USC Class of 2022 Decisions/Stats Only Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
21

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: January 15th

**Date decision postmarked/received: March 23 **

Which school/major at USC: Marshall with Pre-Law Emphasis

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 composite (E:36, R:35, M:32, S:30)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 92/93% (idk how to calculate gpa)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): n/a
IB (place score in parentheses): idk the updated one
Senior Year Course Load: all IB courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): DECA international and provincials (2 years in a row)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • President of a city-wide youth organization
  • Executive on another city-wide youth organization (lol)
  • Student Council Executive
  • MUN executive for province-wide conferences
  • Graphic Designer at a youth start up
  • Contributor to magazines and blogs
    Job/Work Experience: Secretary
    Volunteer/Community Service:
  • Canvassing for local MP
  • Church Leader
    Summer Activities:
  • Stanford Pre-Collegiate
  • Researching with a prof
    Essays (rating 1-10, details): uh idk tbh; people said they were good so around 7/8??
    Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 0 idea; didn’t read them
    Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): ^^
    Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): ^^

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Toronto, Canada
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian

Gender: female
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): no

Reflection:
Strengths: passion for business and USC itself, essays
Weaknesses: GRADES!! and test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: 0 idea but all i know is that God is good :slight_smile:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA (accepted), University of Toronto (accepted), McGill (accepted), UBC (accepted), Emory (waitlisted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: fight on!!!

22

Decision: Accepted, Spring

Date applied: November 24, 2017

Date decision postmarked/received: March 22, 2018

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, Cognitive Science

Objective:

SAT I: 1320 (660 M, 660 R)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4 UW, 3.8 W
Rank: 58/530
AP: Lang, Lit, USH, Euro, Bio, APES, Stats, Psych, CompSci, Gov, Econ,
Major Awards: a few recognition from the CA senate and assemblymen, national history day

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Var. Tennis Captain, Country Club Tennis Captain, Pres and Founder of Community service club, Mobile app developer, AP Academy, USC Pipeline PA Program, Mock trial
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer work at local hospital
Summer Activities: Summer@Brown
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Better than my uc ones hahaha… honestly must be good if i got in with my stats.
Teacher Recommendations: Really good!!
Additional rec: Rec from USC faculty

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Y
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: Black/Hispanic
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: testing maybe, ec’s, recs and essays
Weaknesses: gpa for sure
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: recs, essays, passion for usc and communication with AO
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA (rej), UCSD (rej), UCSD (rej), UCR (acc) UCI (acc) UCB (pending) Northeastern (rej) UMiami (waitlisted) u of az (acc)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: i hope that i can give someone hope that needs it!! good luck and congrats to everyone that got in! cant wait to be a trojan :slight_smile:

23

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: November 30, 2017

Date decision postmarked/received: March 22, 2017

Which school/major at USC: Elaine and Kenneth Leventhal School of Accounting, Accounting

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 (790M, 680E)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (740), Chemistry (710) Biology M (640), World History (520 lol don’t know why I took it)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/630
AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (4), World Hist (3), Art Hist (3), Bio (4), Calc BC (5), Eng Lang (3), US Hist (5),
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics C: Mechanics and E&M, AP Stats, AP US Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, Honor Roll

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): STEMS Club (Treasurer), California Scholarship Federation, vita e3, College Bound Today, Academic Decathlon (Junior Year)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutoring other students after school, helping people file their taxes, volunteering at events
Summer Activities: USC Bovard Scholars Program (End of junior year)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Personal Statement (9), Supplementals (8)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): No idea
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 30K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, listed myself as Cambodian (I’m Chinese and Cambodian)

Reflection
Strengths: Personal Statement and teacher recommendations
Weaknesses: Lacked ECs my freshman and sophomore year
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was a part of their first cohort for the USC Bovard Scholars Program
Where else you are applying or have already applied: CSULA (Accepted), CSUF (Accepted), CPP (Accepted), CPSLO (Accepted), UCR (Accepted), UCSD (Accepted), UCLA (Accepted), UCB (Pending), Northeastern (Rejected), U of Notre Dame (Rejected), Penn (Pending), Stanford (Pending)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t let one schools rejection determine all your other schools’ decisions before they come out.

