Fall 2015 (class of 2019) USC DECISIONS STATS ONLY THREAD

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
61

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: 12/1 lol **

Date decision postmarked/received: Postmarked 1/23

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi, ChemE (Presidential Scholar, though that’s a given for finalists)

Objective:
-SAT I: 2390 (800M, 800R, 790W, 11 Essay) second sitting, sick for first
-ACT: 36C (36E, 36M, 36R, 36S, 12 Essay) one sitting
-SAT II: 800 MII, 800 Chem, 790 Phys, over two sittings
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96 (3.97 Midyear) (4.44 Weighted, 4.51 Midyear)
-Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 2% (Top 1% Midyear) class of ~600
-AP scores: AP Chem 5, AP Span Lang 5, AP Human 5, AP Euro 5, AP Eng Lang 5, AP Macro 5
-IB scores: IB SL Chem 7, IB SL Span 6, predicted around 40/45
-Senior Year Course Load: (Full IB diploma schedule) Band, IB SL Math (School doesn’t offer HL Math, or HL Chem for that matter. SL is pretty much Calc AB), AP Comp Sci, IB HL Bio, AP Micro, AP Govt, IB HL English, IB HL History Americas, IB TOK
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major… AP Scholar, National Merit Finalist, various UIL things

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
-Marching Band 9-10 (state qualified, regional champs)
-Concert Band 9-12 (state qualified, various minor awards)
-Jazz Band 10, 12 (various minor awards)
-UIL Math 9-12 (Captain, various awards, some notable)
-UIL Science 11-12 (Co-captain senior year, various awards, some notable, top score districts)
-High Q Quizbowl competition 11-12 (nationally qualified)
-11-12 Business plan competition (co-founder, 2nd place),
-Minor clubs (Span club, etc)

Job/Work Experience: Tutor at a tutoring center

Volunteer/Community service: Co-founder of org that cleans walking paths 11-12, minor clubs like NHS, Key Club, probably around 150~ hours total

Essays: Common app was fine 8.5/10
Teacher Recommendations: I’m sure they were fine, had both teachers for 2-3 classes each, didn’t read 8.5/10
Counselor Rec: Knows me well, 9/10
Additional Rec: Nope
Interview: Nope

Other
-Applied for financial aid?: Yup
-State (if domestic applicant): Texas
-Country (if international applicant): U.S.A!!
-School Type: Large competitive public
-Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
-Gender: M
-Income Bracket: 60-75k
-Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen in America? lol more anti-hooks than hooks for sure

Reflection
-Strengths: Scores, varied/difficult schedule, GPA, EC’s are decent (though I regret not doing more over summers)
-Weaknesses: No major awards, classes not engineering focused
-Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Scores, well rounded EC’s/classes
-Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Engineering Honors+full tuition scholarship at UT Austin, UMich Ann Arbor, deferred from MIT, waitlist at WashU (lolwhat). Still waiting on the Ivies/Stanford/Gtech/UC’s

General Comments: Sorry for the extremely late reply. USC’s a great school with a great atmosphere, but I’ll probably end up going to UT unless my fin aid package here is great, or I miraculously get into one of my reaches. Best of luck to everyone still waiting on decisions!

62

@unowen2015 ^I know this is supposed to be stats only but, good gracious, you are being hosed. But don’t take it personally. WashU is notoriously unpredictable in their admission decisions. My son’s classmate got in with a 28 on the ACT. (My son didn’t apply to WashU)

63

USC decisions should be coming soon, please remember to post your stat. here.

64

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: a couple days before the final deadline

Date decision postmarked/received:March 24th received March 25th

Which school/major at USC: Computer Engineering and Computer Science in Viterbi

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1930 CR:610 M:650 W:670
ACT (breakdown): 31 (didn’t send)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didn’t sent
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc(5) Eng Lang(3) 2d Studio Art(3) APUSH(4) Bio(2)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit AP Stats AP SpanLang Physics AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge National college match finalist, national hispanic recognition schola

