@soppphhh I kind of thought sports would crop up later, but also I ride and compete horses on the national circuit and do it about 12 hours a week
One more time @skieurope - thanks!
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** 11/30/15
Date decision postmarked/received: 3/24/16
Which school/major at USC: Dornsife L&S for Political Science
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2160, 750CR, 720M, 690W
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II: 700, Lit: 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.74, Weighted 4.0 (1 F Junior Year)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesnt rank, but guessing top 20%
AP (place score in parentheses): took 2 AP tests, but total ap classes taken is like 5-6
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Econ, World Lit, Leadership, AP Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none lol.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Senior VP, Class Council 2 Years, Secretary of Youth & Government Club, Volunteer Service
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: random charity work and the like, not much
Summer Activities: not much lol
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA: 7/10, not great. Supplementals: 8/10, really emphasized how I would make the best use of a USC education
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): honestly idk lol. 7/10? 8/10? Don’t know my teachers that well.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, I love her and talk to her often.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): none
Interview: Didn’t do one
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA (socal)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection
Strengths: uh… idk lol, good ecs?
Weaknesses: mediocre gpa, medicore sat
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: idk. i think my essays did help a lot, i specified how I would use USC to my full advantage.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: rejected from UCLA, UCB, Boston University. waitlisted Davis. Accepted UCSB.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: spend time on your essays and get some stellar recs if you dont have high stats. also, ecs matter!
ACCEPTED (Spring)
[ b]Date applied: December
[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: 3/25/16
[ b]Which school/major at USC: Marshall
[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 30
SAT II (place score in parentheses): n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.63
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): n/a
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, College writing class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Presidential Service Award
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Lots of service hours and have started 3 businesses
Job/Work Experience: Currently own my own business
Volunteer/Community Service: Coached 3 Special Olympics teams
Summer Activities: Entrepreneurship camp at the University of Washington
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8, strong personal statement and so-so supplements
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): 9, alumni letter
Interview: Didn’t seem to go so well, but I guess I was wrong
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): Washington
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private preparatory
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$350,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): USC was well aware that I was there top choice
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Extracuricculars (businesses and service)
Weaknesses: GPA way below average
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: USC was my #1
Where else you are applying or have already applied: U of Michigan, Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, Cal Poly, U of Washington, LMU, Santa Clara.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Surprised I was accepted but couldn’t be happier
Decision: Accepted
Date applied: 11/30/15
Date decision postmarked/received: 3/25/16
Which school/major at USC: Dornsife for Biological Sciences and Pre-med emphasis
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2080 (didn’t submit)
ACT (breakdown): 33C, 30M, 35E, 34S, 34R
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio E (660), Math I (680) - didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/127 (Salutatorian)
AP (place score in parentheses): USH (4), Bio (3), Chem (2) 
Senior Year Course Load: Yearbook Editor, Weight Training, AP Politics, French, Human Anatomy, AP Lang, AP Calc AB
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): hahhhhhaaaaha… umm 4th place at nationals powerlifting?
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Powerlifting 3yrs, soccer (varsity 3yrs, club 1yr - state runners up), volunteer at science museum 4 hours every other weekend, history club (president), paid job with newspaper as sports reporter, yearbook (senior editor)
Job/Work Experience: Newspaper sports reporter
Volunteer/Community Service: Science museum, NHS stuff, youth soccer referee every summer
Summer Activities: same as community service
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I can’t even remember what I wrote them on so probably like a 6. The usual: “I want to do research and take advantage of internships and your incredible course offerings.”
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Math teacher and powerlifting coach 8, science teacher of 3 years for general bio, AP bio, and A&P didn’t read
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Small school so she knew me pretty well 8
Interview: Didn’t have one
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): WISCONSIN!
School Type: Small rural public ~500 students
Ethnicity: White as bread
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Powerlifting? Small school with less opportunities?
