USC is my dream school. I visited last summer and fell in love with the place. The area, campus, environment, size, academics. To me, it is the total package.
Currently, I am a junior in High School and very, very nervous about college. Although I have read that USC takes into account things besides grades more than a school like UCLA, I am still extremely nervous.
My Freshman year GPA (On the 100 point scale) was an 89.2
Sophomore Year I hade a 90.7, but the second semester was close to a 92/93.
So far, through three quarters of my junior year, I have a 95.4 average.
I know that my grades, besides Junior year, are not particularly good. However, I did have extenuating circumstances around the earlier grades. From 7th grade to 10th grade I suffered from Depression and Anxiety. This really affected my ability to get schoolwork done well and in a timely manner.
I am planning on interviewing this August when I go back to California to look at colleges. If asked about these lower grades freshman and half of Sophomore year, what should I do? Also, should I mention them somewhere on the Common App? I am planning on writing essays on something else, but I don’t know if I should even mention them.
Here are my stats and ECs for reference:
Intended Major: Political Science with a Minor in either Cinematic Arts or Journalism
GPA:
Freshman Year: 88.2 - There were circumstances that would explain the lowered GPA (if needed)
Sophomore Year: 90.7 - Did a lot better Second semester
Junior Year: 96
APs/Honors: AP Euro, APUSH, AP Gov, AP Lang, AP Psych, Spanish 3 Honors, Pre-Calc Honors (School only offers 12. Two-thirds of them can only be taken senior year unless you are 2 years ahead in either a math or science).
ACT/SATs:
SAT: Taking in May
ACT: 34 (E - 35, M - 32, R - 34, S - 34)
SAT IIs (I know they aren’t needed for USC): US History, Literature, Not Sure (Most likely Math I or II)
ECs:
Co-founded my city’s chapter of the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence - Large time commitment. Help to organize rallies and marches as well as raise awareness for gun legislation. NOTE: Not fully against guns, just certain types of guns (Assault Rifles)
Youth Leadership [Insert City Name Here] - Helped to teach us about our community, the leaders in our community and how to become better leaders. Did a service project throughout the year where we raised money and volunteered at a nonprofit in our community.
Varsity Golf (3 years), Squash (2 years, though since it started as a varsity sport)
Model UN: Pretty self explanatory, one a few delegate awards. Chance of leadership position next year.
Youth and Government: Went to state capital to do a “mock legislature” with other schools in our state.
Young Democrats Club: Will be president next year. Met to discuss current political events as well as debate the Young Republicans (Probably 4 times the amount of members).
Broadcast sporting events for my school. Football games, Basketball games, Baseball games etc.
American Civil War History Club: Meet to discuss the Civivl War. Battle strategies, Kahoots etc. Chance of officer position next year.
Went on a service trip to the inner city for 6 days to work in a Soup Kitchen, School and “Mall”. May write essay on this.
Decent chance I will be going to Kenya this summer to work in a hospital for 1-2 weeks. May write essay on this if (and hopefully when) it happens
Other:
State: New York
High School: Private, Jesuit
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Basically USC selects who they deem appropriate and after evaluating far more than just GPA, Rank and Test Scores. They are also considering ECs, Essays, potential leadership roles, potential artistic, creative, athletic or performance skills, potential special circumstances (URM status, FirstGen status, QuestBridge, etc), perceived/projected suitability at USC, etc. etc.
Currently, your ACT score is good, but your GPA and likely rank are a little low. But you may be able to clearly differentiate through your ECs and writing especially. As for ECs… doing more in one or two - especially with an explanation as to depth of involvement or leadership, etc. is far better than a list of activities - each of which may be more shallow. It is better to demonstrate one true passion in other words vs looking like someone who did many things - but to a lesser extent.
USC is interested in crafting a well-rounded and diverse class of freshmen who they project will thrive within the very specific environment that is USC. You should research USC as best you can and try to identify a strong reason or reasons why USC is the right place for you… and moreover what you may be able to bring to USC yourself if admitted. You could also explain why your prior grades were lower and how you turned things around over time.
I know on my application I wont put all of these down, but there are a few that take up a large time commitment. Varsity Squash takes up around 6 hours a week, Golf around 15+ and even more in the summers, where I compete in tournaments outside of school. As for activities that take up a decent amount of time and I am committed two, the largest one is the Brady Campaign. This takes hours upon hours every week and is really important to me. As I am the co-founder and co-president I also have a lot of responsibility managing everything that goes on in the Buffalo chapter. Youth Leadership is also very important to me and, although it doesn’t take up as much time, I have been committed to helping and learning through that program. As for school clubs, most of them throughout the school, especially those that are history and politics based, are somewhat lackluster. Youth in Government takes up some time, same with MUN. I really enjoy broadcasting the games as I love both broadcast journalism and sports. Young Democrats is interesting. Although the meetings have been less frequent then in years past, next year, as the president of the club, I am hoping to make the meetings more structured and frequent. American Civil War History Club is just kind of there. In addition, one of my friends and I are hoping to establish another club based on politics. Currently we have some ideas, such as a “Political Debates Club”, of which he and I will lead and moderate debates on a certain current event such as Immigration, gun control, etc. We have other ideas too.