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Math club(2 years-won at a math field day) tennis(3 years no coach for 4th year) lit/writing club(2yrs) art (4yrs) anime club (3yrs, founder)
Job/Work Experience:nah well not enough to put it down
Volunteer/Community Service: about 200+ with a school club and with an outside school organization & this year started selling at sports games at school
Summer Activities: COSMOS,summer school, SAAST at UPENN
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::supplements were alright i liked my personal statements though
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::idk my math teacher was probably an 8/10 and my other teacher said she praised me a lot so who knows
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::…idk did they even write one
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::didn’t have one
Interview:didn’t have one

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small public rural area with few going to college
Ethnicity:Hispanic/Mexican
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:~45000(family of 7)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation

Reflection
Strengths:personal statements, maybe my background and story i wrote about in my essays
Weaknesses: maybe my test scores they were kinda below average not too below but still
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Yay same reason as my strengths
Where else you are applying or have already applied: welllllllll… accepted at:UCLA, UCB(regents candidate), UCSD, UCI, Williams College… and rejected at MIT(deferred then rejected) and waiting on other out-of-state privates
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: ahhhh idk

65

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: ** November 31?

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:** 3/25

[ b]Which school/major at USC:** School of Cinematic Arts- Film and Television Production

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 770 (Math), 720 (CR), 690 (Writing); total (2180)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): The only one I submitted- Literature (690)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.71 (weighted 4.07)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I believe top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc AB (4), APUSH (4), AP Chem (did not submit)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Literature, AP US Gov, AP Physics C Mech, independent Film Studies, Arts Academy (no study periods)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): California Arts Scholar (Film/Video), National Honors Society, Presidential Service Award

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student Council (Student Body Co-President), Newspaper (Film Reviewer), Harry Potter Alliance (Co-President and Founder), Theater (Assistant Director, Principal Character)
Job/Work Experience: Part Time at Movie Theater
Volunteer/Community Service: 100 hours one year, work in Girl Scouts, volunteer at Library
Summer Activities: California State Summer School for the Arts, Columbia College Hollywood Summer High School Workshop, took Chemistry over the summer to prep for AP Chem
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8-10/10, really original
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I would assume 9-10/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I would assume 9-10/10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I would assume 9-10/10
Interview: I think it went really well

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Private Religious
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: SAT score, essays, course load, upward trend in classes
Weaknesses: not having a 4.0
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my film, taking most rigorous courses possible at school, probably highest SAT score in my school
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: UCLA, UCSD, UCSB (Honors), UCSC (Honors), LMU (Film), Chapman (TV- rejected for film, but that was because my film did not fit the image of the school probably), BU, Brandeis, Kenyon, CSUN
Denied: Northwestern
Still Waiting: NYU (Tisch), Wesleyan, UCB
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I should have applied to TFT at UCLA, I honestly never expected to get into most of these schools

66

already posted general stats on the other thread but i’ll go more specific here i guess

Decision: Accepted

Date decision postmarked/received: march 24th/march 25th

Which school/major at USC: Philosophy, Dornsife, emphasis on Pre-Law

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): superscored: 2160 (whoops i put 2150 on the other thread)
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): US History, 690
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t release rankings publicly but i’m def. not top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): psych (4), physics B (3), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP everything (English Lang, Physics C, Gov, Calc AB)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, Girl Scout Gold Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Girl Scouts, frosh/JV/varsity basketball
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: APA Community Toy Drive, Community Helpline
Summer Activities: Counselor at a summer camp for elementary schoolers
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 at best; my strongest essay was about overcoming my “hardships” in basketball (being benched) in order to become a starting player; supplements: I wrote about working at Community Helpline for the volunteer one and wanting to become a lawyer for the academic interests one.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): i waived my right to read them. i think they were decent though.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): also waived my right to read it. didnt have a close relationship with my counselor so it was prob average.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): n/a
Interview: Didn’t do one