Reflection
Strengths: Taking 7/9 APs offered at my school (the other two were Spanish, I take French, and and Psych which didn’t fit in my schedule), driving an hour each way to volunteer at the science museum (mentioned in my essay how the traffic is worth it, because it is!), was brutally honest in my short answers (favorite musical artist: Hoodie Allen)
Weaknesses: No interview - I visited but it wasn’t on my radar yet to interview and I think that’s why I was waitlisted at CMC
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m a dreamer from a small town who got some good test scores and pushed myself in high school
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: University of Minnesota, UW Madison, Loyola Chicago (interviewing for Ignatian full tuition scholarship), Alabama (ACT full tuition scholarship), Occidental
Waitlist: Claremont McKenna
Awaiting: Dartmouth, Penn, Brown
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t be afraid to apply to schools whose acceptance rates scare you a little. Also, another girl from my school applied and I thought there was no way a school like this would take two students from the same tiny school in Wisconsin, but we both got accepted! We both have strengths and weaknesses, she is valedictorian but I took harder classes, she went to nationals for FBLA and I did for powerlifting, we both were very dedicated to a specific volunteer effort throughout high school, mine being the museum, hers being the Humane Society. Just, don’t sell yourself short. Someone out there thinks there’s something great about your app!
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** November 30 (?)
Date decision postmarked/received: 24th March
Which school/major at USC: School of Cinematic Arts / Interactive Media and Games
Scholarships: haha
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Literature (690), Math 2 (720)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I don’t know
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Studio Art Painting and Drawing (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Physics, Political Economy, AP Music Theory, AP Studio Art 2d Design, AP Art History, AP Language and Composition, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): hahahah
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Vice president of environmental club, been playing piano since I was 4, HUGE art person (digital + traditional)
Job/Work Experience: Web Designer, T-shirt Illustrator, Intern at a library/Saturday school
Volunteer/Community Service: 20 hours of music therapy with special needs children
Summer Activities: UCLA DMA summer institute, Drexel University Computing Program
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8/10 common app essays, 10/10 slideroom portfolio essays. I wrote about how my parents’ negative outlook on games made me want to chance public opinion on games, how I saw games as an art form, how I faced discrimination in gaming and gamedev for being female, how I wished for the evolution of games to be something more than the mindless entertainment most people think it is. Two of them were over 9000 words.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 4/10 haha I’m pretty sure she hated me
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: ?? It’s a mystery
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10, it was my employer at the place I interned at and he loved me
Interview: I didn’t even know you could have interviews
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope, international student
State (if domestic applicant): Residency in California
Country (if international applicant): Canadian Citizenship
School Type: Semi-competitive public school
Ethnicity: Asian (Malaysian)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’ve moved from country to country so I have an international worldview?? Idk if that counts
Reflection
Strengths: Essays and portfolio were 10/10, everything else paled in comparison (For my portfolio sample I did a 1-minute trailer of a game I worked on with friends, with me as the artist, game designer, and programmer. I included a link to my github and game design document where I described the game in detail. It was a game about morality, love, and relationships; very story heavy and endings were based on the player’s choices within the game.)
Weaknesses: Grades, ECs, recommendations…
Why you think you were accepted: SCA places emphasis on essays and talent/creativity, so my mediocre/below average stats in everything else didn’t matter in the end.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to UCSC, RPI, RIT, Drexel; Waitlisted from UCLA, Chapman; Rejected from UCSD, Georgia Tech, University of Rochester; Still awaiting decision from NYU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: For such a competitive world class major I’m very surprised I was accepted. Honestly, I believe what really helps is to show SCA your passion, your ambition, and your hope for the world to change for the better with your input. Not everyone who loves videogames can be a game designer, and it helps to show them that your love for games exceeds the surface, and you deeply understand why it is important to the development of future technology.
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** 11/30/15
Date decision postmarked/received: 3/24/16
Which school/major at USC: Dornsife for Poli Sci
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2160 (750CR, 720M, 690W)
ACT (breakdown): didnt take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II: 700, Lit: 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.74, 4.0 Weighted (got 1 F junior year tho)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesnt rank, but guessing top 20%
AP (place score in parentheses): 2 ap tests taken, but 5-6 ap classes taken overall
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: ap gov, ap econ, world lit, leadership, ap environmental science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none lol
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): senior VP, 2 years class council, secretary of youth and government club
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: various charities, not much overall
Summer Activities: summer school, not much
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA: 7/10, not great. supplementals: 8.5/10, i think i really showed how i would take advantage of a USC education to the max.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 7/10, dont know my teachers that well.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, love her and we talk often.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): none
Interview: didnt interview
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: male
Income Bracket: ~250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection
Strengths: idk lol. good ecs
Weaknesses: mediocre gpa, mediocre sat
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i think my extracurriculars combined with my essays and ecs really helped me show my passion and showed how i would fit in at USC.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: accepted into UCSB, waitlisted at davis and UChicago, rejected from UCLA, Cal, Boston University
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: work on your essays and let your passions shine through. if you belong at USC you will be accepted!
