<p>is it normal for someone with a 3.79 UW gpa and 2270 SAT scores to get rejected from usc? i was really surprised to get a rejection because i thought it would be pretty easy to get in. i'm taking the most rigorous classes at my school (which is one of the best in the country) and i've got decent extracurriculars - piano, club officer positions, etc. my english teacher really liked my essay and my teacher recs shouldn't have been too bad (though i accidentally told one of the teachers the wrong deadline and had to ask her to do it a week before the due date).
so anyways, i'm a bit confused as to why i was rejected.</p>
<p>USC gives each application a holistic view, and their a private university, so to them, numbers aren’t everything. I’ve seen people get accepted with 1900 sats, and have seen people like you rejected, but it’s difficult to know why one got rejected, because to me, you look great. I’m sure with your stats, you were accepted into other great schools, and will thrive wherever. =D</p>
<p>Ditto ^</p>
<p>they look for a certain type of student that fits “USC”, not just any student. USC is rising in rank & in caliber, and people shouldn’t dismiss it as just a safety - it truly is a reach for many. my SAT is lower than yours, but they accepted me as a scholarship candidate because of my exceptional extracurriculars and passionate essay. i gave the process all i had, and i truly believe the adcoms saw that. best of luck with your other decisions!</p>
<p>yeah, i know usc looks at candidates holistically but the thing is, i got into ucla and stuff so i don’t get why they rejected me. and i know i have enough extracurriculars and most ppl really enjoyed my essay. oh well.
i mean, i’m not like really upset about it or anything but it was really unexpected</p>
<p>I got denied by USC too but I got accepted into UCLA and Cal (uc berkeley) for mechanical engineering. I really have no idea, but seems like i got rejected by almost every non-UC…</p>
<p>Now i’m really nervous…i live in socal and haven’t heard anything back yet…do you think i still have a chance for spring admits??</p>
<p>pineapple</p>
<p>Were you a National Merit Finalist…? </p>
<p>Just curious given that there seems to be an emerging trend of “denied” NMF applicants. Great way for USC to not have to meet their “half tuition” claim for these students. Caution for those in the future: do NOT buy into the USC half tuition claim. Look elsewhere, and don’t waste your time. Yes, they clearly funded some. But how many were denied (that were strong overall candidates admitted to many competitive schools)? Specifically ask them this question.</p>
<p>blab: wow! you got into cal for engineering but rejected from usc? that is really strange. i always thought berkeley and ucla were the better schools.</p>
<p>marina: no, i didn’t make NMF, only commended. and i thought half-tuition was for semifinalists and above?</p>
<p>yep…same here rejected from USC. looks like im going to Cal</p>
<p>^ that is ridiculous. you should have gotten in.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s fair to base one college’s admission process off of another’s. Just because a student is accepted at one does not mean he/she has to be accepted at another. Every school is different and looks for various kinds of people. You all should know by now that high SAT’s and stats don’t mean squat in today’s highly competitive college admissions process, if you do not have the passion, goals, leadership, etc. to back it up. Nor do higher standardized test scores necessarily mean you’re more qualified or more intelligent than a student with lower scores.</p>
<p>@OP
I’m not directing any of this specifically towards you, but I do think it’s ridiculous that people think you should have gotten into USC if only because you were accepted at UCLA. Private universities do look at applications more holistically, as thementor5 mentioned. Other factors are taken into consideration more often than at public schools. While you certainly seem qualified stats-wise, perhaps there was something USC valued in another student over you; though that does not mean you weren’t a valuable applicant as well.</p>
<p>With such competitive admissions for colleges today, the entire process does seem senseless at times; however, the only thing we can do is trust the adcoms to make decisions for us as to whether or not we belong at a certain school. They’re not always 100% correct, but they are more so than anyone else - who else knows their school better? The best we can do is to express ourselves within our applications as accurately as we possibly can. I sure would like to think that I (myself with all of my attributes AND flaws) was accepted, and not just some “good student with above average scores and GPA.” Know what I mean?</p>
<p>All in all, I know I can’t stop people from doing precisely what I oppose, but I thought I’d try to get a message across anyway. Even if you’re confused, don’t be discouraged! You never know - perhaps you may find UCLA a better fit. Needless to say, each individual is different. Best of luck in your future endeavors!</p>
