The average GPA for admitted students in USC is well over 3.6, and I am deeply interested in applying to this university, however, my current high school GPA is 3.1, which is significantly lower than the average. However, my 9th grade GPA was 2.7, the following year in 10th grade it was 2.9, and my most recent year in 11th grade, I managed to obtain a 3.6. As you can see I have been gradually improving throughout my high school years, and from my understanding, admission officers like to see improvement. Additionally, I scored a 1790 on my SAT, and I have pertained in many extra curricular activities such as Student Council, National Honor Society, MUN, varsity soccer team, and much more. I will also visit the campus to inquire more information, which does show interest for the school.
Given my current credentials, realistically, what are my chances of getting accepted into USC Columbia? Any response or constructive feedback is greatly appreciated - Thanks!
I don’t think USC tracks interest per se in terms of visits/tours, but I would suggest a summer visit to speak in person with admission rep. about how they view improvement like yours. From what other people have noted, sounds like USC recalculates GPA so you need to know how they view your grades. Are these classes honors or AP? That makes your application stronger than just college prep.
USC looks at CR+M so check that against the student profile to see where you stand and study this summer and retake. Better scores always help.
If you aren’t too far away, definitely plan to talk to admissions. If you can’t come look at admissions page to see who you can call or email with to get some good feedback.
Thank you for your response! Thus far I have taken 2 AP classes, AP Language and AP Human Geography, which i received both 85 and 92 respectively. I also plan to take two more AP classes in my upcoming senior year. From what I understand, AP classes are ‘weighed in’ (not sure if that’s the exact terminology) where your grades and GPA are curved upwards, but I’m not sure, if anyone could clarify that to me, that would be great, thanks again.