Okay guys… This is ridiculous. I just got denied from USC, and this is just straight-up BS.
My Stats:
35 ACT/1560 SAT
4.0 unweighted GPA
13 APs
ranked 29/685 in one of the most competitive public high schools in Georgia
Competitive pianist and 9 year National Guild Member
VP of Development for 2 years of a club dedicated to improving educational attainment for Latino students
President of NEHS
Founding member of school debate club
Helped organize 2 summer STEM camps for children in my community that raised $10,000 for IRC
National Hispanic Recognition Scholar
National Merit Finalist (picked USC as top school the minute I began my NMSC application)
Countless other EC’s and awards…
I was accepted into UCLA, Rice, and University of Chicago… but not USC???
I had previously read about USC denying NMF’s because they didn’t want to give out that many scholarships, but this is just ridiculous. I found a thread on Reddit from other clearly qualified students getting rejected as well. Meanwhile, people from my school who were clearly less qualified than myself got accepted. What’s up with this?
Sorry, you are not alone! What major did you apply to?
USC has thousands of NMF that apply there each year. It is no one’s “safety school”.
If you did NOT “show them the love”, i.e indicate a genuine interest in going there, but instead merely submitted an application, thinking that they would obviously accept you, sorry for the wake up call.
USC’s applications are very Holistic, not meritocratic.
It has nothing to do with them not wanting to give out NM scholarships. Nothing.
and congrats on your other acceptances.
Unbelievable. Like many others, you’re left wondering ‘what more could I have done?’.
It’s always a shock to learn how competitive admissions are for many schools, even ones you think are down a few pegs. Many folks get the heads-up that USC is no longer a safe or even match school when they start reading CC. It’s healthy to not want the school that doesn’t appreciate you enough, but it’s not a joke. Luckily, you have many excellent choices.
12.5% acceptance rate this year for USC. Congrats on UCLA – they had over 120K applications, and they admit about 16,000. This year was extremely competitive, only so many spaces but lots of great students.
Did you have a scholarship interview? I.e., were you accepted back in early January?
You have no way of knowing this. They were what USC was looking for. You were not. Admissions is holistic and not based on stats alone.
USC can take all NMFs but maybe less than 1/4 or 1/3 would eventually attend USC. If you haven’t shown any interest in USC but merely submitted the application for the sake of adding one more school to your list, there is no way USC couldn’t tell.
Showing interest isn’t the issue. D18 has similar stats (from GA, too), toured twice, got the letter asking to apply to RHP junior year (just marketing, obviously), clearly indicated USC was her top choice in essays, applied for CogSci, etc. Rejected. Her friend, also NMF and even better stats, rejected.
They weren’t what USC was looking for.
Are you applying for a super hot major like CS, which can be very unpredictable as app pool is filled with tons of high stat kids. Then again if you do you got one of the best in your state already. Holistic means you never know but I know they take in many 4.0/NMF kids to CS so it’s gotta be something else. You got great choices so time to move on.
The “less qualified” remark leads me to disregard the entire post as it smacks of elitist arrogance. If Admissions was merely about using hard criteria there would be no reason to read the applications. Feed them into a computer and let it tell you who gets in. When you note NUMEROUS more EC’s, that could actually be a red flag to some admissions folks. They may want someone who has a passion for one or two things and dedicates their time and effort to that rather than scattershot EC’s that look like someone is checking off boxes. I do NOT know if either is the case here and I have no doubt with any group this large they probably whiffed on some accepted and some rejected but I am certain that there is more to be read than simply a list of EC’s and numbers.
You’re better off at all the schools that have accepted you than USC. I know the pain is fresh, but UCLA, Rice, and Chicago blow away USC.
Go to UChicago rather than an overcrowded public like UCLA where you will fight for resources and classes. It’s ok if there isn’t another choice or you can’t afford the others, but if you have an elite private in your pocket go there. Rice is not above any of those.
antonia99, congrats on your great scores and acceptances into UCLA! Much better school than USC! You won’t have to worry about your safety at UCLA and going into debt. UCLA is the number one applied to school in the nation and for you to get accepted there is unbelievable. Don’t get caught up in the elitist school posts; these folks are caught up for all the wrong reasons.
