USC Class of 2022 Decisions/Stats Only Thread

ACCEPTED

Date applied: [11/30/17] ya girl wanted those scholarships

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: March 25,2018 via portal

[ b]Which school/major at USC: Biological Sciences, Dornsife College of Letter and Arts

[ b]Scholarships: currently none

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): nope
ACT (breakdown): 31
SAT II: nope
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School DNR but I would say I’m in the top 25%
AP: Didn’t submit
IB (place score in parentheses): 40/45
Senior Year Course Load: All IB basic spring include HL Math
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Volunteer Service Award

Extracurricular: VP of UNICEF, VP of NHS, Prom Committee, HOSA, Varsity Basketball Captain
Job/Work Experience: Internship at Health Care agency
Volunteer/Community Service: ALOT
Summer Activities: Summer at Ivy Leauge taking classes
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9 for one 8 for the other
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8
Interview: didn’t have one

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 500k+
Hooks: URM

Reflection
Strengths: I think I really sold myself in my essay. I poured my soul into it and made it about my personal relationship between me and my father. Solid GPA and meaningful ECs probably helped too.
Weaknesses: My ACT maybe??? It was in the 25th percentile so do with it what you will but again TEST SCORES ARE NOT EVERYTHING.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think they admissions officers got to know me. I showed my personality in the short answer supplement questions with a little comedy and unique but honest answers.

Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applied to 9 other schools including Boston University, UT Austin and University of Washington. Accepted into all. Waiting on Penn (ED deferred) University of Michigan and Columbia!

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: To those that got rejected my heart is with you and I hope you find we’re you’re meant to go.(: To those applying in the future, it’s just going to get harder as kids are doing amazing things to get into amazing schools like USC. Do not feel like in order to be validated you need an acceptance from a big name school, don’t stress and enjoy your senior year!! I give all my success to God!

[size=4]** Decision: Accepted**/size

** Date applied: ** October 26

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

** Which school/major at USC: ** International Relations (Global Business)

** Scholarships: ** none

**Objective: **
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite, 36 science, 32 math, 35 english, 36 reading
SAT II (place score in parentheses): n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 unweighted, 5.098 weighted.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parentheses): Bio (4), English Lang (5), APUSH (5), Euro (5), Stats (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit and Comp, AP Spanish Lang and Culture, AP Calculus AB, AP Comparative Government, AP Capstone Research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, NMSF

** Subjective: **
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity basketball (4 years, 2 as captain), varsity soccer (4 years), varsity track (2 years), varsity xc (1 year), JV volleyball (2 years, 1 as captain), varsity volleyball (1 year), club volleyball (1 year, captain), Christian Education Committee member at church (4 years), Youth Leader (2 years), Spanish Honor Society (2 years), NHS (2 years), CIT for summer camp (1 year), FCA (4 years, president for one), UNICEF (4 years, VP for two), Student Senate Social Chair Exec (planned prom, dances, and any school wide social events, 2 years)
Job/Work Experience: Camp counselor (150+ hours of work per week during the summer)
Volunteer/Community Service: Special Olympics basketball coordinator and head coach for my county (4 years, approx. 60 hours a year), JOY Prom volunteer, peer mentor and tutor (2 years each)
Summer Activities: CIT and camp counselor
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: both were probably 8s, very focused on growing up in the rural south
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: one 10 and one 7
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public charter, very small
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: upper middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** January 1st

Date decision postmarked/received: March 24th

Which school/major at USC: School of Architecture

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 30 cumulative, 31 superscored (33 Eng, 30 Math, 30 Reading, 28 Science)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.53
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not available
AP (place score in parentheses): Not available
IB (place score in parentheses): Not available
Senior Year Course Load: 3 Honors classes (English, Physics, Chinese) + Advanced Architecture, Calculus, Cold War History Seminar, Honors Biology TA, Metal Fabrications Trade Class

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Soccer, Varsity Lacrosse (Captain), Club Lacrosse, BBYO (Jewish Youth Leadership Organization),
Job/Work Experience: PLUM Architects
Volunteer/Community Service: SF-Marin Food Bank (30+ hours), GLIDE Food Kitchen (8+ hours), tutored under-resourced kids from local middle schools at my high school (25+ hours),
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9s or 10s, specifically talked about USC architecture staff and alumni and related specialized courses to my interest in environmental architecture and sustainability
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10, 9, 7. I had two teachers that I had great relationships with and had for 2+ years, last teacher didn’t know me too well and worked in English department.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8. Didn’t know a lot about architecture applicants but we got along well. She also included a portion of my boss’s recommendation in her rec so that probably boosted hers.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: Private non-profit
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Designed and hand built school in village in Senegal,