24

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 11/30

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/24

Which school/major at USC: international relations, Dornsife

Scholarships: n/a

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didn’t send any
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): didn’t send any
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp, AP Gov, AP French, AP Stats, two dual-enrollment courses at local CC

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Debate: 4 years, 2-year president, ranked in top 15 teams nationally, qualified to national championships, won several local tournaments, invited to many national invitationals and succeeded at them / Student govt: 4-year member, senior class president / Global Feminists Coalition: (club focused on improving women’s lives around the world), 2-years, founder / Varsity XC / French Club / NHS
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service: 400+ hours
Summer Activities: debate camps
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: honestly thought my USC supplements could’ve been better, but I think my Common App essay was good
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
French teacher of 3 years - 9/10 - he is retired now but seems very enthusiastic about writing for me
AP Comp teacher (also had 3 years) - 9/10 - she really likes me and i’ve had her for several years
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: probably bad, go to a large urban public school and have had a different counselor every year
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: ASB mentor - 9/10
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA (SoCal) (was so worried after not hearing yesterday lol)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, urban public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: high-ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: definitely ECs - tons of leadership and national awards
Weaknesses: test scores (?)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: probably my ECs? hard to know
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UMich, Emory, UCLA, UCSB (all accepted), waiting on a bunch more
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: fight on!!

25

Decision: Accepted, Fall
Date applied: November 30, 2017
Date decision postmarked/received: March 22, 2017
Which school/major at USC: Architecture
Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 Composite (range from 28 Math to 36 Reading)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 95%
AP (place score in parentheses): various, no 5’s
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc B/C, AP Spanish Lit, AP English Lit, AP Physics 1, AP European Hist, AP Studio Art, Adv Hispanic Lit and Film, Adv Photography (holding A’s in all)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): City’s ballet student corp, Navigo Program, Cross country, Spanish Immersion club co-president
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Spanish Translation in support of several community orgs/charities
Summer Activities: KY Governor’s School For The Arts (Architecture), Clemson and Virginia Tech Summer Architecture Programs, Ballet Intensives
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10 for both Personal Statement and Supplementals, passionate and creative content
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, mostly because all schools seem to required this first to be considered for merit
State (if domestic applicant): Kentucky
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public K-12 Spanish Immersion Program within public high school
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: Strong Architecture portfolio, Spanish fluency
Weaknesses: Leadership roles
Why do you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Lifelong investment in architecture, and passion in the essay
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Admitted, and with merit scholarship, to all applied to: Syracuse (full tuition Architecture scholarship), Virginia Tech (5k), Clemson (honors, 15k), Pratt (26k), Cincinatti (honors, 6k), Drexel (28k), Univ of Kentucky (full tuition scholarship).

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Not enrolling unless Arch. Dept provides surprise scholarship on 27th… Don’t make assumptions about acceptance or scholarships…

26

[size=4]Decision: Accepted/size

Date applied: November 30

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24

Which school/major at USC: School of Cinematic Arts/Media Arts+Practice

**Scholarships: Deans/b

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (800M 740E)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio(730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: N/A
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Scholastic Art Regional Gold and Silver Keys

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Korean Music Club(President)
School Feminist Magazine(Layout Head)
Acapella Group performance at Carnegie Hall
Dancer/Performer in various school rallies/homecoming
Head of decorations for homecoming
Mental Health Committee
Gay-Straight Alliance
Job/Work Experience: Head of Apparrel Design for a Korean merchandise company
Volunteer/Community Service: Deco Head for schools performing arts benefit gala
Summer Activities: 2 major related summer camps at CMU and Stanford
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, my topics were all super unique and I think the fact that I wrote about acapella might’ve helped because of USCs amazing acapella group?
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, detai): 9/10,
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 6/10, don’t really know my counselor that well
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10/10, my art teacher wrote a rec for my art-related major so that helped
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Suburban magnet, extremely competitive
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 300k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: lmao where
Weaknesses: I didn’t really know the school that well and was mostly interested because of the RHP program
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my application really showed I was ready to attend college a year earlier than usual
Where else you are applying or have already applied: N/A
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

27

[ b]Decision: Accepted**

Date applied: January 15th, 2018

Date decision postmarked/received: March 22nd, 2018

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, Undeclared

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (780M, 720 E)
ACT (breakdown): 31 (34E, 31R, 28M, 29S) (did not submit)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Biology (720), Math II (640 ■■■■■)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.79
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 122/664
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geography (5), English Language (4), Calculus AB (4), Biology (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, Physics Honors, AP Literature, Advanced Concert Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching Band, NHS, Key Club, Various Environmental Clubs
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Vietnamese School Teacher
Summer Activities: summer school lmao
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App (8/10, a bit disorganized but had a controversial and sensitive topic), Supplement (8/10, bs’d it because i wrote it on the last day lmao)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 (lang, saw a lot of growth within me and knows my various issues in the past), 7/10 (human geo, did well in his class, probably very generic)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 (she really likes me, always went to her for help)
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Very Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: SAT I, LORs, AP Scores, Essays (maybe)
Weaknesses: SAT II, GPA, Rank
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: probably my letters of recommendation and common app essay topic
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Boston College (Accepted), UCSD (Accepted), UCSB (Accepted), UCSC (Accepted), CPP (Accepted), CSUF (Accepted), CSULB (Accepted), SFSU (Accepted), LMU (Accepted), Fordham (Accepted), Boston University (Waitlisted), Santa Clara University (Waitlisted), Cal Poly (Rejected), UCLA (Rejected), Northeastern (Rejected), Cal (Pending), UCI (Pending), NYU (Pending)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Keep your head up but remain humble. Show who you are through your essays and always speak with your voice. Establish and maintain close relationships with your teachers… Don’t be upset over rejections, it happens to the best of us!