<p>College admissions often make little sense. A few years ago S1 was waitlisted or denied at all his “low match” and “match” schools, but admitted by all his reach schools (one of which is a top 10 school).</p>
<p>Hi pineapple324!</p>
<p>First of all, congratulations on the wonderful high school record you put together! You are certainly a candidate any college would consider seriously.</p>
<p>The college admissions season is really a cruel time for a lot of kids - it truly hurts to be rejected. In some ways a forum like College Confidential makes it a bit worse with the “chance me” threads. The amount of misinformation posted on that section of the forum is really unbelieveable.</p>
<p>Of the more than 3,000 colleges and universities in the US, USC is one of the most selective. Every year the applicant pool becomes more and more qualified and ever larger. With approximately 36,000 applicants for the ~8,000 offers of admission to fill 2,600 freshman spaces, there are about 28,000 applicants receiving bad news this week. The vast majority of them are completely qualified for admission.</p>
<p>The one thing I notice in your case: USC is a school that seems to* like *applicants who like them. Looking at your past posts, you did not seem to have any interest in USC leading up to this week - your posts and questions are all concerning other universities (which is FINE! Students should apply to a list of schools to have options). Perhaps that disinterest was apparent to the admission officers. Or maybe they just already had filled whatever niche you would have filled with applicants who were also wonderfully qualified.</p>
<p>In any case, you are sure to have lots of wonderful options.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>MarinaOne,
You are completely misinformed about SC’s policy on National Merit Scholars. Please post evidence the admissions committee is targeting NMScholars. </p>
<pre><code> If the university did not wish to give out merit scholarships, why have they expanded their numbers of merit recipients in recent years? Approximately 20+% of students at SC receive merit scholarships. In the enrolled class of 2008-2009 there were 244 National Merit Scholars and 14 Achievement Scholars out of a class of 2766.
This year President Sample remarked the applicant pool was even more qualified. He stated the SAT scores in the pool were up by 10 points. International student applicants were up substantially. Keep in mind the vast majority of international students pay full tuition.
Last year posts were made on an alumni board about legacy seniors not being admitted with scores in the 2200s. Selective college admissions these days is a mystery.
</code></pre>
<p>These “It makes no sense that USC rejected me considering I got accepted to Berkeley/UCLA…” comments annoy me to no end.</p>
<p>Many seniors may not realize how competitive USC is these days. Entering scores for freshmen at SC are HIGHER than at UCLA. Last year SC’s law graduates passed the bar at a higher rate than either UCLA’s or Cal’s. SC’s graduates were topped only by Stanford’s.</p>
<p>These scores are from the 2008-2009 enrolled class as I have complete data.</p>
<p>ACT Composite for SC enrolled freshmen 28-33
ACT Composite for UCLA enrolled freshmen 25-31</p>
<p>Same scoring system used for both universities on ACT</p>
<p>Faculty student ratio UCLA 1/16
USC 1/9</p>
<p>SAT Comparitive Scores</p>
<pre><code> UCLA CR 570-680
USC 620-720
UCLA M 600-730
USC 650-750
UCLA W 580-700
USC 640-730
</code></pre>
<p>Faculty Resources Rank (From U.S. News latest rankings)</p>
<pre><code> UCLA Ranked 43rd
USC 25th
</code></pre>
<p>US News in the latest issue on National Universities ranked selectivity. SC was ranked 20th, UCLA was ranked 24th. </p>
<p>In alumni giving USC was ranked 7th. UCLA was ranked 107th.</p>
<p>I am REALLY impressed that USC is #7 for alumni donations. Do you happen to know why USC has received so many donations from their alumni over the years? Would a simple answer be that people who graduate from USC are happier with their education more so than Berkeley/UCLA students, thus resulting in USC graduates more likely to give back than other grads? NOT trying to say that’s actually the case, so don’t gang up on me haha.</p>
<p>Magic,
It is difficult to assess the reasons why SC alumni give so generously. As an alumna I imagine it might be for these reasons:</p>
<p>Family feeling
Strong alumni groups around the world to keep alumni in touch with the university
Merit scholarships recipients give later so others may have this advantage
Many newsletters, alumni magazine, e-news about the university
High participation in reunions
Development offices give personal attention to small contributors
Donors feel appreciated
Most alumni had positive experiences at SC
Alumni recognize rising reputation of the university
Huge numbers of Trojan families
Many alumni become extremely successful financially</p>
<p>Tradition of pride in the university</p>
<p>If I get into USC I will personally donate my limbs.</p>
<p>I think a true Trojan would donate their first born child.</p>