Reflection
Strengths: Portfolio was very strong, essays were as well.
Weaknesses: GPA was a little too low. Took very difficult classes all through high school and never thought colleges looked at UW GPA so much.
Why you think you were accepted: Strong interest and ability in Architecture, a relatively hard major to develop a portfolio for in high school
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Cal Poly SLO, U Michigan, Wash U, Cornell, Berkeley.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If you know what you want to do in high school, spend as much time doing that thing as you can to develop a resume or portfolio. If you don’t know, try to get straight As and show you have good study habits.

Accept/Reject/Deferred: ACCEPTED
SAT I (breakdown): Did not take
ACT (breakdown): 32, 11/12 writing
SAT II: 740 USH, 580 Literature (Did not send either- I took them last minute and did not study)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98, W:4.8/5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 17/520
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (5), US History (5), Lang (5), Chem (2, it’s bad I know, didn’t report), Currently taking Euro, Calc, Spanish, Lit, Government.
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top 10 International Finalist DECA and FBLA, 1st place in Water Filtration competition, Model UN awards at Vanderbilt, WashU, UVA, Duke, NYU, TN Governor’s School, Volunteer Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Personal Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Student Council President, Model UN Undersecretary General, Youth Leader in Cultural Organization, Volunteer Leader at 2 area hospitals, Library Volunteer Leader, Mentor at Organization for kids with developmental disabilities, Community Service Club President, DECA/FBLA representative, Announcements Producer
Summer Activities: STEM Academy, Envision NYLF, Volunteering at St. Jude, Governor’s School

Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d say a good 8.5/10 for Common App. Overall pretty good and showed my passion for interaction and communication,
USC #1- Talked about the impact of my culture and the imprint it has made on my other pursuits in life
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Got 10/10 recs from my AP US and English teachers, had 2 additional recs written by library volunteer coordinator and director of my governor’s school which were both stellar. Counselor Rec was great too, I’ve been her assistant for a few years now

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Dornsife A and S, Health and Humanity
State (if domestic applicant): Tennessee
School Type: Big high school
Ethnicity: AA
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, AA Male,

Reflection

Strengths: EC’s, recs, writing to an extent, GPA/grades, ACT writing score, ethnicity
Weaknesses: pretty low test scores, AP scores (I really thought my 2 on AP Chem would do me in)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: With the exception of my test scores, my application was very solid and I attend a rigorous high school in Tennessee with a very high GPA and good mid-year report.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: UNC (full scholarship), Vanderbilt, Duke, UCLA, Miami-Ohio, Rhodes, Emory
Waiting on: Brown, Princeton, Berkeley,
Waitlisted: Tulane

General Comments: In the weeks leading up I was a little nervous. I never thought my stats would really make me that competitive. I am so happy to be accepted to one of my dream schools!! Now to make a choice lol.

I got my acceptance package on Saturday. Yesterday I got another package with a USC hoody and a really nice letter. Did anybody else get a package with a USC hoody?

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: 10/2017 **

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/26/2018

Which school/major at USC: Music Performance

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT II: 1300
ACT: 27
Unweighted GPA (3.8):
Rank (13/380):
AP (31 Units Earned/Test):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (Band, Cross Country, Track):
Job/Work Experience: Family Ranch
Volunteer/Community Service: 200 hours
Summer Activities: Oakdale Racing Team
Essays (rating 9)::
Teacher Recommendations (rating 10)::
Counselor Rec (rating 10)::

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Pacific Islander
Gender: M

Reflection
Strengths: Well Balanced Student
Weaknesses: No student government
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA (3.8/4.1) and SAT (1300) solid but not incredible.

Where else you are applying or have already applied:

**Pepperdine: Accepted & Enrolled (3/4 ride)
CSU-Chico: Accepted ($3K)
Azusa Pacific: Accepted ($19K)
George Fox: Accepted ($16K)
USC: Rejected
CSU-LB: Rejected

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
USC was a REACH for me and originally my top choice.

GO WAVES!!