28

[ b]Decision: Accepted**

Date applied: January 15th, 2018

Date decision postmarked/received: March 22nd, 2018

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, Undeclared

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (780M, 720 E)
ACT (breakdown): 31 (34E, 31R, 28M, 29S) (did not submit)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Biology (720), Math II (640 ■■■■■)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.79
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 122/664
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geography (5), English Language (4), Calculus AB (4), Biology (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, Physics Honors, AP Literature, Advanced Concert Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching Band, NHS, Key Club, Various Environmental Clubs
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Vietnamese School Teacher
Summer Activities: summer school lmao
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App (8/10, a bit disorganized but had a controversial and sensitive topic), Supplement (8/10, bs’d it because i wrote it on the last day lmao)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 (lang, saw a lot of growth within me and knows my various issues in the past), 7/10 (human geo, did well in his class, probably very generic)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 (she really likes me, always went to her for help)
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Very Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: SAT I, LORs, AP Scores, Essays (maybe)
Weaknesses: SAT II, GPA, Rank
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: probably my letters of recommendation and common app essay topic
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Boston College (Accepted), UCSD (Accepted), UCSB (Accepted), UCSC (Accepted), CPP (Accepted), CSUF (Accepted), CSULB (Accepted), SFSU (Accepted), LMU (Accepted), Fordham (Accepted), Boston University (Waitlisted), Santa Clara University (Waitlisted), Cal Poly (Rejected), UCLA (Rejected), Northeastern (Rejected), Cal (Pending), UCI (Pending), NYU (Pending)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Keep your head up but remain humble. Show who you are through your essays and always speak with your voice. Establish and maintain close relationships with your teachers… Don’t be upset over rejections, it happens to the best of us!

29

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: Before Dec 1 SCA Deadline

**Date decision postmarked/received: Received in mail Saturday, March 24th

**Which school/major at USC: School of Cinematic Arts (Applied for film production, accepted for Cinema and Media Studies)

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 31, 31 superscore
SAT II (place score in parentheses): n/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): First Quarter
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP English and Social Studies, non-AP Math and Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4 year Varsity athlete in two sports, local film work, local writing council member
Job/Work Experience: Work at local store and lifeguarding
Volunteer/Community Service: 30+ hours per year
Summer Activities: Summer film program year before senior year
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::

  • Why USC Essay: 7, very solid but nothing extremely special. Showed I was passionate about school but that is true for all film applicants
  • SCA Supplements: 10, definitely the reason I got in.
    Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I submitted two, both were in the 8-10 range
    Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 5, I go to a huge public high school so nothing special
    Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I did not have an additional rec
    Interview: It went well. I interviewed for film production, but I spent a lot of my interview talking about my love for a certain filmmaker/style of film which I think my interviewer liked but may have been the reason I did not get in to my first choice major.

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Lived most of life outside of United States

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Essays
Weaknesses: Average test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Rejected UCLA
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Do not be discouraged from applying just because everyone says it is so hard to get in! If you don’t try, you will never know. I thought I was for sure getting rejected and was extremely shocked. Never count yourself out. Whether you are/aren’t admitted, it is what you make of the school - you can be successful anywhere, and where you go is NOT who you will be.

30

Decision: Accepted

Which school/major at USC: Marshall

Scholarships: Doesn’t say anything

Objective:
SAT: 1510 (EBRW: 720, Math: 790)
ACT: Didn’t give
SAT II: Math Level 2 (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): HS doesn’t calculate
Rank: Doesn’t rank (Teacher recommender mentioned I was at the top of her class)
AP: Didn’t give
IB: 42/45 (Later revised to 43/45)
Major Awards: IGCSE ICE Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: A lot of Model UN involvement, peer mentor, co-founded my own business, website designer…
Job/Work Experience: Admin head for an event
Volunteer/Community Service: Just the usual stuff (working in rural villages, medical camps…)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10 | Pretty decent (I feel I had good responses for the one-sentence questions)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 | Very good in my opinion (they showed me after uploading)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 | Very good in my opinion (they showed me after uploading)

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Country: India
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not sure
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Good SAT, great recommendations and a high IB predicted
Weaknesses: The long essay I guess, Asian applicant
Why you think you were accepted: My IB predicted grade and my one-sentence responses

Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: BU, Tulane, Northeastern, UCSD, Indiana Bloomington (Kelley), UBC, McGill, Warwick
Rejected: UPenn (ED), WUSTL, UCL, UNC Chapel Hill
Waiting: Cornell, UCB, UMich, UofT

31

[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied:** Before Dec. 1

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: ** Mar. 25

[ b]Which school/major at USC: ** Biology pre-med

[ b]Scholarships: ** N/A

[ b]Objective: **
SAT I (breakdown): 1460 Reading-740 Math-720
ACT (breakdown):N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/356
AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Texas Government, Federal Government, Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology, and Philosophy (Dual Enrollment courses taken at my local college)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National Honor Society, Leo Club, Basketball, Phi Theta Kappa, Basketball
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteered at local hospital, and tutored elementary students since freshman year
Summer Activities: Volunteering, tobacco free summit
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 6 I really should have worked harder on them and I truly regret it
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8- science professor that really liked me
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10- she writes amazing letters
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/a
Interview: n/a

[ b]Other **
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

[ b]Reflection **
Strengths: test scores, gpa
Weaknesses: essays
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I do not think I talked enough about my dual enrollment program that I am in that allows me to obtain my associates degree in biology before graduating high school. I have a 4.0 GPA in college, having taken extremely difficult courses, and I don’t even think the admissions officers knew that. It just seemed like I shied away from AP classes, when in reality I was taking crazy hard classes at my local college. I really could have done a better job of explaining myself…
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I got into all the other colleges I applied to (not many) but I will probably end up at UT
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Work really hard on those essays and don’t be afraid to be yourself! Stats aren’t everything

32

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: ** I don’t remember (Nov. 30th?)

Date decision postmarked/received: March 25th (portal)

Which school/major at USC: 1. Neuroscience in Dornsife 2. Visual Arts (Roski)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1260 (didn’t submit)
ACT (breakdown): 31C, 32 superscored
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (650) Lit (670)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/a
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Chem (3) APUSH (3) AP Lang (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Art, AP Calc, AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • International Youth Coordinator for Red Cross - helped fundraise a lot of money
  • President of high school's Red Cross Club (11,12)
  • Captain of tennis team (12) on varsity all four years
  • Vice President of a research club at school (11, 12)
  • Piano, (10+ years) ABRSM up to level 6

Job/Work Experience:

  • taught piano

Volunteer/Community Service:

  • Tennis Special needs olympics (10, 11)
  • Volunteering at local hospital (100 hours+)
  • Anything Red Cross related

Summer Activities:

  • Neuroscience Program at UCSD, Academic Connection (11)
  • Volunteering
  • Took a bio class at local community college

Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8-9/10

  • Counselor loved it and said it summed up my passion for art really well. Spoke about how I used art as an escape which created an art block for me and after confronting my parents gambling addictions, i made a breakthrough in my art.
  • I had a big drop in academic performance junior year and i explained that this was when my parent wasn’t home often and i ended up taking care of my brother while trying to juggle 4 APs and tennis everyday
  • supplementals: 6-7/10, talked about sneaking into the neuroscience building (risky i know) and how i could see myself finding an interdisciplinary way to combine art and visual neuroscience
    Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
  • 7-8/10- spoke about how mature i was for my age and briefly talked about my family situation
  • 7/10- didn’t get to read but she was the club advisor
    Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: big public school but we’ve had a couple really deep intense talks so idk :confused:
    Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
    Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes but i don’t deserve any lol
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (big-ish)
Ethnicity: Asian RIPPPP
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$300,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Single parent, first generation

Reflection

Strengths: Common app essay maybe idk, i didn’t get in sooooo
Weaknesses: test scores and gpa, Asian
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think it was because of my mid year report: i ended up getting a C in physics and a B in AP Calc. Also, i feel like i didn’t convey how much I love USC and my passion for neuroscience well. My stats put me in the middle 50% which wasnt enough :confused:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:

  • Accepted: UCI (w/ CHP), UCSC, UCD, UCSB, UW, SDSU
  • Rejected: UCLA, USC
    -Waitlisted: UCSD, Cal Poly
  • Pending: Cornell, Columbia lol, UCB
    General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

To be honest, I was completely devastated. USC had been my first choice for a long time and I would’ve been happy with Spring admit or Fall admit. When I saw that I wasn’t even offered the Trojan Transfer plan, I was just crushed, I had so much anxiety the week leading up to the release date. I think I’m going to try to appeal because I love this school too much to give up on it. Please apply to colleges you actually want to go to because I only applied to a couple that I truly liked and now I’m stuck with colleges that are amazing in their own way but dont fit me.

