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

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
101

**Decision: Accepted Spring **

**Date applied: ** Dec 1

Date decision postmarked/received: March 27th via youSC

Which school/major at USC: Communications at Annenberg

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): SAT:1890 R:590 M:610 W:690
ACT (breakdown): 29 Don’t remember breakdown
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/67
AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A But, I go to a Middle College High School and take all Community College Classes
Senior Year Course Load: Elementary Spanish II, American History I, American Literature I, Introduction to Ethics (Philosophy), British Literature II, Introduction to Psychology, Biology I, Environmental Science I

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Dean’s List every semester at my college.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Junior Prom Committee

Job/Work Experience: I worked at a fast food restaurant part-time junior year. I’ve worked full time with some overtime at a call center since this summer before senior year.

Volunteer/Community Service: Roughly 60 hours at a homeless shelter

Summer Activities: Worked

Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9.5, I wrote about overcoming a struggle (Financial issues, family issues, had to help financially support household, etc). I talked about how I view those impediments as advantages in life, because they gave me a viewpoint that most don’t have. I also talked about how in short I plan to travel the world, be very successful, learn lots of languages, and give a lot to charity. I also began writing my essay last Spring. So, I had several revisions done before Dec 1.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Not sure. I had my old English teacher write it. Because it was a college course I only saw him twice a week for an hour. I just asked him because I was the only one of 3 who made an A in his class.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::10. I love my counselor and she loves me. She also knows a lot about my circumstances, so her recommendation was probably very detailed and personal.

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::N/A

Interview:N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Middle College
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$15,000/year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: My essay, work experience (which makes up for my lack of extracurriculars), and I’ve taken all community college classes since my junior year.

Weaknesses: My test scores and grades. Thankfully it’s a holistic review.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was accepted, because I do have a great story and incredible future plans.Regardless of my circumstances, I still strived for better and I put all of that in my essay. However, I don’t have the highest GPA or test scores. That’s probably why I have to wait until the Spring, which 7/8 semesters is fine.

Where else you are applying or have already applied: Pomona, Scripps, LMU, and Chapman. Accepted to all.

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Congratulations to everyone who was accepted. On the admissions blog, it said something like 52,000 people applied for 2,700 spots in the Fall. That’s something to be celebrated. I’ll see everyone in the Spring.

102

[ b]Decision: Accepted**

Date applied:12/1

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:3/24**

Which school/major at USC:Architecture

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 660 M 710 CR 770 W
ACT (breakdown): Did not send
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does’t rank, but I’ll probably Valedictorian
Senior Year Course Load: Mixture of High School and college classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Orchestra, two chamber groups, Art club, chess club,
Jazz band
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Music performance for kids at a local hospital, co-host of public radio show
Summer Activities: Summer architecture classes at Frank lloyd Wright institute and in Italy, Classes at my local college

Essays (rating 1-10, details):: USC essays 8/10, Common App 10/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Math teacher 7/10 English teacher 10/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10, had a really good relationship with him
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10, architect i did a summer class with
Interview: None

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): NM
School Type: Small Christian
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really, disability maybe?

Reflection
Strengths: Portfolio, visited USC, kept in contact with the school, EC’s, Recs
Weaknesses: SAT might have been a bit low
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Had a great portfolio and essays, the kind of extra curriculars USC likes, developed a good relationship with the admissions officer
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Cal Poly, UT Austin, Rice, Cooper Union, Pratt, RISD, Cornell
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly surprised I got in, I would say that architecture applicants should have a creative portfolio, and in general I think keeping contact with the school and showing interest really helped.

