Thank you! I think I am following the wrong account. What Twitter handle is it?
@tbd21 itâs @ UofSCAdmissions
Thank you! I see it now!
Just received this email: âWe will begin releasing early action decisions late Tuesday afternoon, December 15. You will receive an email advising you to check your status on your UofSC Admissions Portal when your decision is released.â
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Anyone else get this. Does this mean they are not going to take activities into consideration?
indent preformatted text by 4 spaces Thank you for applying to the University of South Carolina. We will begin releasing early action decisions late Tuesday afternoon, December 15. You will receive an email advising you to check your status on your UofSC Admissions Portal when your decision is released.
Decisions may include acceptances, deferrals and denials. Due to our test-optional admissions policy, application review requires additional time. Students admitted during early action are competitive applicants who present above average academic credentials. Those deferred will go through an extended review period so additional factors may be considered, such as personal circumstances, extracurricular activities and the personal essay. No additional credentials are needed for this review process, as everything we consider is included in the application.
If you have any questions about your application status, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Weâre happy to assist you.
Sincerely,Preformatted text
I read it as they placed a priority on academics. Iâd guess they are using any objective data (GPA, tests, rank, rigor) to get through the first pass of their applicants. Then need more time to read through the subjective things like activity involvement. Must be harder to compare.
Sounds like theyâre only considering them for those who are deferred.
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So if your child went in test optional then do you think they have a stronger chance of being deferred ?
Not necessarily, if they had a high GPA or class ranking.
Mine has a 3.85 unweighted and 4.69 weighted. But went test optional. I donât even know if thatâs enough 
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Thatâs a strong GPA. I wouldnât worry.
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Thank you! Iâm hoping but its such a crazy year and she knows so many that applied from her school!
How about letters of REC. Are they looking at those?
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Sounds like maybe they are taking the same approach as Georgia, as described in a LOT of detail in Georgiaâs admissions blog, which seems to mean skimming the very top and bottom (10%?) based on GPA (as they recalculate it) and/or score. After admitting and denying those (respectively), they then work their way through holistic review of the rest of the applicants. And if you are in the pool getting holistic review, and they didnât get to you, you get deferred. Also, itâs my understanding U of SC doesnât consider letters of rec except for purposes of honors college.
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But then I wonder how test scores or lack there of play into this.
If I had to guess, Iâd assume a test-optional EA admit would need to have a bit higher GPA to get admitted than a student who submitted a test score. It seems like schools with merit scholarships are requiring a slightly higher GPA to qualify as TO than those who apply with a test. Itâll be interesting to see how everything shakes out. Wonât be long now! Good luck to all awaiting decisions.
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On their Common Data Set it lists their average GPA is a 4.0. Is that weighted or unweighted?
Website says this about merit money
"The university is piloting a test-optional admissions policy for students who are applying for the 2021 terms. Beginning in fall 2021, students who have excellent grades and competitive supplemental admission materials are considered for merit scholarships awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
While students are encouraged to continue to self-report standardized test scores, SAT and ACT scores are not required in either the admission or scholarship awarding process. Previously, scholarships were awarded based solely on high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores. The average high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores of last yearâs recipients provided on our website are for comparative purposes."
How do we interpret this? How are AOâs supposed to compare a timed test like the SAT to a supplemental, graded, untimed, writing? Can someone advise?
Does the admissions office weight GPAs based on rigor of schedule for Early Action applicants?
@Vgopalam I read somewhere that U of SC takes the unweighted GPA for the core courses only, with a full point bump for AP and DE courses, and a half point bump for honors. But for the life of me, canât recall where I read that.
That is correct. Thatâs why we were told by the admissions rep last summer when we visited
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