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1
Date decision postmarked/received: 3/24

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife School of International Relations - International Relations and the Global Economy

Scholarships: IDK yet (will find out 3/27)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1430 (740RW, 690M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/505
AP (place score in parentheses): Music Theory (didn’t take), Biology (3), U.S. History (4), English Language (4), Psychology (5), English Literature (taking in May), Statistics (taking in May), Government (taking in May), Macroeconomics (not taking)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Econ, AP Stats, AP Gov, Honors Physics I, Business Law, History Through Film, Creative Writing, Off-Campus Study Hall
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Speech & Debate Club, Academy of Science & Engineering, Tri-Theta (paint group leader)
Volunteer/Community Service: Key Club (all four years), Youth Ministry Service Projects (freshman to junior year), National Honor Society
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10 - I really feel like in my personal essay I was able to capture how I’ve grown throughout my years in high school, as well as what I’m planning to do with the rest of my life. As far as the USC writing supplement, I was really real (aka I said my life anthem was Saint Pablo - Kanye West)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read, but I know it was great; this teacher praised me all the time.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read, but I’m assuming it was good.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read, but I know this one was great as well.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: Mid-Sized Top 20 Public in Houston
Ethnicity: Hispanic, African American, White, Native American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle-Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, YouTuber (?), Harvey Victim (?)

Reflection:
Strengths: GPA, rank, essays, rec letters

Weaknesses: test score (only took once, but I was fine with my score; other people may think it’s low though), ECs (personally, I think my ECs are fine: I focused on things that were interesting to me, and put a lot of time into them. I also didn’t sign up for clubs just so I could put them on my application, but I’ve had other people say that my ECs are really weak, so you can be the judge).

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I definitely think my essays and rec letters played a big role in my acceptance. I didn’t focus on impressing anyone, I just told my story, and was super real about life and my experiences. The teachers that I chose for my rec letters were also great selections imo, because they really knew me – not just what I’m capable of as far as extraordinary projects and such go, but also who I am as a person.

Where else you are applying or have already applied:
University of Notre Dame (Accepted, Waiting on FA)
University of Texas at Austin (Accepted, Honors)
University of Miami (Accepted, $48k)
Fordham University (Accepted, Honors, Full-Tuition)
Tulane University (Accepted, Honors, $48k)
University of Georgia (Accepted, OOS $10k)
Vanderbilt University (Will hear on 3/27)

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I think people focus way too much on stats/numbers. I did one chance me thread after I got my first (and last) SAT score back, and someone said my score was abominably low. I’ve had people tell me that I need way more extracurriculars to get into any of the schools I want to go to. This application cycle, I’ve seen countless people with way higher stats than me get rejected from schools I was accepted to. So, I would just say to focus less on numbers. Enjoy your high school experience and do things because you love them, not because you can put them on an application. Make great connections with your teachers, so that when the time comes for recommendation letters, you have a lot of options from people you know are writing heartfelt letters about the type of person you are. That’s another thing – be a decent person. I’ve seen people with perfect test scores/GPAs get really salty about being rejected from numerous schools, but that’s not all the application process is about. A perfect SAT score does not entitle you to admission to whatever school you want to go to. If you manage to show (through your essays, extracurriculars, & rec letters) that you’re a humble, kind person (who also happens to be well-rounded and ambitious), you’ll do just fine. I’ll be the first to say that I wasn’t expecting to be accepted to USC or ND, but my main goal while applying was to show them what makes me different from the thousands of other people that they have to select from, and I guess it worked. Lastly, don’t bother with Chance Me threads. The people who reply to them can be unrealistically and unapologetically brutal. Hearing from someone else, that your SAT score is too low, or your fifteen extracurriculars aren’t enough can be really discouraging. Had I listened to people on CC, I probably would have either retaken my SAT five times, or not applied to a lot of the schools that I was accepted to.

Let that sink in. I’m not the “perfect” applicant, but I was accepted to every school that I applied to.

Don’t let numbers hold you back from taking a chance. More and more schools are reviewing applications holistically, and who you are matters a lot more that a few more points on a standardized test.