103

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 11/30/14

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/27/15 (youSC Portal)

Which school/major at USC: Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (E: 31, M: 34, R: 30, S:36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/497
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (3), Biology (4), Statistics (4), US History (3), Chemistry (2), European History (4), English Language & Composition (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculas BC, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, PLTW: Principles of Biomedical Science, AP English Literature & Composition, PTLW: Human Body Systems, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, ISAC State Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Football, Cross Country (Varsity Captain as Senior), Wrestling (JV Captain), Volleyball, Health Occupation Students of America (Board Member as Junior), National Honor Society (Service Chairman), Youth United Way Volunteer, Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout and former Senior Patrol Leader), Piano
Job/Work Experience: Youth Corps Laborer for Park District, DJ, Certified Nursing Assistant
Volunteer/Community Service: Youth United Way, National Honor Society, Boy Scout Eagle Project
Summer Activities: Running, working out, DJing when gigs are available, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App Essay (9, talked about how running reflected my work ethic and how it allowed me to become a better individual), “Involved” USC Essay (7, felt kind of forced but I felt like it showed my athletic side in a positive manner), “Academic” USC Essay (7.5, again, felt kind of forced but mostly talked about my interest in medicine)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): From my English teacher (8, she really brought up how I’m part of the academy at my school and how it translates to me being a great candidate for schools), From my US History teacher and XC Coach (10, I’ve grown quite close to him and he was able to reflect me very accurately in a beautiful recommendation)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): (7, didn’t get a chance to read it but it seemed that my counselor liked me so I’m guessing this recommendation was alright)
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Filipino)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: I felt that I was in a pretty good spot when it came to my GPA and ACT scores. I felt that my recommendation letters really helped a lot as well.
Weaknesses: I felt that my USC essays were lacking because of how they seemed “forced” but I think I was still able to pull it off.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I feel that I’m a pretty well rounded individual that was able to supply good test scores, good grades, and have decent involvement in extracurriculars and volunteering.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted (U of I at Urbana-Champaign, USC), Rejected (Stanford, Northwestern), Waiting for reply (Cornell, Harvard, Yale, UPenn, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly really happy to get in! I got rejected from Stanford and Northwestern back to back so it was really nice to see “Congratulations!” instead of “Sorry to inform you…” when you open their decision. Hope to see you all in the fall!

104

Accepted into Annenberg. GPA: 3.91 UW; 4.1 W. All IB classes. School does not officially rank, but top 5%. SAT: 1870 ACT: 28 Superscore. Extras: Leadership, varsity soccer, debate, and other ECs. CA public school.

105

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 12/1/14

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/26/15

Which school/major at USC: Economics at Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2380 single sitting (800/800/780)…however I did take it four times, and this came on the 4th try
ACT (breakdown): 34 single sitting (36 english/36 reading/34 science/29 math (thanks math…)/12 essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 760 US History, 740 English Lit, 700 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School is weird, 7 point scale
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 US History, 5 US Gov, 4 Comparative Gov
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ (macro/micro), AP Environmental Science, AP English Literature, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4 years soccer (2 varsity), 2 years varsity track, Writer for school paper, member of Business club
Job/Work Experience: Referee
Volunteer/Community Service: Mission trip with my youth group for the last 5 summers, 150+ hours
Summer Activities: Boston University Collegiate Soccer Academy, Brown Pre-College, One of 13 students from my school selected to spend 2 weeks in England studying at the Caterham School
Essays (rating 1-10, details): probably a 7 to 8, weren’t my best essays by my standards, but got the job done I guess
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10, I have every confidence that my teachers wrote great recs
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10 my soccer coaches collaborated on a rec about all the time I put into the team, and how we finished 2nd in the state this year with me as the starting keeper
Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $55,000?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none (see above: “White male” haha)

Reflection
Strengths: test scores, one of the most rigorous course loads at a competitive boarding school, senior year GPA shows marked improvement

Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, leadership
Why you think you were accepted: I think that my essay really spoke to exactly how I would fit in at USC, I wrote it as a kind of “why you should take me, and why I belong” kind of piece, and my test scores were also strong enough to get me a serious look

Where else you are applying or have already applied: Lots of schools

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: While these days many people are growing more cynical of the application process, and in some cases rightly so, I think that, in the end, the college process generally rewards people for hard work. At the end of my junior year a school like USC seemed like a high reach, thanks to a drop in my GPA. However because I worked hard preparing for standardized tests (although I strongly do NOT recommend taking 4 SATs), and put in the effort at the beginning of senior year to show I was capable of maintaining an excellent GPA, I think I really helped myself out a lot and have been accepted into several schools that I was previously told were far reaches for me on this site.

