I apologise if this is too vague a question, but I have heard stories of a surprising amount of students getting accepted into USC with below-average grades or test scores and was simply wondering how holistic USC’s admissions process is.
Do they really give other factors as much weight as a student’s academic record, or were those “I have a GPA less than 3.- but still got in!” applicants simply ‘lucky’ that year?
(I am especially curious about this now because a Class of '15 senior from my school got into Annenberg with a subpar GPA but two communications-related internships.)
Its very holistic.
They dont only want students with the top scores/ SAT’s / grades.
They do want smart students who show true interest in USC / AND in the EC’s or outside activities that they have devoted time to.
The Sr who got into Annenberg show a high level of interest with her internships.
As someone who was accepted into Annenberg this year, I can say that like mentioned above it’s very holistic. I’m not saying that grades and scores don’t matter, because mine were above the national average, but they were a little below USC’s average. However, I also had a very rigorous course load during my junior and senior years, had a stellar recommendation, a great essay, was extremely detailed and specific about the the things I would do at USC, etc.
So, the lesson is, if you don’t have perfect or near perfect scores and grades that doesn’t mean that you will be denied admission (in the same way that high stats don’t guarantee admission), but you do need to have some other amazing things that make your lower stats seem like it’s not that big of a deal breaker in comparison to the rest of your profile. Focus on your strengths not your weaknesses.
There’s always an invisible/undefined baseline for grades and test scores, since they want to make sure you can handle the work at USC. It’s usually lower than the average values. After that minimum is met, they move on to consider the other factors more heavily.
I am one of those “lucky” stories. My test scores were embarassing low (think of an SAT score stuck in the low 1700s). My GPA was a 4.0, but that is only because I come from a crappy high school with little to no opportunities. I think that what made me a good candidate was the fact that I maximized on my options, threw a lot of personality and soul into my essays, and maybe my admissions counselor was feeling benevolent or something (idk, still trying to figure that part out).
So they must be really hollistic in their process. They bring in so much diversity in their type of students, that it is obvious.
At this level of prestige, though, it really is a game of luck. You can look on here and see students with 34 ACT scores that were rejected, and then chumps like me with a 28 on their 5th try who do get the thick packet in the mail…
Whatever one may think, it is not really luck. A relatively small proportion of admits come below the average in stats, but they have some quality/attribute that USC wants and they fill the “institutional need.” That means, each selective university wants a range of experiences, socio-economic status, talents, etc. It is hard to be realistic about one’s admissions chances, but please realize that for every wonderful admission story posted by students with sub-average (for USC admissions) scores or gpa, there is always (always) another back story that shows their special quality that USC wants. Sometimes USC needs top athletes, or top talent (like winners of Student film awards, art awards, etc), or those who show enormous self-starting (began businesses, sold their own app), or those who fill a diversity or geographic or even gender need (for majors that skew one direction), or have some other compelling story. Essays are important, but it’s not simply the quality of your grammar and writing skills (though, those are always important). It’s the personal story an applicant conveys that lets the adcom know of grave hardships overcome, working 3 jobs, taking care of 4 siblings, having a serious illness that caused one to miss 2 years of school, etc etc. Good luck to everyone, but please do understand that last year over 40,000 applicants were not admitted. Among them were many great applicants, some with top stats but no real hook/tip and a huge number with lower stats and–no real hook either.
I have no idea to be honest. I thought I was going to get in for sure as transfer student last year. I was going to community college in East Los Angeles and that’s where I lived with all the other Mexicans, so I thought my being in not so great of a location made me somewhat interesting. I also discussed how I couldn’t speak in full English sentences until I was about 8 years old. I was put in not only ESL/ELD classes, but also speech therapy classes all throughout my elementary school years just so they could get me to speak English without stuttering like a car trying to start Like several of the kids in East LA, I stopped caring about my education when I got to high school - I didn’t even go the first whole month. When I started, I had to play catch up. We had our first grade report come out in November and I had all A’s and 1 C. I wound up dropping out shortly after that though. I took the GED when I was 17 as no testing center would allow me to take it until I would have graduated high school normally - I thought that was weird. Anyway, in community college I managed to maintain a 4.0 right up until I applied to USC for transfer. I thought I was taking a fairly challenging course load given my educational background - courses such as object-oriented C++, data structures using C++, symbolic/mathematical logic, etc. I was however lacking in math. The only math course I had was a statistics course that I was currently taking that semester. I got a spring grade request that specifically asked for that math grade. The pressure of taking 21 units bested me and that stats class was the only B grade I had ever gotten - I was crushed. Shortly after sending in my grades, I was rejected from USC. I thought I was in for sure. I had no extracurricular activities or internships though other than volunteering at LAC+USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights. I thought for sure I was going to get in that year
I applied for transfer again this year though taking classes that many might not deem as “rigorous” such as art history and archaeology, but I got in. Despite the fact, I only got in for the spring semester, so I really think USC didn’t want me that bad, hah
Sorry I wrote so much. I’ve just always wondered why they rejected me the first time - was it really for 1 B grade?
Like several of the kids in East LA, I stopped caring about my education when I got to high school - I didn’t even go the first whole month. When I started, I had to play catch up. We had our first grade report come out in November and I had all A’s and 1 C. I wound up dropping out shortly after that though. I took the GED when I was 17 as no testing center would allow me to take it until I would have graduated high school normally - I thought that was weird. Anyway, in community college I managed to maintain a 4.0 right up until I applied to USC for transfer. I thought I was taking a fairly challenging course load given my educational background - courses such as object-oriented C++, data structures using C++, symbolic/mathematical logic, etc. I was however lacking in math. The only math course I had was a statistics course that I was currently taking that semester. I got a spring grade request that specifically asked for that math grade. The pressure of taking 21 units bested me and that stats class was the only B grade I had ever gotten - I was crushed. Shortly after sending in my grades, I was rejected from USC. I thought I was in for sure. I had no extracurricular activities or internships though other than volunteering at LAC+USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights. I thought for sure I was going to get in that year