33

[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: 10/18**

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:3/25**

[ b]Which school/major at USC: Mathematics**

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 36(35 M, 36 S, 36 R, 35 E)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 (4.56 Weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/140
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC(5), Human Geo(5), Chem(3), U.S. Gov(5), English Lit(5), Physics C, Spanish Lang, U.S. History, Bio
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
University of Cincinnati Courses: Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calc, Differential Equations, Prob and Stat I, Microecon, Macroecon, Intro to Creative Writing, Intro to Film, Intro to Public Speaking, Engineering Foundations
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Physics C, AP Spanish Lang, AP U.S. History, Business Seminar, Religion IV, Study Hall, College Microecon, College Macroecon, College Intro to Film, College Prob and Stat I, College Differential Equations
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS, Math Club, Science Club, Spanish Club, Soccer, Student Leadership (No positions, just a group of leaders), Business Honors Program (Junior and Senior Chair)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+ hours, Sunday School for the last 6 years, Key Club (junior officer then co-president)
Summer Activities: Service Trip, College classes
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8, my usually strict English teacher who favors concise and powerful wording didn’t make any real changes to my essay, strong message about who I am
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::8, my counselor said they were very good and spoke to my character very well
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Deferred to teachers since she’s a new counselor
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: None
Interview:None

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Medium private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Scores, service, grades
Weaknesses: I have no idea
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I got a D in one of my college classes because of a very poor professor, otherwise high average in college. Possibly because I would enter as a Junior/Senior in college if I went to some other university, maybe they knew I didn’t actually want to go there.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, Alabama, Clemson, Harvard
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I mean, what can you do?

34

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: [11/25/2017]

**Date decision postmarked/received:[3/22/2018]

**Which school/major at USC:[political science @ college of arts & sciences with pre-law emphasis]

**Scholarships:[none]

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 34 (English 34 Math 35 Reading 32 Science 33)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): only submitted math 2 (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): dk my unweighted (weighted = 4.2)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): ap lang (4), apush (3), ap physics 1 (4), ap chinese (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: ap calc ab, ap us gov’t, ap lit, ap bio, chinese lang, english lang
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I don’t think I had any major awards??

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • MUN (delegate/chair for 4+yrs)
  • own educational YouTube channel & blog
  • ballroom dancing
  • House (student) council captain, vice captain, secretary (3 yrs)
  • emergency first aid response club president
    Job/Work Experience:
  • interned @ a law firm for 1 week
    Volunteer/Community Service:
  • local environmental
  • 200+ hours
    Summer Activities:
  • none lol I relax during the summer
    Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
  • common app: prob a 9/10. I’d say my topic was fresh
  • why USC: I’d say 6/10 lolll, I’m not really good at “Why xxx” essays
  • supplementary: 7/10? it was a random essay about myself that I wrote for another school beforehand and was too lazy to write another one, so I just submitted it.
    Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I never read any of them so those are my guesses
  • teacher rec 1: 10/10 my history teacher for 1 year, but I’ve known her since I was in elementary school. knows me very well, also my MUN director.
    Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
  • counselor rec: 10/10 knows me very well and I’m prob her fave teehee
    Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
  • teacher rec 2: 9/10 ap lang teacher. knows me quite well too I guess, prob not as strong as my first tho, but still positive.
    Interview: none

Other

Applied for Financial Aid? YES (can never afford it w/o lol)
State (if domestic applicant): US citizen, but not CA resident
Country (if international applicant): Taiwan
School Type: international, private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: x
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: prob my test scores lol (I’m asian what do u expect)
Weaknesses: I’d say my essays, but I guess they turned out good
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: idk tbh. I never expected to get in bc not a lot of people got in from our school before.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:

  • rejected by Yale, Northwestern
  • accepted to UCSB, UVa, USC
  • waitlisted by UCLA, UC davis, UCSD
  • still waiting on Berkeley (my dream school!), Georgetown, Cornell, Stanford, UC Irvine
    General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
    CONGRATS to everyone that got in!!! and for the ones that didn’t, don’t be sad! You’ll go somewhere more suitable, or you can always transfer in! hopefully, I get into my dream school next week, please pray for me guys!! thanks :slight_smile:
35

Decision: Rejected

Date applied: before 12/1

School: Marshall (Leventhal)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (750R, 800M)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math 800, USH 750, World History 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.5W)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), USH (5), BC Calc (5), AP LANG (5), AP PHYSICS 1 (5), Microecon (5), Macroecon (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP English Literature, AP Psychology, AP French, AP Computer Science Principle, Theology (mandatory)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USAD Gold Medal for Math, AP scholar with distinction

Subjective:


Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team co-founder and captain, NHS fundraising committee head, Volleyball Team Manager, Class President at SFLS, Honor Violinist, Vice President of Volunteer Union
Volunteer/Community service: Middletown Youth Association school representative (3y), School Ambassador and Transfer Transition Team manager
Summer Activities: bank internship, Harvard Pre-College Program

