Hello!
I’m deciding if I should apply to USC. I would love for someone to go over my credentials. I’m mostly worried about my test scores.
I plan on majoring in biology or natural sciences.
Stats:
4.39/4.5 gpa
6 AP classes at the end of senior year
A total of 4 A- and 1 B+ in all honors or AP classes (rest are A’s)
ACT: 32 (35 in math 35 in writing -not as good in reading and science)
760 Math 2 and 720 on Biology Molecular
Pretty Strong EC’s: (in my opinion) (trend in biology and French)
Harvard research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (sponsored staff)
Bioengineering club VP and P (Biogen and MIT associated- spoke at conference March 9 2017 Cambridge MA)
Raising $500 in grant money for Bioengineering club
Publication article with 5 awards in Biotechnology journal
Science team (3 years)
MIT Launch X Entrepreneur Program
Worked with handicapped adults and young adults for 2 summers (300 hours)
Selected for Oxford University Trip
French Club Co-president and President (brought attendance back)
French Library creator (maintain for 3 years)
Legislative council (2 years)
Student Council
Internship with engineering
English Club (four years?)
Basketball (Freshman and AAU)
Lacrosse (JV)
Student mentor
Ski team
Counselor at summer camp
Christmas in the City fundraiser
Thurston Thursday Club
BU Camp (Business classes and econ classes)
Living in Massachusetts
Ethnicity: White
Bilingual (cause of French EC’s)
Canadian Citizen (if that matters). Dual citizen (American citizen as well)
Very good public high school (Awarded Blue Ribbon around 2 years ago)
I would love someone else’s take
Thanks in advance
I agree with WWWard in reading the post made in the first link.
Second, “Chance me’s” are typically inaccurate as everyone has their own opinions, but I know some type of answer usually gives us a piece of mind & almost everyone on here has made a post like this. So, in MY opinion, I think you have amazing ec’s as they really showcase your leadership & interests. Your GPA is above average, and your ACT is fine. Like many colleges, USC has a holistic admission process – your essays & short answers are really the defining factor in your application because they demonstrate your personality, passions, and future goals. As long as you clearly convey your ideas to admissions, you’ve done the best you can do at this point. If USC doesn’t admit you, it might not even be your fault. They may feel that you would fit better at another university. So, YES, do apply because you’ll never know and this is your only chance. Applying won’t do you any harm (except the application fee lol), and it might even give you another acceptance! Good luck :’)
Yes… to echo @dyingsenior18 , it may come down to ECs and/or Essays… unless there is another unique hook or personal circumstance that sets you (or any applicant) apart (URM, QuestBridge, under-represented geographical area, unique ability/background, etc.)
You can never really tell how the application process will go with any college deemed to be elite… or with basically any college that accepts less than 30% of its total applicants or is ranked in the top 25-30 nationwide.
My older daughter applied to 17 schools in 2014 and wrongly assumed, based on her stats, that she would likely get in to at least 8 or 9 of them. In the end, 12 passed on her. Luckily, USC was one of the five that admitted her. My younger daughter was therefore extremely nervous to see the results when she applied last year. She was immensely surprised when she got into 8 out of the 15, including Princeton. That Princeton admission likely came down to 3 things in her case… applying for a major that few seek there, her ECs and her Essays. But it is so hard to predict these things. My two daughters’ GPAs, Ranks, and test scores were nearly identical. So it was the ECs and Essays that likely aided my younger daughter – who benefited from applying second. How does someone get into Princeton, USC, Rice and Emory, for example, but also get denied at UVa, Northwestern, Duke and Vanderbilt? As stated above, you cannot really tell what any individual school is seeking in any given year. I recall in 2014 a few posts here on CC of applicants complaining that they had got into schools like Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Yale, while also getting rejected by USC and UVa.
But USC routinely turns away thousands of applicants with stellar stats in order to admit those with lesser stats who also bring something interesting to the mix. It may come down to how many are applying for your first and second choice majors and whether admissions within an individual school pulls for you or not. USC is now a reach for even those with the stellar stats. But just keep in mind that their ultimate goal is to establish a well-rounded freshman class… so maybe if there are elements of your personal journey/story that serve to add in an ingredient to the freshman class that would be otherwise lacking or in need, there could be that chance at admission.