<p>I would have to agree with sAfuRos… Stanford was my dream school, and I had my heart absolutely set on it. When I got my rejection I was shocked and kind of hurt, but I accepted it and found USC! Sometimes certain doors close for a reason, you have to be looking for the other doors that are opening 
if anything, appeal, but don’t appeal with your heart set on the fact that they will accept your appeal and change their minds</p>
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<p>The more you read about a school the more you will like it. I think you can really come to love any school you get accepted to; 99% of the time, the schools you get into reflect the school you should be at given your performance and all that</p>
<p>I just got rejected from NU, which was kind of my dream school.
But the more i look into USC, the less i get disappointed about it. Setting your heart on a school is a surefire way to a lot of stress and pain. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you, whatever you choose to do, TC</p>
<p>Whoa: I can truly say that I am slightly nauseated reading certain comments. You are “correct” in that due diligence was given to all applicants. HOWEVER, stuff happens. With one of my daughters her counselor “forgot” to send in her rec because he was retiring and too lazy. Admission told us that the rec was missing. Another counselor at school (high school) confirmed. She appealed and was successful. </p>
<p>For those of you who have made it through parenthood (I shudder to think that you are so jaded and nasty at college age) you might be aware that every applicant is different and brings different things to the table. True, some applicants don’t bring out their “best” in their application. They may not have the introspection to understand what they are neglecting to say. But if you don’t have something helpful to say to someone who’s hurting: keep your mouth shut.</p>
<p>Oh, and for you self satisfied and judgmental people: My daughter was accepted with a 1900/3.4 with great ecs. Deans List every semester baby! </p>
<p>…so what I am saying to the OP is: Try. You never know what great things can happen.</p>
<p>Definitely appeal. There are plenty of people at USC with SAT scores below the 1900’s. USC does not admit people based on numbers, whether initially or on appeal. They look at the whole student, and for all we know, the appeal process is just what you need to make yourself pop off the page (even if you didn’t quite pop enough the first go round). Check out the “appeal” threads of previous years.</p>
<p>And here’s the current freshman profile. Sometimes I think some of you don’t know what “middle 50%” means. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf</a> </p>
<p>And try to have some empathy, people. You are not admissions professionals. Anyone smart enough to be here, pretty much knows the answer could always be “no.” But they’re persistent enough to know it could also be “yes.” This is why I think “chance” threads are so ridiculous. If you MUST have a “chance” number, go to a college admissions professional and ask them. But know that even they can’t tell you for sure.</p>
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<p>They both asked if they would get in on appeal and I was giving my personal opinion as an alumni of the school; it was not a personal attack. No nasty or rude language was used – except by all you dissenters.</p>
<p>Look, appealing is a long process and generally doesn’t result in positive results. I think people assume that, because so many applications come in, people get overlooked. That’s 100% untrue.</p>
<p>I didn’t read their essays, no. But, if you look at what another poster said earlier – essays are looked at after the fact, after they see your ECs and grades/scores. USC doesn’t factor interviews into its admissions criteria, so your attempt at making me out to be a “mean guy” fell through there.</p>
<p>These two applicants were a bit too “on the cuff.” They can’t be compared to the other kids admitted with similar scores because every case is different. Maybe the kid who got in with a 1900 and a 3.0 was admitted on athletic scholarship (sucks, but happens!); or maybe someone with an 1850 and 3.6 was an immigrant to this country and doesn’t test well, but was 1st chair violin in his school’s orchestra and was admitted to Thornton. Who the heck knows. All different situations work into the Freshman Profile, and to make assumptions along the lines of, “Well, it says kids with 1800s got in, so I should appeal because I had a 2200!” is foolish.</p>
<p>It was my OPINION that these two kids appealing would still be met with a rejection. The grades and testing scores are on the lower end of what USC accepts now and the ECs weren’t enough to counter the not-so-high scores. I didn’t say they were stupid, or that their scores were “horrible;” they may be good for many, many other great colleges – but USC isn’t one of them.</p>
<p>I will say what I said again – they can always, always transfer! Go to another school, maybe one close to home and get straight As and USC will probably let you in in a year or two! :)</p>
<p>And for all the moms pointing fingers: I’d say it’s a lot worse for grown women to be calling out 20-somethings on an Internet forum. Actually, I think it’s pretty sad that you post on college admissions forums for your children – living vicariously through them, much? If my mom was posting my stats and admissions decisions online, I’d be pretty embarrassed. You are no better than the parents who never let their kids stand up for themselves on the playground. Let the OP and the Crit Studies kids come at me if they thought I was being rude; it’s not your business to say if I hurt their feelings or not. How’s that for mean and nasty? ;)</p>
<p>I think that fact that you say “a few years ago” is the key to why you didn’t get in. This year, so many students applied to USC and other schools in general. The rejection letter also says that most of those who were accepted earned roughly straight A’s as well as getting test scores that are in the 97%. I love USC to death, but honestly, I am almost 100% sure that they just look at your test scores and say, “1900, nope…2000, nope…2300, ok” Although, they did ALWAYS mention how important the extracurricular activities are, but I’m sure they don’t really care. Someone at my school earns really good grades but does nothing else and he got in. It seems as though those who are really good test takers, forget their supplies for class, cheat, are the ones that get in, it drives me CRAZY!!! Anyways, hope I helped. Don’t worry, I’ve been living and breathing USC for the past 5 years and it’s really hard.</p>
<p>Also remember that applicants on this web site tend to be your extreme high achievers (note…often a little on the pompous side) and don’t necessarily reflect all the applicants who get accepted to USC.<br>
Go ahead and appeal. Absolutely nothing bad can happen if you do and nothing good can happen if you don’t. [=</p>