The general message is this: In my opinion, I think it’s really really worth all the effort that you put in in high school, to come into the spring of your senior year and see that you have all of these well-deserved options in front of you. There will be tough times during high school, but if you power through, the end of the road is worth it!!

106

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2240 Superscore (670 CR, 770 Math, 800 Writing)
[] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[] SAT II: 710 Math II, 720 Biology, 730 U.S. History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): I think around a 3.9(?), 94.316 appears on my transcript
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 54/362
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 World History, 5 US History, 5 Language, 5 Environmental Science, 4 US Govt., 3 Biology (did not submit Chemistry or Calculus BC lol)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: E&M, Speech/Debate, Economics
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A[/li]
Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Red Cross Youth Board (Executive Committee), Debate Team (Captain), Student Council, led the Student Section for athletic events at school, a few other ECs that filled up Common App slots
[] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[] Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross Youth Board
[] Summer Activities: lifting weights lol
[] Essays: They were OK. I spent the last few days before each deadline planning them and often times executed the day of the deadline. For CA essay, I just copy-pasted my National Merit essay which was decent.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Two teacher recs; one from my Debate team “coach” (Speech/Debate teacher) and the other from my AP Psych teacher. I never read them but I’m sure they were solid.
[] Counselor Rec: It existed… that much I do know. I assume it’s generic.
[] Additional Rec: My Red Cross Youth coordinator wrote. Again, I don’t know much about the quality but I’m sure it was pretty good.
[] Interview: Georgetown interview went great (lasted 1 hr 30 min; conversation spanned the school’s environment to Hamlet to politics). Vanderbilt interview was good but not quite at that tier (roughly 30 min; I did not relate much to the interviewer, who was a CS major).
[] Supplementary Material: N/A

Other
[]Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] State (if domestic applicant): Georgia (GA)
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: East Asian (Chinese)
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): $100,000 - $150,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. I suppose I’m quite generic.[/li]
Reflection
[] Strengths: I thought my commitment to extracurriculars (Red Cross, Debate) and SAT score should have been the strongest points of my application.
[] Weaknesses: However, I feel like my application was very much more flawed than strong. For one, I did not put much effort into it (especially compared to some who spent weeks, months to perfect their applications). I felt that being a strong writer would carry me through despite not investing much time into the writing supplements. In addition to this, my GPA and class rank were not quite “elite” material. SAT IIs were also decent at best.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Weaknesses listed above
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UGA (EA), Northeastern (EA, 3+3 program). Rejected by Vanderbilt (RD), Notre Dame (RD), USC (RD). Still waiting to hear back from Cornell (RD) and Georgetown (RD)!

General Comments: A little bit bamboozled by this one… but congratulations to all who were accepted! If you choose to indeed attend, you’re signing yourself up for four years you’ll love and a lifetime of benefits afterward!

107

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: Jan 1st **

**Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 27 **

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife Political Science x Pre-Law

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 - 690M - 760 W - 730 R
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 650 Lit - 640 Math 1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): -
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): -
AP (place score in parentheses): -
IB (place score in parentheses): Predicted 44/45 IB
Senior Year Course Load: English HL, History HL, Econ HL, Bio SL, Arabic Ab Initio, Maths Studies SL :disagree:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Look at my chances threads.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: A lot. Look at my chances threads for more.
Summer Activities: Community service trip to India. Self organized.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App: 9/10 USC: 8/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Not sure
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Generic
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Not sure
Interview: None

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Bahrain
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Persian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100 - 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Essays, ECAs, IB Diploma?
Weaknesses: SAT 2s lmaoooo, aint nobody got time for those.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well written essays that the admission officer was impressed by?
Where else you are applying or have already applied:

Accepted: UCSB, UCSD, UCLA, USC, UMich
Rejected: Duke, Vandy, Berkeley
Waiting on: Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: USC seems like a dope place.