===============

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/23/2017

Date decision postmarked/received: 03/22/2018

Which school/major at USC: Physics

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1450 SuperScore (750M, 700RW)
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t Take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Math II, 710 Physics, 790 Spanish Reading
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Weighted GPA: 4.13
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Didn’t Submit
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Seminar, Writing for College Success, AP Stats, Comp. Sci Principles, AP Calc, AP Psych
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, just some school awards.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
-Student Council President
-Speech and Debate Varsity Team Captain
-Relay for Life Team Captain
-American Red Cross Club President
-Math Club VP
-Math Tutor
-Sunday school teacher at my church
-Varsity Cross Country
-Varsity Track and Field
-Varsity Tennis
Job/Work Experience: Golf Camp Counselor for two years
Volunteer/Community Service: Mostly in my church… around 380 hours
Summer Activities: None apart from running
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
-Main Essay(8/10): Wrote about curiosity and how my family has instilled that quality in me
-Prompt Essay(10/10): I think this is my best essay, I wrote about debating and showed my passion for it with an analogy about a battlefield.
-Why your major essay(9/10): was very specific, mentioned professors, clubs I would join, classes I liked, and integrated all of these in a coherent essay where I wasn’t just listing them.
-Very Short Answer(7/10): I was very clever with my answers and showed interest in my major through the things I wrote about
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t Read
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t Read
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t Read
Interview: None

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private, Lutheran
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Prefer not to disclose
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen., idk what else

Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores and grades were average, essays, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Could’ve got better scores and could’ve shown more interest
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no clue
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted at Northwestern University, Case Western Reserve, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Miami. Waitlisted at WUSTL and GeorgiaTech. Technically no rejections yet!
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: From my experience, UofSC loves clever answers for their 35 character response questions

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: I applied very early because I am a Questbridge Finalist that was not matched.

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: 2/25

[ b]Which school/major at USC: Marshall

[ b]Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1390
ACT (breakdown): did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): my school does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): only sent Psychology which was a 5
IB (place score in parentheses): not offered at my school
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Spanish, Physics, Precalculus, AP English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): awards given to me from my nonprofit.

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): (Senior class president), (VP of two clubs), (Intern for nonprofit), apart of a lot of clubs, (manager at my workplace)
Job/Work Experience: Worked about 25 hours a week on top of school my senior year
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteered through an organization to battle teen drinking, as well as person-to-person volunteering.
Summer Activities: Harvard Summer School two years, received A’s in all four classes I took (16 college credits)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9! Best part of my application. I put so much into my common app essay and especially the supplemental questions for USC.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 7! One of my recommendations was fabulous and from my favorite teacher ever, the other teacher I asked out of desperation.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 9! Even though my counselor doesn’t love me she really explained my situation incredibly well and gassed me up.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t submit.
Interview: No interview.

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 30k-40k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Questbridge, Senior class president, VP of two clubs, help with a nonprofit, charity work,

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Extracurriculars, essays
Weaknesses: SAT scores, course load my underclassmen years
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no idea how I got accepted I was so happy
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Got into Emory as well
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: APPLY!! I GOT IN AND I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD AND KIDS WITH MUCH BETTER SCORES THAN ME GOT REJECTED. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT A COLLEGE WANTS. WORK ON YOUR ESSAYS AND SHOW THAT YOU ARE A HUMAN BY DOING GOOD EXTRACURRICULARS THAT BENEFIT YOUR COMMUNITY. LOVE URSELF AND APPLY THE WORST THAT WILL HAPPEN IS REJECTION (WHICH SUCKS BUT… TRY ANYWAYS!)

**Decision: Accepted (Spring) **

**Date applied: ** 11/17

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife Biology

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1450
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No ranking
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 APUSH
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Calculus and other CP Classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience: Works in a high profile job.
Volunteer/Community Service: Over 500 Hours of significant community service
Summer Activities: Research, work, and volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10 very specific and detailed
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: Did not interview

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: North African
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Involved in my community heavily and made a large impact.

Reflection
Strengths: Essays, SAT, Extra Curricular
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Personality and Essays
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UC’s and other private California schools
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If it’s meant to be it will happen!

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Aug 14, 2018

Date decision postmarked/received: received 10/21

Which school/major at USC: Cinematic Arts/Production MFA

Scholarships: Pending

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Can’t remember but fairly average
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 2.969
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): N/A
Job/Work Experience: PA for a couple of major network TV shows
Volunteer/Community Service:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Probably pretty good. I was asked about it in my interview.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10. Professor was a USC grad. Also recommended by the dean of undergrad fine arts from previous Uni.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: State Uni
Ethnicity: Mixed race
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths: Resilient. Came back to finish Bachelors after several medical leaves and set backs. 4.0 last two years of undergrad. Solid film submission.
Weaknesses: Low gpa, average SAT
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong interview, essay, and film submission.
Where else you are applying: Just USC
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Even if you feel academically average or below average, but creatively you have a lot going for you, apply anyway!