soooo........ HATE LIFE MUCH?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>So USC has been my first choice for a very long time, but after getting my SAT scores back recently it seems like much more of a reach... I will be applying to Marshall as my first choice major and my second will be Spanish, B.A.</p>

<p>I am white, and I go to a TOP public high school in Seattle</p>

<p>Anywho...
GPA: 3.94 unweighted...with a few AP and honors</p>

<p>Senior schedule:
AP Spanish 5 (will get an A)
AP Calculus (will get B or B+)
AP Statistics (will get most likely A or B+)
U.S. Citizenship (will get A)
Leadership (will get A)
Senior Connections/English 12 (will get A)</p>

<p>SAT: 1870 (Math: 630, CR: 550, Writing: 690)
SATII: Math IIC: 590 (taking again in december), Spanish: 670</p>

<p>I'm just not a standardized test-taking person!!! Will they consider that at all??</p>

<p>-Senior Class President
-involved with ASB since 7th grade
-Cross Country Captain
-Varsity Cross Country Letterman for four years
-Varsity Track & Field Letterman for three years
-Environmental Club President (this year)
-Environmental Club Treasurer (last year)
-Team Development Chair (Relay for Life)
-VERY involved in Relay for Life
-volunteer for YWCA
-National Honor Society (lame i know)
-Homecoming Royalty (haha its random but maybe they'll know i'm social?)</p>

<p>-will be interviewing with Marshall december 8th
-my recs will be amazing
-my essays will be very good
-i'm applying by December 11th</p>

<p>CHANCES???? oh, and be kind...</p>

2

<p>Honestly, I think you have a good chance. If the interview goes smoothly and your essays can attract the reader, you have a great chance in my opinion. I transferred into USC as a sophomore from a community college, and I was in a similar situation as you when I was in high school.</p>

3

<p>Thanks! Any other opinions from other freshmen? Did anyone have a lower SAT than me when they were accepted? Thanks.</p>

4

<p>I had a low SAT score but I think 'passion' in art (I sent in portfolios, application was pasted with how much i loved art) helped me get in. I think the first thing you need to for now is to raise the 500's to 600's... Mine was higher than yours but it was pretty bad... However, i'm in USC right now. ^_^ Good luck</p>

5

<p>one thing to note about the interview....it can only help, not hurt...USC kind of says this out right but ya dont sweat an interview just be yourslef</p>

6

<p>As Sample tries to make USC more and more of an "ivy league of the west", the standards for admission have changed considerably over the years. Last year was one of the most difficult years for college apps across the board, and I see this year as being worse.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I'm just not a standardized test-taking person!!! Will they consider that at all??

[/quote]
</p>

<p>For Marshall? No. You do know of the curve in Marshall, right? This is a HIGHLY competitive program, so little things like SATS will set people apart. I personally think it hurts your application.</p>

<p>Good luck all the same.</p>

7

<p>Your ECs are great. Your character, leadership and level of interest demonstrated in USC matter a lot - and those factors appear strong. Yes, students are accepted with scores in your range. They need other compelling strengths - so present those well, and you have a good chance to get into the school. As far as that specific program, I cannot speak to that because I don't know enough - but all you can do is put your best foot forward and try - Good luck!</p>

8

<p>okay, thanks everyone your opinion means a lot...</p>

<p>rant time:</p>

<p>one thing this website has taught me is that i was wrong. i thought that colleges look at your transcript and your test scores equally or even held your transcript in higher regard... what this site has taught me is that i was wrong, and that test scores are what makes you as an applicant.. GPA almost seems irrelevent. when i see people with very high test scores and an unweighted GPA of 3.5 (i think this is a very low grade point average personally) get into marshall, while my hard work almost seems like nothing. my 10-11 GPA is a 4.0 unweighted, and you know why?? cuz i worked my A S S off!! i didn't sleep, i was dedicated to school, yet i still managed to balance all other aspects of being a high school student... SAT is not a cumulative measurement of what you've learned in high school, it measures how well a student can sit in a room and take a 5 hour test. so when i see someone with a 3.5 GPA offered admission to a school like USC i think that they are a good test-taker but they are not very dedicated to working to their full potential. why would a college want someone like this?! wouldn't they want someone who applies themself and sets goals only to achieve them??</p>

<p>sorry, please forgive me... i just hate the SAT, and the fact that i'm being screwed because of it.. and how all my work seems to not mean that much anymore, all that time i could have been doing what those 3.5 students were doing while i was studying.</p>

<p>wow. please don't judge me. i am a nice person haha</p>

9

<p>i am also a terrible test taker. but the fact of the matter is that your gpa and sat score are on a scale. The higher your gpa is, the lower your sat scores can be. and the higher your sat scores are, the lower your gpa can be. also the sat can be compared with almost every student applying to a college becuase its a universal test that everyone takes. gpa is limited to your school and is harder to compare between "easy" and "hard" high schools. Im not saying that everyone with a high gpa goes to a easy high school, because thats not true, but it can happen. I have kids in my school that made national honor society but have never taken any honors or ap classes. I thinks its unfair because they have only shown that they do well at the lowest level classes but thats how the system works.</p>