108

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: ** before December 1st

Date decision postmarked/received: March 27, 2015

Which school/major at USC: Marshall

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): C-34 M-34 S-36 R-35 E-34
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.26
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/47
AP (place score in parentheses): Euro (5), Apush (5), language (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: ap cogo, honors anatomy and physiology, honors french 4, ap lit, ap calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): field hockey (captain), squash (captain), lacrosse, newspaper (editor), mathletes (captain)
Job/Work Experience: multiple internships and summer jobs
Volunteer/Community Service: summer service trip to Dominica for a month and 200+ hours from schoolyear
Summer Activities: internships or service trip
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: I thought they were some of my best ones
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: great. both teachers who I have great relationships with and the highest grade average in their class.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: great.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: none
Interview: tough questions, but i think i was able to handle it

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private catholic all-girls
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: GPA, ACT, rec letters, and essays
Weaknesses: interview and no one from my school has applied to USC before
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: honestly, I’m shocked. This was one of my target schools and I was accepted to almost all my reach schools
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UC Berkeley (accepted), UCLA (accepted), Notre Dame (accepted), UVA (accepted), BC (accepted-honors program), Tulane (accepted-honors program), Richmond (accepted), Fordham (accepted), Georgetown (still waiting), Dartmouth (still waiting)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m really surprised and disappointed with this outcome. if anyone could shed light on why I might have possibly been rejected, please let me know. I at least would have expected Spring admit…

109

Choose one:
Decision: Rejected

Date applied: Nov 30

Which school/major at USC: Economics
Objective
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (33 E, 35 R, 36 M, 35 S, 10 W)
SAT II: 800 US History, 790 Spanish w/Listening, 790 English Lit, 770 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/156
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (5), APUSH (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Macro, AP Lit, APES, Econ (H), AP Micro, AP Gov, Autoshop
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, NMF

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Business (Co-Founder; 22.5k in revenue, partnerships with NASA, University of NH, others. Clients include Boy Scouts of America, and NeuroDrink.), Biology Research, Varsity Mathletes (Captain) , Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Track and Field, CSF (President)
Job/Work Experience: Pet Care, Babysitting.
Volunteer/Community service: 200 hours (Theater Organization), 200 hours (Environmental stuff)
Summer Activities: Internship with Environmental NGO (2013), Farmworker in Chile (2014)
Essays: Common App (9/10), EC Essay (8/10), USC Specific (7/10)
Teacher Recommendations: Both really nice
Counselor Rec: Knows me really well (used to be best friends with her daughter), probably good
Interview: No Interview

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Rural (650 kids total)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nada

Reflection
Strengths: Good test scores and grades, unique EC
Weaknesses: No big awards, leadership in only a couple of activities
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Fit or perceived disinterest. I really thought I was a great match for the school!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Princeton (early), UC Berkeley, UCLA (w/ Achievement scholarship)
Waiting: Yale

General Comments: I am disappointed that I wasn’t accepted to USC and hope that the rejection stems from a lack of fit or the perception that my heart wasn’t set on USC. Congratulations to everyone who has been accepted, and I wish you the best!

110

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Nov 29

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, Human Biology BS, Premed

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2170 - 680R - 770 M - 720 W
ACT (breakdown): Composite: 33 (Math 31, Science 34, Reading 34, Writing 34)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 bio - 790 Math2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): - 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): - NA
AP (place score in parentheses): - Biology, Ap CalcAB
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Only one ap class and one honors

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): peer counseling (TA classes and also a camp counselor), Varsity Paddling (team won states), Club Paddling, Cross Country
Job/Work Experience: Cater watering
Volunteer/Community Service: Tons of community service with a literacy foundation
Summer Activities: Community service/ science trip to Costa Rica, Summer school, paddling
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App: 9/10 USC: 8/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: probably a 9 for one and a 7 for the other
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Generic
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Not sure
Interview: Yes, went well

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Leadership in peer counseling and involvement in community
Weaknesses: easy course load (only took 2 ap classes and 2 honors…)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My leadership roles and also being Hispanic haha
Where else you are applying or have already applied:

Accepted: Santa Clara
Rejected: Stanford (EA)
Waitlist: Claremont Mckenna
Waiting on: Georgetown, Cornell

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Fight on!

