Only 6 AP’s by Junior Year: Spanish, APUSH, BIo, Calc AB, Literature
Extracurriculars:
Vice President and Co-founder of Crops of Love Art Club, an organization that feeds tens of thousands of Africans for the past 3-4 years
Held annual art exhibitions at museums for the past 3 years, raising money and awareness to aid the people in Africa.
Math tutor and mentor for an academy for the past 3-4 years, totaling over 250 hours.
Secretary of my Spanish club for 2-3 years
Treasurer/Vice President of my MUN club for 2 years
started a non-profit system where people over Southern California, collecting up to $3000 for 4 years
Other volunteer activites from a variety of organizations (PAVA, Habitat for humanity, Midnight Missions), did not collect too many hours so I wont go too deep with that. Wont put as it isn’t significant. only 30 hours total
Went to the Art Center College of Design for one summer.
visited Malawi, Africa. Helped feed and teach children for 2 weeks.
Volunteer: over 600 hours
Extracurriculars: over 800 hours, most are art related and school clubs.
Awards:
Congressional award from the former congressman in my community for service.
Two congressional awards from the congresswoman in my community (3 in total)
President’s Award (Gold) for service.
Outstanding Academic and Leadership award from the council that oversaw the schools I participated in at Malawi.
National Honor Society Member
Letter of Recs:
My physics teacher is very close to me and will write a good one.
Congresswoman knows my record for service and knows me. Plus, she asked me what she should write to highlight my rec even more. :DD
Average: Math teacher who knows my success in her class. Got 100’s in both semesters.
Average: APUSH teacher who knows my struggle in history, yet I applied myself and ended with an A.
Essays:
I’m not the strongest writer, but my UC ones was pretty good. I’m average, but for USC, I’m making sure they’re perfect. My CA is done and 1/2 my supplements are perfect. On standardized tests, I write well but I’m lowering my expectations as I’ve read samples that are way better than mine.
Financial issues: my family is low income (40-50k). Need lots from USC.
Other: I’m an Korean male living in Southern California at a Christian school. I have been improving since freshman year, and I want colleges to know that. I know they see my grades, but please acknowledge that I did most of these stats in sophomore and junior year.
In state for California makes you eligible for California grants. I think your chances are better than 50%. Do the interview, and see what happens. Good Luck!!!
@ikim, you are still eligible for in-state funding from the Cal Grant program because you are a state resident.
Make sure that you fill out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), as well as your CalGrant application. The Calgrant application is separate.
I am giving you the link. Lots of students make the mistake of not filling it out, or not getting it done before the deadline. The funding is pretty good if you are eligible. Plus, it will cover your UC schools. It is ONLY available to California residents. Turn it in BEFORE March 2nd, 2016.
Can you even get an interview now? I checked a couple of months ago and they where booked on campus and across the US.
P.S. Yes you had to apply by December 1st to get SCHOOL scholarship consideration.
P.S.S You’ll get in
@“aunt bea” thanks so much!! I completed my FAFSA, if that makes sense. Its all ready to submit but thank you for letting me know of this opportunity!!
@socalistudent tank u!
im not looking for a scholarship tho, just FA. I know im not qualified for a merit scholarship, lool. And Im not sure about the interview but school is in session, so I will find out.
Fill out the CSS profile. It is for institutional aid, and since USC claims to meet 100% of need, you could get a good amount. I don’t know how much you’ll get, and maybe all the given aid is loans, but if you are a lower income family, it is always good to try and then see the financial package when it comes. It does cost money to send the CSS ($25 for the first school, I think), but maybe you can get it waived?
Good luck!