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes (financial aid gods pls help me out w/this)
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, very competitive
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 60k+ (but fluctuates bc my mom is self employed)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: uhh I’m really not sure haha. maybe my test scores and GPA. i also had a decent amount of EC hours (about 200+)
Weaknesses: essays probably. my common app one was pretty good but my supplements kinda sucked.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: loooool i really dont know. i think i got lucky. and the fact that i’m in state might’ve helped (but i kinda doubt it bc USC prob wants that out of state tuition). my only guess is that i’m pretty well rounded (pretty good GPA, decent test scores, good amount of ECs, decent essays)
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
-accepted: UCI Honors, UCSB, UCSC, UCD, Cal Poly SLO, UMass Amherst, UDub
-waitlisted: UCSD
-rejected: UCLA, Wash U
-havent heard back yet: UC Berkeley, Tulane, UMich
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: honestly, I overapplied to schools but I’m kinda glad I did. a lot of people I know overestimated themselves and have been getting waitlisted/denied from what they thought were safety schools. my advice is to not apply to a bunch of reach schools. most should be target/safety schools (and you’ll feel good getting a lot of acceptances! it cushions the blow for rejections haha). if you are a junior in highschool GET GOOD GRADES. many of my friends who got straight A’s freshman/sophomore year got one C in junior year and I’m pretty sure it killed their chances for many schools. as for me, I’m going to apply to a shit ton of scholarships and hope that I can afford this ridiculous tuition.

67

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 30

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/28

Which school/major at USC: Marshall School of Business

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2280 overall. 740 Math, 740 Reading, 800 Writing
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 700 Math I, 700 U.S History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/762
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), Calculus BC (5), European History (5), U.S History (4), Reading and Comprehension (4), Chemistry (3), Took 4 more APs this year too.
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats/IB SL Math, AP Psychology, AP Literature, AP MicroEcon/Civics, IB World Theater
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] National Merit, President’s volunteer service award, Mostly minor debate awards[/li]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Class Committee (Treasurer for 4 years), Debate Club (technically 3 separate clubs; VP and Co-founder), Mock Trial
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[] Volunteer/Community service: 200~ hours tutoring, volunteering at a hospital, or volunteering in the library
[] Personal Statement: 10/10. Honestly the best essay I’ve written. Showed a lot of my personality and clearly told my story. Everyone who has read it says it is an amazing essay
[] Teacher Recommendations:
Teacher 1: 10/10. Amazing. The teacher was my Mock Trial coach and class adviser meaning I knew her for 4 years. She is a great writer too.
Teacher 2: 7/10. Meh. I had her for 2 years, she really liked me but didn’t know me as well as teacher 1.
[] Counselor Recommendation: 9/10. Told me he wrote a great rec. I was one of his favorite students.

Other

[list]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: Public, large
[] Ethnicity: Asian American
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Low
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.):[/ul] [/li]
Reflection

[list]
[] Strengths: Great essays, good teacher/counselor recommendations, interesting and unique hook, started a club and actually grew it
[] Weaknesses: Sat II scores weren’t as great as they could be. 3 in AP Chemistry
[li] Why do you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not sure if I can point to one thing. I think I had a pretty strong overall application[/li]
General Comments:

68

Decision: Accepted for Spring 2016

Date applied: November 30

Date decision postmarked/received: March 25th

Which school/major at USC: Marshall School of Business

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1940 overall
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 670 Math II, 670 U.S History
Weighted GPA: 3.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): None
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, European History (3), U.S History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Golf (4 years), Varsity Football (1 year) Mock Trial (2 years), several clubs, etc.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: 200~ hours

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Private, Roman Catholic
Ethnicity: Asian American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper (no I’m not rich at all, I just don’t qualify for FA)
Hooks: First Generation Student (no legacy at SC from family at all)

Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Sports, First Choice, SAT (nothing special but higher than a lot of kids at my school)
Weaknesses: A lot of things (Being Asian, GPA, ACT Score)
Why do you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My stats would signify me being rejected, but surprisingly, I tried my best and got accepted.

General Comments:

To be honest, I thought I was going to be flat out rejected once the admissions saw my stats, but I worked super hard on my essays and applications, and expressed legitimate reasons why I wanted to go. I actually considered not applying, but I thought of the “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” quote and decided to apply as like a “Hail Mary” in football and even my academic advisor told me to apply as she believed in me. I think I’m one of dumbest students to get accepted by SC haha. I’m just so happy and I appreciate the fact they even let me into the school for the Spring Semester. I definitely will be attending USC next year.

