i have an outstanding portfolio but my grades aren't so hot. can i still get into USC or NYU?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

as of now, i am 15 years old and a soon to be sophomore. i know this seems early to think about, but i know film is what i want to pursue. i have made several award winning short films, gotten into a few film festivals etc. i’m also the owner of a somewhat popular swimsuit company ( i started it as a fun thing to do with my sister and it blew up. they’re handmade swimsuits, with original designs etc etc, sold in some boutiques, but mostly go from online sales) , and i’m a “talent” for a youtube channel with 12/13 million subs (As a main character of sorts). i do a crazy amount of volunteer work (earned awards like the presidential gold award-whatever that is) as well as being part of a national award-winning broadcast journalism program at my high school. (several first time winners of differnt events in STN)

however, i recently found out i have some mental health issues, and i’m pretty much failing half of my classes. my doctors tell me not to worry, that we can explain it in my admission letter blah blah blah but i feel like it’s still going ot cause some issues. last semester (Aka my first semester of highschool) i managed to get a 4.3 weighted GPA. this semester, i have a 2.6 (ish) weighted grade.

besides this, i’ve been playing piano since i was 5, violin since i was 11, speak three languages fluently (spanish,chinese, and english) i’ve been playing waterpolo for three years, swimming competitively since i was like 6, and surfed since i was about 9. (i don’t do any of these sports at school, i do independent study). i’ve done courses for advanced video at places like USC, NYFM, UCLA and smaller ones from around my area.

i know this is a really unusual case, especially since USC/NYU seem so random with applications but i was wondering if anyone could help me out. i know i’ll do somewhat better for the rest of my highschool days and i’ll probably bust out all A’s and B’s, but i feel like this semester screwed me up. does anyone know if my amazing outside of school life/portfolio will outweigh my sucky grades?

ps thanks for reading my life story lmao

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Try to bring the grades up. I don’t know about USC, but I’m semi-familiar with how admissions work at Tisch, and suspect it’s similar. They describe themselves as “50-50,” meaning they weigh academic qualifications and talent submissions (ie. portfolio, audition, et al) equally. I believe they will always tip the scales in favor of talent, but you need to meet some academic criteria. I’d say your GPA needs to be over 3.0, and your SAT/ACT at least 1800(or 1200 out of 1600)/28-29. Their acceptance rate is lower than Harvard’s or Stanford’s, too, and so you should have plenty of back-up choices. Your accomplishments are excellent, but you will be competing against the most talented young aspiring filmmakers in the country, if not the world. Your safety should be Columbia College Chicago. They have great facilities, and have open admissions. Also look into FSU, UNC-Wilmington, Temple, et al. Some other arts colleges are not terribly selective in terms of grades and test scores, but look almost exclusively at talent.