<p>USC has been my dream school for a while, but my grades went from just a few B's here and there to almost all B's junior year. I'm in a rigorous humanities magnet program which i realized was not a good fit for me but i decided to finish it out. I probably took too difficult of a course load junior year partly due to required magnet classes. (junior year: AP BC Calc, AP Lang, AP World, AP Art History, Chem, Physics, Spanish 5). I'm hoping to turn the downward grade trend into a positive- i challenged myself in a program that focuses on my weaknesses all while maintaining a rigorous course load in subjects i do enjoy: science/math.) Do i have any hope?</p>
<p>major: biomedical engineering
female from MD</p>
<p>ACT: 32; 35 math, 31 english, 32 reading, 29 science. i took this again in December and i know i did better in at least science.
SAT: 2020
GPA: 3.65 unweighted, 4.45 weighted</p>
<p>school does not rank
i'm in a rigorous humanities magnet program- ironic seeing as i'm interested in engineering, but could show i'm well- rounded/ challenge myself?</p>
<p>Varsity Soccer 2 years
Hip Hop Competition Dance Team 2 years
Dance 5 years
club soccer 8 years
national honor society 2 years
mu alpha theta 1 year
rec volleyball 2 years
regular volunteering: tutor 2 hours/week for nhs, acolyte at church, sunday school & nursery assistant at church, week long mission trip to rebuild homes of low income residents for 2 summers
about 200 hours total
jobs: dog walking & babysitting around the neighborhood</p>
<p>ap's: bc calc 5, ap lang 4, nsl 4 (failed ap world & ap art history and i canceled them)</p>
<p>senior year schedule:
AP Bio
Multi-Variable Calc & Diff EQ
AP Lit
AP H. Geo
Honors Forensics</p>
<p>I have so far been accepted to Georgia Tech EA.</p>
<p>You look like a candidate, and I’d say your strongest points are your ACT score and that 5 on calc BC. Unfortunately, there will be applicants with those stats in addition to better grades and more AP’s, so I’d say you’re competitive but not a guarantee. Your list of extracurriculars shows you’re involved, but that’s kind of a dime a dozen.</p>
<p>It looks like you have a decent sense of well-roundedness to keep up with everyone else, but you need something special to set you apart. Schedule an interview and write an amazing essay, and I stress this essay part. I had all the good grades and stuff, but when I was interviewed for my scholarship they noted my essay and spent 90% of the interview digging through it. They also threw a few questions here and there about the volunteer work I did, but much less. </p>
<p>Also, I don’t know how hard it is to get into Viterbi conventionally, but I am transferring from economics to computer science, and the advisor said it was virtually a guaranteed process as long as I maintain B’s (which isn’t that hard in intro engineering classes), so I don’t think that route is too hard either. I have a similar math/science background as you, which she said made it easier to transition. You could consider this route as well (declaring in the general College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences), perhaps as your second choice major. </p>
<p>If all else fails, USC accepts a large amount of transfer students, and you can transfer after only one year.</p>
<p>For now I would just focus on finishing strong in your classes, and raising your test scores if you can. Good luck and don’t fret too much – whether or not it’s USC, you’ll find a college where you fit in!</p>
<p>Moderately competitive. Weak SAT/GPA. Wonderful extracurrics though, not gonna lie. And hey, I feel like I came from a somewhat similar boat as you (2170/3.64). Best of luck.</p>
<p>But if you do get it, based on your extracurrics, I feel like you’d be a great fit for the SC social scene.</p>