69

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: December 1 **

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24/March25

Which school/major at USC: Human Biology, Dornsife Resident Honors Program

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310; 770 Critical Reading, 750 Math, 790 Writing, 10 Essay
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Biology M (760); Chinese with Listening(800); Math II C (730); Chemistry (750); World history (740)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Biology (4); AP Chinese Lang and Culture (5); AP World History (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: I applied as a junior to the Resident Honors Program, so my junior year schedule: Chamber Orchestra; Physics Honors; Chemistry AP; US History AP; Spanish 4 Honors; English Junior Honors; Calculus BC AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, California Association of Student Councils/CASC (Region 10 Governmental Affairs Program Director + School Club President)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service: UCI Medical Health Center Music to Heal
Summer Activities: UCI Dpt of Urology Summer Surgery Program, CASC Summer Leadership Conference
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Eh. Probably 7-8.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Probably very good…my essays weren’t that great my application was pretty average…so my teachers must have written a 8-10 recommendations
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9? She kinda likes me I guess.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public High
Ethnicity: Republic of China (Taiwanese)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a

Reflection
Strengths: strong scores for a junior I guess?
Weaknesses: essays
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my resume for my age
Where else you are applying or have already applied: n/a since I’m a junior
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

70

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** December 2nd

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24/ March 25

Which school/major at USC: LEVENTHAL school of accounting

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2160
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (790) Math 1 (770) Chem (670)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (3) World (3) US (3) Calc AB (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Macro Econ, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Physics 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Club founder/ president, business club (treasurer), Leo Club (secretary)
Job/Work Experience: Internship at an accounting firm, it is a pretty prominent one!
Volunteer/Community Service: I have A LOT, I have also received NUMEROUS awards thanks to it from congress, the president, councilman, etc.
Summer Activities: N/A
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8, it was overcoming a failure
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9 BOTH were usc grads!!!
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8, pretty sure she wrote me a superb one
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10 A teacher I do community service for, pretty sure it is great.
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? YES
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public School
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 150-200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): USC LEGACY, I have a sibling that attends

Reflection
Strengths: legacy definitely, I also had 2 usc grads write my letter of rec
Weaknesses: test score, gpa
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I had activities that were pertinent to my intended major, and LEGACY
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA and Welesley (waitlist) Georgia Tech, University of Rochester, UCI, UCSD, (accepted) rejected to a LOT of schools, too depressing to post
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Pretty happy I got in. If financials are good, I will DEFINITELY be attending! SO EXCITED MUCHO

71

Decision: Rejected (Marshall School of Business)

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (680 CR, 770 M, 770 W)
[] ACT: 35
[] SAT II: Math Level II - 800, Biology - 800, Chemistry - 790
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
[] UC GPA: 4.23
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] ELC?: ?
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry - 5, Biology - 5, Art History - 5, English Language - 5
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science, AP US Government, Spanish 3
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist (named USC First Choice)[/li]
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): SADD (Founder / President), School Newspaper (Webmaster), National Honor Society
[] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[] Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross (since 8th Grade)
[] Personal Statement: Don’t remember specifics but I wrote about my obsession with numbers (stock games, sports statistics, etc) for one and other about Economics for Leaders (this Econ camp I attended last summer at UCLA).

[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, but not getting anything
[li]** Intended Major **: Business Administration[/li][] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public, Large (3500+ Students)
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Don’t want to be too specific, but upper middle class, not enough for good FinAid.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): N/A

[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Stats. Even though I didn’t have anything CS related, I did well in all my math/science classes and tests. Also, I think my essays were really strong.
[] Weaknesses: ECs.
[] Accepted: UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine (Campus Honors Program), Washington (Purple and Gold Scholarship)
[] Schools you were rejected from? MIT, Northwestern, USC
[li] Schools you are waiting for? Cal, Stanford and literally the entire Ivy League[/li][/ul]General Comments: I have to admit I was shocked with the rejection, because I grew up a Trojan fan my entire life and put a lot of time into my application. I knew USC would be hard to get into but I still thought I had the stats to get in. But I guess this just proves how brilliant everyone else that applied was. Looking back it, I can live with this result. I put in my best effort, I had near-perfect grades, good test scores, and leadership in multiple areas. I guess it just wasn’t enough.