111

Choose one:
Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Nov 6th

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife - Political Economy/Political Science
Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1880 - 630R - 590M - 660W
ACT (breakdown): didn’t get a chance to take
SAT II: ain’t nobody got time for these
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6 lmao
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 17%
AP (place score in parenthesis): APWH (3), APUSH (5), AP Lit (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Euro, AP Psych, AP Lang, APAH
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 1 year of football, 2 years of cross country and track and field, 1 year of mock trial
Job/Work Experience: being a student duh
Volunteer/Community service: 27 hours with Urban Surf 4 Kids
Summer Activities: lalalala
Essays: These absolutely carried me into my acceptance, no way I would have gotten in without these so I’m going to drop 10’s all across the board
Teacher Recommendations: One was really iffy because it was my Spanish teacher, the other was amazing like my teacher
Counselor Rec: Idk what kind of BS she put in it but it worked
Interview: No Interview

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Political Science under the Pre-Law Track
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African-American
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <80k (going to be above 100k next year RIP my financial aid)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None to report

Reflection
Strengths: My essays and recommendations
Weaknesses: Everything else lmao
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My USC specific essays highlighted my career interest, what I learned from my prior campus visit to the university, and why I felt as though USC was a fit for me. I definitely believe I came off as an applicant who aspired to do anything to be at the university, and had the “Trojan Spirit” the admissions officers were looking for. I definitely feel as though they believe I can be successful at their institution, and I know that I have to prove it to them that I can do it by stepping up and doing more and more things in school. I was unable to do a lot of extracurriculars during my four years of high school due to a series of unfortunate events that were totally out of my control, and I explained this in my essays as well. Those essays, coupled with my recommendation letters, definitely put me in a position to be accepted.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Nowhere else
Waitlist: UCI, UCD
Denied: UCSD, UCLA, UCB

General Comments: I am shocked that I got accepted to USC and not outright accepted to any UC, but then again, considering the state of the UCs due to Napolitano and Brown having that ugly dispute over tuition and OOS student admissions, it’s to be expected. I am excited and already committed to enroll. Go Trojans!

112

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: November 30th **

Date decision postmarked/received: Unkown

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi - Computer Science

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 36
SAT II (place score in parentheses): World History (770), US History (790), Math II (780), English (650)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5
AP (place score in parentheses): US History (5), Stats (4), English Language (4), World History (4), Calculus AB (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, Econ, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics, CIS105, CIS162AD

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Weekly Piano, Kung Fu lessons. Wikipedia editor with several featured articles. Fluent in Russian and Spanish, studying Mandarin Chinese and German. Run a sports blog.
Summer Activities: Russian leadership camp from 2009-present.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Honestly can’t remember. Two essays were proofread and crafted, the other two were a bit rushed (night before).
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9, judging by teacher’s comments
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9, same as teacher.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope.
State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
School Type: Public - Magnet
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $100k-$125K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA

Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, languages, recommendations.
Weaknesses: GPA (regardless of course load), quality of last two essays.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think the last two essays I wrote, coupled with my GPA, were eye-openers for admissions.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: ASU, UofA, NAU, Barrett Honors College (will attend)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If you’re looking for merit aid, you won’t find it here unless you’re Ivy caliber.

113

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: ** November 30

Date decision postmarked/received: March 27

Which school/major at USC: Popular Music, Thornton School of Music

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2050
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.53
Weighted GPA: 4.55
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 51/435
AP (place score in parentheses): 4
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP classes, 8 classes total
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Choir Core Jazz (President), Musicals, Plays, All-State Choir, Honor Choir (Section Leader)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: National Honors Society, Blood Donors Society
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Nevada
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public High School
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 120,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Choice college, National Merit

Reflection
Strengths: Essay, Scores, Audition, National Merit
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: NO IDEA
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Emerson College (Accepted), Boston University (Rejected), NYU (Rejected), UNR (Accepted), University of Washington (Wait-Listed), CalArts (Accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Literally just devastated. I don’t know what went wrong.