**Decision: Accepted **
**Date applied: ** Before the December deadline? Idk
Date decision postmarked/received: received 25/03/16
Which school/major at USC: Cinema & Media Studies, School of Cinematic Arts (!!!)
Scholarships: none that I know of!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2090, 740CR, 680V, 670M
ACT (breakdown): 32C, 34E, 27M, 35R, 33S, 26W
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Latin 3, AP Calc AB 3, AP English Language 5, AP English Literature 5
Senior Year Course Load: S1: Advanced Topics in Philosophy I (post-AP level), Critical Reading and Argumentation (post-AP level), Vergil’s Aeneid (college prep); plus Intro to Geology + Lab and TV Production I at the local state university
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Three gold medals on the National Classical Etymology Exam including a top ten score in the advanced division, AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Commendation
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student Government (Freshman class VP, Board Chair, Student Body Vice-President, Student Body President, author of Student Body constitution, generally ridiculously involved with it, started a lot of programs and shit); Film Club (Co-President, President); Latin Club (Co-President); Ballet (TA)
Job/Work Experience: I worked as a counsellor and assistant music director for a summer program for a couple years, but it was volunteer work, so it’s a bit of both this and the following
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): No idea! I know my general essay was really strong (maybe like an 8-10 depending on how tolerant of Hallmark-movie style stories you are), and my SCA personal statement was as well (solid 9 or 10), and I think my writing sample for SCA was probably an 8, but I’m not sure about my short answers-- probably a 7-8.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I’ve only read one of them, which was really really strong. He was my English teacher for two years, I worked with him developing an Alfred Hitchcock scavenger hunt and Vertigo viewing for my school’s summer program, and he was the sponsor of Film Club this year-- it was an incredible letter and made me cry a little bit, so at least a 9. The other teacher’s I haven’t read, but I had her for three and a half years starting when I was twelve, she knows me and all of my friends really really well (as in we held her baby three days after she was born), and she’s the sponsor of Latin Club, so hopefully very strong.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): No clue, but it has to have been pretty elaborate because I’ve had a weird education.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): I haven’t read my SCA rec either, but she was my film studies teacher and teaches a 1.5 hour seminar I’m in right now, and she’s saved my work in that film class to use as examples for future classes, I’ve taken two-week film classes with her, and she used to be the sponsor of Film Club, so again, hopefully very strong.
Interview: I loved my interview. It was so much fun and it felt more naturally and was easier than any other part of the process-- by the end, my interviewer and I were recommending band and TV shows to each other. It was incredible 
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope!
State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut, but I’m from a CA school
School Type: I go to a super weird school-- it’s an online prep school run by Stanford University (Stanford OHS), but I also went to a charter school for a year to study A/V, and take classes at my local university.
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle class, probs
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing! I’m a white middle class girl with highly educated teacher parents.
Reflection
Strengths: One of the one things I will say is that I’m a pretty damn good writer-- my parents are both English teachers, so it’s kinda been hammered into me my whole life, and I had a pretty unique essay topic. I’ve also demonstrated a lot of interest in film and have a clear passion for it, but basically everyone applying to SCA does. I think too that my demonstrated interest in USC (going back to the summer after my freshman year in high school) helped, as well as the school I’m graduating from, which gave me a super strong liberal arts education. I also have a lot of college credit from Stanford University and the local state school.
Weaknesses: Because my school is so competitive, my GPA’s not the best, and my school doesn’t weight at all. All of our classes are honours level, AP level, or post-AP (you’re required to take one AP from STEM, one in English, and one in social studies to graduate, as well as two post-AP classes as part of the core curriculum, and our lowest level classes are honours). My scores aren’t great either, but they’re solidly in the middle 50. I was chronically ill, though, for my entire junior year and part of sophomore and senior, and when I took all my tests, which is what I wrote my essay about, and explains some of the issues with my GPA and scores.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Absolutely no fucking clue. I’m floored, but I have no idea.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I was accepted to Dodge College at Chapman University on scholarship, and UCSC, and was rejected from UCLA. I didn’t apply anywhere else.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: It’s a longshot for everyone, and it’s not always about whether or not you’re deserving, but about how luck you are and your demographics. I got super, super lucky at USC, but I was flat-out rejected from UCLA, which has a much higher film school acceptance rate than USC.
