My chances are low...but how low?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>I know USC is a definite reach for me...my mom doesn't even want me applying because she thinks I don't have a chance. I just want to see how far of a reach it is. It would be appreciated if you could be somewhat specific, like..."you have a 20% chance" or something like that. Please don't reply with "reach", because I know that already.</p>

<p>Here's my info:</p>

<p>White
Male
Lower Middle Class Family
Long Island, NY</p>

<p>I currently attend one of the best private schools (I believe it's the second best) in New York, I'm not graded based on GPA, and I haven't received a class rank yet. All of my classes are considered AP classes, even if they are very generic. During my junior year I took: Chemistry, American History, Spanish, Religion, English, and Trigonometry.</p>

<p>Senior Year Average: (Hoping to have it around a 95, I won't be slacking off like always)
Junior Year Average: 92
Three Year Average: 90
SAT I: 1370/1600 <a href="710%20CR,%20660%20M,%20630%20W">2000/2400</a></p>

<p>Like my classes, my school has a bunch of generic clubs as well, where no leadership positions are even available. All of this information is pretty hard to explain on a college application, which pretty much sucks, but I guess I'll have to deal with that.</p>

<p>---Clubs/Sports---
Tennis 9th - 11th
Social Studies Club 9th - 11th
Economics Club 11th
Spanish Club 10th - 11th
Yearbook 9th - 11th
Chess Club 10th - 11th
National Honors Society 11th - 12th</p>

<p>---Community Service---
Team Captain for Relay for Life Foundation - Raised around $5,000 for cancer research
Intramural Basketball Coach for 4th Graders
Intramural Baseball Coach for 2nd Graders (My Dad and I coached underprivileged kids in a bad area around Queens)</p>

<p>---Work Experience---
Coached and refereed for kids at a basketball camp (9th - 11th)
A file clerk at an ophthalmologist (9th - 10th)
Worked at an ice cream store (11th)</p>

<p>---OTHER---
I played travel basketball and baseball for nearly 10 years, and I've played USTA tennis for a few years now. I've recently taken up boxing. In my spare time I also design websites, which I've been paid for, and I'm fluent in HTML and such.</p>

2

<p>honestly, i don't think its that much of a reach for you. average SATs this year were like 2100, so you're definitely in that range and your grade averages look good... there are places on the application to explain anything you feel needs explaining and i think you could tell a good story with your extra curriculars. as for explaining your school, the school (most likely your counselor) will send a school profile with your transcript, which should explain the grading policies and such. talk to your counselor for more info on that. if you can write a good essay that demonstrates passion (they seem to like that), i think you have as good as shot as any to get in. good luck!</p>

3

<p>If you are a reach, then everyone else is screwed.</p>

4

<p>Wow, thanks a lot. This is kind of a shock to me. Good thing I posted in here, I might not have even applied.</p>

5

<p>i got rejected this year with a 3.7/4 and 2160/2400 1410/1600 so obviously grades dont really make or break you..some people got in with like 1900's htis year, but if youev only taken the sat once you might consider studing then tking it again. get at least 2 or 3 teacher recs (i think that was my downfall), and if you are not super set on a major i might suggest applying to the college of lib arts and science rather than a prof school cause theyre all harder to get into than the college is.</p>

6

<p>i don't know if i agree about applying to the college of letters, arts, and sciences to increase one's chances. i'm pretty sure that everyone has to get accepted at CLAS to begin with, so if you make the cutoff for CLAS and not for your specific professional school, you'll just be accepted as an undecided major. correct me if i'm wrong...</p>

7

<p>I will be applying to the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences because I'm not too sure about what I want to do yet.</p>

8

<p>Friend of mine got in with 17's on the SATs and around a B average with some D's and C's. He did have good ECs though. You're much better balanced. I think you'll be okay.</p>