<p>I was just wondering, how much does USC weight the essay (short 1000 char paragraph response) compared to everything else-grades, test scores, ecs? Is it more like the UC's where good numbers + ec's will basically get you in, or more like ivies where good scores + excellents ECs are a MUST and then whether or not you have an amazing essay is the deciding factor?</p>
<p>I have good grades and test scores (all A's, 7 APs so far, 6 more this year, class rank 5/over700, 2300+ SAT score, 750+ subject tests, etc..) and really strong EC's (wont list it all here...lots of big leadership positions, prestigious internship, etc), National Merit, AP scholar...I'm saying all this because I want to know with all that in mind, how heavily will my essay be weighted? I wrote kind of a "decent" essay-not very great, just basically answers the question and that's it. I was hoping my stats + that would be good enough for USC (I'm applying to a lot of top private schools which are highly unpredictable of course, so I was hoping that I had a good chance of getting into USC as one of my high targets).</p>
<p>Can someone look over my essay or just tell me with all this in mind, is a decent/basic response okay? Or does USC look for all of the above + an excellent essay as well, like the Ivies? Also, I'd appreciate feedback on whether the response I wrote is ok or needs a lot of improvement.</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>