<p>Hi guys, I have applied for the USC SCA Interactive Media and Games division. I have a few questions, hopefully someone can answer these for me!</p>
<ol>
<li>How many applicants are there each year? How competitive is IMD vs other SCA divisions? (Are there less applicants?) </li>
<li>Is it true that GPA doesn't really matter? What is the average GPA of SCA students?</li>
<li>Is SCA worth it?</li>
<li>Specifically for IMD students, was your media sample orientated towards video games? All of the videos I have seen for the IMD media sample on Youtube have been real-life short films. I'm not to sure why they would submit a short film for a game design program, but maybe this is fairly normal. </li>
</ol>
<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated! Good luck to everyone who applied!</p>
<ol>
<li>For 2011, they told incoming IMD freshmen that they received approx. 1000 applications for undergrad and admitted ~20. 17 matriculated. The program has zoomed in recognition (3rd straight years as #1 in country) and it is a very employable major with virtually every graduate hired before graduation–many with multiple offers.</li>
<li>GPA matters. After a certain theshhold (we don’t know that number), the difference in GPA may have less impact and talent/potential/vision (as shown in the supplemental materials) may have more. But no one is admitted to USC without being approved by the general Dornsife admissions office and that requires solid grades and scores. The truth is–USC SCA have so many talented and driven applicants that there are more than enough who also have great academic stats.<br></li>
<li> In terms of reputation, incredible opportunities, excellent professors, alumni connections, state-of-the-art facilities, and top creative peers SCA is at the very top of the food chain. For film / game design students, SCA is a lot like Harvard is for academic superstars–a wonderful and creatively exciting place to learn and meet future collaborators as well as an acknowledged elite and highly selective program. But it is not for everyone. So you really need to visit and see if you love living in L.A., like the campus, see yourself among this group of super-charged film students. If you feel it’s a great fit, AND… if your family can afford over a quarter of a million dollars for your education, or you receive financial aid/top merit prizes that makes the school affordable, SCA IMD is absolutely worth it. However, there are other paths to the career you want. It’s a personal–and family–choice.</li>
<li> In the past, they requested a creative sample. Not all of the samples submitted by admitted IMGD applicants have been game specific. The department seems to look for a variety of talent, a variety of interactive experiences, and a variety of outlooks towards the future of interactive.</li>
</ol>
<p>By GPA threshold, do you mean that if an applicant meets that certain GPA, admissions will then look primarily on their portfolio?
Also, could we concur that that threshold GPA is below the average GPA (3.8) of students admitted to all of USC?</p>
<p>I think we could all agree that the threshold (if there is one) is below the average. That fits the definition. </p>
<p>Not every gifted student is good at taking standardized tests. I’ve seen that in my own travels. And not every student with perfect scores is going to be a good student. Still - the USC has to have some indication that a student is capable of doing college level work. So the answer about threshold is - “yes” (and that applies to most competitive colleges including the one I interview for) with the caveat that other parts of the application beyond the portfolio have to make the “case” for the student. Also - rumor has it (based on a USC forum hosted by one of the Deans) that in the future, the amount of general education credits required is going to increase for incoming classes. Forearmed is forewarned for prospective applicants. Students in SCA are doing much more than just film and production classes. Sometimes I feel like applicants overlook this aspect of academic life as they hope their portfolio’s will swing the decision in their favor. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! I have one more question.
As far as Course Rigor goes, how does SCA evaluate this in it’s applicants?</p>
<p>For example, my school offers approximately 14 AP’s. The majority of them are not available to take until Junior Year (this year). This year, I’m taking 1 AP and 1 Honors class, with plans to take at least 4-5 AP’s next year(senior year). Is this sufficient? Additionally, my GPA has improved each year (upward trend) which I think shows the progression of my maturity. As far as showing some type of indication that I can complete college level work, do you think my course load plan is sufficient?</p>
<p>Talent-based Schools (like Roski, Thornton, SDA, SCA, etc) will note it in a general way, and then pay close attention to your supplement. Once they have their list of final admits, they must coordinate with the general USC (Dornsife) admissions office. Through years of doing this process, SCA must have an idea of what sort of gpa/scores etc would not fly with the university–as these students would not keep up with USC’s coursework. Perhaps–if one or two candidates are just the best they have ever seen (remember, thousands apply each year), SCA might try to convince Admissions to give this student a chance. The trouble is–they have been in this position before and SCA is keenly aware of which students do well over the years, and which just don’t cut it. So, no matter how talented and wonderful, some applicants will not thrive at the university. </p>
<p>I would not count on being the one in a million applicant who can buck such difficult odds, but if you are bringing a very unique outlook / experiences / or professional accomplishments to SCA that no other student (with more in-range gpa) would be able to bring, it may work out. If one comes from an African country that is underrepresented with a family history of surviving genocide–that experience might make a case for a <em>slightly</em> lower gpa/scores. Sometimes, you just need to be a female URM who has a great internship and is applying to a heavily male major. ;)</p>
<p>My best advice is just wait it out. Don’t give up hope, but do take the other schools you applied to seriously. The fact is-- students with UW gpas anywhere from about 3.5 - 4.0 will not be ranked higher or lower by SCA’s admissions based on gpa. It’s even likely they will go a bit (who knows how much) lower, depending on the needs of SCA and the uniqueness of the applicant.</p>
<p>Madbean said it perfectly. It’s not about how many AP’s you can cram in - but showing you took the most rigorous classes appropriate for YOU. (Some schools don’t even offer them and those students aren’t penalized for it.) </p>
<p>Remember - colleges are choosing hard working, interesting students - not cookie cutter stats and resumes. </p>
<p>Even so - NOTHING we say here will help you get into USC or SCA because their needs change every year and can’t be predicted without seeing who else is in that pile of 43,000 applications.</p>
<p>So rather than base your life around this goal, why not just go out and be joyful and passionate about the things that interest you. That more than anything is likely to catch their attention. Much better than the students who just focus on grades and scores and in the end, become indistinguishable from many others because they don’t have anything else to offer the campus culture.</p>