I’m hoping for Cal, but otherwise I’m going to UCLA. It’s a bit shocking considering that I was always a Trojans fan, and I have friends at school that were Bruins fans that got into USC and not UCLA. But that’s life. Good luck to those of you that applied and I hope that you get in!

72

[size=4]Decision: Accepted/size

Date applied: Jan 15 deadline LOL

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24/ March 26

Which school/major at USC: Biological Sciences, Dornsife College

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2200 (720 CR, 750 M, 730 W) Single sitting and superscore
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio M (800), Math II (770), U.S. History (710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5), Biology (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Chem, Physics honors, AP Gov, AP Macro, British Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Achievement Finalist and scholarship recipient, Questbridge NCM finalist, a couple local awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of Muslim Student Association, secretary/treasurer of Race and Social Justice club, CSF, NHS, local religious sunday school and youth group, team leader of local tree-care non-profit, youth soccer referee, volunteer at public library, math and science tutor
Job/Work Experience: Worked for my dad’s business for last 2 years
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at a local library quite often among other random stuff
Summer Activities: Class at community college, volunteering, working, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA - Overall, 9/10. I wrote about overcoming adversity growing up and immigrating to the US at a young age. Powerful but definitely could have been better written. My supplements were pretty good though.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Sent in 3 - one from a teacher I’ve known for 3 years that LOVED me (10/10). The second was from a junior year teacher who actually knew me since middle school (8/10). The last was from my super upbeat Calc teacher who I got along really well with (9/10).
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): He’s pretty cool. Went to his office a lot this year to talk about college so he got to know me well (8/10)
Interview: Who needs one anyway!

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Couldn’t live without it!
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Competitive Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: pretty low <20000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, low income, first generation

Reflection
Strengths: Life story, range of extracurriculars, essays, test scores
Weaknesses: lack of research and STEM oriented activities, zero APs taken before junior year
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Hooks and showing how passionate I was about learning and accomplishing my life goals through education.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to MIT, Duke, UCLA, UCSD, Northwestern, Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis. Waiting on Columbia, Princeton, Yale, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and UCB
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: To future applicant, just be yourself and know that your essays are probably the most important part of your application!

73

sorry, accidental double post

Decision: Rejected (Marshall School of Business)

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (680 CR, 770 M, 770 W)
[] ACT: 35
[] SAT II: Math Level II - 800, Biology - 800, Chemistry - 790
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
[] UC GPA: 4.23
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] ELC?: ?
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry - 5, Biology - 5, Art History - 5, English Language - 5
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science, AP US Government, Spanish 3
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist (named USC First Choice)[/li]
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): SADD (Founder / President), School Newspaper (Webmaster), National Honor Society
[] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[] Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross (since 8th Grade)
[] Personal Statement: Don’t remember specifics but I wrote about my obsession with numbers (stock games, sports statistics, etc) for one and other about Economics for Leaders (this Econ camp I attended last summer at UCLA).

[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, but not getting anything
[li]** Intended Major **: Business Administration[/li][] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public, Large (3500+ Students)
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Don’t want to be too specific, but upper middle class, not enough for good FinAid.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): N/A

[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Stats. I was almost perfect in the classroom and testing, and I’m still really proud of my accomplishments even if they didn’t get me where I wanted.
[] Weaknesses: ECs.
[] Accepted: UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine (Campus Honors Program), Washington (Purple and Gold Scholarship)
[] Schools you were rejected from? MIT, Northwestern, USC
[li] Schools you are waiting for? Cal, Stanford and literally the entire Ivy League[/li][/ul]General Comments: I have to admit I was shocked with the rejection, because I grew up a Trojan fan my entire life and put a lot of time into my application. I knew USC would be hard to get into but I still thought I had the stats to get in. But I guess this just proves how brilliant everyone else that applied was. Looking back it, I can live with this result. I put in my best effort, I had near-perfect grades, good test scores, and leadership in multiple areas. I guess it just wasn’t enough.

I’m hoping for Cal, but otherwise I’m going to UCLA. It’s a bit shocking considering that I was always a Trojans fan, and I have friends at school that were Bruins fans that got into USC and not UCLA. But that’s life. Good luck to those of you that applied and I hope that you get in!