114

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: Dec.1 **

**Date decision postmarked/received: March 27 **

**Which school/major at USC: Viterbi School of Engineering **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (760 CR 800 M 730 W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800) Chemistry (800), USH (600)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6 ish?
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): just terrible. but at least first quarter lol
AP (place score in parentheses): chem II (5) apush (5) lang (3) stat (3)
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, Physics C, Lit, Govt, Macro (All APs)
Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AMC 10 Honor Roll, Certificate of Distinction in UoW math contests, national merit commended, nothing really major

Subjective:
Extracurriculars : Band (took up most of my time tbh), SNHS, Freshman yr only–> Badminton, Taekwondo, Math Club

Volunteer/Community Service: local food bank and did a little through school’s volunteering organization
Summer Activities: stanford EPGY (9th) engineering program at Columbia (11th)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: maybe a 4.5. I’m really bad at writing essays and i wrote this last minute
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Asked math and physics teacher. probably decent but not extraordinary
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: wut. we had one? o.o
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: didn’t have
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant): Singapore (freshman year)
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 150-200k ish. not sure
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ha nope.

Reflection
Strengths: SAT, SAT II, math awards that not many ppl seem to have
Weaknesses: GPA, Class Rank, (both definitely under the usc avg) lack of volunteering, lack of writing ability
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: umm relatively high test scores…?cant think of anything else. i have a ton of Bs and my class rank is crap so this was a surprise
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: UCD (scholarship), UCI, UCSD, UT Austin, Texas A&M
Waitlisted: UCLA

Rejected: Rice
Waiting on: UMich
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I honestly have no idea how I got accepted. I got lucky I guess :stuckouttongueclosedeyes: USC is really expensive so I’m still undecided, but i really want to live in cali so it’s either going to be one of the UCs or USC!

115

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 11/30

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi-Biomedical Engineering
Objective:
ACT: 35
GPA: 4.75 w 4.0 uw
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I think tied for #1, school doesn’t officially release
AP (place score in parenthesis): 7 so far, all 5s, AP Scholar with Distinction
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, Calc 3/Linear Algebra, AP US and Comparative Gov, AP English, AP Latin, AP Physics 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Latin Club (Secretary), Speech Team (Communications Director), Church Group (Senior Leader), JCL (Delegate), FCA, various other clubs
Job/Work Experience: Political Internship (senior year)
Volunteer/Community service: 4 hr/month with toddlers at church
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I think these were my best, I loved the Viterbi supplements
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Probably close to a 7
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Teacher recs should have been good
Interview: Funny story, I scheduled an interview, got the location wrong, then missed it. I thought it would really hurt me

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
School Type: Highly ranked public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, NM
Weaknesses: The cancelled interview, not a ton of impressive leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Good scores/GPA? I’m not sure, I’m kind of shocked
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Rice(!!!), Purdue, CWRU, Miami (full tuition), UIUC, University of Oklahoma
Waitlisted: WashU (lol)

General Comments:
So excited and honored! With the National Merit Presidential, if I can get the rest of the money this is one of my top choices

116

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

[ b]Date applied: 31st December

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: 24th March

[ b]Which school/major at USC: Applied and Computational Mathematics

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2010 (M: 770, CR: 550, W: 690)
ACT (breakdown): -
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800), Chemistry (770), Physics (700)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 2.76
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): -
AP (place score in parentheses): -
IB (place score in parentheses): Predicted, Math HL 7, Physics HL 5, Chemistry HL 6, Biology SL 7, Mandarin Ab Initio 5, English Language and Literature SL 6
Senior Year Course Load: My IB classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): -

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Dance club
Writing club
Participate in school activities
Job/Work Experience: Accounting internship
Volunteer/Community Service: Math tutoring
Summer Activities: Harvard summer school
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8? I’m not sure, I wrote about my passion for mathematics.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I didn’t get to read them, but they were from the teachers who like me.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: -
Interview:

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Indonesia
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 180 k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): -

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: My passion, my SAT II scores
Weaknesses: GPA, SAT I
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly have no idea, my passion maybe.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: A lot.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m beyond ecstatic. This is one of my top three schools. I honestly thought it was impossible with my GPA, plus my application wasn’t spectacular. But my school does have a weird grading system. The highest GPA was a 3.5 I think. To those of you who don’t think you’re good enough, remember that I got in with a 2.76.

