PLEASE GUYS: Chances for UC's, USC, and Harvey Mudd?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Thank you so much for chancing me, I really appreciate it! :)</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>SAT: CR: 690, M: 770, W: 780, (2240)
SATII: Math2: 770, Physics: 720
Class rank: 8/533
Percentile: upper 2%
GPA: UW: 3.94, W: 4.7 (My school is not that competitive- we rarely send people to top schools)
Class Rigor: As much honors and AP as possible- I'm going to end up with 9 AP classes but I'm probably going to take 10 tests.</p>

<p>EC's:
NHS President (3,4) largest NHS in our state with 180 members
Physics Club President (3,4) This is only the club's 2nd year but we're competing in some science competitions.
Spanish Honor Society Treasurer (4)
Acadeca(2,3,4) 3rd place in Region last year
Basketball starting point guard (1,2)
Cross Country (4)</p>

<p>Awards: (don't really have any) Nationa Merit l Commended Scholar, AP Scholar
Community Service: 400+ hours from NHS, tutoring, School Blood Drives, St. Mary's Food Bank, ect.</p>

<p>Essays: pretty good/very good
Recomendations: average</p>

<p>Additional information:
First Generation
My brother is currently a Freshman at USC (does this mean I get legacy?)
Asian Male
Living in Arizona</p>

<p>Schools that I have/will apply for (I'm going for electric or computer engineering):
USC (top school)
Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
Harvey Mudd College
Georgia Tech</p>

<p>If you could just tell me which schools you think I could get into that would be great! Also I'm really curious if I get legacy consideration for USC since my brother is currently attending. I know I don't come from a competitive school or get perfect grades like a lot of students on here but hopefully that won't hinder me that much.</p>

2

<p>Hello! I am transferring to USC’s Marshall Business school this Spring. I did not apply to USC during my senior year at high school but many of my friends did. I also communicate often with the regional admissions manager in my area so that, combined with the former two points gives me a pretty good perspective of what 'SC is looking for.</p>

<p>Academically you seem in good standing. The median SAT range for USC is in the 2000s so you’re well above that. GPA wise you are also solid. Most of my friends with the same credentials as yours have gotten into prestigious schools like NYU, UCLA, Berkley, Stanford etc. </p>

<p>Your extracurriculars seem to be where you shine most, especially with community service. This will really set you apart from other intelligent applicants with the same GPA and won’t turn you into “another number”. Admission offices use extracurriculars to form an opinion on the applicant: their hobbies, their talents, etc. whereas the academics are all just numbers and statistics. So if anything, this will help tip the scale in your favor. </p>

<p>As for your legacy question, I had a friend who got into USC and the next year her sister got in too. Both had similar GPAs/test scores/extracurriculars. I also recall seeing a question about whether we have any siblings/parents that went to USC in the common app. I also know that the USC Alumni program (the Trojan Family) plays a critical part in separating USC apart from other schools. So yes, I think having an older brother in USC helps your chances, especially with your current resume.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you!</p>

3

<p>You are over-qualified for USC, and USC doesn’t have a great EECS program. You should aim higher. Aim for Berkeley EECS, if not Stanford. You have a chance at both schools.</p>

4

<p>@LTHobo, Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. This definitely relieves some of my stress. I hope you have a great time at USC this semester!</p>

<p>@RML, Thanks for replying too! I did apply for Berkeley so maybe I’ll get in there (knock on wood) but I didn’t apply to Standford because I figured I had no chance of getting in. At this point its too late anyways :(. I just hope I’ll either get into USC, Harvey Mudd, or Berkeley.</p>

5

<p>Your credentials look really good, and I hope you look at the type of school you want to go to as they are all very different experiences. All of them have great programs, but the public schools are huge, less personal and service oriented. Berkeley isn’t the school it was 20 years ago, UCLA is gorgeous, USC has great alumni connections, Harvey Mudd is the best but small, they all have pros and cons but are all super engineering programs. I think you will have some great choices so give some thought to the kind of environment you want to be in.</p>

6

<p>You definitely look solid. Berkeley has a great program, so I strongly recommend it. UCs may also like your out-of-state status, since you’ll have to pay more tuition than in-state applicants. Harvey Mudd is great too, but it’s very small and therefore accepts VERY few freshmen, so that alone hurts your chances. </p>

<p>I am not familiar with the USC app/supplement. I don’t know if you would count as a legacy, but on many apps there are places where you can put down any family members who have attended/currently attend the school.</p>

<p>I don’t know if you’re ‘over-qualified’ for any of the schools you are applying to: it’s a highly-ranked, selective bunch. USC has been climbing the college rankings. Berkeley hovers around 20th, but on international rankings it places high (at least top 10) and higher in regards to its science-related programs. These days it’s hard to be overqualified for a good school. Any time I see an average GPA for a school that seems lower than it should be, I mentally assign the lower GPA slots to applicants of unusual talent (amazing athletes, champion puppeteers, etc.) and/or legacies.</p>

7

<p>@CADREAMIN Thanks alot for responding. You make a very good point that I have considered. I’m not very picky in terms of the environment of a university though. I have visited Harvey Mudd and USC and they were both great. I’ve stayed the night at USC and went to one of their football games and I abolutely love the atmosphere. </p>

<p>@waywarddaughter Thanks for posting as well. On the commonapp I think there was a spot for parents but not siblings :(. And I know for a fact that I am not over-qualified so I won’t let overconfidence get to my head haha. Several students from my school last year had just as good of stats as I have and got rejected from USC so I am keeping my expectations very down to earth. My brother got a 34 on his ACT (2150 on SAT), found a science club, was involved in many volunteering opportunities, NHS, and oversaw a “Near Space” Project but still got rejected from USC (He had to appeal his rejection to get in)</p>