Essays (rating 1-10, details): mediocre 7/10
Teacher Rec #1: AP English teacher who has taught me for two years, absolutely likes me. I did not get a chance to read but I heard from counselor that it made her cry. (10/10)
Teacher Rec #2: From my math teacher and also moderator of math team. We had a caring and friend-like relationship (9/10)
Counselor Rec:9/10 She knows me fairly well and has provided me so much help throughout my high school
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope

State (if domestic applicant): CT

Country (if international applicant): China

School Type: Small private Catholic school 

Ethnicity: Asian

Gender: Female

Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): nada

Reflection


Strengths: course load, score

Weaknesses: Ethnicity

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was shocked to be rejected honestly, but it happens and I will just take it.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Northeastern Honor, UMich, UVA, UNC-chapel hill, WashU, UCLA, UCSB, UCI, deferred UPenn (ED), waitlisted CMC. Waiting for a bunch others
General Comments:

36

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 30th

Date decision postmarked/received: March 25th via portal

Which school/major at USC: Marshall, Business Administration

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 M:750, E: 720
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school uses a weird system in which 92-100 is an A and 84-91 is a B. By my schools scale, 3.65. By a standard grading system using a 10 point scale, 3.87.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank. (All I know is somewhere below top 10% and somewhere above top 50%)
AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology (4). School doesn’t offer AP courses though supposedly almost all classes are at the same level. (As hard as AP’s, but not focused on taking the exam)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: English 12, Physics 2B, Advanced Chemistry, Political Science, Calculus BC, Alternate History (1st sem), Broadcasting and Communications (1st sem), Advanced Statistics (2nd sem)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Entrepreneurship club, Robotics Club, high school French exchange program, Varsity indoor/outdoor track 4 years (Captain 11th and 12th grade, won two MVPs across 10th/11th grade), Tutoring with very low rates (really just enough to pay for gas) for financially challenged families.

Job/Work Experience: Zip
Volunteer/Community Service: Zip
Summer Activities: Zip
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10. Started these suckers in July, had multiple college counselors look over them before submission. They all said my strongest part was being creative and having my personality being very prominent.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8ish?. My only actual teacher recommender straight up told me he wasn’t sure what to write about a week or two the recommendation deadline. I suppose it went better than expected.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10. I think she put in a lot of effort when she started realizing how much effort I put in with my essays.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Got a track coach to tell a funny story about me and reflect on parts of my personality that weren’t as prominent as other traits in my essays.
Interview: I think I did very well in the interview; I think this is how I was able to get in Marshall. I talked little about expertise in finance/business in my actual application, but my entire interview revolved around it.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant): U.S.
School Type: Independent
Ethnicity: Mixed Asian/White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <30k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Do divorces count anymore? If so, than that. Also live with a schizophrenic grandmother that’s been pretty rough to deal with.

Reflection
Strengths: Essays/ HUGE upward trend with grades and course rigour
Weaknesses: Tests (decent SAT, didn’t take anything other than that really) and (Lack of) summer/community activities
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Everyone I’ve run my application by told me that if I were to get in, it’d be because of my ability to showcase creativity/personality in my application.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Indiana (Accepted), Virginia Tech (Accepted), JMU (Accepted), UVA (Waitlisted), UCLA (Rejected), U-Michigan (Pending)