[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]
[ b]Date applied: [11/25]
[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:[3/25]
[ b]Which school/major at USC:[Dornsife, Biology]
[ b]Scholarships:[N/A]
[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2100 M:740 CR:680 W:680
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math: 690 Biology: 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): AP English Lang: 4 AP Biology: 3 APUSH: 3
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP World History, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature, Honors Latin 5
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Cross Country, Winter Track (captain), Spring track (captain), volunteer EMT, many clubs, grade representative of honor committee
Job/Work Experience: Hostess at a diner, sailing instructor
Volunteer/Community Service: Junior EMT
Summer Activities: Sailing Instructor
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: main essay 9.5 talked about the adversity I had overcome and how i remained resilennt, supplements 8
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Latin teacher 9-10, Biology teacher: 7-8
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9-10, she loves me
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: I was very nervous and didn’t think it went well but the interviewer sent me a very nice and pretty long email after I reached out to her again
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: private school (extremely selective)
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 500,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: essay, extracurriculars, reqs, test schools?
Weaknesses: GPA, and leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am a spring admit I think because my gpa is not good but I have many unique experiences displayed in my application
Where else you are applying or have already applied: accepted: Wisco, Penn State, UMaryland, Syracuse, Boulder, Miami, Occidental Wait List: Lehigh Declined: Boston College pending: UMich
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color]
Date applied: 12/1
[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: 3-23/3-24**
[ b]Which school/major at USC: School of Cinematic Arts/Cinema and Media Studies!**
[ b]Scholarships: n/a**
[ b]Objective:**
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Spanish w/ Listening (700), US History (650)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 9% (I only know because of UC ELC)
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (3), English Lang (5), Spanish Lang (4), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc A/B, Leadership (yes, there is a class at my school called “Leadership”), AP English Lit, Spanish 5, AP Environmental Science, AP US Government, AP Macro, Adv. Cinematography, Industry Prep, Senior Project
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not really, other than AP Scholar with Distinction (or something like that)
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Spanish Honors Society (President), NHS, CSF, Leadership, School News Show (Producer), tons (35) of film projects (Producer, Director, etc), School Media Coordinator
Job/Work Experience: not much, I do some live TV outside of school
Volunteer/Community Service: NHS, Spanish Honors Society, CSF
Summer Activities: Travel
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App (8), USC (9), SCA (9)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I had 3 Teachers, all of them were 9-10’s
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Additional from student services receptionist with whom I work very closely, solid 10
Interview: I had a general undergrad interview, I think it went very well but it wasn’t anything extraordinary
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): California (Southern)
School Type: Public Charter (Arts School)
Ethnicity: White/Asian Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Very Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m half URM technically? I really have no hooks to be honest other than that I have a huge passion for Spanish culture. I’m as plain as they come for USC, to be honest. White, straight, male, affluent. I contribute nothing to diversity there.
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: I was PERSISTANT. I found excuses to email my counselor so she knew my name by hear (in a good way). I went and sat in on classes and I even approached an SCA professor, who then invited me to observe and take part in one of his production classes. I updated my counselor about all of this, which showed my professional skills and also my continued interest in the school. Overall, I showed that I was COMMITTED. They want to see that you take this seriously, that you won’t burn out and that you will follow through.
Weaknesses: SAT 2 scores were a bit low, common app essay could have been a bit more personal.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I wasn’t accepted into my first choice major (Film & TV production) but it doesn’t matter. I’ll just transfer to that major since I’m already accepted into SCA lol.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Chapman, UCI, UCSB, UCSD. Denied: UCB, UCLA
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Do the best you can, always. Never take shortcuts or sell yourself short. And remember, it’s not over until it’s over. You decide when enough is enough. This process didn’t end for me until the SECOND I got my acceptance letter. Just this last Monday, I sent a SCA professor a thank-you letter in the mail. Show how passionate you are and how badly you want to go here!!!
