Please Advise Me! Could I get into USC?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello, and thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this!
I am currently a senior (graduating in June '16) and am also freaking out about getting accepted anywhere!
Also, due to some family issues, I am no longer able to afford much for college. I am planning to apply for a scholarship or something…

A summary of my HS life:

I volunteered at a language school (Asian language) as a Teacher’s Assistant for a year.
I am a member of school club (Model United Nations), got three varsity letters (9th, 10th, 11th), and now am an exec.
I was never in a sport.
I participated in a foreign exchange program to France.

I have a 3.31 unweighted GPA and this quarter, I got a 3.71 (5 As, 2 Bs).
My 9th and 10th grades were horrible. I had a 3.1-3.2 for all the semesters. This may be because TMI/TRIGGER WARNING I was also being emotionally and mentally abused heavily in my home to the point that I lost all interest and had a “f*** this, I won’t amount to anything” kind of attitude. However, since junior year, I picked myself up and got 3.57 on the first semester and 3.68 on the second semester.
I am working to finish the first semester of senior year with at least a 3.8 GPA (I don’t think I can get all As… one of my classes is very difficult for me.)
I am taking 3 AP classes this year (I was doing 4 but my school is so small and not many signed up for the fourth class so the school just made it regular…)

I took the SAT twice (March '15 and June '15) and got 2010 and 1860.
I never took the ACT.

I took a total of 5 AP Exams (French, Biology, World History, US History, American Literature) and got all 3s (so I also got the "AP Scholar" award). (**not gonna matter in USC lmao... too low of a score)

My questions are:

  • Is this is a decent transcript? Will I get into USC? I am working to get my GPA up to at least 3.6 by the end of senior year but I don’t think it matters by that time.
  • I am working on an essay about the study abroad, i think i can make it work with one of the common app prompts. Also, it says on common app that i need a personal statement and a common app essay. Are they the same things?
  • I am only going to submit my March SAT because super score does not matter to me; I got worse in every section. I was also sick with pneumonia by that time… I thought it was just a bad cold.

Thank you once again for reading this! Please let me know what you think!

Have a nice day!

2

Based on your academics and test scores, your chances are slim. Your GPA is very low compared to the average in-coming Freshman last year and your SAT score is within range but again on the low side.

http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/docs/USCFreshmanProfile.pdf

Since USC is a holistic review, your EC’s and essays will taken into account and your family circumstances could definitely boost your chances. An upward trend in your GPA is also helpful. Definitely worth an application, but if in need of significant financial aid/merit aid, it may be out of your price range since the top scholarships are given to top applicants. Have you run the Net price calculator (NPC) to see what kind of aid package you may receive? I suggest you to do that see if this school is affordable.

Good Luck.