I have a 3.6uw GPA and a 1480 sat.
3 AP scores comp Sci(3), world hist. (4) and human geo.(5)
4 this year, calc, chem, German, econ (macro/Micro).
Decent Ecs, a sport through out, an internship with local tribe, lots of volunteer hours and coaching experience.
I know my gpa is quite low for USC but I should have a 4.0 my first semester senior year and I could retake the SAT if that would improve my chances greatly. (Although I would assume it is too late) I’m curious if it worth applying at, and also if there are any other private schools that give good financial aid that I should apply for.
With 3K+ applicants with 4.0 GPAs and 99th percentile test scores also getting rejected along with 87-88% of all applicants these days, USC is now a Reach for everyone. And it is virtually impossible to chance anyone. Instead, it will likely come down to Essays (especially your well-researched Why USC? answer), ECs, leadership, demographics or some other factor that might make your application unique or subjectively appealing to USC admissions.
As for a list of elite private colleges/universities committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financing need, you may wish to consider the following:
Rice, any Ivy college (Princeton, Yale, Brown, etc.), Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Emory, Northwestern, U. of Virginia and/or U. of Chicago.
Good Luck
The University of Virginia is a public school, not private. It is the flagship school in the state of Virginia.