117

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: **: 11/27

Date decision postmarked/received:: Postmarked March 24, 2015. Received March 26, 2015

Which school/major at USC:: Viterbi

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2200 (730 R, 670 M, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (34 E, 34 M, 34 R, 35 S, 11 Essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):800 Math II, 710 Bio-E, 760 US
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Biology (5), AP European History (5), AP U.S. History (5), AP Human Geography (5), AP English Language (5), AP Macroeconomics (4, Self Study), AP Microeconomics (4, Self Study), AP Environmental Science (4, Self Study)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish, AP English Literature, AP Chemistry, Ceramics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Questbridge College Prep. Scholar, Questbridge National College Match Finalist, National Merit Commended, National AP Scholar, Gates Millenium Scholarship Finalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Speech & Debate (10-12), Key Club (11-12), Quiz Bowl (11-12), Science Olympiad (11-12), Liberty in North Korea Club (11-12, President), Columnist for a Science website (11-12)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered at local library and Key Club events (80 hours)
Summer Activities: Boy’s State California 2014, Publishing articles about science for a website
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: My supplements were so-so, but I did make sure to show my interest in the school in all of them (7/10). My Common App was imo really great (9/10)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read them (probably great)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read (probably great)
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):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Personal life circumstances/unexpected events, Double Legacy

Reflection
Strengths: Scores, Life circumstances, Legacy
Weaknesses: Essay 1, No 4 year extracurricular commitment?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my scores were fine, and my legacy probably helped (although I think not too much; a person I know had double legacy and was rejected from USC but accepted to other higher-ranked schools)
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: UCI (Regent’s) UCSD (Regent’s), UCLA, UC Berkeley
Rejected: Stanford, MIT, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, JHU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Really focus on writing good supplements! Show a demonstrated interest in the school!

118

Decision: Rejected ( international business)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 34
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Weighted GPA: It’s around 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP lang (5) ap euro(4) macro (4) APUSH(4) physics (3) French (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP psych, AP chinese, AP environmental science, AP lit, philosophy honors, AP gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, national merit commended student, 4 year high honor roll

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Swim team ( captain ) , youth and government , Hispanic youth tutoring (treasurer), 10 years of piano competition, law club, BPA, FBLA, FCCLA, cross country
Job/Work Experience: Swim teacher, dental assistant
Volunteer/Community service: Bernie’s book bank, chinese volunteer camp to teach underprivileged children English
Summer Activities: intern at Abbott laboratories
Essays: 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec: None
State: Illinois
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Strengths: ACT, extracurriculars, challenging course load, upward trend
Weaknesses: course load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: very very surprised
General Comments: I was rejected by most of my RD schools: carnegie mellon, northwestern, UNC, USC and WAITLISTED at michigan after being deferred. ACCEPTED at UCLA and NYU STERN, MIAMI u( full ride) , university of rochester ( deans scholarship), UIUC ( accounting)

