Concerned Junior In High School!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am a junior at a very competitive high school in the Bay Area. I would like to go to USC, but I am concerned that I might not get in next year. </p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Male - South Asian (Indian)
San Jose/Cupertino, CA
Competitive Public High School</p>

<p>Freshman Year GPA: 3.00 (no APs/Honors)
Sophomore Year GPA : 3.33 (weighted, 1 Honors class)
Junior Year 1st Semester GPA: 4.0 (weighted, 2 AP classes)(projected)
Junior Year 2nd Semester GPA: 4.0 (weighted, 2 AP classes)(projected)</p>

<p>When you combine my Sophomore Year classes and Junior Year classes my GPA is only ~3.6 weighted. :/</p>

<p>Tests:
I'm planning on taking my SAT subject tests on Chemistry and Math Level 2.
SAT: 2000
ACT: 33 (taking again in January, maybe a 34?/35?/36?)
PSAT: Results in December. (NMSQT?)</p>

<p>ECs:
-FBLA 2008 (5th at Regionals, 2nd at States)
-Eagle Scout
-Indian Club Treasurer
-Co-Founder of Entrepreneurship Club
-Sophomore Year Class Vice President
-School Webmaster (Takes photos and videos of school events and manages school website)</p>

<p>I'm trying to excel in FBLA and get a lot of awards to show my commitment to the club. I have a good chance of becoming an officer in FBLA Senior Year. I am also hoping to be ASB Treasurer next year. As you can see my ECs are in mostly related to leadership and business.</p>

<p>Right now, I'm not too worried about my ECs and Tests, but a 3.6 weighted GPA isn't the best GPA. I will be taking summer courses online and at community colleges, but according to my calculations these extra classes will bump my GPA up to 3.9 at the most, weighted.</p>

<p>I am working on raising my GPA, but what else can I do to increase my chances of getting into USC?</p>

<p>Sincerely,
Concerned</p>

2

<p>Any input is greatly appreciated!</p>

3

<p>I don't know about your chances but just a couple tips:</p>

<p>-USC does count Freshman year.
-USC looks at unweighted GPA (in concordance with the schedule of classes taken.)
-Take a look at the latest Freshman Profile.
<a href="http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2008v3.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2008v3.pdf&lt;/a>
-Search this forum for lots of useful info- especially a thread from last year's acceptances to compare your stats and ec's to those who were accepted.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/454785-stats-only-usc-official-decisions-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=stats%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/454785-stats-only-usc-official-decisions-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=stats&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Maybe retake the SAT (2100+), your ACT is good enough.</p>

<p>Does your school rank? And UW GPA is more important than W GPA. They can tell the rigor of your classes by the level themselves as well as your rank.</p>

<p>Your GPA would only be lower if it's unweighted, but that can be overcome with an upward trend in grades.</p>

<p>Your ECs are fine. They show you're dedicated to business.</p>