<p>I think class rank will be a factor for most schools. JHU has sent mixed messages though. This is what an admissions officer posted on Hopkins Insider:</p>
<p>[Questions</a> about GPA / Class rank](<a href=“Taiga”>Taiga)</p>
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bluebayou, you make this statement often, as well as stating that USC accepts high-scoring applicants with GPAs of as low as 2.89, though to my knowledge you have not provided any support for those statements.</p>
<p>As a regular poster on the USC forum for a few years now, I have not observed this to be the case anectodally via the yearly decisions threads. In addition, the freshman profile <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1112/USCFreshmanProfile2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1112/USCFreshmanProfile2011.pdf</a> reveals an average UNweighted GPA of 3.8 for accepted students, suggesting that very, very few students could be accepted with the GPAs you suggest and still maintain that UNweighted average. Would it be possible for you to provide any examples of the low-GPA admissions you say are commonplace? I would love to be able to give hope to some of those asking for chances, but all of my information gathered over the last four years shows that both GPA and test scores are important for admission to USC.</p>
<p>USC does attract a large number a NMSF applicants as a result of their offer of a 1/2 tuition scholarship to all accepted NMSF. NMSF does not in any way guarantee admission, however, and I have seen several posts from very disappointed NMSF applicants who were rejected from USC despite academic profiles much stronger than the 2.89 GPAs you suggest are commonly accepted. See post #136 here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1074764-usc-fall-2011-stats-only-decisions-10.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1074764-usc-fall-2011-stats-only-decisions-10.html</a> for one example, and I will be happy to produce several more if you have an interest.</p>
<p>Thank you for helping me by providing examples to support your statements - I work hard to try to provide accurate information to the posters on the USC forum and appreciate any supported input you can offer.</p>
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<p>Huh? I can’t remember ever posting or “suggesting” that a <3.0 could get into USC. (Indeed, I have absolutely no idea how low 'SC will dip into gpa for high test scores.) Nor have I posted that every NMSF is an auto-admit. I have seen plenty of anecdotes from high scoring ~3.5 students who were accepted by USC (but rejected by Cal & UCLA, as well as other top schools). We had one last year at our HS who was even rejected by UC Irvine, but was admitted to USC. </p>
<p>It’s a fact that USC buys high test scores with tuition discounts to NMSF’s. (Nothing wrong with that, since its their money!) </p>
<p>re: post 136: Legacy, female applying to engineering? On numbers and gender alone, she would appear to have been a competitive candidate at most colleges. But as you know, poor essays/recs can sink an otherwise good candidate.</p>
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In this thread, <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1224515-horrible-grades-sub-3-0-good-test-scores-2350-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1224515-horrible-grades-sub-3-0-good-test-scores-2350-a.html</a> , you made the following recommendation:
to an applicant with a 2.89 GPA.
Could you link me to these anecdotes? As I said, I would like to give hope to some of the USC board applicants, but the only examples I can find are of audition-or-portfolio-based admissions to USC schools such as Thornton and SCA. As you can see, applicants to Viterbi face a different situation.</p>
<p>Again, thank you for linking me to supported information.</p>
<p>Exactly my point in that <3.0 thread. I never posted that the OP would be accepted. I just suggested that the OP should “look” to schools which place a high(er) priority on test scores. Indeed, the OP’s only chance at a top school was to apply to a one which likes high test numbers. (Having some chance, albeit small, is better than no chance with gpa-focused colleges.) USC was just used as an example of one such school that places a high priority (and $$) on test scores. </p>
<p>My anecdotes are just that, my anecdotes (based on observing the experiences of several local SoCal high schools with who I volunteer).</p>
<p>Thank you for the clarification that you are unable to support your statements with links.</p>
<p>Deciding on which colleges to apply to based on whether or not they look at your h.s. freshman grades seems like a rather unusual way to choose a college.</p>