74

Choose one:

75

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: December 1st I think? **

Date decision postmarked/received: Received 3/26

Which school/major at USC: Annenberg/Broadcast & Digital Journalism!!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 C (35 E, 30 M, 35 R, 31 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Weighted = 4.52, dunno UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/72
AP (place score in parentheses): took dual credit all 4 years and will graduate with 66 hours!
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 4 DC classes and one regular mandatory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, really. Some school and UIL awards.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Senior Class Council (President), Junior Class Council (Adviser), Student Ambassadors (Senior Officer), Dance/Choreography, Flute, Teen Court, UIL Spelling & Vocabulary (Co-Captain), NHS (VP)
Job/Work Experience: Old Navy (Merchandising/Sales/Training Coach), Fusion Comm. Corp (News Intern)
Volunteer/Community Service: Didn’t really report tbh
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Pretty good, up towards 9 or 10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Amazing, 8-10s
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8ish
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): also 8ish
Interview: didn’t have one

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? = yes
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public charter
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Gen

Reflection
Strengths: First Gen, salutatorian, high GPA, I dunno!!!
Weaknesses: idk I’m not anything super special tbh
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: idk but I’m so happy!!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applied to Stanford, Uchicago (WL), Tulane, UT Austin (Accept), Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Rice
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t be nervous, and be yourself!! Have faith even if all seems bleak, you will end up where you belong!!!

76

**Decision: Accepted **

Dornsife- PoliSci

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (740 CR, 800 M, 690 W lol)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (can’t remember if I submitted)
SAT II: 740 U.S. History, 670 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/550
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (4), World History (4), Chemistry (3), Spanish Lang (3), Psychology (4), U.S. History (5), English Comp (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Calc AB, AP Enviro, AP Physics, AP English Lit, Dual credit Gov and Econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHRP, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Commended

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School and outside tennis, Academic Decathlon (captain), UIL Science, Number Sense, SocSci, Current Events (captain), Key Club (project coordinator), NHS
Job/Work Experience: tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: church, elementary school, library
Summer Activities: work, SAT camps, volunteering, tennis clinics and tournaments
Essays: 9/10. My common app was pretty basic, like an 8/10. I personally did not like my supplements, and I thought thats what would hold me back. But I guess they liked them. 8/10.
Teacher Recommendation: 8/10. Only read one of the three, but it seemed pretty run of the mill.
Counselor Rec: did not read
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes pls
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, average
Ethnicity: hispanic
Gender: male
Income Bracket: like $150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths:
I think my common app essay is what saved me. Also good test scores, grades, and URM status
Weaknesses: no major awards or much leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: always need some more diversity lol. But probably, I think I was fairly unique in my application, as well as I showed interest in SC by visiting. Also a little luck.
Accepted at Texas A&M, UT-Austin, Northeastern, Cornell, UCLA, Northwestern
Notes: I’m so beyond thrilled to be accepted!! I visited campus last spring break and I really fell in love with SC, and can really see myself as a Trojan. Hopefully their financial aid package is enough for it to be feasible for me to attend, that would be the only thing stopping me from going there. Congrats to all!

77

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Just before the merit scholarship deadline

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24th and March 26th

Which school/major at USC: Print and Digital Journalism in Annenberg

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Nope
ACT (breakdown): 34 (32 M, 35 E, 35 R, 34 S)
SAT II: Literature (730), US History (730)
GPA: 94.783% UW 96.739% W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but in the top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Economics (Macro & Micro), AP Calc AB, AP Spanish Language, AP Physics C, Peer Leadership, Photography 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student, Saint Michael’s Book Award for Scholarship and Service, RIT Innovation and Creativity Award, NHS/Foreign Language NHS, High Honor Roll

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Leo Club (President), NHS (Treasurer), Photo Club (Secretary), Spanish Club (Communications Officer), Pep Band, Varsity Tennis
Volunteer/Community service: LPIF, Leo Club, NHS volunteer work
Essays: About my passion for music and how it has led me to connect with people wherever I go. Well written and connected music to all different aspects of life. Supplements were pretty good too I think.
Teacher Recommendations: Only saw one of them (physics teacher) which was very good, talked about creativity, enjoyment of learning, leadership, etc. The other (english teacher) is an amazing writer who I got along very well with, so I’d assume it’s pretty good.
Counselor Rec: Also very good, spoke a lot about my interest in music and learning.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Public (300 per grade)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing really