Decision: Accepted
[ b]Date applied: January 15
[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: March 25
[ b]Which school/major at USC: Political Science
[ b]Scholarships: N/A DId not apply
[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (660R, 740M, 780W) [1 attempt]
ACT (breakdown): Not Send
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750 Biology E, (790 Math II; Not Send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/436
AP (place score in parentheses): 12 APs total
Sophomore: 4 Bio, 4 APUSH
Junior: 4 Psychology, 5 Lang, 5 Euro
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, APES, AP Lit, AP US Gov, AP Comp Sci, AP French
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2nd Place Nationally at Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition (Big Band), Outstanding Rhythm Section Player (Guitar) — May 2015, AP Scholar with Distinction
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Model UN [President Junior and Senior], Green Team (Science Olympiad, Envirothon, Environmental Protection club) [President], NHS, Community Jazz Band.
Job/Work Experience: Dispatch/Sales at locksmithing company (Junior + Senior)
Volunteer/Community Service: Local Start-up non-profit board member fighting food insecurity in the community (Junior + Senior)
Summer Activities: Jazz Groups summer program, AZ Boys State (only one from school), Self-Studied French 2(soph), Calculus AB(Jr.)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8?? Prompt: Moment I became an adult
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Did not read, assuming 8s?
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I thing 10, but did not read. Daughter is doing graduate study at USC, so she knows what’s up
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: None
Interview: None
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Tucson, Arizona
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public (9-12)
Ethnicity: Guamanian/Pacific Islander
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Lower income, <55k per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Pacific Islander/URM
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Made a real change in my Model UN Club, Unique quick take responses, GPA and course load
Weaknesses: Not much I can think about, possibly not getting to read letters of recommendation
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Good all around application, lots of time spent on essays. Been very committed and involved all four years.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Colorado Mines (A), Fordham (A), Brown (…), Reed(…),Dartmouth (…), Yale(…), W&L (W), WashU in St. Louis (A), Vanderbilt (A), Middlebury (A), Grinnell (A), Tulane ®
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t do drugs, stay in school
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** December
Date decision postmarked/received: 3/25
Which school/major at USC: political science
Scholarships: applied but nope
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2080 (720CR 680M 680 W)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750 USH 750 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/300
AP (place score in parentheses): Euro(4) English Lang(5) Human Geo(5) APUSH(5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: all APs + honors anatomy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): only awards I put were within school/regional for tennis and quiz bowl
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4 years tennis (co captain) 4 years student council (treasurer all 4) quiz bowl (captain) ASB, spirit ambassador, ecology club
Job/Work Experience: rec center job ~25 hrs/week spring of junior year until fall of senior year, hours dropped to ~10 and started another job in december that’s ~20 additional hours
Volunteer/Community Service: beach cleanups and coaching tennis youth summer camps
Summer Activities: work and tennis
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app was 10/10 but I don’t remember my supplements at all? lol whoops
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8/10 from my AP calc teacher bc B in the actual class but A+ for effort, she knows me well. The other one was from my english teacher and 10/10 he let me read it
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: not great, she has 600 students and I see her once a year but I’m sure she did the best she could with the information available
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: nope
Interview: nope
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? of course
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: medium public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: low
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation
Reflection
Strengths: no clue I didn’t think I had any tbh, maybe leadership/involvement in my school?
Weaknesses: SAT, no unique EC’s, lack of community service (def had less than 50 hours)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted at SDSU (weber honors college) USD UCSC UCLA UCB rejected at Stanford
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Spent most of high school thinking I was going to community college for sure, so I’m stoked! Probably can’t afford to actually attend, but stoked nonetheless! I’m between USC and SDSU all depends on the FA packages. A few of my friends with similar/higher stats were rejected so I’m guessing genuine essays and leadership/ECs hold some weight in admissions
Decision: Accepted
Date applied: November 29
Date decision postmarked/received: 26th March, online.
Which school/major at USC: Viterbi School of Engineering, CS Games.
Scholarships: LOL NOPE
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800M/790CR/780W
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 Maths L2, 780 Chem, 780 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
IB (place score in parentheses): English A LAL HL, Mandarin ab, Economics SL, Physics HL, Maths HL, Chemistry HL. Predictions are 6/6/6/7/6/7 respectively.
Senior Year Course Load: See above.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): BPhO Silver, Iunno, some maths ones too.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
MUN - 4 years.