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Bruh…

37

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 08/25/17

**Date decision postmarked/received: ** March 25, 2018 via portal

**Which school/major at USC: ** School of Dramatic Arts, BFA Theatre (#1), BA Theatre (#2)

Scholarships: none

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1400 (690 R, 710 M, 22 E)
ACT (breakdown): did not submit
SAT II (place score in parentheses): US History (730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.71 (guess)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank (possibly top 20%)
AP (place score in parentheses): US History (5), Spanish Language (5), Government & Politics: United States (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): school does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: English IV H (British Literature), Theology/Philosophy, Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP World History, DE Arts
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Holy Cross College Book Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): very heavy involvement in secondary high school regarding school theatre in freshman and sophomore year, math club, Spanish club (rep), school choir, NHS, and Spanish NHS. (Something to note: In my sophomore year I wanted to take my art deeper and spend time with artists who value the work and process. I dual-enrolled at an arts school and spent my junior and senior years there.)
Job/Work Experience: just received a part-time job at a self-serve salad bar—USC did not know about my job.
Volunteer/Community Service: 100 hours school required; small effort outside of that amount.
Summer Activities: summer arts conservatories for acting / performing arts. In 2016 I attended NYU for the summer. Last summer was dedicated to college audition prep.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10/10 - talked about a personal issue and how it fundamentally changed me. I spent months drafting this one.
Challenged Beliefs Prompt: 9/10 - showed how I have changed my views of others. A bit similar to my common app but showed a different side of me—the way I interact with my friends, specifically.
Academic Interests: 7/10 - I stated what I value and how USC would help me achieve my goals, although my goals do not line up with USC’s BFA program. My goals, however, do line up with the BA program, which I was accepted to.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
AP Spanish Language Teacher: 10/10 - I cried reading it—beautiful.
AP Government Teacher: 7/10 - generic and short but descriptive with lots of adjectives.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): did not read. I gave him much information, and he thinks highly of me, I presume.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):
Ballet / Jazz / Modern dance teacher: 7/10 - could have been generic or lovely. I did not read.
Acting Teacher: 7/10 - could have been generic or lovely. I did not read.
Interview: I had an interview with a USC arts faculty member after my audition. The interview was very short but allowed him to ask questions about my arts supplemental application. I did not have a alumni interview or anything of that sort.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
State (if domestic applicant): Louisiana
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: religiously-affiliated
Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: essays, commitment to arts, work load (explanation below)
Weaknesses: UW GPA, “C” on transcript, and test scores.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Essays are the biggest reason. My honesty is another reason, I think. My clear, pointed idea of what I want to do and what I value is another reason that I think shined in my application. Another big reason is that I attend two high schools—one arts and one academics. I miss much school and maintain my excellence in academics. Managing two academic workloads and a part-time job is much work. If you would like to know more, please message me.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
I committed to the typical BFA artist vibe and applied to twenty-one schools. I will not list all of them. If you would like to know more about all of my applications and acceptances / deferrals / waitlists / rejections, please personal message me. I am happy to explain.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Admissions is anyone’s guess. Seriously. I got rejected from Northwestern and demonstrated way too much interest and was constantly in contact with my admissions counselor. I did nothing for USC and just auditioned and got in. Yes, Northwestern’s acceptance rate is lower, but I hope you catch my vibe that this process is wild.

If you have any specific questions regarding my situation or circumstances or want any input or advice, feel free to message me. Always remember that colleges are placing you in context of your school / region; they are not looking for perfection. Challenge yourself as you see fit.

38

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 29, 2017

**Date decision postmarked/received: ** March 24, 2018

**Which school/major at USC: ** Dornsife/International Relations

**Scholarships: **N/A

Objective:
ACT: 34 Composite (36 English, 36 Reading, 33 Science, 30 Mathematics)
SAT II: Spanish (760), US History (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Rank: N/A (school doesn’t rank)
AP: US History (5), US Government (4), Spanish Language (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, AP Spanish Lit, AP Economics (macro and micro), Drama, Photography, Theology, Yearbook, Senior Project
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar; Winner of an area-wide speech competition; Received a NSLI-Y scholarship through the State Department to study Hindi in India between junior and senior year

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): County Youth Commission (Committee Chair), Congressional Representative’s Student Advisory Board (Committee Chair), School Yearbook (Head Editor), NHS, School ASB (Community Service Commissioner),
Job/Work Experience: Barista at Starbucks for 2 years, Intern at the office of my state senator for 1
Volunteer/Community Service: Boys and Girls Club Tutor; Organized a school-wide food drive and book drive benefitting a community in Malawi; Did 30 hours per year of various service as part of NHS.
Summer Activities: Worked at Starbucks, studied abroad in India with NSLI-Y.
Essays: 9/10 - I think I had pretty good essays. I talked a lot about my experience in India which made them pretty unique imo. They were less emotional/personal as I would’ve liked them to be, though. However, I think they did a great job showing why I wanted to study my specific major and why I’d be a great fit for USC.
Teacher Recommendations:: 10/10. I picked two teachers that knew me really well, and I’m confident they wrote amazing letters.
Counselor Rec: 8/10. My counselor also knew me really well and I think he wrote a great letter, but he had a lot of others to write so I’m not super sure of the quality of mine.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 10/10. My best interview by far! I connected really well with my interviewer. I think it’s actually part of why I got in.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State: California (Bay Area)
School Type: Private/Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LGBT I guess? I didn’t talk about it anywhere on my application though.

Reflection
Strengths: ECs, test scores, essays, teacher recs, interview
Weaknesses: Course rigor (took some APs and honors, but not all that my school offered)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my grades were overall really good, but not outstanding, so I think the fact that I had pretty interesting extracurriculars plus an amazing interview is what pushed me over the edge to get admitted.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:

Accepted: UMich, UCSD, UC Davis, UCSB, UCSC, Cal Poly, Northeastern, McGill, U of Rochester, Fordham, Macalester, U of Minnesota, U of Alabama, and now USC!

