Hi,
I am pretty sure I’m coming to USC this fall and I recently went down for admitted students day and heard a rather daunting statistic, that is that this years average GPA of admitted students was a 3.9! I was wondering if there is anyone that went through the competitive admission process or, knows if this is accomplishable through the first three semesters? (I’ve heard some classes are easier than ones in HS, but nevertheless it’s challenging). I would appreciate any input.
That may be high school GPA? A large number of entering freshmen – typically also admitted to the Honors College - are admitted directly to the IB program. If the 3.9 represents the college GPA from transfers from other colleges or from within the school of business, that GPA would still not be surprise me. It’s a very competitive program which takes a strong student to manage all the business course, the language courses and the required study abroad.
I would figure that the 3.9 would be referring to the college GPA. I know you have to hold at least a 3.65 to even apply for it.
That’s actually down from when I was in the program. IB used to be capped at 50/year, then 60/year, then they offered automatic freshman admission to Honors College students. Needless to say, it’s morphed over time. A 3.9 is not impossible, especially if you are taking prereqs. The key is building a well rounded, interesting background in those first three semesters. You want to make sure that you are in a reasonable range (3.75-4.0), but you also want to get involved with student organizations and think about which language(s) you will pursue. A lower GPA may not be as worrisome if you are taking Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, or something else that helps separate you from other applicants.
When you were in it were you directly admitted from the HC?