119

Decision: Rejected - Marshall School of Business

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT (breakdown): 32 (30 M, 35 R, 34 E, 27 S, 31 W)
[] SAT II: N/A
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: 4.45
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/182
[] AP (place score in parentheses): AP Lang (3), APUSH (Dual Credit), AP Calculus AB (Upcoming), AP Lit (Upcoming), AP Spanish (Upcoming), AP Gov (Upcoming)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Economics Honors, AP Government, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish, AP Literature, Physics
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing extraordinary. Honors societies: NHS, CSF, NSHSS, etc.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Equestrian (Varsity Rider and Captain; Internationally Awarded), JustWorld International (Ambassador)
[] Job/Work Experience: Horse Show Manager @ Local Competitions
[] Volunteer/Community service: Horsemanship Camp (Counselor), Samaritan’s Purse (Volunteer with Operation Christmas Child), Soroptimist (Volunteer)
[] Essays: They were well done… until I realized that I accidentally forgot a word in a sentence. sigh
[] Recommendations: I did not see them, but I’m assuming that they were excellent.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
[]** Intended Major **: Economics
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: Private
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: Mid-High Six Figures
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Catholic, Equestrian Accomplishments
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: GPA, ACT, Equestrian Accomplishments
[] Weaknesses: AP Testing History (Lack thereof)
[] Schools were you accepted/waitlisted to? - Accepted: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine (Honors), Pepperdine, Santa Clara; Waitlisted: UChicago
[] Schools you were rejected from?: Stanford
[li] Schools you are waiting for?: Harvard, Penn, Brown[/li][/ul]General Comments: Very shocked to receive a rejection from USC. Though, knowing that the competition was very much present this year, I’m assuming that the small typo in my essay landed my application in the rejection pile. I’m not upset by this, as I really did not want to be spending 4 years in Compton. Haha! If anything, it’s just a sign that I was always meant to pick UCLA over USC. Congratulations to all admits!

120

Decision: Accepted!

Date applied: : 1/13

Date decision postmarked/received:: 1/15

Which school/major at USC:: Marshall School of Business - Business Administration Major

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Did not take
ACT (breakdown): 30 (31 E, 28 M, 32 R, 28 S, 11 Essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): U.S. History (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 Unweighted & 4.2 Weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP European History (5), AP U.S. History (5), AP English Language (4), AP Macroeconomics (5), AP U.S. Government & Politics (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP English Lit, AP Biology, AP Spanish Literature, Humanities - Honors, Accounting 1, Accounting 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Illinois State Scholar, Lamp of Knowledge Award, AP Economics Wall of Fame Award, 5.0 GPA or Higher Wall of Fame

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Editor of the Newspaper (10-12 Leadership), Hip Hop Dance Team (10-12), Jazz Dance Team (11-12), Organization of Latin American Students (12), Marching Band/Pep Band (9-10), Soccer (9), and Private Piano Lessons since Kindergarten

Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered at local Hospital, Book Buy Volunteer, Community Service trips, Spanish Tutor at school, Teacher’s Assistant

Summer Activities: People to People Student Ambassador: Traveled to Australia, Italy, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Scotland in order to meet with government officials and learn about different cultures. Also participated in community service on these trips.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):: I think my common app essay was great and really showed USC who I am as a person (9/10). My supplemental essays were awesome in that they were extremely specific as to why I wanted to go to USC and I referenced many programs that only USC offers (10/10).

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I assume they were great. I picked two teachers and my guidance counselor to write my recs. I was very close with all of them and knew me extremely well. They worked so hard with me on my essays and app to make sure I would have a good shot of getting into USC (10/10).
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Fantastic. My counselor and I really got along well (10/10).
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: No need for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really. Maybe geographical diversity?

Reflection
Strengths: I visited USC twice and made it my point to know everything about the school. I showed them in my essays why USC was the right fit for me, not just a good school academically. I also took the hardest course load possible at school and was within their test score range.

Weaknesses: Not the highest GPA (but I think my rigorous course load made up for that) and I didn’t really have a hook, besides geographical diversity possibly

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I showed USC through my essays and by attending their events/visiting why they were the perfect school for me and what I could bring to their school.

Where else you are applying or have already applied: Indiana University, University of Illinois, UCLA, Berkeley, University of Michigan, Emory University,Georgetown University, and University of Virginia

General Comment: USC was my first choice, so I am Ecstatic!

Advice: Really spend time on your supplements and show USC why they NEED you! Everyone has good grades and test scores, so focus on something that makes you special, those things being your extra curriculars and personally tailored essays to who you are as a person. Pretend this is a business deal and you are the product. Show USC why they can’t live without you!!