Is it worth it for me to apply?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>I know USC is a reach for me, but I'd just like some feedback on whether it's so far of a reach that it's not worth to apply to or that I have a decent enough shot to apply.</p>

<p>APPLYING AS: English major</p>

<p>GPA UW: 3.71
GPA W: 4.4
Courseload: Rigorous. 11 APs (2 sophomore, 5 junior, 4 this year); mostly honors aside from that
School: Public, very competitive and highly-ranked</p>

<p>TESTS:
ACT: 30
SAT: 1910. (Low, I know. I took again this past weekend and coming out of it, I feel a lot stronger than I did last time. So I'm hoping for atleast a 2000)</p>

<p>ESSAY/REC:
-Strong essay. AP Literature teacher loved it
-Recommendation letter from AP Enviro teacher (I don't get to see it, but she said she'd write a stellar one)</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULARS/ACHIEVEMENTS:
Competitive Equestrian
-7 years;
-various awards won in partnership with my horse within different riding associations
-strong dedication - training year round</p>

<p>Community Service:
-11th grade-present volunteer at a therapeutic horseback riding barn in the fall and spring
-volunteer for various organizations and events in my community
-3 week service trip to BVI last summer (don't worry, I didn't write an essay about it!)</p>

<p>Art:
-Drawing-focused artist: 4 different drawings courses taken; attended workshops outside of school
- 2 of my artworks were accepted out of 350 submissions to be part of a 50-artwork published book of my school's talent</p>

<p>National Honor Society: 2 years</p>

<p>OTHER FACTOR:
Clear lack of talent for math. My math score on both tests was significantly lower than the other sections. On the ACT, I got a 35, 34, 28 and...24. Ouch.
Pretty much all A's and A-s on my transcript except a B-trend in math.
But, I DO try at it. I take honors math courses and am in both AP Statistics and Pre-calculus this year. It's that I don't try at it. I work hard at it, it's just something that is difficult for me to grasp. </p>

<p>So is it a "don't waste your money" situation or a "well you're obviously not a shoe in, but I'd try" situation? Any advice or feedback, positive or negative, is greatly appreciated!</p>

2

<p>Oops. In the other factor section the 2nd to last sentence should read “It’s not that I don’t try at it.” Sorry about the typo.</p>

3

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>Your stats look good :slight_smile: Make sure you spend a lot of time on your essay though.</p>

4

<p>^thanks! I’ve put a lot of effort into my essay so far and I’m just putting the finishing edits on it!</p>

5

<p>Alright well good luck on your essay. If you need anyone to check it, feel free to PM me.</p>

<p>Fight on!</p>

6

<p>I think you look good. GPA is a little low, but it shouldn’t kill you. Also, send in your ACT instead of your SAT, a 30 is roughly a 2040 or so and that should help you out more than your SAT score.</p>

<p>Write good essays and go for it. You’re not a shoe-in, but you have more than a good shot.</p>

7

<p>^Thanks for the encouragement! </p>

<p>I agree, I’m just going to send in ACT unless I do better on the SAT second time around</p>