Hello, I’m a senior from San Gabriel High School (kinda close to USC= 20-30 mins drive). I’m applying to USC for Fall 2017 and I’m considering for Business Administration or International Relations (Global Business) as a major, First of all, I like business in the fashion industry and I want to be a Fashion Director, recently I received a catalog from LIM College in NY, when I read through it and they wrote in order to become a Fashion Director, I need to have a Bachelor Of Business Administration (BBA) or Bachelor Of Professional Studies (BPS). I lived in CA right now and my top choice school is USC, they have Business Administration and International Relations (GB), I want to major in business but also want to learn another language(s) and go travel. How can I make my decision now?
P/s My weighted GPA from 9-12 is 3.9, first semester of 12 still in progress but I will strike A’s for all. Also, SAT score is 1070/1600 and I will take another one in Dec 3. I will also finishing up my application with strong statements and recommendation letters from my 2 teachers (USC’s alumni) and my counselor. Hopefully everything will go smooth :).
SAT Score is pretty low, consider retaking on December 3rd and submitting that. You want at least a 1300 to be considered competitive especially since the 25th percentile SAT Score is like 1320.
What is your unweighted GPA, since this is more important and each school will weight differently. I also agree your test scores are on the low side and suggest you retake.
Your high school knows your unweighted GPA. You should ask your Guidance Counselor what it is if it is not reflected on your report cards or official high school transcript. USC especially asks for each and every grade earned 9th-12th via the Common Application exactly so that they can create an unweighted GPA for you. This is because every school district weights in their own manner.
For example, our school district here in FL may be the most absurd overall. A recent HS graduate had a record-setting weighted GPA of over 10 on a 4.0 scale. And that student did not even have a 4.0 unweighted GPA. So they allowed over 6.0 in extra weighting. So a weighted GPA of 3.9 or even 7.9, 8.9 or 9.9 means very little without knowing your unweighted GPA, the courses attempted, etc.
USC is highly selective, with less than 17% getting in this year. I would suspect that at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA and 1250/1600 SAT or 29/36 ACT will be needed. And the reality is that even applicants with 4.0s as an uw GPA and 1600s on the SAT get rejected… so a 1300+ SAT, 3.7+ unweighted GPA, 30+ ACT is more likely needed as a prerequisite.
But there is of course no harm in trying, & you should not let such realities dissuade you from applying, if you have your heart set on attending USC. You will need strong ECs, Essays and Recommendations to off-set lower stats.
As for choosing a major, I would advise reading the write-ups for each, including required courses, within the USC.edu website under the undergraduate majors sections and make that decision yourself. You may find that the answer reveals itself once you endeavor to research the particulars more closely.