Hey everyone… This post was written with a lot of rage because the news was so fresh lol… I’m feeling better now and appreciate the responses.
@CADREAMIN @Just4Years I applied for political science… Usually not a super competitive major in general but likely a decent amount of competition.
@TomSrOfBoston @JohnGaltIII Forgive my exaggerated comment… I was just frustrated and caught up in the moment. I was hurt because someone I know got in when they never applied themself yet acted like the only smart person on the planet (but in my hurt, I ended up sounding like the arrogant one lol) I guess I really just wasn’t what they wanted.
We get it, it stings. But in the light of a new day, you see you have great alternatives. Good luck picking the school that is right for you. It is an impressive list to choose from. Think about what you really want in a school - private versus public, large versus small, quality of program - those are big distinctions so start there. Ignore perspectives from angry vindictive people and get them from people that are open to discussion or that you know and can trust.
@antonia99, congrats on your acceptances to Rice, UCLA, and U Chicago. As others have indicated, it’s not really “BS” when a top school with a 13% acceptance does not choose you. It IS disappointing, but unfortunately is also the reality of today’s college application process. S really wanted to get into Georgetown, for example, but with 14.5% acceptance this year, he knew it was a long shot. Despite having the stats, two visits, stand out letters of rec (including 2 from GU alum), stellar ECs… alas, “only” waitlisted. Yet got into USC with scholarship and max awards from other similarly ranked schools. A bit of a crap shoot, as some suggest.
Best not to take the L’s personally. Every year, USC (and probably other elite universities) turns away 3000 students with stats in the top 1%, including some with perfect SATs/ACT. The admission process is holistic, and includes many factors out of your control, such as demographics, their need to assemble a diverse student body, which may look at gender, ethnicity, and geography. Might seem unfair to some, but certainly their prerogative to not select 40 to 50% of any one particular demographic. And yes, sometimes a school may predict that some profiles may be more likely to go with ivies or other schools. Doesn’t seem fair, and not saying it happened to you, but some schools are notorious for their concern for yield protection.
Might be better to put the focus on where you did get accepted as @84stag mentioned. However, I would beg to differ about UCLA “blowing away” USC. Unless you enjoy huge lecture halls with 500 students taught by grad students, maybe UCLA is a better fit. Also, UCLA makes it very difficult to change majors, and like all UCs with a huge student body over 30,000, it is common to not get all the classes you want which often leads to a fifth year of undergrad costs. You might get blown away by UCLA, but not in a good way! I agree with @blueskies2day that U Chicago sounds very attractive when looking at Rice, Chicago, and UCLA. The bottom line is- try to stay focused on the positive, where you DID get in. The glass is half empty or half full, you can choose how to frame this!
@droppedit, no doubt you know that CogSci is a very competitive major like engineering or journalism at USC. It probably was a very close call with regards to your daughter. Your daughter and probably dozens others ARE what they are looking for but they just don’t have the room to accept the huge number of highly qualified applicants, especially in certain majors. It would be unfortunate if they also look at how many NMFs they will take, but I suppose it is possible. Anyway, that’s how I view my son’s waitlist at GU. Very limited spots at an ultra competitive school. I encourage him to view it as more of a lack of spaces, not that he didn’t have what they want, as @TomSrOfBoston might suggest. Same goes for the OP, you have many things USC may “want” but just didn’t have the space this time on this occasion.
Finally, @sleepyeyed2 apparently has some kind of vendetta against USC. Safety is no more of a concern than at UCLA. The neighbor of a close friend was recently mugged in West L.A., not far from UCLA and the metro link stop he exited. This has been covered on other threads. L.A. is urban and one must be vigilant wherever you are, especially at night. USC does a great job of keeping students safe. That being said, students should not be blind to the fact that some of the surrounding area a couple miles away can be marginal.