Rugby - 3 years
Student Gov’t - 3 years.
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: 1 week service trip to Cambodia, helped with building/education.
Summer Activities: N/A
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9-10/10 CA Essay, poured my heart and soul out. 7/10 supplements. Good, but nothing absolutely spectacular.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10, my Physics teacher loves me.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Complete and utter mystery. I’d say maybe 8/10? Alright, at least.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: Nope.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope, international student
State (if domestic applicant): -
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: Top-end international school
Ethnicity: Asian (Malaysian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper-middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Well, I wrote my essay on being gay, if that counts. But people keep telling me that’s not a hook. =P
Reflection:
Strengths: Strong af CA essay, great SAT scores, rigour of curriculum(The IB is hell).
Weaknesses: ECs, ASIAN af.
Why you think you were accepted: Strong academics and essays, I guess I sorta went to the info evening they held here.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted at UCSC, UCSD, UCSB, UCI, RIT, Drexel, UofT. Rejected at UCLA, UCB, MIT.
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** October 17th
Date decision postmarked/received: March 25th
Which school/major at USC: Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Physics Major
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Math - 670, Writing - 670, CR - 700
ACT (breakdown): Did not send
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not take any
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% (School only offers decile ranks)
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (3), Calculus BC (3), AB subscore (3), English Lang/Comp (5), Physics C: Mechanics (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Microeconomics, AP US Gov/Politics, AP English Lit, AP Statistics, AP Spanish, Creative Writing, Photography, Multivariable Calculus (taken at local community college)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Theatre/Drama club (Member 1 year, officer 2), Track and Field
Job/Work Experience: Worked in two different restaurant jobs (not simultaneously) junior and senior year.
Volunteer/Community Service: NHS 10th and 11th grade, volunteered at church 9th and 10th
Summer Activities: Working, attending a music camp in Nashville
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: I honestly have no idea how I would rank my essays. I feel like they did a good job capturing who I am as a person and what is important to me, so I guess like 8/9 if I had to choose?
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: My teacher recommendations were phenomenal. All three had lots of experience writing recommendation letters. One was from my physics/calculus teacher, another was from my English teacher who likes me a lot, and the last was from another teacher who also works as a college counselor (sneaky…) 9/10.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I think my counselor just filled out the form and sent it in. Nothing special there.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: I think my interview went pretty well looking back on it. I interviewed with Jessica Castaldi who I believe is one of the assistant directors of admissions for Dornsife. She was very nice and she made the interview feel very personal and easy.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Reflection
Strengths: Letters of Recommendation, Interview, course load
Weaknesses: Scores and GPA. They weren’t below average or bad or anything, but they certainly didn’t get me in right away.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Demonstrated interest (visiting the school and signing up for an interview), My grades showed an upward trend. And I made sure to talk about how much going to USC would mean to me in my interview.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Rejected - UCLA, Vanderbilt, UChicago. Accepted - UCI, UCSB, UCSC, ASU, UW. Waitlisted - UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech. Still waiting on a decision from NYU.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If USC is your first choice, or at least high up on your list, let it be known. Schools like USC, especially private schools, do seem to take that into consideration. If you seem apathetic about attending, they will most likely be apathetic towards you. Good luck to everyone still awaiting a decision and everyone applying in the future. I hope to see all of you on campus. Fight on.
I would post but don’t have the time to complete the template.
This into is copied from 2015’s stats thread.
REMEMBER - STATS ONLY - NO DISCUSSION.
Questions/comments are in another thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1719773-official-usc-class-of-2019-results-discussion-thread.html#latest.
THANKS!
Here are instructions and a template you can use to help future generations of USC applicants!:
-Copy/paste all the text below from === to === into a new post (Do NOT include the ===)
-Delete the line that does not apply, i.e. Accepted or Rejected.
-Add your specifics.
-PREVIEW POST to see how it looks before you submit. Instead of clicking “Post Comment,” choose “Preview” so you can make adjustments before you post.
THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING!
Remove spaces in brackets before posting!!
