Stop freakin out, USC knows what its doing

<p>You guys all need to relax. I was in your boat last year and its not a nice place to be, but i think you all should know that USC really does know what its doing when it comes to accepting applicants, and they really do take a holistic approach. SO forget about comparing stats, because when it comes down to it its about who you are. </p>

<p>Last year i went to the admitted students day and i bumped into my admissions counselor there. She looked at me and smiled and greeted me by my first name and said it was so good to see me and asked how one of my extracurriculars was going (the only time we had met was when she visited my high school in november). I had SATs in the 1800s and a 2.95 GPA freshman year. You need to know that what it really comes down to is who you are and how you conveyed yourself in the application. USC could easily accept the highest SAT scores and GPAs, but they wont. If you're not accepted its probably because they don't see you as a fit at the school. </p>

<p>So for all the people on here freaking out because they don't have high enough scores or GPA, know that its not all about that. Its about you and your achievements.</p>

<p>Congrats on your admission. With all due respect, you must realize that you’re the exception. You must have had a very compelling story or background, or be particularly talented, to have been admitted with those numbers. Well done…</p>

<p>Personally, with all due respect, I don’t think this reply was called for LegacyMom. The poster above was simply trying to assuage the many nervous applicants in this forum. There is no reason why they could not be the “exception” as well. No one on this forum can be sure that someone will get in or not because no one here is an admission counselor. She is just trying to get people to trust in their application and relax in this very nerve-wracking time. I am sure you meant well by your statement, but I think you could have worded it a bit better.</p>

<p>Ukfcra’s post was very helpful for me simply because it acknowledged the fact that nobody on cc knows what will happen so instead of assuming a “chance me” thread will help, we should just be positive and wait patiently for the days following the 27th. Thank you!</p>

<p>The OP actually had a 3.5 UW gpa (2.95 was Freshman year) at admissions and some interesting EC’s. He was also an international student attending hs in the US which adds another layer of interest. Just demonstrating the holistic approach he mentioned is quite accurate.</p>

<p>Bowman,</p>

<p>My apologies if my reply was taken as a harsh one. That was not the intent. I congratulated her and told her “well done.” Encouragement is a good thing, but it is important to give kids the whole picture. Stats are stats and the reality is most people who apply with those scores will not get in. There is more to the story. Her/His angle, apparently, is that she/he is an international student. That’s great — USC loves that. But there isn’t much you can do about where you’re born or where you live. And the reality is, for an average American kid, those figures aren’t going to cut it with USC…unless you have a compelling story or talent.</p>

<p>I personally found nothing harsh in LegacyMom’s post. She merely pointed out that statistically ukfrca was at the lower end of the range for admitted students. I applaud ukfrca for trying to calm everyone down but I’m also concerned about giving candidates with less compelling applications a sense of false hope especially in a year where applications jumped 25%. </p>

<p>USC is a tough place to get into. The further you are below the mid-points the harder the road becomes. Put another way:</p>

<p>The race is not always to the swift nor the fight to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.</p>

<p>-Damon Runyon</p>

<p>Good luck to all the applicants. College is a great adventure regardless of where you attend.</p>

<p>You’re post motivated me ukfcra, thanks for that mate. Legacymom, you’re post brought me back to reality in some ways as well, so thank you for that as well! You’re both right in your own ways!</p>

<p>LegacyMom,</p>

<p>I understand you meant well. I just don’t want anyone to feel discouraged by their stats. Even if they do not get in, they should be proud that they were not afraid to try. I apologize if I have offended anyone on this thread. I have lurked here for a while but your post just struck a nerve. I just see a lot of people stress so much about getting into certain colleges or stats that they forget to live and do the things they love. I just want people to hope for the best. But you are right. It is important to be realistic.</p>