Rejected: UCLA

Waiting: UC Berkeley, UCI, GW

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Put in your best effort and you can achieve anything guys! I wasn’t confident I’d get in since I heard the acceptance rate was 13% this year, and I pretty much lost all hope after getting rejected from UCLA. But I guess USC really looks at the whole person and determined I’d be a good fit for the school. Not sure if I’m going to go yet, but I’m so honored to have been admitted and to (possibly) be a trojan!

39

[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color]

** 11/30: **

** 3/25:**

** Business Administration, Marshall School of Business:**

None:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35C 35R 36E 34M 34S
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Euro (4) APUSH (5) Lang (5), Lit, Bio, Calc BC, Psych
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, Psych, Lit, Bio, P.E. (state mandated ), Journalism, Teacher Assistant
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Various DECA state/intl awards including first and top ten finishes at state

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): DECA (Chapter leadership), Newspaper (section editor), Business Club, NHS, JV sport, Led retreats for middle schoolers

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: 150 or so hours
Summer Activities: Business Intern at a company in the city
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App probably a 9, a very personal essay about visiting my family who lived in poverty in a foreign country. Why USC 7, generic, not super unique, but solid reasons. May have focused on BCA a little too much
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: probably 7s, didn’t know teachers too well, but I did well in their classes and they agreed to write them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: No idea, large public school so I’ve seen my counselor maybe 6 times in high school. He interviewed me prior to writing though.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): dual citizen? (see essay)

Reflection
Strengths: Definitely my ECs particularly my success in DECA. Test scores and GPA
Weaknesses: didn’t know rec writers well, Why USC was generic
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably my ECS and scores, common app essay was unique
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Indiana, UT Austin, Still waiting: U Mich, Penn, NYU, Yale
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I wish I had gotten to know my teachers and counselor better. Also wish I spent more time on the why USC essay, although it worked out in the end.

40

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 11/30/17

Date decision postmarked/received:3/25/18

Which school/major at USC: Human Biology – Dornsife College

Scholarships: I don’t know

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 C (30 E, 30 M, 36 R, 33 S)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Does Not Rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): APES (5), APUSH (3), APLang (3), Psych (4). Did not report Calc AB
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Leadership, Civics, Contemporary World Problems, AP Chemistry, AP Calc BC, Anatomy & Physiology, Biomedical Engineering, World Literature and Analytic Composition, Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-3 Years National Honors Society
-Link Crew Leader (Lead freshman and transfer students to get them accustomed to our school)
-Master Scuba Diver certified by PADI, the highest non-professional level. Have been diving since I was 10, the youngest you can be certified.
-Internship with Waste Management
-Conducted own Research in Senior and Junior years

Job/Work Experience:
-Fast Food. During Senior year, average 25 hours a week.

Volunteer/Community service:
Volunteered at a food sorting organization since I was 6. We sort food into smaller packages which then get sent to food banks across Western Washington

Summer Activities:
3-week service project to the Dominican Republic to build houses, schools, farms, and clean water filtration.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: Looking back, my common app essay is a bit unorganized. Talked about what I was like in elementary school and shows how I’m still that passionate and energetic but how I have also matured. (7/10)
USC #1: Chose prompt about interacting with people form different backgrounds. Talked about the Seattle Freeze Stereotype and how I don’t fit with it, and my experiences in the Dominican Republic. (8/10)
USC #2: Felt a little to straightforward, but I did mention a bunch of activities I would take advantage of. (7/10)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: APES Teacher from Sophomore year. He’s a bit disorganized, but he sees me as a hardworking and fun student. (8/10)
Teacher Rec #2: APLang Teacher from Junior year, who also taught me in 10th grade Honors English. Loves me as a person and has seen me grow in what I consider one of my weakest subjects. Went from getting a B- in her class Sophomore year to getting A’s during Junior year. (9/10)
Counselor Rec: Go to a small school with only about 150 in my graduating class so counselor knew me by name. I’ve also done many school events like info and curriculum night, so they’ve seen my help around. (9/10)

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Human Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Washington State
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Multiracial (Asian and White)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $175k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: Not completely sure, possibly difficult course load throughout high school? Great recommendations (I’m assuming) and maybe unique extracurriculars?
Weaknesses: GPA, Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted: I’m fortunate in that my high school is one of the best in the country (according to US. News if that means anything?) and so I’ve had a pretty rigorous curriculum in high school that they may have thought would mean I could handle the work at USC. Also possibly because I have some unique extracurriculars like scuba diving and going to the Dominican Republic.
Where else were you accepted:
Accepted: Washington State University, University of Washington, Northeastern University
Deferred: Duke in ED
Waitlisted: University of Rochester
Rejected: Boston University, Northwestern University
Waiting on: Stanford, Duke (for RD this time), NYU

General Comments: Pleasantly surprised that I made it in! After seeing how many great individuals either were rejected I didn’t think I was going to make the cut. Very grateful to be accepted into one of my top schools!