Chance me! USC

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>So USC has been my #1 for a long time now, ever since scholarships came out around January and I didn't get one (I really didn't expect to) I've been so anxious as to my chances at USC so i was hoping someone with some information would be able to chance me, so here's my information</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.46 (really low)
W GPA: 4.26
Class rank: 41/424
ACT: 34</p>

<p>SATII:
Physics: 660
US: 680
MATH II: 690</p>

<p>My Common app essay was quite good, ill say probably a 9 out of 10 if not a full 10
Talked about losing my brother to a reckless driver, about moving to a new city as a result of his death, and taking on new challenges to honor his memory.</p>

<p>My USC essays were alright, i'd give them a 7/10
Talked about my desire to pursue electrical engineering as a result of my passion for music and electronic music equipment, (I build guitar amplifiers in my spare time)</p>

<p>I applied as an engineering major</p>

<p>Currently enrolled in all Honors/AP/IB courses
Full IB Diploma candidate, Taken 6 AP Courses total and 5 IB (most available at my school)
Scored 3's on AP physics, US, and Euro
3 on IB physics (super average test scores)</p>

<p>Water polo player at my school for 4 years, 2 years on varsity
Swimmer for 4 years, 1 year on varsity
MUN for two years, currently Secretariat with a position as a novice trainer
Took a Johns Hopkins Intro to Engineering course over the summer and got a B</p>

<p>Member of South County Saferides Club for two years, President this year
We go out on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM giving drunk teenagers a safe ride home.</p>

<p>I would say i had a pretty good shot if it wasn't for my unweighted GPA, its extremely low at 3.46, i've taken nothing but the highest level of classes available for all 4 years and sad to say i've gotten more B's than A's, I have 1 C on my record from my junior year of math. I had nothing but straight A's my freshman year then sophmore year i kinda had a drop, its been steadily improving over time, my weighted GPA went from 4.4 freshman, 3.8 sophomore, 4.5 Junior year, and 4.53 First Semester Senior year. As you can probably guess my unweighted grades have been pretty even with B's and A's. So pretty much my grades have stayed pretty constant letter wise, i just keep piling more AP/IB courses</p>

<p>If i could get a chance for UCLA that would be nice too</p>

2

<p>I’m very sorry you lost your brother. Many post here thinking that a tear jerker essay is the key to college admission. Having been on a top school admissions committee, I often feel the need to correct these threads. The most powerful college essays are those that tell a school about you and what you’ll bring to their campus-not something tragic about your life. Good luck with your schools.</p>

3

<p>I would agree with you, however i don’t think you can rule out an essay just like that. The essay prompt explicitly asks about a person who has a had a significant impact on your life and i can think of no other person who has had a greater influence on me than my brother. I assure you that the essay is not me moping over his death for 500 words. Additionally, i didn’t give my own essay such a high review solely because i think a good sob story gives good chances, i genuinely think it is very well written and does tell a lot about myself.</p>

4

<p>I think you’re in for USC, but UCLA is a toss up. It’s HELL getting in there, unless you’re in state. It’s good that you have AP’s-that makes a 3.46 look a lot better.</p>

5

<p>I’m in the same boat as you, waiting to hear back! Based on your whole resume, I’d say you have a good chance because they don’t just look at your grades. The fact that you took the most challenging courses available helps make up for that.
Good luck, and maybe I’ll see you there next year!</p>

6

<p>Wow…I’m applying to USC under engineering and we have shockingly similar stats. I also have a 34 ACT and played water polo and swam. My UW is 3.81, W is 4.03. I feel like your essay will make up for your low UW, and your test scores are higher than the 75th percentile. I’d say good shot at USC, but UCLA is more number oriented, so that might hurt you</p>