Good ol' Chance thread

<p>Hey guys, any advice/comments would be really helpful. Thank you in advance. Go Trojans!</p>

<p>GPA: 3.8
ACT: 30
Class rank: 29 out of 124
Rigorous course load, almost all AP's available at school (AP Literature, Language, Statistics, Psychology, Sociology, U.S. History, Principles of Engineering)
Extracurricular:
Class President (Soph, Senior)
Captain of Varsity Football (4 years, team is 16th in state)
Varsity Track (Pole vault, High jump, Triple jump)
JV Basketball
American Red Cross Lifeguard (employed)
PGA (Professional Golf Association) Assistant Professional at a local country club
Local Methodist church junior lay leader
Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership seminar Junior Counselor
Geneva Methodist Soup Kitchen volunteer
Piano, 11 years experience</p>

<p>White christian male, Upstate New York public school </p>

<p>Thank you, just a little nervous, college is only going to be the next four years of my life:x</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1112/USCFreshmanProfile2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1112/USCFreshmanProfile2011.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you haven’t seen it, the above link does a good job of showing you your competition. Which school within USC are you applying to (Viterbi, Marshall, etc)? Is your 3.8 GPA weighted or unweighted? I’m asking because normally I’d expect a 3.8 to closer to top 10% class rank whereas you’re around the 25%-tile. If it’s unweighted then it’s average for last year’s freshman admits. If it’s weighted then you’re probably around a 3.5 which would put you in a tough spot. </p>

<p>The 30 ACT puts you at 25th%-tile for last years admits. You’ve got some community service with a strong sports emphasis is your ECs. I’m going to assume great essays and strong recommendations.</p>

<p>I think USC is a match to slight reach for you assuming the 3.8 is unweighted. I say that because with a 23% admissions rate (which is likely to drop with the switch to the CommonApp) I think your have to be at the 75%-tile before you can start getting comfortable. I think you have a good chance but I wouldn’t be completely shocked if you got bad news. Probably not what you wanted to hear but that’s my best guess.</p>

<p>Vinceh,
I’m applying to Marshall school of business, and that 3.8 was unweighted.
My essay was “A significant experience.” It was probably my best piece, comparing my yearly trip to the same beach to Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” and Yeats’ “Personal Helicon”
The recommendations were done by Business and technology/architecture teachers, the two that I’ve, had since freshman year. From what I’ve seen and been told, they were spectacular.</p>

<p>Thank you for your time and help Vinceh, you’ve eased a bit of the pressure on a very anxious senior. Happy Holidays.</p>