===
Choose one:
[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]
[ b]Date applied: **
[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:**
[ b]Which school/major at USC:**
[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
===
Decision: Rejected
**Date applied: October 28th **
**Date decision postmarked/received: March 26th via portal **
**Which school/major at USC: Annenberg for communications **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 28 (33 English, 31 Reading, 23 Math, 23 Science, 29 ELA)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75/4.65, with semester grades I think that becomes 3.85/4.72
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 23/382 (top 6 percent), 17/382 (top 4 percent) after midyear
AP: Human Geography (3), Psychology (5), Art History (3), Biology (3), US History (4), English Language (5)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, AP English Literature, AP French Language, AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, Honors 20th Century US History, Honors Modernity and Global Culture
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Girl Scout Gold Award, Virginia Girls State, Virginia Summer Residential Governor’s School for Humanities, National Honor Society
Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
- LGBTQ Alliance (President and founder); 11 and 12
- Girl Scout (Gold Award Recipient); since 1st grade
- Key Club (Events coordinator); since 9th grade, officer since 10th
- Piano Lessons; since 5th grade
- Technical Theater/Running crew for school musicals; 10, 11, 12
- Local Democratic Headquarters; during gubernatorial and presidential elections in 9th and 10th
- National Honor Society: 12
- Model United Nations: 9, 10, 11, 12
- French National Honor Society: 9, 10, 11, 12
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Through Girl Scouts, Key Club, Democratic HQ, NHS and FNHS, etc.,
Summer Activities: Governor’s School for Humanities (Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education, it’s pretty competitive to get into. Don’t know if it’s viewed in such high esteem in California though), Virginia Girls State
Essays: 8’s maybe? There were three typos. For the common app I talked about Governor’s School, for USC supplements I talked about how LGBTQ Alliance had become a second family to me/running the club while being closeted to my parents, and detailed in my general USC and Annenberg supplements about specific things for pre-law courses, and how my interest in media advocacy could be fulfilled by student press organizations, research, diversity and location, etc. I didn’t think my essays were all that good until I read a few other peoples’
Teacher Recommendations: AP English Language and Humanities teacher. I’m really quiet and have never been a teacher favorite, but she’s a wonderful writer and I’m sure she gave the best possible recommendations to all of her students. And French teacher. Again, I’ve had her for four years but I’m really shy; although I did see a paper recommendation she was filling out for another college, and she had given me the highest marks possible in the evaluation. I saw the letter later when I was filling out a scholarship application, and it was nice, but brief. She basically praised my character, compassion, empathy, and artistic inclination.
Counselor Rec: She doesn’t like me very much but knows the difficulty of my circumstances.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: I didn’t interview but met with an admissions counselor. I felt like I made a fool of myself, but I sent her a thank you note afterwards.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State: Virginia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, average GPA is about a 2.5, not a lot of students go on to four year universities; I’m in a specialty center for humanities and take my elective, English and social studies classes with different curriculum, I believe info on that is attached to the secondary school report
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks: I’m gay and have a chronic pain disability
Reflection
Strengths: Unique background, long term commitment to a few activities that are personal to me
Weaknesses: Decent GPA and test scores, but not on par with the USC average (awful math and science subscores), no one in my school has ever applied, no SAT II scores, never visited campus, haven’t really done anything “groundbreaking” and there were typos in my essays. I feel like I should’ve made more effort to show how I would fit in at USC. Also my guidance counselor doesn’t like me and I made a fool of myself to the admissions counselor.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because I’m a socially awkward idiot.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Admitted to Virginia Commonwealth University (scholarship), George Mason University, James Madison University, Pace University NYC (scholarship), UCLA (too expensive out of state but I’m appealing my financial aid)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I knew I wasn’t a strong candidate but I’m kind of heartbroken… I fell in love with the communications program and diversity of USC, but I guess I wasn’t the right fit. To all the juniors who will be reading this like I was, don’t get attached to one school. It will crush you. You can be an amazing person, but all admissions sees is a résumé and numbers. Also, don’t think that acceptance to one school is indicative of another. Everyone kept telling me that I’d get in to USC if I got into UCLA, that UCLA was more competitive, but that’s not always the case.
