how hard is usc to get into?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>hey all, i was just wondering how hard it actually is to get into usc. from what i've read from the cc boards and the average admitted stats from the usc website it doesn't seem too difficult, but i want to be sure. my stats are:
3.3 uw, 4.0 w (as of middle of the year, junior year.. should be higher now)
2110 superscored SAT (650 cr, 750 ma, 710 wr) (retaking in fall)
29 act...ew
670 mathII, 570 chem..yeeeeeah i plan on retaking both of these in the fall
only two classes haven't been honors/ap in HS when i could have taken them
took apcs exam this year, expecting a 5</p>

<p>rigorous senior sched (taking 3 ap's, studying for a 4th)
national merit (not sure if semi or commended yet)
worked 25 hrs per week for almost 2 years (aug '08-present)
basketball year round every year of HS (fall, winter, spring, summer, so the equivalent of playing sports year round)
doing cross-country in the fall, so will have a varsity letter
also might work at a top ranked hospital's neuro dept. over the summer (30 hrs/week)
im from MA, extremely rigorous school, sends at least one to almost every ivy yearly
intended major is physics or biochem</p>

<p>how am i looking? and is it worth applying ed? if i do ed, i won't be able to retake either subject tests or the reg sat, and i really would prefer a better score on both because every time before i took them i had a major distraction, and it is impossible that it would happen again so i'm guaranteed to do better..</p>

2

<p>yeah, even though nothing is ever certain, you definitely have a good chance of getting in.</p>

<p>but you cant apply early decision to usc, they dont offer that. so that takes care of that decision haha :)</p>

3

<p>heh that it does. i’ve been told i’m a fantastic interviewer, how much could doing one help my case?</p>

4

<p>If you’re a semifinalist, USC gives you half-tuition, so good luck on that!</p>

5

<p>from what I’ve heard, interviews don’t hurt you (unless you royally mess up), but if you do well they make your application stronger. so, in your case, i’m sure those interview skills would help!</p>

6

<p>really? half tuition… now THAT sounds like an incentive! hopefully, idk how likely it is that i get semi though. and sounds good to the interview, hopefully it’ll sway it in my favor! any other opinions? :)</p>

7

<p>You might have mis-read the admitted student profile. Admits for Fall 2009 (2010 isn’t available yet) had an average UNweighted GPA of 3.8. <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>yeah thats one of the things that i saw that worried me a bit; i was hoping that maybe my sats, course rigor, and commitment to my ec’s or something would help offset that…</p>

9

<p>You might want to take a look at the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/852880-stats-only-usc-decisions-2010-a.html?highlight=stats+usc+decisions[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/852880-stats-only-usc-decisions-2010-a.html?highlight=stats+usc+decisions&lt;/a&gt; thread. Good luck!</p>

10

<p>forzworn,
Each year SC becomes more and more difficult to be admitted. In the latest US News USC was ranked 20th in selectivity among the “Best National Universities”. Princeton Review ranked SC’s selectivity at 98.1%. </p>

<p>Scores do not tell the entire story. In the schools of music, fine arts, theatre and cinema creativity, talent, accomplishments and imagination are of major importance. Many very high scoring applicants are denied at SC, so the admissions committee considers all parts of a senior’s application.</p>

<p>Over 27,000+ seniors were not accepted last winter. That does not include transfer applicants.</p>

11

<p>As alamemom’s link in post #7 points out, statistically you’re in a tough spot. Your UW GPA is .5 below the average admit. While your math SAT is around the 70th%-tile, your CR is floating around the 30th. Additionally, your 570 Chem SATII may make admissions nervous about your chances as a biochem major. It’s impossible to know how much admissions will factor in the rigor of your high school or even if they will agree with your assessment of it. To me, those factors combined with a 24% admit rate makes USC a big reach.</p>

12

<p>you have a chance but i definitely wouldn’t put USC in your safety category and even calling it a match would be kind of a stretch.</p>

13

<p>These days, USC is a reach for a student from a rigorous HS with a UW GPA below 3.5, and even higher from less rigorous schools. This number is flexible for those with serious hooks–recruited athletes, URM, 1st generation college, national awards or demonstrated talent in the arts.</p>

<p>I agree with josebiwasabi. Give it a shot but stay realistic.</p>

14

<p>Your stats are slightly above average at best.</p>

<p>Do you believe that you would stand out in a pool of 35,000+ students?
I would think , at the VERY least, 3/4 of the pool will have similar or better stats.</p>

15

<p>yeah, after seeing those statistics, i really don’t think i’m gonna hold out much hope for it. i would definitely be ecstatic if i got in, but right now usc is being relegated to my reach. thanks!</p>

16

<p>someone up there said semifinalists get scholarships. that’s not true–it’s only FINALISTS. i know because i was one, and now i’m an incoming freshman with a 50% scholarship.
i just got back from orientation, and every single person i talked there had taken like 4+ AP classes and gotten great scores on all of them, was super involved, and was just overall really interesting and intelligent. USC definitely pulls a different group of applicants than it did when my parents were considering it.</p>