<p>Everyone needs to chill out maybe, let’s remember that someone has just been rejected from their dream school and we need to be sympathetic. Crimson, I’m so so sorry to hear you did not get in. I would say definitely appeal, there is no harm in doing so, and contrary to what others have said, I don’t believe it is a long and/or tedious process. You basically write another essay and get another rec if possible. If you have important factors in your application that they might not know about or might not have recognized, APPEAL. The worst thing that could happen is that they choose not to honor it, in which case you can go about transferring next year. However, you will never know what can happen unless you try. Good luck, and I am sure you will be successful wherever you end up!</p>
<p>We’re seeing some over the top nastiness here, and it really should stop. Dzuniga, there is really no call to classify the kids who did get in as “really good test takers…who cheat.” Good grief!</p>
<p>And Zelda, I’m just another sad grown woman living through her kid much and calling out a “mean and nasty” youthful poster on an internet forum, but FYI, this forum tends to be a civil and safe place where potential students, students, parents, and alumni offer information and support. Your attack on ellebud, madeleine (who is, I think, a student), shredder and all “grown women” who participate here was pretty ugly. You would do well to attempt their level of empathy.</p>
<p>Also, when someone kicks someone else when they’re down, both on the playground and on internet forums, it’s just fine for parents, students, children, and passers by to speak up.</p>
<p>^
Lol
welcome to the internet
this forum is heaven compared to 99% of communities out there in terms of niceness</p>
<p>i would get over myself, we’ve all been relatively constructive in this thread yet we get complaints anyways</p>
<p>if you can’t take criticism, don’t make a thread. And i don’t see the topic creator complaining, either.</p>
<p>My EC’s aren’t enough to counter my low score? I feel as if my EC’s are the only thing that do me justice. Did you read all of them? There are actually still more that I didn’t post because the list would have been extremely long. (Not to be pompous about it, but I do know that I have worked VERY hard in my EC’s.)</p>
<p>I was rejected by USC but accepted by BERKELEY today. *** how did this happen?</p>
<p>alot of your ec’s are clubs, honor society
colleges dont care if your the president of a club.
You didnt get in, along with 80% of applicants. Your sat was an 1800…
you knew you were a long shot, you shouldnt be surprised</p>
<p>If one wanted to go about appealing the decision how/what is the best way to do it?</p>
<p>To appeal contact Admissions asap. There is a very limited timeframe, generally one week.</p>
<p>If you really want to go there so bad, you should appeal. If it is your dream, fight for it. You have nothing to lose and you will at least know that your did your best. I was rejected today too, and I was heartbroken, but I surprisingly got into Berkeley. You never know, something better might come along :)</p>
<p>I don’t know anything at all really about appealing decisions, but wanted to share this. I have been stressing lately as all applicants have about receiving decisions, and this calmed my nerves. Though it is written for Yale applicants, it is definitely applicable to all top schools, including USC. Thought you might enjoy - </p>
<p>A Few Words of Advice from the Yale Dean of Admissions, Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale Class of 1975</p>
<p>Its likely that if you are reading this message, you are looking to apply to Yale, perhaps looking for a clue in my words to how to increase your chances of admission. Actually, you can find what we have to say about making a good application elsewhere on our website, and I have nothing to add on that subject.
However, while youre here, I think I may be able to offer you a few unconventional thoughts about admissions by pointing you down the road past the admissions process to the date when you will be holding admissions offers in your hands, whether from Yale or other great colleges.</p>
<p>I say other great colleges for a reason. If you are in fact a realistic applicant for Yale, it is virtually certain that you are going to be admitted to a number of strong, quite selective colleges. After all, we are all looking for students like you, with talent, achievement, and high aspirations. If you happen to be in the midst of the application process right now, you may be anxious about where you will be admitted. You may feel as if everything depends on which colleges admit you, or whether a certain one does.</p>
<p>After years of experience, however, here is what I know, virtually to the point of certainty: almost nothing depends on exactly which strong college admits you. Everything depends on what you decide to do once you get to a strong college, and how well prepared you are to take advantage of the infinite opportunities you will find there.</p>
<p>So to provide some truly useful guidance to you, Im going to ask you to focus for a moment, not on the application process, but on your eventual decision process.
As responses come back to you from colleges, you will tend to dwell on the rejections, should you get some. Its only natural what you didnt get and cant have feels suddenly infinitely more valuable than what you did get and can have. You will be tempted to waste valuable time pondering what you could have done differently to be accepted by this or that school. You may be tempted to appeal the decision, if you had a dream school that didnt come through. But there is only one good answer to make to any thin envelope you may receive: Your loss, baby. Then move to step two. </p>
<p>If you would like to read the rest of the letter (it is mostly about how to choose which university to attend, which is also quite helpful) here is the link: [Epilogue:</a> After Colleges Accept You | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/after-colleges-accept-you]Epilogue:”>After Colleges Accept You | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)</p>
<p>Do you think it would be worth it if your ec’s are solid you’re a Gates finalist but in your application you failed to mention that not only were you so sick the first semester of your junior year that you missed a week of school and your grades suffered due to that but also for quite some time now you’ve also been taking care of your niece and nephew because their father doesn’t help out and that you also help take care of your grandmother who has dementia?</p>
<p>Andy your extracurriculars are seriously amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.</p>
<p>I have done some research on appeal on the internet. Basically college want to see new information that’s not originally presented on the application. So if those achievements werent listed, then there’s a chance. Otherwise mentioning old facts again wouldn’t do much.</p>