Easiest Major to get into

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>The original poster wanted to know how to get into USC with a projected GPA of 3.2. </p>

<p>I offered several possible examples of people who did not have stellar HS performances who got in to USC directly from HS or waited a few years and got in from Community colleges. </p>

<p>Period.</p>

<p>The problem with people reading threads is that by the time they are finished reading several peoples’ opinions, they become defensive. I stand by my original opinion… YES, he CAN get into USC. </p>

<p>So, now you take something else I said and examined it out of context. </p>

<p>“ I think if you really want to attend and do not get in the first year, you will have a much better chance sophomore year. Colleges are trying to keep up their incoming frosh stats to get better rankings on US News and World Reports list. It seems (my personal opinion) that many lower the bar for incoming sophomores.”</p>

<p>What I meant was that a high school student with a 3.2 GPA will probably not get into USC. He is competing against higher GPAs. HOWEVER, are his chances gone? NO. Even those kids with lower HS GPAs can STILL get into USC after one or two years at a CC because their HS gpas are no longer counted as part of the US NEWS rankings. If USC wants to accept a community college student with a 2.0 HS GPA, they can, (ie… lowering the bar) and it won’t hurt them in the rankings. IT IS TRUE! That is how the system works.</p>

<p>To infer anything else from this is just your opinion. I was not arguing with your opinion that a 3.5 in cc is just as good as a 3.5 at USC. I really don’t care. No one ranks College Frosh GPA scores. </p>

<p>Can a 3.2 HS GPA who spends 2 years at a CC (getting a 3.5 GPA) then continues on to graduate from USC with a communications major, have any chance of getting into Harvard Medical, Yale Law or Stanford Business schools? </p>

<p>Probably not. Let’s be honest here. </p>

<p>Can that same person go on to have a highly successful career and be fully happy in life? YES. The system is just a system. It does not determine whether or not you will be successful or happy in life. That is the point. </p>

<p>The original poster whose dreams will be fulfilled to just get a degree from USC can do that. NO problem. He just needs to find the back doors.</p>

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<p>lagunal, not exactly sure why you are continuing to fight here. But…context? “lowering the bar” actually means giving less qualified students a way in (you know: lowering), and not giving students a second chance to prove they are, in fact, just as qualified by earning high grades after high school. If that’s what you meant, then we agree. But there is no need to get so defensive. You can’t expect to post to a public forum and not occasionally have someone challenge or even misunderstand your point.</p>

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<p>Also, we should keep in mind that the original poster is only a sophomore, and realistically has plenty of time to bring their stats up enough that SC may not be entirely out of the question straight out of HS. Sure, it’s getting more competitive here, but with high enough SATs and great softs, and of course a higher GPA, who knows.</p>

<p>Any more input on what the poster can do NOW, rather than jumping to the CC conclusion?</p>

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<p>lagunal, I agree in the sense that I think it is definitely easier to transfer in to USC than it is to get in as an admitted freshman. </p>

<p>However, it should be mentioned that admission requirements have changed significantly in the last few years. When I had an interview for an alumni scholarship with two grads from 2005 and 2006, they mentioned that they honestly don’t think they would have gotten into SC if they applied this year. Based on what I’ve seen from being all over the USC threads in the past couple of months, I haven’t seen or heard of anyone getting into USC this year with lower than a 3.5 UW GPA. No one from my school got in with less than a 3.7 UW GPA, 30+ ACT, and we were all in the top 5% of our class. It is truly becoming a school that is quite difficult to get into. Is it still possible to get in with a 3.5 GPA? Absolutely. However, you’re going to need to show something to the admission committee that will convince them to take a chance on a student who has lower than the accepted average GPA.</p>

<p>My advice would be to do everything you can to portray a demonstrated interest in a major and the university. Definitely try to go to an information session in your city or on campus and see if you can network a little. Sign up for an interview so you can allow somebody to put a face with a name. Also, be sure to remember that if the school is truly the perfect fit for you, you can find a way to end up there one way or another.</p>

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<p>It’s not just USC, the UCs are also getting to be ridiculous to get into. Even Stanford’s acceptance rate dropped to 7% or something like that. </p>

<p>Maybe it is the peak birth rate from 1990. Maybe the US is finally stepping up with academics to keep up with the other nations. Maybe the wealth from the past decade saw an increase of family money being poured into education, camps, arts, sports, etc. so the “average” students’ credentials are now what was once considered awesome. </p>

<p>But it is competitive. The only other thing that I would add is to not get so hung up on just one university as a sophomore.</p>

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<p>sorry, i’m a little late to respond to this but comm is definitely not easy to get into</p>

<p>Number applied 1,876
Number admitted 326
Number entered 157
Average GPA (weighted) 4.10
Middle 50% SAT 1920–2130
Middle 50% ACT 27–31</p>

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<p>those are stats for freshmen admissions for fall 2007 from wikipedia (lol) but it shows</p>

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<p>Those Wikipedia numbers were not “Communications” majors. They were for the Annenberg School of Communication which offers undergrad degree programs in Journalism, Public Relations and Communications. Of the three, students (who had B’s and C’s in high school) got into Communications after a year in community college. It is perceived to be an easier track since those students didn’t have to rely on their weak high school statistics. The Wiki uses incoming Frosh stats, by the way (not transfer students from ccs). Not sure if those same students could have transferred into the Journalism degree program.</p>

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<p>Also, I’d like to see the statistics for students admitted to Annenberg this year. I would be willing to bet that the ACT range increased by at least one point if not two. Like, lagunal said, I believe that USC is never really a lost cause because if the fact that they seem to accept transfers easier than frosh. applicants.</p>

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<p>how do people pay their way in to colleges?</p>

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<p>Although I love USC for the location and the california weather and its solid engineering program compared to other colleges I got admitted, I have to say something. </p>

<p>For international students, financial statements really matters. You really can pay your way in if you are international. I saw so many unqualified rich international applicants got into USC with a <90 TOEFL and no SAT and <3.5 GPA. That is crazy for a top 25 college at US. Too CRAZY!!!</p>

<p>And I have to say, no other college in the same tier would ask applicants to submit financial statements. </p>

<p>That may explains why people always dont consider USC in the same tier as other top 25 colleges. USC just did so many odd things which are unnecessary. Just give some food for thought, no offense to USC.</p>

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<p>Have you considered that there may be more to these applicants than mere numbers? Unless you have read their applications, I do not think it is fair for you to judge them the way you have. Also consider that the education system is often different in different countries. For example, this GPA thing is unheard of where I come from.</p>

<p>Also, I’d like to say that USC is far more generous to international students than many other universities. Maybe this is just my experience, though. I submitted my application weeks after the deadline for consideration for financial aid and scholarships and received one nonetheless (i do not recommend doing this), even though I had demonstrated that I would’ve been able to pay my way through college. I find it difficult to believe that they’d be so desperate for money that they seem to be pretty generous with, that they would admit ‘unqualified rich international applicants’.</p>

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<p>@EEatPurdue: well, Harvard required me to submit my financial statements… So we can put Harvard and USC in the same tier, yes? :)</p>

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<p>@heybeautiful:</p>

<p>Harvard does need-blind admission even to international students. They never ask you to submit financial statements as a part of the application.</p>

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<p>@twaih7:</p>

<p>I know grades is not the only part of application, but it is a large part. No school at the same tier admits guys with a <90 TOEFL and low GPA. Definitely not. They are simply not eligible to apply to top 20 school.</p>

<p>The possible explanation would be that USC want to make money from the extra English training courses. These low TOEFL guys are required to take these courses.</p>