Decision: Accepted
Date applied: November 30
Date decision postmarked/received: 24th March
Which school/major at USC: Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, chemistry; Resident Honors admit(I’m still a junior)
Scholarships: lol
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): CR 720, WR 800 M 800
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (800), Math 2 (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): lol
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior(junior) Year Course Load: English 11, US history, Calc AB & BC, Chemistry AP, Bio Honors, French 3 Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Shakespeare competition finalist(?) AMC school winner, Journalism award
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Design editor at school newspaper, filmmaker, been playing piano since I was 3, MUN, Swimming varsity…
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service: library volunteer, special olympics coach
Summer Activities: Colombia Journalism, Brown environ, filmmaking workshop
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 common app essays(made my counselor cry) Supplement 9/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 7/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10 she likes me
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: n/a
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope, international student
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: private top in the state
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, grade, SAT, recommendation
Weaknesses: Extracurriculum
Why you think you were accepted: Solid grades and fair recommendations
Where else you are applying or have already applied: none, lol, only USC allows juniors to apply
Decision: Accepted
Date applied: Dec 1
Date decision received: Mar 26 on portal b/c I’m international
Which school/major at USC: Viterbi CS(Games)
Scholarships: nope
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 Japanese, 720 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75~3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a my school is tiny
AP (place score in parentheses): AP CS(4), Micro(5), Calculus AB(5), Physics 1(3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics 2, Chemistry, English, Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience: Summer job at a pool 1yr
Volunteer/Community Service: none
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 6-8? I honestly don’t know how to rate my essays. I just read over them and i got so embarrassed reading my essays again haha. I didn’t write anything too exaggerated or anything that wasn’t me. My essays really revealed my personality but I would never tell, even a friend, about what I wrote on my supplements.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: didn’t read but guess they were pretty solid
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: same as above
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: same as above
Interview: didn’t do one
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope.
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Japan
School Type: Intl
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: F
Income Bracket: don’t qualify for FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): girl in CS? though I doubt that’s a hook anymore. I applied RHP as a junior(obvs didn’t get in) so maybe that helped to demonstrate my interest in USC
Reflection
Strengths: can’t really think of any. i guess maybe my act score is 75 percentile. also i think our school is well respected(not super competitive/ prestigious but still sends good students). I think USC accepts a few from our school every year.
Weaknesses: just average grade/ecs/essays
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I actually don’t know but now that I think about it i think being a previous RHP applicant actually helped.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: all cs major
Accepted: UW-Seattle, Northeastern U, Santa Clara U w/ 10k, RIT w/ 20k
Waitlisted: UIUC
Rejected: Stanford, UCLA, UCB, Georgia Tech
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I was totally ready for a rejected after getting rejection after rejection.
I am eternally grateful to the admission officer who advocated for my app.
Fight on! X)
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** 12/1
Date decision postmarked/received: 3/25
Which school/major at USC: Iovine and Young Academy (Business, Art, Technology)
Scholarships: None
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 35 (34E, 36M, 36R, 35S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800), Chem (790), Lit (720)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but UC application said I was in the top 9% of my school, if that helps?
AP (place score in parentheses): Chinese (5), Eng Lang and Comp (5), Calc BC (5), Chem (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Stats, AP Lit, Gov/Econ, Studio Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, except maybe National Merit Commended Student
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Local Guitar Ensemble (section leader), School Volunteering Club (sr year: president, jr year: public relations), Cross country for 10-12th grade, Soccer for 9th-12th grade, Yearbook, art
Job/Work Experience: Teacher assistant at local art studio, tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: School volunteering club (various volunteering activities)
Summer Activities: Art summer programs (CSSSA, Pratt Precollege)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8 for 1st essay (talked about combining art + science, and growing up wanting to learn humanities in a STEM environment and combining the two) 7 for 2nd.(kind of the same topic I guess, but focusing more on my work ethic or something)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9 from a really close teacher of mine, and probably 7 or 8 from the other who I didn’t interact with much, but who liked my writing in the class.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 6 or 7. Didn’t know the counselor at all.
Interview: I think I did ok, but I realized all the better responses I could’ve given afterwards.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Unfortunately not—hopefully it’s still not too late
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian American
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Probably my art portfolio, and my grades
Weaknesses: Lack of leadership roles
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess IYA likes more unique portfolios, and since I didn’t have to offer much business-wise, I really pushed the art and technology side by using a bunch of different scientific concepts in my art. I also did a lot of time-based stuff, which they brought up in my interview.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Got into UCSD, UCB, CMU, waitlisted at RISD and UCLA. Still waiting on Yale Harvard Princeton Brown.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: do your financial aid on time! Biggest regret of mine :’(