Reflection
Strengths: Scores/ECs
Weaknesses: Interview
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: A decent candidate from a school where few people apply to schools beyond the Midwest, so not much local competition. Even so, I’m still shocked.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to IU (Honors College), Colorado-Boulder (Honors College), Northeastern (Honors College), Syracuse (Newhouse), and Northwestern (Medill). Waitlisted at Pomona and (obviously) rejected at Stanford.
Notes: Excited beyond belief! Annenberg is one of my top choices so there’s a good chance I’ll be going. Congrats and good luck to everyone!

78

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** December 31st

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24th/26th.

Which school/major at USC: Dana and David Dornsife LAS/ Environmental Studies

Objective:

ACT (breakdown): 30
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81, W: 4.86

AP (place score in parentheses): AP European History, AP English Language, AP US Gov, AP Chinese, AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science

Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s, 3 honors courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge National Finalist, NCHS, Two Presidential Service Awards, Geography of Hope Scholar Award, Crystal Charitable Fund,

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President- Book/Lit Club, President- National Chinese Honors Society, VP Acappella group, Peer mentor leadership at school, Garden designer for Aquarium
Job/Work Experience: Internship as a young naturalist at an Aquarium, Babysitter/Tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: Service trips to Hawaii, and Environmental service/research trip to Belize.
Summer Activities: NHEC Hispanic environmental council in New Mexico conducting researching, Environmental service trip to Belize studying coral ecosystems, Service trip to Hawaii concerning Plant/stream restoration projects and habitat for humanity projects.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10. Wrote about diving and hovering mid underwater, how it shaped/changed me, and my perspective.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Pretty good.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Amazing. loves me.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Poor af
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Questbridge, essays, interest.

Reflection
Strengths: Hooks, Extra curricular, essays, passions, upward grade trends( straight as soph jun year)
Weaknesses: Scores, Rigor of curriculum (only 6 APs)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly in disbelief.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to Vassar, Colorado College, UVermont,Umiami, UIllinois, UCSB, a bunch of other safeties, Rejected at Pomona, Bowdoin. Waitlisted: UCSD. Waiting on Brown, Wesleyan, Harvard
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Never give up. I gave up after Pomona and Bowdoin but USC and Vassar restored my faith in myself.
Scores aren’t everything. They really aren’t.
ALSO, to the guy on the chance me thread who told me I’d never give in with a 29/30 to any schools, look at me now. HAH.

79

I posted and then realized it said USC decisions only…my bad : :-/

80

Merit Scholarship

[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color]

Date Applied: Before December 1 Deadline

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 27

Which school/major at USC: Roski School of Art and Design

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2150
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 Math II, 650 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.16 weighted (don’t know unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 Microeconomics, 4 US History
IB (place score in parentheses): 41predicted
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): IB HL Visual Arts, HL Language & Literature, HL Economics, HL Biology, SL French, SL Math

Subjective:
Class council president (9, 10, 11)
Founder and president of National Arts Honor Society (11, 12)
National Honor Society
French Honor Society
Quill & Scroll Honor Society
Editor in Chief of the school yearbook
Varsity golf team
Editor of the official school publication
Art delegate at an international schools art convention
Facilitator at the Global Issues Network
Model United Nations (attended 5 major local and international conferences)
Kumon Philippines Advanced Student Honor Roll Award (TOP TEN in the Reading Program in the nation)
AP Scholar
Outstanding Student Award (In Leadership and Academics)
Service Award (Leadership and Participation in Service)
Hosted the NAHS Art Auction to raise FUNDS for Filipino scholars, earned a total of $9,000
Service WORK: Visited provinces in the Philippines for a week every year to interact with and work for local communities

Essays (rating 1-10, details):: common app essay links art with service
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Interview: On campus, portfolio-based

Other
APPLIED for Financial Aid? Merit Scholarship
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Philippines
School Type: International Private
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are APPLYING or have already applied: Yale, Brown, Cornell, NYUAD, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: