<p>I could better answer that question if you would tell me what kind of community service you did.</p>
<p>So do you think not having any real summer programs or special conferences, such as NYCL or the like, will hurt?</p>
<p>Also, is the fact that I’m not in NHS a negative?</p>
<p>hmmmmmmm: No. You already have some ECs and other Programs. That NASA program would look good on an application and so does your community invovlement. Your great grades won’t hurt either. You have nothing to worry about. If you can get those SATs in the 2200-2300 range, I think you can get a President’s Scholarship (full-tuition). Not being in NHS won’t hurt you. Not everyone can be a member so you’ll be fine. Fight On!</p>
<p>Oh I forgot about that. I have done a variety of community service through Key Club and NHS and church. Most of my hours are for working at various charity events such as Race for the Cure, March for Dimes. As Key Club president I have had to manage, plan, organize and run enitre school blood drives (our school is one of the highest donor schools), food drives and other events. Also when I went to Africa last summer I brought school supplies and new clothing for underprivalaged children. I have at least 600 hours of service.</p>
<p>also i mentor the incoming freshman at my school to insure a smooth transition into high school.</p>
<p>That made a big difference. I feel your chances are above 50% because of your community involvement and ECs. It shows that you are well-rounded and socially-conscious. I think your trip to Ethiopia would be a great topic for your essay( as long as it was a really signifigant or life-changing moment that helps define your character.) I have a feeling that you’re one of those special applicants that have a story that adcoms would love to hear. You seem to have qualities that typical scores and grades can’t communicate. USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. I hope this helps. Fight On!</p>
<p>thanks so much! while applying is there some sort of section where you can describe what type of community service you did?</p>
<p>for example is there a place where I can talk about what I did as Key Club President rather than just saying “key club president”</p>
<p>Last year, in the ECs section, they gave us about 7 or 8 spaces for each EC. In them, you could briefly describe what you did. I don’t know if that will change this year. There were also spaces for work experience. If not, at the end of the application, there is always an “additional information” section where you can say whatever you want to the adcoms. I guess here is where you can put those if they don’t give you space.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks.</p>
<p>Yeah, I didn’t have the time to fill out an NHS application, so I was a bit worried they would “expect” it of me.</p>
<p>I’m also a bit concerned about the counselor recommendation. My counselors have switch literally every year, so whoever I end up with as a senior may fill out my course rigor, ECs, etc not as highly (as in highest) as I think it should be. How much weight do you think they give the recommendation?</p>
<p>Also, will honors courses be viewed very much lower than APs? As I mentioned, I was forced to take a few honors courses in the place of APs as a result of some classes getting cancelled. However, they are weighted the same by my school; so will USC take all of that into consideration?</p>
<p>hmmmmm: I’m telling you, you have nothing to worry about. But, USC takes the recommendation very seriously. You do know that you only need to have one letter of rec come from a counselor OR a teacher. I suggest you get a rec from a teacher who REALLY knows you well. You don’t want your rec to sound generic(they know you have a big brain but what else).</p>
<p>I’m sorry to say this but honors classes will not be deemed as “strong” as APs, but they are on a level higher than regular classes. But the good news is, from what you tell me, your schedule is as difficult as it can be. This is a quote from the Undergrad Admissions website: “there is no specific prescribed curriculum required. However, we do expect that prospective students will take advantage of the highest level of classes offered to them in their secondary school.” Also, as I told storm18, there is an additional section in which you can tell the adcoms whatever you want. Use this section to tell them why your schedule wasn’t as difficult as it could be. </p>
<p>Fight On!</p>
<p>I made a mistake on my last post. You do need a counselor recommendation for USC. Honestly, counselor recs aren’t that important. Teacher recs are.</p>
<p>I made a mistake on my last post. You do need a counselor recommendation for USC. Honestly, counselor recs aren’t that important. Teacher recs are.</p>
<p>I am visiting USC in a week and I was wondering if I should schedule an interview while I am in town(idk if I am prepared), or if I should just wait and have an alum do it later… what would be the smart thing to do?</p>
<p>Also how do I find an alum in my area??</p>
<p>Hey, been watching this thread and decided to email USC clarifying the letters of recs. Here’s what I got in response, “Thank you for your interest in USC.
We will need at least one letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor, the second can come from any other recommender.”</p>
<p>So, just to make sure I’m not wildly misinterpreting this…you could send two teacher recs and no counselor?</p>
<p>Yes. since soxmate e-mailed the usc admissions offic, you should go by his answer. I was confused about that part of admissions.</p>
<p>storm18, im not really sure about interview procedures to be honest. I’m sure that the admissions office can answer any questions you have about that. I’m sorry.</p>
<p>I was just wondering what my chances of getting in were, I plan to apply RD</p>
<p>Intended school is Marshall</p>
<p>My biggest problem is a really low GPA(3.23 unweighted 3.7 weighted) I go to a really hard prep school. There are 42 kids in my class.</p>
<p>I have a 2360 on the SAT (perfect 1600 in reading and math) and 790 US hist, 750 lit, 740 Math II SAT II scores. I also made a 226 on the PSAT.</p>
<p>I have 400+ hours of community service and various leadership things.</p>
<p>Do i have any hope of getting into this school? Im really worried about my GPA.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>gilded - I think you have a chance, but you’ll need to get good rec’s and write a great application to counteract the GPA. I know a boy with very similar test scores and a 3.4+ GPA from a top prep school. He was admitted first for spring, then got moved up. Be sure to file the paperwork so that you can try to become a National Merit finalist - USC likes those, and will give half tuition if you are admitted. By the way, USC has a 12/1 deadline for scholarship consideration (I think you need to apply by then if you want the National Merit award, but I’m not sure). USC does not have early decision.</p>
<p>Storm: For interviews, I think you’re better off being interviewed on campus if you can swing it. It will show you’re really interested, and it’s more of a sure thing. It’s not always possible to arrange off-campus interviews, depending on where you live.</p>
<p>So I wanted to apologize for starting a new chances thread instead of coming to this one… I realized literally two seconds after pressing “post” that I should have entered my post into the bundled chances thread. So I’m sorry about that and hopefully it’s not going to be too obtrusive! It’s great to meet all of you. :)</p>