list is reach-heavy. Even with BC and Babson, they may be a statistical match, but they’re both a financial reach. UF is currently the only school on the list that’s not a reach school. UF is a good safety school, but stranger things have happened. Just in case there’s a rip in the space-time continuum, it would be good to put a couple more, like FSU and UCF on the list.

6

Hey, while you academically stand average/above average relative to the new batch of incoming freshmen (I know you have great stats and I don’t mean to demean you in any way, but at 13%, so does everyone else.) While around 3000 kids with 99th percentile test scores were rejected, more with lower scores were. Less than a 1450 won’t cut it at Marshall, especially if you want to get a scholarship. I would aim more at 1500+, closer to 1600 to maximize chances.

However, I believe your EC’s are strong to a certain degree (with the international DECA and stuff) and you definitely can use that to, at least, get accepted to Marshall if not secure a full ride (the essays matter a bit more for the scholarship tbh, everyone has amazing EC’s and grades and test scores during that round).

Overall: I don’t think you, statistically speaking, will have a problem getting into USC Marshall. The scholarship on the other hand will be hard. From my school, 38 people applied to USC, 5 were accepted (kids that got into Berkeley EECS and Oxbridge and other such global top 3 programs) but only 2 got a scholarship - I got the full into Marshall and my friend got a half into Viterbi (Ps: I was still waitlisted at Stern and Wharton (after ED deferral) (both for finance) so you can imagine the level of competition inherent)

Additional advice, take it or leave it: Don’t apply ED to Penn, ED/EDII to Stern. I know it’ll feel like you missed out if you get accepted to Stern, but the odds are against you. Look at Vandy and Georgetown too if you want to, they have good recruitment into finance.

Best of luck.

7

@jayrrr What full did you get?

8

my undergrad is covered. im good for 250k worth of school.

9

@joerbnsn, unless you are fortunate to be one of the 4% to get offered significant aid (like Presidential half tuition or Trustee with full tuition), and assuming you are one of the fortunate 13% to be admitted to USC, count on about $320,000 full pay if coming from out of state. S was admitted this past year and the sticker price was easily close to $80,000 per year when factoring in travel, housing, tuition… Agree with @jayrrr to consider applying to Georgetown. Great school. Unfortunately, S did not get in, although he was waitlisted. Don’t agree with jayrrr that it “shouldn’t be a problem getting into Marshall at USC”. Acceptance rate was around 13% last year, so it’s a big challenge for anyone who is one of the 50,000 applying! Good luck.

10

Son was accepted to USC with NM scholarship of half tuition only. He did win National Merit.
If you know anything about California, then you also know how expensive the living expenses are.

The other half of tuition and room and board was on us. Our son had other options that were better, so he didn’t choose USC.