10

<p>One thing you should realize regarding the trade off between grades and test scores, is that test score are the only truly fair way to compare applicants from different schools. USC can't acurately judge the level of difficulty in each high school across the country - and standardized tests provide a common measure for comparison between all applicants. This obviously includes not only SATs, but also AP scores.</p>

<p>That being said, SATs certainly aren't everything. They obviously represent only a tiny portion of an applicants accomplishments. I just wanted to make sure you understand the rationale behind the use of standardized tests.</p>

11

<p>I have to agree with bicoastal07. High school GPAs vary widely. Some use 4.0 scales, some use 5.0 scales, some are something else altogether. Some consider B- and B+ the same, some don't. Some classes are graded very hard, some are easy. In some classes, everyone gets an A, in others, nobody does. In some classes, all the students in the class are highly competitive. In other classes, nobody cares at all. A 3.0/4.0 at one school could be a 4.0/4.0 at another. But don't worry: your hard work will pay off. USC can see the GPAs of other applicants at your school, so it's not like they're blind. A better GPA is always better, so just do your best and you'll be fine.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
one thing this website has taught me is that i was wrong. i thought that colleges look at your transcript and your test scores equally or even held your transcript in higher regard... what this site has taught me is that i was wrong, and that test scores are what makes you as an applicant.. GPA almost seems irrelevent. when i see people with very high test scores and an unweighted GPA of 3.5 (i think this is a very low grade point average personally) get into marshall, while my hard work almost seems like nothing. my 10-11 GPA is a 4.0 unweighted, and you know why?? cuz i worked my A S S off!! i didn't sleep, i was dedicated to school, yet i still managed to balance all other aspects of being a high school student... SAT is not a cumulative measurement of what you've learned in high school, it measures how well a student can sit in a room and take a 5 hour test. so when i see someone with a 3.5 GPA offered admission to a school like USC i think that they are a good test-taker but they are not very dedicated to working to their full potential. why would a college want someone like this?! wouldn't they want someone who applies themself and sets goals only to achieve them??

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Welcome, oh naieve one, to the world of college admissions. 'Tis a random, incomprehensible world that no amount of statistical research nor case studies can ever understand. Things in admissions will NEVER make sense, especially to the rejected/worried/confused.</p>

<p>Case in point: Myself.</p>

<p>A year ago this time, I so strongly wished to go to Princeton. I hoped, prayed, studied, worked worked worked. What was wrong? My Math SAT Scores. Everything else was stellar, but my math was average. I thought this would not matter---I was going to be an English major, I had a writing portfolio, amazing recs, etc. Plus, I was applying as a URM. I thought Pton was in the bag.</p>

<p>Of course, things didn't turn out the way I hoped, and myself---along with about 10 of the highest ranked students in my class---were rejected.</p>

<p>The only girl accepted?</p>

<p>A recruited volleyball player with a C average and a sub-par SAT.</p>

<p>So why tell my sad story? To let you in on a secret your counselors, teachers, friends, will never reveal. It's harsh, but it's true. </p>

<p>Don't dwell, hope for the best, get some backups.</p>

13

<p>Whatever, quit your worryin! You'll show signs of aging much earlier...shudder. Colleges will do what they wanna do, and ain't no posts on CC can do nothing about it!</p>

14

<p>^ I just meant to show her sometimes it swings your way, sometimes it doesn't.</p>

<p>There is no set way to predict ANYTHING with admissions.</p>

15

<p>USC: Reach</p>

<p>The fact is that USC's been increasing their mean SAT scores every year, and your SAT score is not on the higher end of the curve. Yes, personal qualities matter, but Marshall is particularly competitive. </p>

<p>However, keep in mind that you still have options outside of freshman admissions if USC is your goal. There is always the transfer option. I have two friends who transferred to USC from community colleges, citing that the experience was overwhelmingly positive.</p>

<p>Nonetheless, it's always a good idea to put together a list of "reaches, matches, and safeties" as a rule of thumb. In the long run, even if you don't get into USC (I'm not dooming you, but it's always possible), you'll have some extra options.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

16

<p>hahah god, i love honesty</p>

<p>seriously.</p>

17

<p>I prefer being honest with these things because a realistic view will help you to develop a good idea of what's in store for you.</p>

<p>In my case, I actually underestimated my chances for schools and hurt myself a bit at undergrad time. I overestimated for grad school, but lucked out in the end.</p>

<p>I promise you, however, that everything will balance out. If you want to go to Marshal, I'm assuming you have an interest in business. Have you considered other programs with undergrad business?</p>

18

<p>I wish people were more honest with me last year. I don't think my teachers/counselors/friends were realistic enough. It set up a nasty culmination of anticipation and disheartenment at the end.</p>

19

<p>You did pretty well for yourself though, it would seem.</p>