As for mentioning depression on either the app or in the interview, what are your thoughts on that? I have seen varying opinions, but I want the opinion of someone who knows USC well. If I do mention it, I would also talk about how it has shaped who I am today and made me both a better student and person, as well as mentioning that it is not a problem anymore at all.
You will find that each university has a set word limit for essays within the Common Application portal. I would just advise against listing a # of activities. Again, it is better to demonstrate one or two true passions and/or commitments. You want the written responses to likely have a balance between defining who you are now and projecting who you are looking to become… and how USC or any school could benefit you on that journey, etc - with specifics. USC wants you to explain what sets them apart in your eyes after all vs every other elite college or university that you may be applying to. Applicants this year just went through a cycle where 87% or 56K faced rejection. The 13% or 8250 getting in likely were successful at telling a story… making it clear who they are, why USC matters to them, etc. You simply need to find a way to differentiate yourself & make that 10-20 min review of your total application packet stand out and be remembered.
As for mentioning depression… there is an additional information section I believe within the main Common Application. If it is still there, that may be the place to offer an explanation like the one you have entered above.
@WWWard I tried editing my comment to include why I want to attend USC, but I took too much time, so here’s the list:
Not just the quality of academics, but the ability to take minors in areas that I am passionate about that other schools don’t really offer. Although I would major in political science, I am planning on minoring in either Journalism or Film Production. No other school offers me the ability to get a top level Political Science degree while minoring in the best film school in the work and/or one of the best Journalism/Communications schools in the world in Annenberg.
Size. Some people like small schools with <5k students, others like schools withe >30k students. Personal, USC is the exact right size for me. Small schools don’t always offer the amount of clubs, classes and ways to get involved and schools that are too big make me feel like I’d just be another person on campus. USC would allow me to stand out and get to know a lot of people while offering the clubs, classes and activities that I want.
Extracurriculars. USC allows me to get involved outside of the classroom in many different clubs that I am interested in. From Model UN to Mock Trial to the Pre-Law Society, USC offers everything and more in terms of clubs for if (and hopefully when) I go.
Location, Location, Location. I have dreamed of living in LA since I was a little kid. I despise the weather in the northeast and LA lets me escape that weather. More important than the weather is the actual city. Being in a huge city like LA gives me opportunities that I could find in maybe 1 or 2 other cities in the country and many opportunities that are unique to LA and SoCal.
Campus. After visiting campus last year, it is, by far, my favorite campus. The vibe of the campus, along with the architecture, make it feel very homey even though it is so sprawling.
The ability to pursue things related to my major/minors outside of USC. This may be repetitive from previous points, but the entire film industry is based in LA. There are huge news outlets based in LA. LA has some of the best law firms in the country. No city gives me all of these opportunities in one place. Only Washington gives me more opportunities related to my major, but it gives me none related to film.
Those are just some of the many reasons I think USC is right for me.
I was admitted to USC for this coming fall. Although I can’t be certain what they’re actually looking for, I can give a little advice based on what I did, like my process on writing the essays.
One of the prompts is:
Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 word limit)
Because of the word limit, you should try to cut down your reasons to a few main ideas. Then, try to get as specific as possible. In my essay, I referenced specific classes I was interested in, mentioned the professors who taught those classes, and tried to delve as deep as possible on why I was interested. Your passion for USC is palpable, but I want to know a little more about the specifics. For example, why do you want to major in PS and how does USC offer your the best opportunities to pursue your interests? Yes USC does offer top level degrees and has an incredible film school, but you can easily replace USC or Annenberg with another name and it would still work in your reasoning. I would attempt to stray away from writing an essay that is too generic.
Lastly, have a hook or something that might make your essay stand out. I referenced a childhood memory and lead into my main points. In the end, just try to be as genuine as possible.
Hope this helped. Again, I’m not an admissions officer so take this with a grain of salt. Best of luck!
Sounds like you have some valid reasons. Now possibly fine tune, potentially using the guidance of people like @kokoro100 above who just went through it and succeeded. I would not keep posting it though… especially not your super polished version… as some of your future competitors for only roughly 8K admission spots can see all this too lol
You will likely find the word limits very constraining, but it is good that you are starting the process so early… you have plenty of time to perfect it.
@WWWard Thank you. I️ respect what you do to help make this community a better place. I️ have one question, that may be a little off topic. Why were less people accepted this year, even though more people applied? I️ know you probably don’t have specifics on this, but I️ thought I’d ask.
Well… USC over the past few years has consistently tried to ensure a new fall freshman class of just 3K. They believe that they only have the space and resources to accommodate that specific #. They therefore admitted 9042 of the 56K applicants in 2017 (16%). They did so because the yield rate had consistently been around 33-34% in prior years. But last year, the yield rate unexpectedly jumped to 37%, leading to 3358 enrolling… 358 more than what they were aiming for. This year, 8K more applied… or 64K in total. They have thus capped their admissions at 8250… or 13%… again trying to end up with 3K. They are thus projecting a yield rate of 36%.
